Solara's tantrum was a force of nature, a tempest of fiery denials and flushed indignation. "Absolutely not! I am the Sun! I don't... I don't participate in ancient fertility rites! I illuminate! I inspire! I don't just... lie there and... and... produce!" She finished with a final, dramatic huff, crossing her arms and turning her back to them, her entire being a wall of mortified refusal.
Luna watched the spectacle with the serene patience of a mountain watching a storm. She waited until Solara's fiery energy had burned itself down to sullen embers, then turned to Shin, who was still slumped on the floor in a state of profound defeat.
"Shin," she said, her voice gentle but firm. "Do something."
Shin lifted his head from his hands, his face a mask of weary disbelief. "What am I supposed to do? She's the Sun. I'm... a guy who's good at spreadsheets." He let out a long, slow breath, the sound of a man who had accepted his powerlessness. "I'm hungry. How about we eat first?"
The sheer mundanity of his suggestion cut through the divine drama like a knife. Solara, who was still pointedly facing away, froze. In the sudden, stunned silence, a loud, undeniable gurgle echoed through the grand chamber.
It came from her stomach.
The blush that had just begun to fade from Solara's face returned with a vengeance, a deep, furious crimson that spread all the way to her ears. She let out a tiny, strangled squeak and wrapped her arms around her midsection, trying to muffle any further betrayals from her own body. She refused to turn around, her posture a rigid wall of pure, unadulterated humiliation.
Just as the awkwardness was about to reach a critical mass, Luna's eyes widened in sudden panic. She sniffed the air, a look of horror dawning on her face.
"Ahh! I forgot my cooking!" she cried out.
As if on cue, a faint but distinct smell of smoke began to waft into the room from the corridor. It was quickly followed by the distant sound of panicked shouts and clattering metal.
"My lady! The kitchen is on fire!" "The eggs! The divine eggs are ablaze!" "Water! Get the enchanted water bucket!"
Luna winced, a guilty expression on her face. "I may have gotten... distracted." She gave Shin an apologetic look before rushing out of the room, her regal demeanor completely forgotten in the face of a domestic disaster.
Shin watched her go, then looked back at Solara, who was still trying to become one with the wall. He sighed, a small smile playing on his lips. For all their divinity, this family was a complete mess. And somehow, that made him feel a little more at home.
A few minutes later, Luna returned, looking slightly chastised. Behind her, the chaos of the kitchen seemed to have subsided. And following in her wake was a new figure.
She was a tiny woman, barely reaching Shin's shoulder, with her dark hair pulled back into a severe, neat bun. She wore a simple maid's uniform, but perched on her nose was a pair of spectacles with lenses so thick they made her eyes look like wise, observant owls. She held a clipboard in one hand and a slightly singed feather duster in the other. She was the very picture of no-nonsense efficiency.
The tiny woman stopped, took a deep breath, and pushed her glasses up her nose with a single, precise motion. Her gaze swept over Luna, then over the still-blushing Solara, before finally landing on Shin. Her expression was unreadable.
"My King," she said, her voice crisp and surprisingly clear. "I am Celia, the head of castle domestic affairs. Her Majesty, the Queen, has set fire to the western stove, terrified the scullery staff, and successfully carbonized what was meant to be your celebratory breakfast." She paused, tapping her clipboard. "We will require a new stove, a new batch of phoenix eggs, and a significant amount of structural repairs. Shall I put it on your tab?"
Shin stared at the tiny, bespectacled woman with the singed feather duster. Celia. The head of domestic affairs. Her report was delivered with such clinical precision that it took him a moment to process the sheer chaos it described. A fire. Terrorized staff. Carbonized phoenix eggs.
This was his life now.
He took a deep, steadying breath, the kind he used to take before a big presentation that he knew was going to be a disaster. But this time, something was different. He wasn't just presenting spreadsheets. He was the king. And a king delegates.
He stood up straight, pushing his shoulders back. "Alright, Celia," he said, his voice surprisingly firm. "I leave it in your capable hands. Handle the repairs, order the new supplies. Do whatever you need to do." He paused, then added, "Your expertise is clearly valued here."
Celia's thick lenses magnified the flicker of surprise in her eyes. She gave a short, sharp nod. "Very good, Your Majesty." She turned on her heel and marched out of the room, already scribbling notes on her clipboard, a whirlwind of professional efficiency.
With the immediate crisis averted, the room's focus shifted back to the emotional one. Luna was still standing by the door, her shoulders slumped in a way that seemed utterly wrong for a goddess. She looked down at her hands, a rare look of defeat on her divine features.
"I just wanted to try and be a good wife," she whispered, her voice so soft he almost didn't hear it. "To make you breakfast. It's such a simple, mortal thing. And I failed."
Shin's heart ached for her. He crossed the room and gently stroked her silver hair, the soft strands cool against his fingertips.
"Thank you, Luna," he said, his voice sincere and warm. "I appreciate your hard work." He tilted her chin up so she had to look at him. "The thought is what matters. The fact that you wanted to do that for me... it's the best breakfast I could have asked for."
A small, watery smile touched Luna's lips. She leaned into his touch, her earlier embarrassment replaced by a wave of affection.
From across the room, Solara, who had been watching the tender exchange with a deepening scowl, finally couldn't hold it in any longer. A wicked, mischievous grin spread across her face.
"Hehe, Solara, you see that?" Luna chimed in, her voice suddenly playful as she glanced over at her sister. "Look at how kind and appreciative he is. If you don't do the Rite, you won't even become his concubine."
The word hung in the air like a spark near gunpowder.
Solara's face, which had just returned to its normal color, once again ignited in a furious blush. She stomped her foot, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet room.
"My answer is still NO!!" she shrieked, her voice filled with pure, unadulterated defiance. "I am the Sun! I am not a concubine!"
Shin just sighed, dropping his hand from Luna's hair. So much for a peaceful breakfast. It seemed his reign was going to be one long, chaotic, and very loud negotiation.