Before finishing her question, Mandipha realizes there is indeed someone who could resent Kemiro.

Noticing the furrow in Mandipha’s brow, Kemiro understands the conclusion she’s reached; he comments, “My first guess was my family, more specifically, my brother Engel. But honestly, even though he hasn’t fully recovered from the injuries since ‘that day,’ he lives a full life within the Main House. I seldom see him, even during Main House meetings.”

“Do you have any idea why someone else would plot against you?”

“It doesn’t matter who or why. The point is that, even knowing about these rumors, the Main House doesn’t take action to stop them.” Looking up at the ceiling, he continues, “For the Main House, these rumors don’t affect them at all, so they see no reason to intervene. At worst, they see some merit in their propagation.”

Looking at Mandipha, Kemiro asks with a sad smile, “Can you see any reason why I should reveal my Inheritance? I’m grateful to Hein’Ra that despite me revealing my Inheritance during my training as a child, nobody believed me since they couldn’t verify it, so they dismissed it as me just attempting to avoid the conditioning.” Kemiro averts his gaze with a bitter expression, commenting, “There’s no reason to accept treatment from those who caused my wounds.”

For the first time in her life, Mandipha is at a loss for words. Her inability to find comforting words annoys her, causing her to lower her head with drooping ears.

Seeing this, Kemiro sighs softly and says, “Well, that’s it! Surely, the Divine Egg is why your Goddess is so interested in me. Those are my secrets, Mandipha. There are many minor details, but they aren’t relevant right now.”

Smiling nervously, he adds, “To be honest, it’s been a long time since I had an open conversation with someone about my Inheritance. I’m feeling a bit anxious.”

Looking at Mandipha, he says, “Well, I’m counting on you to keep my secrets because now we’re accomplices.” Mandipha lifts her head only to see Kemiro winking at her.

Still in shock from all the information—more overwhelming than she ever imagined—she will need time to process it all. But now, with a sincere smile, she exclaims, “Yes! I’ll guard your secrets as my treasures!”

For the first time, Kemiro is captivated by Mandipha, unable to look away. Closing his eyes, he reflects, “No matter what happens in the future, I don’t want to regret this moment.”

Remembering something, he says, “Oh! Now that we’ve had this honest conversation, I’d like to make our engagement official.”

Standing up, Kemiro walks to his desk and picks up a white stone jewelry box.

Mandipha barely has time to grasp his words, but her heart races as Kemiro returns with the box. Sitting beside her, he offers the box, saying, “Our relationship was never destined to be ‘normal.’” Kemiro opens the box. Mandipha is surprised by its contents: a necklace with two cats sculpted from black crystal playing around a spherical white Spiritual Gem, both with glee expressions. He continues, “No matter your reasons for suggesting this engagement, what matters to me is whether you want to build a real connection with me. I choose to start a family with you. What do you truly want?”

Kemiro does his best to suppress the butterflies in his stomach, feeling his abdominal muscles tense up.

Mandipha stopped paying attention to the necklace before her. She simply exchanged glances with Kemiro, who hadn't averted his gaze, awaiting her response, unaware of the nervous expression he wore. The circles of his Akrava spun erratically, mirroring his inner turmoil.

In silence, Mandipha’s mind was not the chaos she had expected to feel when this moment arrived. She reflects, "When Maranshipha made the offer, I honestly thought my Goddess had lost a few screws.

To think that after ignoring me for nearly a year, you would be so intense in revealing yourself to me. My mother and grandmother were right: 'Unless you can convince him to open up, you'll never break a man’s shell. Only then will you receive the greatest of treasures.'

So powerful, yet so fragile. Stubborn, but full of doubt. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what the future holds. Today, I make my choice!"

Kemiro felt his anxiety growing exponentially with each second of Mandipha's silence. They kept exchanging looks, then he was taken by surprise.

Mandipha leaned in, closing her eyes; soon their lips met.

Kemiro froze momentarily at the unexpected action, but Mandipha gently bit his upper lip, bringing him back to reality.

Responding, Kemiro leaned slightly forward, allowing their lips to move in a soft but eager dance, craving more of the sensation.

They tasted each other’s lips, shedding a little more shyness with each breath. Kemiro surprised Mandipha by touching her with his tongue. He felt her tremble slightly, but she did not resist.

Encouraged by her positive reaction, Kemiro caressed her face with his left hand, which Mandipha accepted, placing her right hand over his.

Kemiro hid his surprise at how rough Mandipha's tongue is, but it wasn’t a barrier for him. He eagerly demanded more, and despite her inexperience, Mandipha wasn’t shy about responding to his advances.

After a brief connection, they naturally pulled away. Kemiro gave a playful nibble on Mandipha's lower lip.

Even separated, their faces remained close enough to feel each other’s almost breathless exhales.

Leaning in, Kemiro brushed their cheeks together. Understanding the affectionate gesture, Mandipha reciprocated without hesitation. Kemiro trailed a path of gentle kisses along her right cheek, down to her jawline, making her naturally lift her head as he continued down her neck.

“Mmm,” Mandipha let out a soft voice.

Hearing her sweet voice, Kemiro snapped back to reality. He kissed her lips again before pulling away, saying, “You almost made my heart stop. I didn’t think you had any experience.”

Feeling her body heat up, Mandipha calmed herself after noticing Kemiro’s teasing smile. She gently pushed his face away, protesting, “What do you mean by experience? That was my first kiss, but it certainly wasn’t yours!”

“Good thing it wasn’t! If I were inexperienced, I wouldn’t have known how to handle this situation.”

Mandipha didn’t know what to make of Kemiro’s bluntness. She pulled his cheek with her left hand, exclaiming, “Such audacity! You will tell me all the details!”

“Yis! Yiis! I’ll tell you!” Keeping her sharp eyes, Mandipha releases his cheek.

Kemiro rubbed his cheek with a painful expression. Mandipha’s eyebrow twitched, not believing in Kemiro’s act, knowing it was impossible for him to feel any pain from her tug, given his refined body.

Turning her attention to the necklace, Mandipha asked expectantly, “This necklace is an artifact, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s an artifact I made especially for you. Would you allow me?” Kemiro asked as he picked up the necklace, separating the small clasp.

Mandipha knew the value of artifacts created by the Boronéa House. Even one crafted by a member of a support House would cause the market to go wild due to the quality plus rarity of each item.

Ignoring her blushing face, Mandipha adjusted her long, thick white hair, turning around and pulling it aside.

Kemiro took the opportunity to admire her nape, noticing how, unlike humans, the fine white fur on Mandipha’s hairline extended down to connect with her back.

Without lingering too long, he places the necklace around her neck.

“All set.”

Admiring the necklace in her palm, Mandipha turned back, facing Kemiro. She smiles, noticing the minute-esculped joyful expressions showcasing Kemiro's craftsmanship. Then something caught her attention.

Upon closer inspection, she could see faint, intermittent lightning bolts traveling across the cats’ bodies.

“Kemiro, don’t tell me...” Mandipha looked at him in surprise, only to see his smile.

“You noticed quickly. I carved your necklace and chain from my Al'Kan.”

Gasp!

Even though she already knew the answer, Mandipha’s heart raced.

What was Al’Kan Crystal? One of the rarest materials on Earth, its value stemmed from two unique qualities: first, it was indestructible unless struck by another Al'Kan Crystal of superior quality—or a power above the crystal quality. Second, only the Ma’Ji who created the Crystal could manipulate and alter its form.

Mandipha reflects, “An artifact made using Al'Kan? The Boronéa House had never announced such a feat!

Of course, it would be impossible. It wasn’t a secret that the Boronéa House had allied with the Crystal People in hopes of producing a descendant with both bloodlines. So far, Engel was the first.

However, there was no reason the Main House wouldn’t announce if they had succeeded in creating an artifact merging the two bloodlines, as such an announcement would increase the Boronéa’s prestige and influence.

By Hein’Ra’s name! Kemiro must be the first to achieve this. And his Al'Kan surpasses even Helga’s, his mother, considered the most powerful among the Crystal People!”

Mandipha felt like the necklace's weight increased. Taking a deep breath, she says, “My family will certainly be pleased with an invaluable dowry like this.”

Smiling, Kemiro replied, “Dowry? Don’t be silly. This is a gift from me to you. If we are to start a family, I’ll do something grand! My first goal will be to silence all the dissatisfied voices in your House. With that in mind, I’ll announce that in six months, I’ll visit your House to claim my Right to Conquest. By then, I’ll forge an artifact to present as a dowry.”

Mandipha felt a shiver run down her spine. She asks, “Will you really? I mentioned it yesterday, but since I was the one who proposed the engagement, you don’t have to.”

Despite her words, Mandipha clutched the necklace, anxious for Kemiro’s response. Her anxiety didn’t escape Kemiro’s notice; he says, “You also mentioned that for a Maran woman being courted by the Right to Conquest brings honor, right?”

Biting her lower lip, Mandipha regretted her words, which she had only said to provoke Kemiro to learn more about him. She replies, “True, but there’s a reason this practice is becoming less common... If you fail, our engagement will be dissolved, and you won’t be able to request another Right to Conquest for five years!”

Kemiro was surprised by the new information but responded, “I don’t mean to disrespect the tradition, but excluding anyone invoking the Right to Doubt, it’s not as if the bride’s family actively tries to eliminate the suitor, right?”

“I understand what you mean, but that logic only works until you face my father.” She paused, deep in thought, then continued through gritted teeth, “Your biggest challenge will be the final one, where you’ll have to face my grandfather. To be honest, he’s one of the voices dissatisfied with Maranshipha’s proposal. He particularly dislikes the Boronéa House, and some of that resentment has been directed toward you.”

Mandipha paused, choosing her words carefully before continuing, “With everything you’ve revealed so far, you certainly have exceptional qualities and are very powerful, but my grandfather is on another level. He’s lived for over a thousand years and is among the top five most powerful in our House. He’s a wonderful person, but... he’s very stubborn.” Mandipha smiled with a complicated expression.

Kemiro stroked his chin, commenting, “It’s certainly a tricky situation if someone that powerful is truly opposed to our engagement.”

“For not revealing your Heritage you'll also be at disadvantage. But I fear that if you face my grandfather, he will push you to your limit. That’s a big problem,” Mandipha said, her ears drooping with a worried expression.

“Heee! So she isn’t expecting me to reveal my Heritage. That makes me happy,” Kemiro thought before saying, “Well, there’s no need to worry too much about that. If necessary, I’ll reveal my Heritage. I’ve spent too much time in the shadows. If I’m going to reveal my secrets, there’s no better opportunity than proving to your family that I’m worthy of standing by your side.”

As he spoke, Kemiro gently caressed Mandipha’s face with his left hand, which she accepted by leaning into his touch. Mandipha, with a sorrowful tone, says, “Kemiro, I’m sorry, but I can’t provide you with any information about my family as part of the tradition.

I’ll understand if you get disappointed, but I truly want to respect my customs so that in the future, I can be proud of my choice.”

Noticing Kemiro leaning in, Mandipha closes her eyes, accepting a brief kiss. Kemiro comments, “You don’t need to worry. I wouldn’t choose differently. Everything I’ve achieved so far has been mainly alone; I’ve only relied on my abilities. This challenge will be no different. You can just prepare to welcome me after my victory.”

“Yes.” With a sincere smile, Mandipha kisses Kemiro.