Chapter 17
Awkward Family Dinners: A Survival Guide
Carol had faced many challenging situations in her life.
Earnings call prep with managing directors who eviscerated analysts over decimal point errors. Pitch meetings with portfolio managers looking for any flaw in her models. Morning meetings with senior analysts ready to tear apart her valuations.
None of those compared to sitting at dinner between her protective siblings and her husband who they probably still thought was a monster.
The dining room felt unusually tense despite the elegant table setting and excellent food. Caspian sat at the head of the table, freshly bathed and changed into formal attire, his silver hair still damp and tied back. Carol sat to his right, with Jasper and Bea across from her.
Everyone was being very polite.
Excruciatingly polite.
The kind of polite that made Carol want to crawl under the table.
"The roast is excellent," Bea said, cutting her meat with precise movements.
"Very tender," Jasper agreed.
"The cook will be pleased to hear it," Caspian said.
Silence fell again.
Carol frantically searched for a conversation topic. Any conversation topic.
"The estate looks lovely with the new decorations," she said brightly. Too brightly. She sounded manic. "Bea has excellent taste. The tapestries in the great hall really brighten the space, don't you think?"
"They do," Caspian agreed.
"And the new furniture is much more comfortable," Carol continued. "The settees were beautiful but not very practical for actually sitting—"
"Your Grace," Jasper interrupted, setting down his fork with deliberate precision. "May I speak plainly?"
Carol's stomach dropped. "Jasper—"
"Of course," Caspian said, his tone neutral.
Jasper's hazel eyes were direct and serious. "How exactly are you treating our sister?"
"Jasper!" Carol protested.
"It's a fair question," Jasper said, not taking his eyes off Caspian. "We received desperate letters from Caroline for two months. She was miserable. Begging us to bring her home. And now suddenly she's... different. Happy. We want to understand why."
Carol felt her face heating with embarrassment, but Caspian's expression remained calm.
"Your sister has been making significant efforts to change her behavior," Caspian said. "I've been trying to support those efforts."
"By letting her spend nearly ten thousand gold crowns redecorating?" Bea asked, though her tone was more curious than accusatory.
"The estate is her home," Caspian said simply. "She should make it comfortable."
"And the Dreamweaver cub?" Jasper pressed.
"She bonded with it. Familiar bonds shouldn't be broken."
"The shadow wolf puppy?"
"It was orphaned and needed care."
Jasper leaned forward slightly. "You're being very accommodating to a wife who—and forgive me for being blunt—trapped you into marriage and made your life miserable for two months."
"Jasper!" Carol said again, mortified.
"She tried to poison me four weeks ago," Caspian said calmly.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop by several degrees.
Carol wanted to die. Just sink through the floor and cease to exist.
"She WHAT?" Jasper's voice rose, and small flames flickered to life on the tablecloth near his plate.
"Jasper, your fire," Bea said quickly.
Jasper looked down, saw the flames, and immediately extinguished them with a muttered apology. But his eyes were blazing when he turned back to Carol. "You tried to poison him?"
"I didn't—that wasn't—" Carol floundered. "I mean, technically yes, but I've apologized extensively and I'm very different now—"
"The wine tasted odd that night," Caspian continued, completely unperturbed. "But I have a high tolerance for most poisons. It was mildly unpleasant at worst."
"You drank poisoned wine?" Bea asked, sounding stunned.
"I wasn't certain it was poisoned at the time," Caspian said. "I suspected, but didn't want to make a scene."
"So you just... drank it anyway?" Jasper asked.
"It seemed simpler than confronting her at dinner."
Carol buried her face in her hands. "Can we please talk about literally anything else?"
"I think we should absolutely talk about this," Jasper said, though the protective anger in his voice had shifted slightly toward bewildered concern. "Caroline, you tried to poison your husband?"
"I was a different person then," Carol said miserably. "I was angry and miserable and making terrible decisions. I'm not that person anymore."
"She's been apologizing to the staff," Caspian added. "Learning estate management. Being kind to everyone. The change has been... significant."
"But you're still suspicious of her," Bea said, watching Caspian carefully.
Caspian was quiet for a moment. "I was," he admitted. "Initially, yes. People don't change overnight, and the transformation was dramatic."
"And now?" Bea asked.
Caspian's green eyes shifted to Carol. "Now I'm... less suspicious."
Carol felt her cheeks warm under his gaze.
"Less suspicious," Jasper repeated. "My sister tried to poison you and you're 'less suspicious.'"
"She also came to see me off when I left for the border," Caspian said. "She'd never done that before. She seemed genuinely worried for my safety."
"I was worried," Carol said quietly. "You were riding into danger."
"And she was disappointed when I had to cancel dinner the night I left," Caspian continued.
"How do you know that?" Carol asked, surprised.
"Sterling mentioned it in his report."
"You get reports about me?"
"I get reports about everything happening at my estate," Caspian said. "It's standard procedure."
"So you've been spying on our sister," Jasper said, his protective instincts flaring again.
"I've been monitoring my household," Caspian corrected. "There's a difference."
"Is there?" Jasper challenged.
"Yes," Caspian said simply. "Spying implies deception. I'm openly receiving reports from my senior advisor about estate management. Your sister knows Sterling reports to me."
"I did assume you'd be informed about major decisions," Carol confirmed. "Like adopting Mochi. Or the decorating expenses."
"Which brings us back to the question," Bea said, steering the conversation back. "How are you treating our sister, Your Grace?"
Caspian set down his fork and met Bea's eyes directly.
"I invite her to dinner. We have tea together when I'm not on campaign.
I allow her to make decisions about the estate.
I don't question her expenses. I let her keep dangerous pets that will require significant accommodations as they grow.
And I brought her a shadow wolf puppy because I thought she'd appreciate it. "
"You thought of her while fighting monsters," Bea said softly.
"I found an orphaned creature and knew she'd want to care for it," Caspian said. "It seemed... appropriate."
"It was very thoughtful," Carol said, unable to stop herself from smiling at him.
Caspian's expression softened slightly. "You named it Shadow."
"He's shadow-colored," Carol said. "It fit."
They looked at each other for a moment, and Carol completely forgot her siblings were watching until Jasper cleared his throat meaningfully.
"Right," Carol said, quickly looking back at her plate. "Um. The vegetables are also excellent. Very well-seasoned."
"You're blushing again," Bea observed, though there was warmth in her tone now.
"I am not—" Carol stopped. "Fine. Yes. I'm blushing. Can we please move on?"
"I'd like to know more about these campaigns," Jasper said, his tone slightly less confrontational now. "You defend the northern border against The Blight?"
Caspian seemed to recognize the olive branch for what it was. "For eleven years now. The Blight spawns corrupted creatures that cross into our territories. My responsibility is to eliminate threats and maintain the defensive line."
"That sounds dangerous," Bea said.
"It can be," Caspian acknowledged. "But my troops are well-trained, and I have certain advantages in combat."
"Your Matter Manipulation," Jasper said. "I've heard stories. They say you can reshape the battlefield itself."
"The stories are mostly accurate," Caspian said. "Matter Manipulation allows me to control the terrain, create weapons from surrounding materials, and approach combat strategically."
"Could you demonstrate?" Jasper asked, genuine curiosity replacing suspicion. "Nothing dangerous, just... I've never seen the legendary Vanthorn power in person."
Caspian glanced at Carol, who nodded encouragingly.
He extended his hand toward the center of the table, where a decorative bowl held fruit.
The bowl lifted smoothly into the air, rotating slowly, then the metal began to reshape itself—flowing like water but maintaining its solidity.
Within seconds, the bowl had become an intricate flower, each petal perfectly formed.
The metal flower settled gently back on the table.
"That's incredible," Bea breathed.
"And you can do this with any matter?" Jasper asked, leaning forward with interest.
"Within certain limitations," Caspian said. "Living matter is more difficult. Complex structures require more concentration. But for combat purposes, yes—stone, metal, earth, all of it can be manipulated."
"No wonder they call you The Butcher," Jasper said, then immediately looked apologetic. "Sorry, that was—"
"Accurate," Caspian finished. "The title isn't unearned. I've killed thousands of Blightspawn over the years."
"To protect the kingdom," Carol said firmly. "That's not something to apologize for."
Caspian's eyes met hers again, and Carol saw something warm flicker in their green depths.
"Your sister is more forgiving than most," Caspian said to Jasper.
"Our sister has changed significantly in the past week," Bea said. "We're still trying to understand why."
"I got tired of being miserable," Carol said. "So I decided to try being happy instead."
"And that included trying to make your marriage work?" Jasper asked.
"Yes," Carol said. "I'm married. I'm pregnant. I can either spend the rest of my life angry about circumstances I can't change, or I can try to build something good here."