CHAPTER 22: CHAPTER 22: THE AMAGI HOUSEHOLD

The sun rose soft and golden over the estate, mist curling faintly across the gardens. Min-jae stretched beneath the heavy blankets, blinking blearily at the beams of light slipping through the curtains. His body still felt warm and loose from the bath the night before, his mind fogged with the remnants of deep sleep.

Across the room, Meical was already dressed, fastening the last clasp of his coat with practiced precision. His voice was low when he spoke.

"Wake up properly, Kaizar. Today isn’t one of those days you can laze about."

Min-jae sat up, rubbing at his hair. "I wasn’t lazing. I was... savoring the last quiet moment before you drag me around."

Meical arched a brow but said nothing, only crossing to the small table where a tray of breakfast had been set out by the maids. He poured a steaming cup of tea and set it down in front of Min-jae. "Eat quickly. I’ll drop you off at your family home on my way to the palace. The king won’t wait on my report."

Min-jae’s lips twitched. "Always so dutiful. You sound like a sermon."

"Better a sermon than a scolding.." Meical replied evenly, though the corner of his mouth curved upward as Min-jae dug into his food with the same eagerness as last night.

By the time the carriage was prepared, Min-jae had traded Meical’s borrowed clothes for his own. The morning air was crisp when they stepped outside, the gravel crunching under their boots. Meical helped him into the carriage first before following.

The ride through the city was quiet at first, the streets just beginning to stir with merchants and townsfolk. Min-jae leaned his head against the window, watching the bustle grow, his mind drifting. Meical, opposite him, reviewed a stack of sealed parchments resting on his knee, but his eyes flicked up now and then, catching Min-jae’s reflection in the glass.

When the carriage slowed before the gates of Kaizar’s family home, Meical set the parchments aside. He looked at Min-jae with a calm firmness. "Don’t let think they can’t step over you. And don’t cause trouble."

Min-jae smirked faintly, stepping down from the carriage. "I only cause fun. Trouble is your word for it."

Meical’s gaze lingered on him a moment longer before he tapped the roof of the carriage, signaling the driver forward. "We’ll see. Be ready when I return."

And with that, the horses pulled the carriage back into the bustling street, leaving Min-jae standing before the tall gates of his family’s estate.

The hall of the Amagi estate was heavy with incense and hostility. Tall windows poured cold morning light across the carved stone floor, highlighting the gilded crest above the high table where the elder Amagis sat like vultures circling.

At the center sat Veynar Amagi, head of the family, his presence commanding and every line of his face carved in severity. His dark hair, streaked with silver at the temples, sharpened his authority.

"So.." Veynar said, his voice cutting through the murmur like a blade "you’ve bound yourself to a man. And not just any man, our governor. Do you feel proud, Kaizar, dragging the Amagi name into the mud?"

Corveth, his brother, barked a laugh. "Proud? Look at him. Wearing another man’s rjng and calling it marriage. Pathetic."

Lady Ilyra’s jeweled fingers curled around her goblet as she hissed. "Disgusting. First your sister shamed us with her softness, and now you, you’ve gone further."

His cousin, Dorian, sneered from the lower benches. "You’ve ruined us. What woman will ally with a house that lies with men?" The hall erupted with cruel laughter and venomous words.

Min-jae listened, his fists curled and nails biting his palms. When he spoke, his voice was steady and cold. "You’re all very loud for people too afraid to live their own truth.." The laughter cut short as Min-jae stepped forward. "At least I live honestly. At least I don’t hide behind tradition while rotting in cowardice. You clutch at your honor like it means something, but you poison it with greed and cruelty until it’s filthier than anything I could ever do."

Corveth slammed a hand on the table. "You dare you!" Min-jae snapped back, his voice ringing through the chamber. "I have one life. I won’t waste it crawling for your approval. You despise me? Good. At least you’re honest about that. But you’ll choke on your words when you see me standing beside Meical, not as your pawn, not as your disgrace, but as his equal. I am man, you need me in this family, that’s why you can’t get rid of me.."

Silence crashed down, and even Veynar’s sharp gaze flickered, his composure shifting for a moment. The Amagis shifted uneasily, like jackals startled by prey that had bitten back.

The silence hung heavy after Min-jae’s words, thick enough that even the crackle of the braziers sounded loud.

Veynar’s jaw tightened, but he merely lifted a hand. "Enough. We’ll speak no more of this here." His tone was iron, but there was something brittle in his eyes. "Kaizar..come to my study."

The family murmured as Min-jae followed him, some scoffing, some sneering. Min-jae ignored them all, his steps sharp and unyielding. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing hesitation.

The door shut behind him with a dull thud.

The study was dimmer, quieter, lined with shelves of ledgers and ancient tomes. Veynar stood by the window, his hands clasped behind his back. For a long moment, he didn’t speak. Then he turned, and the mask of the dignified patriarch cracked.

"You insolent boy.." he hissed. His hand slammed against the desk, rattling ink and parchments. "You humiliate this house, you shame me before my blood, and now you dare lecture us on truth?"

Min-jae’s glare was sharp. "Because you needed to hear it."

Veynar’s lips twisted. "Hear this, then...if you can lie on your back for another man, you can kneel for me.."

Before Min-jae could react, Veynar closed the distance, pressing him against the desk. His hands roamed, groping, his breath hot and vile against Min-jae’s ear.

"You think marrying Meical makes you powerful?" Veynar’s voice dropped to a growl. "It makes you nothing. A vessel. And if you’re so eager to debase yourself, then prove it here. To me."

Revulsion rolled through Min-jae’s stomach like acid. The older man’s hand dragged along his waist, his thigh..

"Stop.." Min-jae snapped, shoving at him, but Veynar only pressed harder, grinding his hips forward. "What’s the matter? You’ll spread for him but not me? You’ll choke on his cock but not your uncle’s?"