A Full Holiday Schedule

"Though it couldn't be considered completely resolved, at least the issue had been settled on the surface."

After arranging a time for the transfer and seeing off the other broomstick merchants, Manus stayed behind to finish the hot milk he had ordered upon entering the shop.

The teaspoon tapped lightly against the rim of the cup. Two sugar cubes dissolved soundlessly into the milk, and the temperature, which had dropped with time, rose again.

He lifted the cup and took a small sip. The rich milkiness and sweetness spread across his lips and tongue, lifting Manus's mood slightly.

"After signing the contract, if anyone tries to cause trouble for me over the broomsticks, I'll have ample reason to strike back. On top of that, I've replenished a substantial amount of personal funds. Buying meteorites and conducting experiments had really been leaving me short on money, so this was a timely recovery."

All Manus had given up was the King Family's future right to sell broomsticks to those national Quidditch teams—something that cost Manus absolutely nothing, since he had never intended to do so anyway.

As for the others... how should he put it? If Griffin and Aivina had no plans to have another child, then the King Family line would more or less end with Manus.

Manus's long lifespan meant he had no need to specifically have an heir to inherit his bloodline and wealth. Besides, he considered the inheritance of ideas and knowledge far more important than the inheritance of genetic information.

Even when the identity of Manus King was meant to disappear from public view two hundred years later, there was no such arrangement in his plans. Even if he truly had a child, what use would that be?

With a little bad luck, that child's descendants might