"We need to inform Orion and the Starweaver twins," soone suggested, voice carrying the desperation of drowning people grasping for anything that might float.
"They already know," Lady Daphina responded with bitterness. "And they’re probably as worried as we are."
Because the Starweavers had more to lose than anyone. Had been negotiating carefully, maintaining leverage, keeping Luna desperate enough to accept their terms but not so desperate she’d do sothing drastic.
That delicate balance could shatter if Ren involved himself. If he offered Luna alternatives they hadn’t anticipated.
Selphira watched from her position, her eyes shining with satisfaction.
She reveled in the opportunists’ expressions when so left monts later, their faces pale and tense with concern.
She’d seen this coming. Had watched the pieces fall into place with the satisfaction of soone whose student had just demonstrated he’d learned lessons she’d thought would take years to internalize.
Yes, she thought while watching panic spread among the opportunistic nobles. Let them worry. Let them suffer a bit imagining all the implications.
♢♢♢♢
The confrontation ca that sa afternoon.
Julius and Selphira were ’working’ in the administrative office when the door opened without knocking. Three n entered, followed by Lady Morgain, Lord Balethon and the others.
The Starweaver uncles.
Magnus and Dorian, identical twins with eyes sharing the sa blue tone as Luna’s. And Orion, the eldest, the leader, with an unpleasant presence that filled any room he entered.
The kind of presence that ca from years of getting what you wanted through intimidation and political pressure. From never being told no without consequences for the person refusing.
"This is a joke in bad taste," Orion declared without preamble, his voice cold and annoyed. "And I demand to know who manipulated the assignnts."
Julius looked up from the docunts he was reviewing, his expression bored. Not impressed nor intimidated... Just vaguely annoyed at having his work interrupted by people who thought they deserved his imdiate attention.
"The assignnts were made following standard protocol."
"Standard protocol doesn’t pair a peasant with our niece," Magnus growled, barely containing his fury.
The insult was deliberate. ’Peasant’ despite Ren’s achievents, his wealth, his connections, his basically assured near future high standing. Because acknowledging Ren’s actual status would an acknowledging he was becoming sothing bigger they couldn’t simply dismiss or ignore.
"Unless," Dorian added with a poisonous tone, "soone was trying to push an agenda."
Selphira smiled, and it wasn’t a pleasant smile.
It was the smile of a predator who’d been waiting for prey to wander into range. The expression of soone who’d prepared for exactly this confrontation and was about to enjoy every mont of it.
"How interesting that you ntion agendas. We’ve also been perceiving so lately."
She placed a folder on Julius’s desk, dropping it with enough force that the sound resonated in the tense silence. The thud of paper hitting wood sohow carried more weight than a simple physical impact, promising consequences that extended far beyond a simple folder.
"Information about foul play," Julius explained casually while opening the folder. "Very interesting foul play, in fact. A house with strong historical ties in Goldcrest territory, led by Morgain, for example... Wasn’t satisfied with just one fine and transgression."
Lady Morgain went pale. The color draining from her face so completely she looked like she might faint. Her carefully constructed composure cracking as she wasn’t sure exactly how much they knew, how deeply they’d investigated.
"Balethon," Selphira continued, her smile growing, savoring each na like fine wine. "Aldric, Caelum... Even so suspicious transactions from a minor branch of the Dravenholms... Right, Daphina?"
Each na landed like a hamr blow. Evidence that they’d been watched, tracked, investigated without realizing the net was closing around them.
"What are you insinuating?" Orion asked, his voice falsely calm.
The kind of calm that ca from recognizing a trap too late while trying to find an exit that didn’t exist.
"We’re not insinuating anything," Julius closed the folder. "We’re directly stating that we have sufficient evidence to suppose multiple noble houses were involved in financing and organizing an assassination attempt against a student of this academy in the last gathering exam."
The silence that followed was absolute.
You could have heard breathing if anyone dared breathe.
"Although strong, they’re still suppositions... so the investigation," Selphira continued, enjoying every word, savoring the nobles’ growing horror, "will have to be extensive. Much larger than we originally planned. Because if these relatively large houses were involved, who knows how many others are as well."
She paused significantly, letting that sink in.
"In fact, we were considering implenting ’red nose’ tests on all noble houses with connections to the academy. Just to be sure, you understand?"
The faces of the nobles present went livid.
Red nose tests were intrusive and humiliating protocols.
Truth-verification techniques that stripped away every lie, every careful construction, every secret you’d thought was safely buried. They left you naked before examiners who would record every shaful truth for official records.
Most noble families would rather face bankruptcy than submit to red nose testing.
"Of course," Julius added thoughtfully, as if the idea had just occurred to him rather than being planned from the beginning, "the investigation could be delayed. Could even beco less... exhaustive. If certain parties stopped making ridiculous accusations about manipulation of dance assignnts."
Orion understood imdiately.
His expression didn’t change, but sothing cold appeared in his eyes. The recognition of soone who’d just been outmaneuvered and was trying to find any angle that didn’t result in complete destruction.
"I understand," he said slowly.
The words tasted like ash. Like surrender...
Magnus and Dorian exchanged furious but impotent looks. They’d been outplayed at their own ga.
"The assignnts stand," Julius declared with finality. "And I suggest everyone present reconsider their... future extracurricular activities."
The threat was clear... Back down now or face consequences that would destroy everything they’d built.
The nobles retreated, their expressions dark but defeated.
♢♢♢♢
Selphira let out a genuine laugh.
"Did you see their faces?"
"Totally worth it," Julius agreed, allowing himself a small smile. The kind of smile that ca from a perfectly executed political maneuver that left opponents with no good options. "Although Ren playing dirty still surprises ..."
"I know." Selphira smiled with almost maternal pride. "I’m so proud."
Because she knew the truth.
Ren had talked to her and Julius about the situation before. Had told them everything Klein had revealed about Luna, the uncles, and the crystallized heart.
And he’d asked for one thing...
"Use the assassination attempt situation as leverage if necessary," Ren had said with that calm voice he used when being strategic instead of impulsive.
"The nobles who supported Jin, who put money and resources into that attack... they don’t want that to beco public and be punished, right?"
Julius had smiled slowly. "No. They wouldn’t want that."
The understatent of the year.
"Then give them an out," Ren continued. "Don’t press too hard. But in exchange they don’t press about this ’coincidence’..."
"You only want to be paired with Luna at the dance," Selphira had completed, delighting in the boy’s audacity.
"Yes."
Julius had studied Ren for a long mont.
It was not big, but still dirty play.
It was exactly the type of political ga those opportunists used against others. The kind of manipulation Julius had been fighting his entire career, the corruption he’d tried to eliminate from noble society.
Julius hadn’t expected it from Ren... But he’d done it anyway.
Ren had played dirty to get what he wanted.
And it seed Selphira respected him for it.
Yet Julius wasn’t entirely sure whether to be proud or concerned about what that ant for the future.
But looking at Selphira’s expression, at the genuine delight she took in this particular display of pragmatic ruthlessness...
He supposed proud won out.
At least for today.
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