The long table was set for breakfast, with fresh bread, fruits, cheeses, and hot tea steaming in delicate pots.

Rosa sat at one end, her silver hair elegantly arranged, her violet eyes warm as she watched them enter.

Raani was there too, her athletic frame relaxed in a simple tunic, her golden eyes meeting Jake’s with a small, knowing smile.

Elise lounged nearby, her curvaceous figure draped in soft blue, while Maudlina and Ankerita sat together, the sisters sharing a quiet conversation.

Maureen stood near the window, arms crossed, but she offered a nod of greeting as they entered.

The women exchanged glances and small smiles as Jake, Chelsea, and Matilda took their seats. The air was light, almost playful, the shared understanding from the previous night still fresh between them.

They ate together—Jake at the head of the table, the women around him in easy companionship. Conversation flowed naturally, touching on the villa’s daily affairs, the mountain winds, and the quiet routines of their growing household.

There was no jealousy, no tension - only the comfortable warmth of women who had chosen this life together.

Jake watched them all with quiet satisfaction, his perverted mind already turning over the pleasures of the night and the possibilities of the days ahead.

They had barely finished the main course when a servant approached, bowing low with a sealed scroll in hand.

"My lord," the servant said quietly.

"A messenger arrived from the northern clans. It bears the seal of your mother’s people."

He looked at Raani, who shrugged. She didn’t even know that they cared about Jake; that’s why she didn’t tell him about them.

Jake took the scroll, breaking the wax with a flick of his thumb.

The message was short, written in elegant but formal script.

It was an invitation.

His mother’s clan - Jiunsu Clan, a name he had never heard of - requested his presence at their ancestral hold in the high passes.

It was the first time he had heard anything about them. His father’s side, the Raikarndel line, had dominated his life since his arrival in this world. The mother’s clan had been a ghost, a shadow never spoken of.

He read it aloud, his voice steady.

The women around the table fell silent, their expressions shifting from casual ease to focused attention.

Raani was the first to speak, her golden eyes narrowing as she set down her goblet.

She was still dressed in her simple black tunic, her dark hair loose from the night’s activities. "That clan has been living elsewhere for decades," she said, her voice calm but edged with caution.

"They cut their ties with Raikarndel long ago. They didn’t approve of Lady Raaya eloping with your father. It was seen as a betrayal of bloodlines and old alliances. They’ve been hostile ever since. The invitation could be genuine curiosity... or a trap.

I’d advise against going, my lord.

At least not without careful preparation and a strong escort."

The table remained quiet for a moment, the weight of her words settling over them.

Matilda’s hand tightened slightly on her goblet. Chelsea’s eyes met Jake’s, concern clear in her gaze. Rosa watched him with the quiet wisdom of someone who had seen too many old grudges resurface. Elise and Maudlina exchanged a glance, while Maureen’s expression remained guarded, her swordswoman’s instincts already calculating risks.

Jake leaned back in his chair, the scroll still in his hand. He had known there would be complications—old bloodlines, ancient feuds, the endless web of politics that came with power—but this was the first time his mother’s people had reached out directly.

The name Jiunsu stirred something faint in the back of his mind.

He was an agent, a hero chosen by forces older than the mountains themselves, but even heroes had family ties that could cut deeper than any blade.

"I’ve never heard of them before today," he admitted, his voice thoughtful.

"My father’s line has always been the one that defined me here. Raikarndel blood, Raikarndel duty. But if they’re reaching out now... there must be a reason. Curiosity, alliance, or something else."

Raani shook her head, her eyes steady.

"Reasons can hide knives, my lord. They didn’t like your mother choosing your father. They saw it as weakness, as diluting the blood. If they’ve invited you, it could be to test you. To see if you’re worthy of their name... or to remind you that you’re not."

The women around the table listened closely, their expressions a mixture of concern and quiet support.

Chelsea reached over to rest her hand lightly on his arm, her touch warm and grounding. "Whatever you decide, we’ll stand with you," she said softly.

"But Raani’s right to be cautious. You’ve only just begun to claim your place here. Old wounds run deep in these mountains."

Rosa nodded, her violet eyes thoughtful. "The Jiunsu clan was always proud. Proud and powerful in their own way. If they’re inviting you, it’s not out of simple nostalgia. They want something. Or they want to take something."

Matilda, still new to the inner circle but already feeling the pull of it, spoke carefully.

"Protection goes both ways. If you go, take more than just words. Take the strength you’ve built here."

Jake listened to them all, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

The invitation had come at an interesting time—after the chaos of the lower floors, after the night of shared pleasure that had solidified the bonds between the women around him.

He was still young in this life, still learning the shape of his power, but he was no longer the lazy adventurer who had first arrived in the city.

He was something more now.

A man with a growing circle of strong, loyal women who had chosen him, a villa that answered to his will, and a reputation that was beginning to spread across the Land of Roakan.

"I’ll think about it," he said finally, setting the scroll aside.

"We don’t rush into old feuds without knowing the full shape of them. But if they’re reaching out, I want to know why. Raani, send word to the scouts. Have them watch the passes. If there’s movement from the Jiunsu side, I want to know before they know we’re watching."

Raani inclined her head, her golden eyes steady.

"It will be done."