CHAPTER 141: EX 141. MEETING

The base was alive with motion, soldiers running drills, squads moving in formation, voices crackling through comms, but the moment Nikko Yakomoto stepped into the corridor, everything stilled around her.

Black uniform.

Black insignia.

Black Vanguard.

Every soldier they passed stood straighter. Boots snapped together. Salutes fired off in crisp unison. And walking beside her, though clad in silver-trimmed navy and not black, was a man of equal weight in presence. Luke Feran.

Nikko didn’t slow for the salutes. She never did. Her pace was even, eyes ahead, not a flicker of hesitation in her step. She was leading Luke to the accomodation for unit-1 Leon’s squad. Her black hair, tied in a single thread-bound braid, swung lightly at her back as she moved.

Luke walked beside her in silence, the weight of the situation slowly digging into his spine with each step.

’So I have to lower my head to this boy again.’

He clenched his jaw. His footsteps were steady, but inside, everything was rattling. Leon Kael. That name always came with an aftertaste of history, pride and resentment, with his own ego bruised in quiet corners.

But it wasn’t pride that brought him here.

’To be honest,’ Luke thought, ’I came because I couldn’t stand being in that room with Sandra.’

The image of her, crying beside Eden’s bed, guilt written across every inch of her, played again in his mind. It twisted his gut. He loved her. But right now, the weight of everything she’d done... it was too much.

’I’ll get over it,’ he thought, ’but sometimes a man needs to get away from his family just to keep his mind intact.’

A small chuckle echoed in his head.

’And the person I ended up using as an excuse... is the same one who brought shame to our family. What the irony...’

His expression didn’t change, but his thoughts swirled like a storm behind his eyes. Despite all his rank, despite the noble name and medals, Luke was still a man, a father and a husband. That came before all else.

’The boy saved my son,’ he thought, ’and that’s all that matters.’

Old wounds remained, Dayton’s injuries, Rebecca’s bitterness, but the Kaels had never gone too far. They didn’t kill. They didn’t cripple. And now, their son had risked his life to save Eden’s.

Grudges don’t change the truth.

They turned a corner. Down the hall stood an, unassuming, unguarded and simple door

Nikko stopped.

"We’re here," she said calmly. "Wait here a moment. I need to speak with him first, to let him know he has a visitor."

Luke gave a short nod.

As Nikko opened the door without knocking.

She just opened the door and stepped inside.

Because when you’re the Supreme Heir of the Federation... you don’t ask for permission.

As she pushed the door open, a faint wrinkle tugged at her brow. Her nostrils flared, as something in the air struck her immediately. A musky, squid-like scent clung stubbornly to the room, thick and unmistakable. Her sharp eyes scanned the space before her gaze landed on the hallway beyond.

’What is that smell...?’she wondered, her composure cracking for a fleeting second.

Just then, the soft patter of footsteps approached from deeper inside. Leon emerged from the bathroom, steam curling around his frame like a veil. His white hair hung wet and tousled, droplets tracing down his bare chest. A towel was wrapped loosely around his waist, low enough to make Nikko’s brow twitch.

Leon didn’t notice her immediately, his attention fixed on the bathroom. "Do you really need to shower again?"

"Are you seriously asking if I need another shower?" Elizabeth called out, her voice laced with playful irritation. "I don’t think you’d be asking that if you saw what you did to my hair. It’s so sticky."

Leon winced and almost chuckled, but quickly bit his tongue, as he finally noticed Nikko, who stood like a carved statue, arms crossed, and her face unreadable.

"Your squadmate’s father is here," she said flatly, as if the scene before her hadn’t just burned itself into her memory. "He wants to thank you... for saving his son."

Leon blinked still stunned by her sudden appearance.

"Adrian’s father?" His voice betrayed his confusion.

Nikko shook her head.

"No. Eden’s."

That stunned him into silence.

He hadn’t expected that. The Ferans? Thanking him? After what happened during the celebration ceremony... after the blood that ran between their families?

"I see," Leon said at last, slowly nodding. "That’s... unexpected."

Nikko kept her voice firm, brushing past the awkwardness.

"So I suggest you get dressed. I’ll wait outside. When you’re ready, I’ll bring him in."

Leon nodded again.

"Okay."

Nikko turned to leave, already reaching for the door,.then paused when he called her name.

"Nikko."

She glanced over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

He gave a small smile.

"Thanks... for everything."

For a moment, her expression softened. And a chuckle slipped from her lips, dry but genuine. "Anytime."

With that, she stepped out, closing the door behind her.

Leon exhaled and stood for a second, alone in the steamy silence, towel still clinging to his waist and his soaked hair dripping onto the floor.

A moment later, Elizabeth stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in towels of her own, one coiled around her head, the other hugging her from chest to thigh. She blinked toward the door, then looked at Leon.

"Was that the Supreme Heir?"

Leon nodded.

"Yeah."

She tilted her head.

"What did she want?"

"She brought a guest over," Leon said, reaching for a fresh shirt. "Eden’s father."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. Didn’t expect that."

Leon gave a dry chuckle.

"Neither did I."

****

Luke Feran stepped into the room with a stiffness in his shoulders, the kind that didn’t come from fear, but from pride being set aside.

The space was quiet, too quiet. A simple common room, clean and dimly lit, with two young figures seated before him. Leon sat back on the single-seater chair, his posture relaxed but alert, eyes sharp beneath still-damp strands of silver-white hair. Elizabeth rested casually on the armrest beside him, composed but clearly protective, her presence quiet but unmistakable.

The moment dragged.

Luke’s eyes flicked between them. He wasn’t a man who got nervous easily, not after leading battalions and walking through hellish fronts. But now? This boy, this Kael, was the one who saved his son’s life. The same boy he had looked down on. And here he was, unbothered, sitting in front of him like nothing had happened.

Leon broke the silence first, voice steady, polite, but not submissive.

"It’s nice to see you again, Lord Luke," he said with a small smile. No sarcasm. Just calm acknowledgment.

Luke’s jaw tightened for half a second before he exhaled through his nose, letting the tension go. He gave a small nod and said, "Likewise, Leon Kael."

And just like that, the weight in the room shifted.