Elian's POV
*****
[Alert! The host is approaching an emotionally constipated mother-in-law.]
Elian gulped as he and Aurora got downstairs, walking to the dining room. They were met with the Alpha King and Luna Queen... Aka the "emotionally constipated mother-in-law".
The Luna Queen turned her head to him, her chestnut brown hair glistening under the chandelier lights.
Elian plastered a smile and bowed when Aurora finally let go of his hand. "Good morning, Alpha King and Luna Queen. I—"
"You finally grace us with your presence, child!" The Luna Queen said with an excited voice, her chair scraping against the marble tiles as she got on her feet.
Elian raised his head and blinked at her with confusion which soon turned to shock when she got to him and pulled him into an embrace that almost felt motherly.
Almost.
"How are you? By the goddess, I heard about the assassin in your bedroom. Did he hurt you?" She asked, pulling away from the hug and trailing her hands on his body, searching for any cuts or bruises.
Elian smiled awkwardly, his eyes flicking to the Alpha King who scrutinised him at the head of the table in silence as Aurora chuckled from her seat.
"Mother, he's fine. If anything I think he's just starving." She said with a sly tone, causing Elian to glance at her.
She held a glass of wine, swirling it around before taking a sip from it.
"Oh, hush, girl!" The Luna Queen suddenly snapped, turning around to face Aurora who paused her drinking in surprise. "I'm just happy to see my son's mate. Unlike my daughter who hasn't even let us speak to her mate after last night."
Elian blinked silently, watching the family dynamic.
The royal family looked... Oddly normal.
[Don't be deceived. I bet my motherboard that each person on this table has a secret or two... Some of which might be Empire-shaking.]
"Mom, for the last time... Magnus is handling some things with his family in the south." Aurora groaned, leaning back on her seat. "It's not his fault that he's a Baron in charge of a city and family duties."
The Luna Queen stared at her daughter for a while before harrumphing, placing her right hand on Elian's shoulder. "Please, dear. Sit."
Elian kept the smile on his face and went ahead to sit beside the Luna Queen even though his stomach turned.
He knew Aurora's kindness was genuine... But he wasn't buying it from the Luna Queen and Alpha King. They weren't exactly tyrants but he knew their stance on Omegas and commoners.
He's lived in this palace all his life and seen their silence whenever Lucian barked at a servant for breathing the same air as him.
They might not be horrible people but they enabled their son's behaviour all this while... Which was just as bad.
"Thank you, Luna Queen and Alpha King." Elian bowed his head, his eyes scanning the food in front of him.
It was indeed a feast meant for kings and his mouth watered, his stomach growling as well.
However, just when he was about to pick up a fork and dig into a steak, he froze when he remembered something.
Or rather... Someone.
Estella.
A lump formed in his throat as he blinked at the steak and the rest of the food and drinks, as if it were poison.
Because they probably were.
[Now you're being paranoid.]
'I'm not being paranoid...' Elian tried to remain calm, keeping the smile on his face as he watched the royals eating and talking amongst themselves.
He clenched his jaw, slowly withdrawing his hand from the steak.
But then a thought came to his head, causing his eyes to light up.
'Scan the food for any poison.' Elian said mentally, drawing in a deep breath as he waited for a screen of the stats to show in front of him.
But nothing happened...
[You think if there was poison in this I wouldn't tell you?]
Elian smiled sarcastically but then chuckled at a joke the Luna Queen made that he didn't bother listening to.
'I don't know, dude. Or, girl. Wait, what are—'
[I'm a robotic system. I don't require a gender so you can refer to me as whatever you want. Also, just to get you to shut up and get some food into your system, I'll show you the scans.]
Elian raised an eyebrow as a blue light flickered in front of his eyes before a translucent, semi-transparent screen of the same colour appeared in front of him.
A "loading" bar appeared on the screen for only two seconds before a scan report was shown.
[Poison detected: N/A
Host's paranoia: Off the roof. Get a grip.
Total calories calculated from the dish in front of the host: 2,200.
2,700 if the host chugs some wine and stops talking when he's literally STARVING.]
Goddess...
Elian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Elian?" Aurora suddenly called, forcing him to swerve his head to her as she arched an eyebrow. "You haven't touched your food at all. Are you okay?"
Elian blinked once, glancing at the brooding Alpha King and the Luna Queen as he parted his lips, stuttering to speak after the read from the system.
"I... I'm fine. Just... Still trying to get myself back after that near-death experience with the assassin this morning." He lied through his teeth, lowering his head and grabbing a fork.
He dug into the steak as the Luna Queen sighed.
"Oh, you poor thing. Where's Lucian? He should be here comforting his mate."
Elian's face heated up as Aurora sniggered. "Last I heard, he went for some training exercises or whatever. I doubt he has an interest in comforting anything other than the bruises he'll get after it."
Elian held back from chuckling as he chewed the steak, closing his eyes and sighing silently with satisfaction when he felt the juicy meat melting in his mouth.
But then:
"I'd prefer you throw those words to my face, sister." A familiar deep voice spoke up with irritation at the same moment that the scent of sweat and strong Alpha pheromones wafted into the dining room.
When Elian raised his head, his eyes bulged when he saw it... Or rather, HIM.
Prince Douchebag himself, Lucian.
He was shirtless, with beads of sweat dropping down his firm muscles and chiselled chest, making Elian feel like there was blood running down his nose as his eyes went down his happy trail.
He didn't realise he was staring for long until a mocking chuckle sounded from Lucian.
"Well, well, well... Glad to see someone is already up and ogling at me like the steak on the table."