Chapter 400: Chapter 400

The next morning came soft and silver, the kind of light that lingered just long enough to make time feel slower. Fitzgeralt Manor was quiet again, this time with the peace that followed a long night of cold rain. The sky outside was pale and cloud-heavy, and the windows of the sitting room reflected the softened brightness over polished floors and cream upholstery. But no sign of snow yet.

Lucas had claimed one of the sofas, curled into a throw blanket that was doing most of the work of his self-imposed exile. A tablet rested on his knees, the screen filled with calendar notifications that looked like a battlefield of social obligations. Every few minutes, one of them pinged with a cheerful reminder that only seemed to worsen his mood.

Trevor sat across from him at the low table, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, documents piling up on his tablet and laptop without end. It was his version of working from home, technically "remote," but in practice only three floors away from his main office.

Neither of them had said much since breakfast. The air between them was comfortable silence, with Lucas scrolling through reasons to be antisocial and Trevor pretending not to notice.

Finally, Lucas exhaled, too dramatically to be accidental. "Do we really have to attend the Council Luncheon?"

Trevor didn’t look up. "Yes."

Lucas frowned at his screen. "There will be nobles."

"That is usually the defining feature of a Council Luncheon," Trevor replied mildly, still reviewing the rotating projection of a trade map.

"There will also be journalists," Lucas added, as though that clinched the argument.

"Yes," Trevor said again, tone unchanged.

Lucas dropped the tablet onto his lap with a quiet sigh. "And your cousin Alistair."

That earned a faint flicker of amusement. "You like Alistair."

"I tolerate Alistair," Lucas corrected. "He’s harmless. Mostly." He hesitated. "But he’ll bring Cressida, and she’ll bring conversation topics I have no interest in surviving."

That made Trevor glance up, the faintest glint of laughter in his purple eyes. "You mean diplomacy?"

"I mean gossip disguised as philanthropy," Lucas said flatly. "You know she’ll spend half the luncheon whispering about my diet and the other half speculating about the baby’s gender."

Trevor made a thoughtful sound, setting one of the files aside. "You could always announce it early and ruin her sport."

Lucas gave him a deadpan look. "And deny her the joy of pretending she already knows? That would be cruel."

Trevor’s lips curved faintly, the kind of smile that stayed behind his eyes. He returned to his screen, though it was clear he wasn’t reading anymore.

Lucas watched him for a moment, catching Trevor’s tiny, dangerous sign of amusement, which meant he was deliberately choosing silence because he enjoyed it so much.

"You’re not helping," Lucas said.

"I’m not interfering," Trevor corrected smoothly.

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "You’re supposed to support me."

"I am," Trevor said without looking up. "I’m supporting your right to complain."

Lucas threw a cushion at him. It was an elegant throw, perfectly executed and harmlessly intercepted mid-air. Trevor caught it one-handed, the smirk fully visible now.

"Violence before lunch," he said dryly. "We’re setting a dangerous precedent."

Lucas leaned back with a long, suffering sigh. "You enjoy this too much."

Trevor arched a brow. "You’re cute when you plot your own evasion."

"I’m strategic," Lucas said, with all the dignity of someone plotting to fake a fever. "If I can avoid at least two of these events, I’ll have earned peace."

"Peace is overrated," Trevor murmured.

"Peace is necessary," Lucas countered. "Otherwise, you’ll end up with me saying something honest in public again."

Trevor finally set the console aside, turning fully toward him. "You mean when you called Duke Pelham’s charity proposal ’a very expensive form of reputation laundering’?"

Lucas’s expression was unapologetic. "I wasn’t wrong."

"No," Trevor admitted, "you weren’t." He leaned back in his chair, gaze softening. "But you’re going, Lucas."

Lucas tilted his head, green eyes narrowing behind his blonde lashes. "You’re sure?"

Trevor smiled faintly. "Yes. Because I’ve already had Windstone confirm your attendance to the Duchess and the Council press office."

Lucas stared at him, incredulous. "You preempted my rebellion?"

Trevor lifted his coffee cup in mock salute. "Married life is all about foresight."

Lucas muttered something unprintable in a tone that was far too elegant to sound properly threatening.

Trevor set the cup down and leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees. "You can glare all you like, but you’ll attend, look devastatingly composed, and make everyone else question their life choices. That’s your specialty."

Lucas gave him a look that was pure exasperation, then smiled despite himself. "Flattery as strategy. Noted."

"Effective, isn’t it?"

Lucas tilted his head again, a slow grin forming. "Keep talking like that, and I might even forgive you for the luncheon."

Trevor’s voice lowered, playful but edged with warmth. "I’ll take that as progress."

Windstone chose that exact moment to enter, his expression perfectly neutral save for the faintest raise of one brow. "Progress in diplomacy or avoidance, my lords?"

Lucas didn’t miss a beat. "Avoidance."

Trevor sighed. "Diplomacy."

Windstone inclined his head. "A balance, then. I’ll have the car ready for the luncheon. And perhaps..." his gaze shifted briefly toward Lucas, "a small dessert waiting for your return. For moral reinforcement."

Lucas’s lips curved in quiet satisfaction. "You see, Trevor? That’s what loyalty looks like."

Windstone, stepping back toward the door, added smoothly, "I prefer survival, Your Grace. But I find they often overlap."

Trevor shook his head as the door shut behind him, smiling into his coffee. "He’s getting bolder."

Lucas’s voice softened, teasing. "He works for me now."

Trevor looked at him over the rim of his cup, amused. "I’m starting to suspect everyone does."

Lucas gave him a calm, dangerous smile. "You’re learning." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on noᴠelfire.net

Even though the sky outside remained gray and the afternoon promised politics and polite warfare, the moment between them, quiet, domestic, and slightly ridiculous, felt like a small victory in and of itself. Lucas could handle anything if his alpha was with him to carry out any of his ridiculous fits.