The Baron signaled toward the door.
Malik, standing beside it, nodded before opening it, allowing Lady Rhyla to step inside.
"Valen is an important piece for this House to move forward. But why such a desperate move?" the Baron asked, lifting the paper that contained the request to change Liam's opponent.
"There is no future for Liam here. No matter what he does, he will always be overshadowed by what he once was.
The Lord of Gluttony.
The Pig.
The noble unworthy of House Maddach.
This, everybody knows. Even if he stays, who's to say he won't simply revert back to his old self?" Rhyla said.
The Baron nodded, but something about this didn't sit right.
She continued, "But Valen has done everything right up to this point. We have to show our support for those who have already put in the work. And if that means throwing Liam aside to put your son in the spotlight, then we must do it."
The Baron shook his head slightly.
"Liam is my son too."
Ignoring his reply, Rhyla pressed on, "If Liam retains his title in this House, then you are decreasing the chance that Valen might be Syphora's husband. We would also be sabotaging our opportunity to expand our influence."
Cheng nodded. He knew that despite the logic in her argument, bias still colored her words.
But it didn't matter.
It was still a good argument.
An argument he would not waste time countering.
"You have said what you needed to say," the Baron replied. "But is Valen fine with this?"
"Valen will do as I say. Just as he has always done."
Of all his children, the Baron knew Valen best—not just from records but from personal time spent with him. Deep in his heart, he knew that the only reason Valen was competing, putting everything he had into this, was because Lady Rhyla had told him to.
If Valen had a choice, he would have pursued his artistic endeavors, doing whatever was required of him only halfheartedly.
"I will not approve it," the Baron said.
Rhyla's eyes widened. "We will fall behind the other Houses."
Gorath continued, "Not unless Valen himself agrees to it." He gestured toward Malik once more.
Valen entered the room, his eyebrows slightly raised. He wondered why he had been summoned—especially with Asterix and the others present.
"How may I be of service, Baron?"
Gorath raised two fingers, then let them drop.
"Sit."
The three of them took their seats, though Valen was still uncertain as to why he was there.
"This proposal requests that you replace Jorvik in testing Liam," the Baron said.
Valen shook his head. "That… must be a mistake. I never made such a request."
"Oh, I know." The Baron stood, walked toward Valen, and handed him the paper.
"Signed by Lady Rhyla and delivered to Cheng's servant by Knight Asterix," Gorath said as he turned toward the window.
Still reading the paper, Asterix turned to Rhyla. "Why? What's wrong with Jorvik?"
His first thought was that Jorvik must have fallen ill.
But he knew Jorvik wasn't the type to throw away an opportunity—even if he was sick.
A serious illness? he wondered.
"The boy lost a spar against his opponent," Rhyla explained.
Valen let out a silent "Oh…"
Wait… Jorvik lost? His thought process mirrored everyone else's upon hearing the news.
"But why me?" He wasn't rejecting the offer—just trying to understand it.
"The Baron has decided to give you full authority in this matter," Cheng said as he stepped toward Valen. "There is no right or wrong answer."
The Calculator was being truthful.
Even if Liam remained a Maddach noble, it wasn't the end of the world for Valen. There were still other plans that would allow him to continue.
But those were just the plans the House had for him.
His mother, however, had far greater ambitions.
A perfect record in the House Codex.
Fifty years from now, a hundred, even a thousand—if her plans succeeded, her name, through Valen, would be immortalized.
Valen turned to his mother.
For Cheng, there might not be a right or wrong answer.
But for him, there certainly was.
"I accept. But…" Valen hesitated.
"But?" Asterix asked.
"What if Liam refuses to fight me? It would be unfair to change his opponent on such short notice."
"That is a matter to be discussed later. Asterix, lead the way," Cheng said, pointing to the door.
As they left, only Cheng, Malik, and the Baron remained.
"Will there be any problems from, uh… Liam's advisor?"
"I doubt it. This change is within our rights."
Malik wanted to sigh but feared disrespecting both the Baron and the Calculator.
House Maddach was known for its honor.
They didn't rely on underhanded tactics.
He had seen their honor in battle, in spirit.
That much was true—at least for the Baron.
But ever since the Emperor's announcement, things had changed.
And the Baron had not hesitated to adapt.
Not against a ruthless enemy.
Not against some powerful rival.
But against a fat, bald kid in a suit.
Sweat formed around Malik's neck. His lungs tightened. He slouched slightly to ease the discomfort.
"I'm sorry, Baron, but I have to say something."
The Baron halted his conversation with Cheng. Noting Malik's strained expression, he stood up, approaching his knight and steadying him by the elbow.
"What's wrong?"
Malik exhaled. "Baron, Liam is just a kid. He's finally trying to fix the mess he made, and we're plotting against him. Why hold him down?"
A sharp, nervous tension shot through Gorath's chest at the knight's words.
Instinctively, his fingers moved to his House Maddach ring, tracing its surface.
Malik, seeing his Baron drift into thought, bowed his head. "Forgive me, my Lord. I spoke out of turn. I meant no disrespect."
The Baron glanced at his knight, then turned toward the open doorway, walking toward it slowly.
Qahtani clenched his teeth, shutting his eyes.
I shouldn't have said that. What was I thinking?