Chapter 64 - A Favor Owed

Chapter 64: 64 - A Favor Owed

Adrien remained seated for several seconds after Aurelian left. The map of Arquenay was still spread across the table, surrounded by reports and copied documents.

He let out a slow breath before pushing himself to his feet.

’Seems settled for now. We’ll see how long that lasts.’

His ribs protested as soon as he straightened, but the pain was manageable. He had experienced worse recently, and compared to everything else that had happened that day, a few aching ribs were hardly worth complaining about.

Adrien left the meeting room and stepped back into the main hall. Greymoor was already beginning to change around him. Crown officers were organizing the last groups of Arquenay prisoners outside, Royal Guards were preparing to leave, and Clairmont servants moved between them carrying supplies and messages.

His mother stood near the front entrance speaking with two officers, already organizing the aftermath as though an army had not tried to tear through their home only hours earlier.

Then Absolute Mana Sense picked up someone approaching from his left, and Adrien recognized Margaret before he even turned. That wasn’t difficult anymore. Every person around him carried a slightly different presence through mana, and after spending enough time around someone, those differences became increasingly obvious.

What caught his attention instead was everything beyond her.

Royal Guards filled the courtyard and road outside Greymoor, and many of them were strong. Much stronger than the soldiers House Clairmont could currently field, while several were far beyond Adrien himself.

The difference was impossible to ignore. His own people had fought well, but standing beside Crown forces made the gap painfully clear.

And then there was Adrien.

He had awakened recently. However absurd his talents were, his Core was still young, and today’s battle had reminded him exactly how much that mattered.

Gaspard had been a wall.

Absolute Mana Sense could follow his mana, and Absolute Comprehension could help Adrien recognize spells and weaknesses. None of that changed the simplest problem, though.

Gaspard had been too strong.

The difference between Stars wasn’t some number inside the System. It was speed, power, durability, mana density, and a body capable of things Adrien’s current one simply couldn’t do.

’I’d rather not repeat what happened with Gaspard today.’

He had survived, but survival wasn’t the same as having belonged in that fight. When the real battle had started, there had been very little he could actually contribute.

’I need to train more.’

"Thinking about something interesting?"

Margaret’s voice pulled him out of it.

Adrien turned toward her. The worst of the dirt and blood was gone, though she still looked considerably less polished than she had at Oathday.

"Not really. Mostly everything that’s happened today. And the last few days, actually."

"That sounds like quite a lot to think about."

"It is." Adrien shifted carefully and immediately felt his ribs again. "Honestly, I think I could use several days where absolutely nothing happens. No armies, no slavers, no nobles trying to kill me, no political conversations. Just sleep, food, and maybe staring at a wall for a few hours."

Margaret looked him over for a moment, apparently considering whether that would actually be enough.

"That might be wise. You don’t look nearly as good as you did at Oathday."

Adrien turned his head slowly toward her.

"Did you come all the way over here just to humiliate me after I nearly died?"

Margaret smiled.

"That wasn’t my intention."

"Very convincing."

"I actually came to remind you of something." She folded her hands behind her back. "You still owe me a favor."

Adrien remembered Vikir and the documents Margaret had stopped from disappearing inside a Crown office.

"Ah. That favor."

"Yes, that one."

Adrien narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Now I’m curious. What exactly are you planning to ask me for?"

"I haven’t decided yet."

"That’s significantly more worrying."

Margaret laughed softly.

"Then I’ll keep it until I think of something useful. I don’t believe favors have expiration dates."

"Apparently not." Adrien considered her for a moment before giving a small nod. "Fine. As long as it’s within my reach, I’ll see what I can do."

"I’ll remember those exact words."

"That sounds like a threat. Also you and your brother have a strange relationship with sentences that sound harmless until I think about them for more than five seconds."

The amusement in Margaret’s expression faded. For a few seconds, she looked past him toward the courtyard, where Aurelian was speaking with one of the Royal commanders before departure.

"When we were at Oathday," Margaret said, quieter now, "I warned you about him."

Adrien followed her gaze. "You told me Aurelian rarely does anything without a reason."

"I meant it."

The lightness from a moment ago was gone. Margaret looked back at him, and there was nothing playful left in her expression now.

"Whatever he told you in that room, don’t mistake honesty for trust. Aurelian can tell you the truth and still make sure you understand it exactly the way he wants you to."

Adrien studied her face. She wasn’t joking anymore, and considering Margaret had already warned him once before, this clearly wasn’t something she was saying casually.

"You really don’t trust your brother that much?"

Margaret was silent for a moment before answering.

"I don’t trust anyone in my family."

Adrien hadn’t expected the answer to come that easily, and Margaret didn’t look particularly interested in softening it afterward.

"And if I’m saying that," she continued, "you should trust them even less."

Adrien looked toward Aurelian again.

The Crown Prince had been unusually direct with him. He had admitted that rebuilding House Clairmont benefited his own plans, and he had asked for information, cooperation, and stability rather than loyalty.

Adrien had appreciated that much. At least Aurelian wasn’t pretending the Crown had handed over Arquenay because of generosity.

But Margaret’s warning fitted something Adrien already knew.

Aurelian never moved without a reason.

"I wasn’t planning to trust him," Adrien said. "Working with someone and trusting them are two very different things."

"They are. Just make sure you remember that if he keeps helping you."

"And right now, some of our interests happen to point in the same direction."

Margaret nodded slowly.

"Then keep remembering that they’re only pointing in the same direction for now."

Adrien gave her a faint smile. "You’re not exactly helping your family’s image."

"I stopped worrying about that a long time ago."

There was enough finality in her voice that Adrien decided not to push. Whatever relationship Margaret had with the rest of the Valleroys was clearly more complicated than what people saw during royal events, and today wasn’t the time to start digging into it.

"Thanks for the warning," he said instead. "Both times."

Margaret’s expression softened slightly.

"Just don’t make me give you a third one."

Voices called for the Royal party outside, and Margaret glanced toward them. Several guards were already moving toward the waiting carriages, while officers finished giving the last instructions before departure.

"I should go."

Adrien nodded.

"Then I suppose I’ll see you when you finally decide how you’re collecting that favor."

"Oh, I will."

She smiled once more before turning toward the courtyard.

Adrien watched her walk away, golden hair catching the afternoon light as she joined the departing Crown party. Around her, soldiers continued filing toward the road, while servants and Clairmont men slowly reclaimed the space they had occupied.

Behind him, Greymoor was damaged, exhausted, and still standing. Ahead of him waited new land, new soldiers, new enemies, and a Crown Prince whose own sister had now warned him twice not to trust him.

Adrien let out a quiet breath as he looked across everything that remained of the estate.

’So much for a few peaceful days.’

For the first time since waking at his father’s funeral, House Clairmont was no longer simply trying to survive. The immediate danger of disappearing had passed, and now they had territory, resources, and enough room to become something again.

Adrien intended to make sure they did.