Chapter 56: Trust

Though the Varne Institute's team gave it their all, there was a reason applicants traveled from across the world to attend the Royal Academy. The match wasn't a complete blowout, but when the strongest members of both institutions were pitted against one another, Horito and the four members of his party had the leeway to play around and pander to their fans and sponsors while their opponents had to resort to trying to catch them off guard with superior numbers.

Since he was by far the highest-ranking Noble among the First Years, it fell upon Will, with financial support from the Academy, to host the feast celebrating their victory. He left most of the planning and organization to Ishyll, who had proven to have a knack for dealing with people, so after his initial appearance and speech, Will retired to the VIP lounge, relaxing atop a red velvet and gold-leaf sofa.

tok tok tok

Without Will having to ask, Ohta made his way to the room's entrance and opened the door. Will had already declined Alessandra's and several other requests to dance, so anyone seeking him out ought to have a business or personal matter to discuss.

"It's you...?" asked Ohta, furrowing his brows as he raised his gaze to meet the impassive stare of Sylvia, garbed in a white, sheath-style gown with an unnecessarily deep v-neck cut.

"I have come to speak with your benefactor in private..." declared Sylvia, her voice lacking intonation but serene and pleasant to the ears.

"Come in," called out Will, causing Ohta to frown but ultimately make way for Sylvia's passage.

Noticing that Will was still lying down, one hand resting atop his stomach and the other behind his head, Sylvia waited, silent and patient, for nearly a full minute before narrowing her eyes slightly and asking, "Do you think me unworthy a proper greeting...?"

"I came here to relax, and that's what I intend to do..." responded Will, opening his eyes and turning his head to meet Sylvia's gaze as he added, "You came here to talk. I fail to see how that obligates me to drop what I was doing to entertain someone I didn't invite for a meeting..."

"..."

Peering over her shoulder to find Ohta standing against the entrance with his arms crossed and one foot propped up on the door, Sylvia considered her options before turning back to Will and stating, "I have been informed through my contacts that you have entered into a tryst with Her Highness, the Fourth Princess..."

"Mmm...is that so...?" responded Will, returning to his original position with his eyes closed. He had been expecting Sylvia to approach him since she was mentioned in one of his Optional Quest Objectives. However, as their only memorable interaction over the past three months was him asking if she was okay after one of her heels snapped, causing her to roll her right ankle, he figured she had been told to give up or never received orders to engage him directly.

"Will you permit me some impertinence...?" asked Sylvia, breaking a fairly lengthy silence.

"Go for it..." replied Will, his position unchanging.

"Princess Lyra's ideals are dangerous," stated Sylvia. "House Oirthear and its affiliated Asterisms are already under significant pressure from forces within and outside the Kingdom. As the future Lord of Eastwarden, would it not be more...prudent to choose a spouse that will help ease or outright eliminate these tensions?"

'What a curious question...' mused Will, a faint smile adorning his face as he felt the pieces of a puzzle he had struggled to understand falling into place. He knew his family had long-standing enmity with the other Great Contesllations, but until recently, they had always had the backing of the Royal Family. Now, he was almost positive their recent struggles were of the Queen's design, ostensibly to orchestrate a scenario where he had no choice but to marry a member of her growing faction...

'But, if that's the case, there's a good chance they will assassinate Lyra if she is deemed to be a 'nuisance'...' thought Will, opening his eyes to stare at the murals adorning the domed roof of the lounge. He knew it wouldn't truly be his fault if Lyra were killed, as it was ultimately the decision of the person or persons who issued the order, but the notion he may have sped up her execution left him feeling marginally annoyed...

"Your contacts are either misinformed or deliberately left out a few key facts..." asserted Will, closing his eyes as explained, "I have no intention of getting engaged before the end of my twentieth cycle. My agreement with the Princess is to deter current and future suitresses from pestering me during my stay at the Academy. We have exchanged neither vows nor signed a contract affirming our intention to wed..."

'He speaks the truth...' Sylvia determined, aided by her elegant, sapphire-studded hairclip. It would vibrate and resonate with her Mana if someone lied to her. The fact it remained inactive when Will spoke indicated he was either telling or at least 'believed' he was telling the truth.

"For someone of your standing not to get engaged until their twentieth cycle...have you discussed this with your family...?" asked Sylvia, pulling out a chair from her personal storage device rather than occupying one of the lounge chairs adjacent to Will's sofa.

"I haven't," admitted Will. "But, just as my parents went against the wills of countless people to marry, the only person who can decide the path I walk is me..."

Furrowing her brows ever so slightly, Sylvia lowered her gaze and gently squeezed her hands into fists. She had spent her entire life controlling her emotions, but hearing Will attest he had the freedom to determine his fate made her feel...frustrated. It didn't matter if it was true or not. The fact he 'believed' it to be true annoyed her.

"How enviable..." muttered Sylvia, her voice so faint as to be inaudible. Then, as if it had never been there, all emotion disappeared from her face as she raised her head and stated, "Regardless of the reasons you formed an agreement with Her Highness, the facts remain unchanged. Her ideals are dangerous, and marrying her will only exacerbate the issues affecting the Oirthear Constellation and the people whose livelihoods depend on it for their survival..."

"Your point is...?" asked Will.

"House Pipoltr is quickly becoming one of the most influential within the Capital..." stated Sylvia. "If we were to form a union with the Ancillary Star of House Oirthear, our position would be secure, and the pressure on your family and brother would gradually abate..."

"You're putting the cart before the Capall..." said Will, removing the hand he had behind his head and setting it on his stomach as he asserted, "If House Pipoltr truly cared about forming a union, it would have lobbied to support the Oirthear Constellation during the crisis a few years back. The fact your family expects to benefit from us before you've done anything to merit our respect or trust is beyond insulting..."

Sensing that she was on the verge of triggering Will's ire, Sylvia carefully deliberated her words before expressing, "The influence of House Pipoltr, particularly outside of the Capital, is limited. We are still trying to get our feet under us, so it would have been...difficult to rally support when most other well-established Houses opposed intervening and sending financial aid to refugees at a time when tensions between the major powers are on the rise..."

'Mmm...that's not entirely unreasonable...' thought Will. 'If not for the fact the Kingdom's Laws dictate they must intervene. The Royal Family turning a blind eye to the situation and increasing investments in entertainment is textbook when you want to divert the populace's focus away from things that cast a negative shadow over your administration.

"Lyra may be an idealist, but she has proven that she cares for her people and is willing to work with others for mutual benefit..." said Will. "The odds of us marrying are slim, but I see no reason to distance myself from her to ally with a group that has yet to demonstrate they can be trusted..."

"I see..." muttered Sylvia, hanging her head and adopting the faintest of frowns. Half the reason she had been sent to the Academy was to secure Will's favor. She wouldn't be 'disposed' of if she failed her task, but things would be more difficult if they failed to win him to their side.

"May I ask you a question...?" asked Sylvia.

"Asking 'if' you can ask a question is insensible and redundant..." replied Will, lazily drumming his belly as he added, "If I didn't wish to hear what you had to say, I would have refused to meet."

"Do you...perhaps have a disdain for demonkind...?" asked Sylvia, catching Will slightly off guard. Despite this, he didn't hesitate to respond, "Only an idiot harbors broad disdain toward a group of people. Unless they've done something to annoy or make me suspicious of them, I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt..."

"Indicating that you believe my family has done something to make you suspicious of them..." noted Sylvia, finding no falsehoods in Will's overall response.

"Before your aunt became Queen, there were few notable issues with the support my family received from the Royal Family," explained Will. "Now I have you coming to me insinuating that all our problems will disappear if I play ball and marry to benefit House Pipoltr. That's the same as saying if I don't do as your people dictate, things will continue as they are or worsen over time..."

"Tell me...do these sound like the actions of a trustworthy ally...?" asked Will, meeting Sylvia's gaze through the cracks in his eyelids.

"I'm sorry..." muttered Sylvia, hanging her head and slumping her thin, delicate shoulders in a way that made her appear genuinely vulnerable. Since there was very little change in the flow of her Mana, however, Will rolled his eyes, closed them, and responded, "I honestly don't care if your family or anyone else wishes to use me to advance their goals or increase their wealth. That's how just politics and business are. But don't insult me by thinking I will bend the knee to pressure or cow away from conflict...if they wish to use me, they must be willing to be used in turn..."

Raising her gaze, revealing she wasn't nearly as melancholic as her body language suggested, Sylvia asked, "Is there something you desire? A goal you wish to achieve...?"

"My only cemented desire is to become a Master by the time I graduate or before I turn twenty..." replied Will, quickly supplanting, "But that only has meaning if I achieve it on my own. If you're asking if there's anything you or your family could do for me, it's simple..."

Sensing Sylvia lean closer, ostensibly keen to hear what he had to say, Will smiled and said, "Tell them not to cause trouble for me or those I'm affiliated with. That includes Princess Lyra. If anything happens to her or she is forced to marry at Her Majesty's insistence, I will do everything in my power to stonewall any progress they make in the future."

"And if they agree...what do we get in exchange?" asked Sylvia, regaining her faint, nearly indetectable frown.

"They regain the benefit of my doubt..." replied Will, opening his eyes and rising to a seated position to meet Sylvia's gaze directly as he asserted, "I help others, even if they cannot return the favor. If your people can prove yourselves worthy of my trust, I might not work for you, but I won't go out of my way to impede your efforts to expand and increase your influence in both the Capital and abroad..."

"It's not an ideal arrangement..." Sylvia muttered.

"It's better than most alternatives," argued Will. "After all, if a large-scale conflict were to break out between any of the four Duchies, people would invariably demand answers. Her Majesty is obviously intelligent, but there is a substantial number who distrust her and House Pipoltr's increasingly transparent efforts to amass power. The moment shit hits the proverbial fan, and people start demanding that someone in power be held liable, all fingers will invariably be pointed at her..."

Though she refused to accept Will's words at face value, Sylvia lacked the knowledge and experience to dispute them. She did, however, know that his family was in a much better position than hers, even with the setbacks they faced in recent years. Thus, while she would have preferred coopting Will's power and influence for her family's benefit, Sylvia felt there was at least some merit in ensuring he never wielded it against them...one way or another...

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