CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER 98: A FAMILY REUNION (1)

Meical was walking back to the study, already rehearsing what he needed to ask the physician, when he saw Odysseus coming toward him from the same direction.

The man was hurrying, his steps quick and tense, but he still bowed properly when he reached Meical.

"Master.." Odysseus said, slightly out of breath, "I have unexpected news. Your family have arrived at the estate and are demanding to see you."

Meical stopped.

For a moment he didn’t react, as if the words hadn’t fully reached him.

"My family?" he asked, voice low. "You’re joking. Tell me this is one of your silly games, Odysseus."

Odysseus shook his head immediately. "I wouldn’t joke about this, master. They are here. All of them. They’re waiting."

Meical felt something cold settle in his chest. Ten years of staying away, ten years of silence, and now they appeared without warning.

He wasn’t ready to see them.

He wasn’t ready for anything involving them, not today.

"What should I do, master?" Odysseus asked carefully.

Meical exhaled slowly. "Lead them to the tea room. The good one with the open view. We’ll be there in a minute."

Odysseus bowed again and left.

Meical stayed where he was for a few seconds, breathing in through his nose, forcing the rush of old memories and worse feelings back down.

He was older now. He could handle them. It would be fine. It had to be fine.

When he finally reached for the study door, it swung open before he touched it.

He was late, Min-jae had already finished his examination.

The physician was packing his things, giving a short report as Meical stepped inside.

Meical listened, nodded at the appropriate moments, and dismissed him with a quiet "Thank you, you can go."

The door closed behind the physician.

Min-jae took one look at Meical’s face and frowned lightly.

"What happened?"

Min-jae took one look at Meical’s face and frowned lightly.

"What happened?" He asked again.

Meical didn’t answer right away. He closed the door properly, almost too carefully, as if delaying even a second would help him sort his thoughts.

It didn’t.

He turned back toward Min-jae, his expression pulled tight in a way he couldn’t hide.

"...My family is here.." he said finally.

Min-jae blinked. "Your family?"

-_-

How come his family was appearing so soon, the author of the novel never really shed more light on Meical’s family so he didn’t know anything about them.

Meical nodded once, slow. "They arrived without warning. They’re in the tea room now."

Min-jae watched him for a moment. The shift in Meical’s posture was obvious, his shoulders slightly raised, his breath shallow.

"Do you want to see them?" Min-jae asked quietly.

Meical let out a breath that wasn’t quite a laugh. "Want isn’t the word. But I don’t have a choice. They’ll keep asking for me until I go."

Min-jae moved closer, resting a hand on Meical’s forearm. "You don’t look okay."

"I’m not.." Meical admitted, voice soft. "But I’ll manage."

Min-jae squeezed lightly. "You’re not going alone."

Meical’s eyes flicked toward him. "You just finished your examination."

"And?" Min-jae raised a brow. "I’m walking fine. I can sit beside you."

Meical hesitated.

Not because he didn’t want Kaizar there, he wanted nothing more but because the idea of showing Kaizar to his family after ten years, showing the person he actually loved, terrified him in a way he didn’t have words for.

Min-jae could tell. He stepped a little closer.

"I’ll be with you.." he said simply, like it wasn’t something Meical needed to earn.

Meical swallowed once. "...Alright."

He took Min-jae’s hand without thinking, the familiar warmth grounding him a little.

"Did the physician say anything concerning?" Meical asked, needing to anchor himself in something normal.

"No." Min-jae leaned back against the desk. "He said my ribs are healing. Just told me not to overwork myself and to follow the treatment properly. Nothing serious."

Meical nodded, relieved but still distracted. His thoughts were running too fast, each one bumping into another, none of them helpful.

Min-jae noticed. He reached up and smoothed his hand down Meical’s sleeve, slow and steady.

"Hey.." he said softly. "Look at me."

Meical did.

"You’re not going back as the boy who left.." Min-jae said. "You’re going as the man you became. And you’re not alone."

That steadied Meical a little more than he expected.

He exhaled slowly. "...Thank you."

Min-jae shrugged lightly. "I’m not comforting you. I’m stating facts."

Meical almost smiled.

A knock sounded gently at the door, one of the maids. "Master, the tea room is prepared."

Meical straightened. "We’re coming."

The maid bowed and stepped away.

The hallway felt longer than usual as they walked. Meical kept his pace even, but Min-jae could feel the tension radiating off him. He moved closer, brushing their hands together before quietly linking their fingers.

Meical didn’t pull away.

They reached the door of the tea room, that familiar polished wood, the one with the open view Meical always preferred because he could breathe better there.

Now it felt too small.

Min-jae squeezed his hand once.

Meical took a slow breath, turned the handle and stepped inside.

He had only placed one foot inside when he felt a tug in his hand.

He turned to Min-jae, who’s foot was rooted to the ground.

"What’s wrong?"

Min-jae pursed his lips slightly, his guts was telling him that he shouldn’t follow Meical in from the get go.

"Nothing, I’m just going to wait here until I’m mentioned if that’s okay.."

Meical frowned slightly but nodded, guess he wasn’t getting emotional support from Min-jae.

"Alright, I’ll go in first..."

He steeled himself for a second, much to Min-jae’s surprise, it was a rare sight to see Meical hesitate.

"You’ll be fine, remember you’re the the same boy they remember, you’re a man now.."

Min-jae smiled, someone like Meical had nothing to worry about, he was predestined to do well.

The author of the story was very biased when it came to her characters.

Meical fluffed his clothes one last time before stepping inside fully.

"It’s a surprise to see you all here. You did not write, I would have welcomed you properly.."

Meical’s voice carried through the bright room, steady even though his chest felt tight as four heads turned toward him.

Andrey sat with perfect posture, hands resting on his cane. Tatiana sat beside him, her lips curved into a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Aleksandr, his older brother lounged back slightly, his expression unreadable, though the faint curl at the corner of his mouth was unmistakably mocking.

Sanya, his younger sister’s face was the only one that softened when she saw him.

"Meical.." Tatiana said first, standing just enough to acknowledge him before sitting again. "You’ve kept us waiting."

"My apologies.." Meical replied calmly. "I had matters to finish."

Andrey looked him over slowly.

Not warmly, loving or approvingly. Just... assessing the man, Meical had grown to be.

"So this is what ten years looks like.." he said.

Aleksandr let out a short breath, almost a scoff. "Governor Meical now, isn’t it? Quite a jump from the boy who caused trouble for everyone."

Sanya shot Aleksandr a glare as she hissed lowly, she could already guess where this was going to.

He leaned forward, elbows on the table, eyes fixed on Meical like he was something unpleasant stuck under his shoe. "You’ve grown enough to make a name for yourself here, I suppose. A position, influence." He lifted a brow. "Impressive, really.."

Meical kept his face unreadable. "I’ve worked hard."

Tatiana’s smile sharpened. "Work is one thing. Respecting your family is another."

Sanya stood then, walking over to hug Meical lightly. She was careful, unsure if it was welcome,but her expression was genuine. "It’s good to see you, older brother.." she murmured. "Really."

He allowed the brief embrace. "You too."

She stepped back, giving him space.

Tatiana watched with a thinly veiled disapproval before clearing her throat.

"Well..." she said "now that we’re done with greetings..."

She crossed one leg over the other, smoothing her skirt as though preparing for a performance.

"We are here.." she said lightly, "because of your wife."

Before Meical could respond, Andrey stepped in, voice deep and cutting.

"Explain to me..." he said "why you believed you could marry without consulting us."

His gaze was cold, commanding in that way Meical remembered too well.

"You did not seek permission.." Andrey continued. "You did not inform us. Things are not done that way, Meical."

Tatiana nodded, her earrings shimmering as she tilted her head.

"Your father is right. Marriage is a family matter. Yet you acted as if you have no family at all."