Single Mother of a Werewolf Baby novel Chapter 196

Chapter 196: The Meeting Gift

After the fight was over, Fiona invited King Erevan and the other council members to a celebratory feast. A large hall had been prepared behind the VIP gallery for the occasion. Only the clan heads of the attending clans and the alphas of the Raynor Clan were permitted to join.

Before anyone took their seats, Fiona formally introduced each participant of the feast one by one. When it was Ethan’s turn, he felt a sudden wave of hostility emanating from the king. Although Erevan maintained his usual smile and nodded at him just like he did with the others, Ethan couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that the king wanted to beat him up.

"Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me after the fight," he thought, brushing off the unease.

But another person also caught the fleeting shift in the king’s expression—Sarika, the priest. "Typical. He can’t stand the man who stole his daughter’s heart," she mused inwardly, though her face remained as unreadable as ever. She silently took her place beside the king.

A generous array of dishes had been prepared beforehand. Most were regional delicacies from across the kingdom. King Erevan was seated at the head of the long table, with Fiona to his right and Sarika to his left. The rest of the council members sat nearby, followed by the visiting clan heads, and finally, the alphas of the Raynor Clan.

Maids from Clan Blanc moved gracefully between the guests, serving food and assisting as needed. As the host, Fiona personally helped the king choose and serve dishes according to his preferences.

King Erevan glanced at Fiona and asked, "I’ve seen many of your clan members here today, but I haven’t seen your young miss. Is she well?"

The question sparked different thoughts in Sarika and Fiona’s minds. Both heard the king’s words loud and clear.

"He couldn’t wait to see his daughter. It’s unfortunate he came all the way here but hasn’t seen her," Sarika thought. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"That bastard from the Gerymoore Clan... He’s turned the king against Eleanor. The king must be searching for her to question her about that incident," Fiona thought, her eyes narrowing slightly as they shifted towards George Gerymoore at the far end of the table.

On the other side, George suddenly felt a foreboding chill trickle down his spine. He looked around warily, but no one seemed to be paying him any attention.

Sarika said, "Yes, Fiona, I was thinking the same. This is such a major event for your clan, yet she didn’t join us. Where is she?"

Fiona smiled and replied, "A sudden issue arose in her business, and she had to attend to it immediately. You know how large her operations are. Ever since His Majesty declared that all future clan heads must participate in the Trial of Yggdrasil, she’s been trying to wrap things up quickly. Don’t worry—she will come to greet His Majesty after the feast."

Sarika nodded, "I actually like the girl. She’s young, bold, and unafraid of risk. I believe she’ll be even more successful than you a century from now."

Fiona chuckled. "That she will. In terms of personal assets, she has already surpassed me at her age. If she manages to maintain this momentum, I believe she’ll do a far better job than I ever could."

As she spoke, Fiona subtly pulled her phone from her clutch and sent a message to Eleanor:

"Where are you? The king wants to see you."

She continued discussing recent events in the supernatural world with the council members, who were now engaged in a broader conversation.

Two minutes passed without a reply.

Fiona typed again—this time to Teresa:

"Ask Eleanor to check her phone. It’s urgent."

This time, the reply came instantly:

"Okay."

***

Eleanor was working diligently in her lab at Heimdall Tower. She had planned to finish some coding first, then head over to spectate the final match. But once it began, she became so engrossed in her work that she lost all sense of time.

Her concentration was broken by the beep of the door lock’s scanner. Only Teresa and Maya had permission to enter the lab besides her—both required full-body scans for access.

She looked up as the door slid open. Teresa peeked in and said, "Fiona Raynor asked you to check your mobile."

Eleanor glanced across the room at her phone. The moment she picked it up, her expression darkened as she remembered what she’d forgotten. "Shit!" she cursed.

It was far too late to catch the fight.

She quickly replied to Fiona’s message:

"Sorry. I’ll be there in ten minutes."

Then she shouted, "Teresa! Tell the pilot to ready the helicopter on the roof. I need to go to the Raynor Estate—I’m already late!"

"Okay," Teresa replied before closing the door and hurrying to give instructions to the pilot.

Eleanor threw on her signature purple blazer and slipped her phone into the inner pocket. "Nora, give me the current build progress," she said as she walked over to the makeover table and began quickly touching up her face.

Nora’s calm voice echoed from the lab speaker:

"Core Framework: 100%

Neural Processing Unit: 100%

Data Ingestion Pipeline: 92%

Sensor Integration Module: 87%

Autonomous Navigation Logic: 75%

Threat Detection AI Core: 61%

Communication Interface: 54%

Decision-Making Engine: 49%

Energy Optimisation Layer: 63%

Redundancy System: 39%

Safety Protocols: 35%

Satellite–Environment Link: 28%

Total Completion: 78%

Estimated Time Remaining: 12 days

Fiona didn’t notice his reaction and called out, "Eleanor! Come here."

Hearing the call, Eleanor turned. Upon seeing the king beside Fiona, she immediately stood and sprinted over. When she reached them, she placed her palm over her chest and knelt on one knee.

"Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor pays her respects to His Majesty."

Erevan said curtly, "Rise and follow us."

Eleanor stood and fell in line behind them as they made their way to Fiona’s residence.

Inside, Adrian and Selene Raynor were speaking with several clan members in the drawing room... guests who had come to watch the final match. Upon seeing the king enter, everyone knelt on one knee to pay their respects.

King Erevan said, "At ease. Fiona, please lead the way."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Fiona responded.

She guided them upstairs to her private study. Once inside, she closed the door and said, "Your Majesty, please take a seat. This room is completely soundproof. Even my shadow guards won’t hear a word if the door is shut."

The king walked behind the desk and sat in the main chair. "You two, no need to stand. Sit."

Fiona and Eleanor took the seats across from him.

King Erevan began, "Don’t worry, Fiona. I didn’t come to speak with Eleanor because of the Gerymoore Clan’s complaint. That was merely a pretext. But I am curious why the Raynor Clan has suddenly taken an interest in politics."

Fiona glanced at Eleanor, who calmly said, "Your Majesty, it was my decision alone. The clan had no involvement. I have a product that can only be sold to governments. So, I needed to place certain individuals in positions of influence to facilitate the transactions. I chose the day of the duelling match for fun."

The king raised an eyebrow. "That’s all?"

Eleanor nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

With a small smile, Erevan removed a crystal glass box from his storage ring and set it on the desk.

Eleanor admired the craftsmanship of the box, but Fiona gasped in astonishment. "The Vest of the Mytherial Moon!" she blurted out.

Eleanor looked at Fiona in surprise, then at the king... whose expression was mildly amused.

"This is our first meeting, Eleanor," Erevan said. "Let this be my gift to you. You may not yet understand its value, but once you become an ascendant, you will."

Eleanor recognised the item’s worth by Fiona’s reaction alone. She stood, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Erevan replied, "You may leave now. Leave the box here... I wish to speak with Fiona in private. And do not mention what transpired here to anyone."

Eleanor bowed once more and quietly left the study.

Once the door was shut, Erevan’s expression turned serious. He looked Fiona in the eye and said, "I’m sorry, but the Raynor Clan will need a new successor in the future."

Fiona was shocked and thought she had misheard. She blurted out, "What?!"