"NO! THIS CAN'T BE!"
He turned on his father, his face contorted with a mixture of fury and disbelief. "You're sending her? A bastard? A lowborn?! To the Imperial Arcanis Academy?!" His voice cracked, desperation bleeding into his words. "Do you even hear yourself?! She doesn't belong there! That seat belongs to me—I am your son! I am the rightful heir of House Burns!"
The patriarch's expression remained unreadable, his steel-gray eyes unwavering. "That seat belongs to the one who earned it."
Linston shook his head violently, his face a mask of denial. "NO! You can't do this to me! Do you know what kind of people attend Arcanis? Do you think they will accept her? Do you think they will see her as anything but trash?" He spat the last word with venom, his voice ragged. "This will ruin our family's reputation!"
SLAM.
His father's cane struck the marble floor, the sharp crack silencing the murmurs around them. The air grew even colder.
