I won't fall for the queen who burned my world-Chapter 291: Hard lunch for Lara

Lunch was, in Lara’s opinion, the most deceptively dangerous part of the day.

Breakfast? Too early for meaningful eye contact. Dinner? Usually softened by wine. But lunch was where things happened.

People were fully awake, still sober, and trapped across from each other with nothing but food and inherited grudges between them.

Which explained why Lara had spent the last twenty minutes aggressively buttering a slice of bread like it owed her money.

Across the table, the Celestial Queen stared at her.

Not looked.

Stared.

Like she was carving a diplomatic message into Lara’s skull with her eyes alone.

"You’re making it worse," Raveth whispered from beside her, sipping soup without looking up.

"I’m just eating," Lara muttered back.

"You’re mauling that bread like it insulted your boots."

"It crumbled weird."

"She’s glaring at you because you knocked up her daughter and won’t marry her."

"I offered a lifetime of co-parenting and blood-bound protection."

"Yeah, but no wedding rings."

Lara groaned and slouched deeper into her chair, glancing around the table for an escape route.

No luck.

The family had gone all in on this meal. The long mahogany table was set with gold-trimmed plates and floral centerpieces that were far too tall to be practical.

Silver covers gleamed over roasted meats and glistening vegetables. There were at least five different types of bread.

Someone, probably Saelira had conjured floating crystal carafes of fruit wine and mineral water, which circled the room with the silent menace of judgmental ghosts.

Malvoria sat at the head, regal as ever, quietly cutting her meat while listening to Kaelith babble "Mama!" every time a spoon clinked.

Elysia sat beside her, unbothered as always, feeding Kaelith pieces of soft fruit while occasionally dabbing juice from her cheek.

Veylira was at the opposite end, making small talk with the Celestial Queen that sounded suspiciously like veiled threats disguised as weather commentary.

And Sarisa...

Sarisa looked fine.

Gorgeous. Radiant. Smirking, even, like the chaos didn’t touch her.

She was leaning back slightly in her seat, one hand cradling the slight curve of her belly while she watched her mother and Lara like she’d been given front-row seats to a particularly delicious opera.

Lara hated this.

She wasn’t built for formal lunches. She was built for battlefields and broken rules.

She could face down assassins, riot beasts, and royal trials without blinking but not this polite, slow-roiling tension surrounded by soup and linen napkins.

She tried to reach for a new roll.

The Celestial Queen cleared her throat.

Lara froze.

The queen didn’t speak.

She just smiled.

Cold. Elegant. Like a blade dipped in sugar.

"You look tense, Lady Lara," she said sweetly.

Lara smiled without teeth. "Just enjoying the meal, Your Radiance."

"I wonder," the queen said, tapping her fork against her plate. "Do you often enjoy meals with the families of your... romantic casualties?"

Raveth dropped her spoon.

Malvoria raised an eyebrow.

Elysia blinked.

Kaelith said, "Mama!" and hurled a piece of apricot at the centerpiece.

It hit with a wet splack and slid down a candle holder like a defeated soldier.

Sarisa didn’t react. She just raised her glass and took a calm sip of mineral water.

Lara leaned forward slightly. "If you mean people I’ve seduced and not married, then yes. Quite a few dinners. A few brunches. One very awkward solstice."

Veylira let out a sound that might’ve been a cough or a laugh. It was hard to tell.

The queen tilted her head. "Boldness. Is that the only trait you offer your child?"

Lara’s knife stopped mid-cut. Her fingers tightened.

She looked up.

The air in the room thickened just slightly.

Malvoria glanced at her, a warning in her eyes.

But Elysia was faster.

"I think boldness has its place," she said casually, wiping Kaelith’s chin. "Especially in family. I mean, you did marry a woman who tried to assassinate your sister once, didn’t you?"

The Celestial Queen blinked.

Sarisa choked delicately on her water.

Raveth covered her mouth with a napkin.

Elysia smiled—soft, bright, and just the right amount of terrifying.

"My mistake," the queen said smoothly. "Your records are quite thorough."

Lara shot Elysia a look of stunned gratitude.

"Anyway," Malvoria said, cutting through the tension like her steak, "we’re all here for peace, aren’t we?"

"I’m here for dessert," Raveth added.

Kaelith clapped.

A crystal wine carafe exploded.

There was a pause.

"Okay," Malvoria said, setting down her knife, "who didn’t ward the wine?"

"I was busy," Veylira muttered.

"Kaelith just got excited," Elysia said, still wiping fruit juice from her daughter’s forehead. "It was emotional support glassware."

"I liked that carafe," the queen muttered.

"I did not," Lara said brightly. "And for once, we agree."

Kaelith cheered and tossed a second piece of fruit directly at Veylira.

It hit her in the chest.

Veylira didn’t flinch.

But her gaze locked on Kaelith.

The child blinked.

Then giggled.

"I see your daughter has chosen her next sparring partner," Veylira said calmly.

Elysia picked up Kaelith and stood. "I think someone needs a nap."

Lara stood too, instantly. "I’ll take her."

"You sure?" Malvoria asked.

Lara nodded quickly, eager for escape. "We’re very bonded. She’ll listen to me."

Kaelith immediately grabbed her braid and screamed "Mama!" in a tone that clearly meant Ride, steed!

"See?" Lara said, not convincing anyone.

But she was already leaving the table, Kaelith squealing on her hip like a tiny, victorious general.

Of course, escape was never so simple.

Once Kaelith was safely asleep in her enchanted crib (after fifteen minutes of bouncing, a near-disaster with a window latch, and one lullaby sung off-key), Lara turned back down the hall—only to nearly crash into Sarisa just outside the nursery.

The princess leaned against the stone arch, arms crossed, looking amused.

"You don’t sneak well," she said.

"I wasn’t sneaking."

"Then why do you look like someone just caught you stealing royal chocolate?"

"I don’t steal chocolate. I... borrow it for strategic morale."

Sarisa arched a perfect brow.

Lara sighed and leaned against the opposite wall.

They stood in silence for a beat, the sounds of quiet palace life muffled behind ancient stone.

"So," Sarisa said softly, "was lunch everything you dreamed?"

"Do you enjoy watching me sweat under your mother’s laser gaze?"

"Oh, deeply. It’s how I cope."

They both laughed, too tired for tension, too familiar for pretense.

"You could’ve warned me," Lara said.

"I thought you liked danger."

Lara looked at her, then looked away. "I do."

The silence turned heavier.

Not uncomfortable.

Just... full.

Of things unspoken.

Sarisa stepped closer.

And Lara, without quite meaning to, didn’t move.