CH300 House Frost
***
Alexâs words left Zora stunned. Then, in the next moment, her face lit up.
"Oh, Alex..." She sprang to her feet and moved around the table, hugging his head from behind and resting her chin gently atop his head.
"Iâve had a front-row seat to the most miracles youâve made happen so far. Iâll never doubt anything you say you can do," she whispered.
Alex reached up, grasped her hands where they rested across his chest, and pulled her around until she sat astride his lap. His hands settled firmly around her waist.
"Thatâs good to know," he said with a soft smile. Then, he leaned forward and kissed her.
It was gentler than beforeâless fiery, but no less intimate.
When they parted, Alexâs grip around her waist unconsciously tightened.
"Thank you," he said, meeting her gaze with quiet sincerity.
Zora quickly pulled him back into her embrace, pressing his head against her bosom as she rested her cheek on his hair. She hid the deep flush blooming across her face, using his body to steady her trembling frame.
In that instant, Alexâs words and expression had struck straight at her heart, leaving her momentarily weak. Fortunately, the last shred of composure within her allowed her to conceal the effect.
âHer maternal instincts must be strong. She really likes wrapping my head into her chest,â Alex thought wrylyâunaware of the emotional damage his heartfelt words had just inflicted.
He gently stroked her back, and the two of them shared a quiet moment in each otherâs arms. It was a peaceful pauseâa rare breath away from their usual workaholic lives, surrounded by each otherâs warmth and scent.
Eventually, Zoraâs strength returned, and the heat across her cheeks slowly faded. She released his head, though one arm remained draped around his neck as she stayed seated across his lap.
"I just realised," Alex began, "I donât actually know much about your Frost Familyâaside from whatâs written in the history books. Which, honestly, isnât much at all."
Zora smiled faintly. "There isnât much to tell aside from whatâs recorded. The Frost Family was once a powerful aristocratic lineage, tracing its roots back to before Emperor Commodusâs campaign into the Infernal Plane. That legacy continued well into the early days of planar travel."
"Wait," Alex interjected, his brows furrowing. "Doesnât that mean your familyâs progenitorâ masterâs friendâhad already travelled to our plane before our recorded first interplanar voyage?"
"Youâre correct," Zora said with a small smile. "Powerful beings like Father and my familyâs progenitor have been travelling between realms since millennia past. The so-called first interplanar travel merely marks the first recorded journey made by denizens of this realmâusing this realmâs own power. All the great powersâroyal families, archduchies, and imperial councilsâknow this."
Alexâs expression turned contemplative. He recalled the saying that history was written by the strong.
Emperor Commodus had been powerful enough to shape the truth itself. Together with other ruling powers, he veiled the real history from the common masses, using the propaganda of the "first interplanar travel" and its subsequent victories to consolidate their nations and personal dominions.
Zora pouted and patted his cheek to pull him back from his thoughts. Alex smiled wryly, nodding for her to continue.
Zora rolled her eyesâan effortlessly charming gesture that sent a small tremor through Alexâs legs. His hands, resting around her waist, drifted lower in a mischievous attempt to claim a little more of her curves.
A sharp smack quickly restored order.
Pouting in mock frustration, Alex returned his hands to their âneutralâ position.
Suppressing a small laugh, Zora continued,
"When Emperor Commodus began consolidating his empire, the Frost Family was among the old aristocracies that opposed himâbut to little effect. One after another, the ancient noble houses were pushed eastward, away from the imperial core, until they eventually established their own dominions to the east of the Arun Continent."
She brushed a lock of blue hair behind her ear before going on,
"Recognising that most members of the Frost lineage were women, the family elders used marriage alliances to secure their influence. They wed the familyâs daughters into the other displaced aristocracies, forming a web of ties that would later become the backbone of the Joint Defence Pactâa coalition formed to resist the Virellian Empireâs early expansion following the first interplanar invasion."
Alex listened quietly, his hands absently tracing slow, thoughtful circles on her waist.
"That pact, brokered by the Frost Family, became the foundation upon which the Nearmarch Confederacy was built," Zora explained.
"In exchange, the Frost Family relinquished their ancestral territoryâwhich happened to be closest to the Confederacyâs geographic centre. That land became neutral imperial territory, governed not by one ruler but by the collective council of the Confederacy itself. In return, the Frost Family was granted ceremonial leadership, while the other old aristocratic housesânow royal familiesâbrought their kingdoms into the alliance as members of the Confederate Council."
"Waitâ!" A sudden realisation hit Alex. "If youâre the last scion of the Frost Family, doesnât that make you the de facto queen of the Confederacy?"
"Technically... yes." Zora smirked.
Alexâs jaw dropped. Zora burst out laughing, her shoulders and chest shaking with amusementâan unfairly distracting sight that left Alex momentarily entranced.
He quickly swallowed the saliva gathering in his mouth before he embarrassed himself.
The scene was dangerously tempting. He had half a mind to lift her off his lap before his self-control snapped and he broke a social taboo by pinning her right there. Unfortunately for him, Zora seemed blissfully unaware of his internal struggle and kept herself comfortably seated on his legs.
Alex took a deep breath and called upon his formidable Spiritual Force to suppress the storm brewing in his mind. Only when he managed to rein it in did he allow himself a quiet sigh of relief.
"In that case," he said with forced calm, "I should be addressing you as milady queen from now on."
"Of course," Zora replied, leaning close to his ear. "But not because of the Confederacy..." Her tone turned sultry, a whisper that sent a shiver down his spine. "Because Iâm your queen. Right?"
Then she nibbled playfully at his ear.
"Damn you, woman. Thatâs enough." Alex growled, delivering a swift smack to her rear as he lifted her off his lap. "Now I know youâre doing that on purpose."
Zoraâs laughter rang through the room, melodic and teasing, as she returned to her seat. She didnât push her luck further, thoughâthe last thing she wanted was to actually cross that line.
She composed herself before continuing, "Although House Frost has dwindled to just me, our holdings still remain. Some are managed under the Confederate banner, others through a trust overseen by Pinchcoinâs finance department."
"Good to know Iâve got a rich lady to fall back on." Alex winked.
Zora chuckled softly.
Though he said it in jest, Alex didnât actually mean it. In his mind, any wealth he needed, he could make himself. He didnât need to rely on his wifeâs assets.
The good old rule still held trueâhis wifeâs money was her money alone.
"Alright," Zora said, shifting the topic. "Thatâs all there is to tell about my family. What you should be asking about is who your marriage candidates are."
Alexâs expression turned serious. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table.
"Okay," he said evenly. "Who are they?"
"The first," Zora replied, her eyes glinting mischievously, "is my chosen candidateâand someone you know quite well by now."
Alex blinked. "Huh?"
Zora smiled. "Udara."
***