I slid the ring towards him. "Five hundred. Take it." I said.
He didn't take the ring immediately. That told me more than anything he could've said. Most people reach first, think later.
Lucien did neither. He observed, measured, weighed.
I leaned back slightly, letting the silence stretch enough to feel natural.
Then I broke it.
"House crests are fucking boring," I said, turning the ring between my fingers. "All the same idea. Different shapes pretending to mean something."
Lucien's gaze flicked to the engraving.
"Some of them do," he said.
"Do they?" I tilted my head. "Just looks like a bunch of shit to me."
A slight pause. Thinking. I could sense it.
"They carry history," he replied. "Influence. Alliances."
There it is. The words that these people love to use.
I gave a faint shrug.
"Influence is just people not being able to do anything about it."
I set the ring down, tapping it lightly.
"Like the strongest houses."
His eyes shifted—just slightly.
That was enough.
"Depends which ones you're talking about." he said.
I smiled faintly. Talk.
"The ones everyone pretends aren't fighting," I said. "The ones that don't need to."
A longer pause this time.
"House Virel," he said quietly. "And House Arden."
I didn't react. Didn't look impressed. Didn't even look interested.
Two apex houses. Acknowledged without hesitation. That means— Public power. Undisputed.
I tapped the ring again, slower this time.
"Those two?" I said. "They don't fight. They decide who fights."
Lucien didn't disagree.
Confirmation.
"Then there are the ones trying to climb," I continued casually. "The ones who think they're closer than they are."
Lucien exhaled softly through his nose.
Almost amused.
"House Laurent," he said. "House Dumont."
I let out a quiet, dismissive hum.
"Never gonna make it."
"They're not as stable as they look," he added.
I glanced up at him briefly.
Just enough. Why tell me that? Because you think this is conversation.
"Pressure?" I asked.
"Adjustment," he said.
I smiled. Different word yet same meaning.
"Who's above them?" I asked, as if it barely mattered.
He didn't hesitate this time.
"House Edevane. House Roth."
I nodded slowly. It's clear now. Just the way I thought.
Structured. Clean hierarchy. So fucking predictable.
"Too many names," I muttered, picking the ring up again. "All of them pretending they're permanent. After all, they all have a start and an end"
"Some are," Lucien said.
I met his eyes.
"Do you really think that?"
A pause.
That one landed. I could sense the discomfort in his expression.
Not enough to alarm him. Just enough to sit in his mind.
I slid the ring toward him.
"Five hundred. Take it."
He took it this time. No hesitation. But with no words. Like he was scared to talk to me now.
Transaction complete. On the surface.
He turned to leave.
"Lucien," I called.
He stopped. "Yeah?"
I rested my chin lightly on my hand.
"Tell me something." I said.
"Why come here yourself?" I asked. "Someone like you could send anyone."
He considered that. Actually considered it.
"I prefer seeing things directly," he said. "You notice more."
I smiled.
"Careful," I said lightly. "That habit gets expensive." I waved the coins in my hand.
He didn't reply.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
I stood there for a moment.
Then I laughed. Loudly.
Structure? Bullshit.
Power at the top.
Ambition in the middle.
Instability below.
The answer to break them all? Kids. Heirs. Future. Lineage.
"They don't attack each other directly," I thought.
Of course they don't.
That would be inefficient and a risky move.
"You remove what they're building. Their hope. Cut off the bloodline."
Then I leaned back on the wall.
"If one dies…" I murmured.
"They blame the nearest rival."
"And if it happens again…"
"They definitely think that it was the other who killed them."
The academy. That's where all the heirs are.
I let out a loud moan. Fuck, life's about to get messy.
"Guess I'm enrolling."
At least I was finally doing something big.
I grinned and laughed crazily.
"Let's see how long your houses last…"
"…when they start killing each other."