Clayton sat in silence at the edge of the Echo Chamber's exit balcony, the full moonshining brightly than ever in the sky. Below, the sprawling Antigonus estate glowed in layered wards and enchantments, a sleeping beast under arcane chains. But Clayton's mind wasn't on the view. It was replaying the council meeting like a puzzle unraveling itself.
Every glance. Every word. Every shift of posture.
Some in that room had supported him. Some clearly wanted him crushed. And many had simply been watching to see which way the wind blew.
He tapped his finger against the railing.
Supporters:
Uncle Karthas, from the Trade Expansion Branch. A cold merchant but savvy. Karthas had smiled when the financial gains were discussed. He didn't care about honor or scandal—just the numbers. Clayton was useful, so Karthas would back him. For now.
Then there was Lady Merienne, the head of the Healer's Wing. She had looked at him not with affection but with calculation, as though wondering how his fame might improve their research grant negotiations. She'd even praised his decision to taunt Charles, saying, "Theatrics are part of war, and politics."
Detractors:
Lord Varum, from the Military Advisory Council, barely concealed his contempt. He had called Clayton "reckless, immature, and dangerously unschooled." Clayton had seen it in his clenched jaw—Varum viewed him as a liability to the House's disciplined image.
And then Councilor Renix, who had long opposed Clayton's father's policies. He didn't speak much, but his silence was louder than the rest. His eyes never once left Clayton. Watching. Calculating.
The Neutrals:
Half the room fell here. Quiet. Impassive. But dangerous. They'd support whichever side won. They were just waiting for thier own chance to rise. Biding thier time, but htey also had thier ambitions.
Clayton exhaled a bitlowly. "So that's the game."
He turned inward, mentally mapping out the structure of House Antigonus. Most people thought it was just a trading conglomerate with noble roots, but it was far more intricate:
The Core House – The direct bloodline, seated in the central estate. This included his father Darius, Clayton himself, and a handful of close kin. They managed the overall direction, with final authority resting in the Council.
The Trade Expansion Branch – Run by Uncle Karthas. Ruthless in economic warfare. They handled outer-regional investments and had the most control over foreign territories.
The Alchemical Arm – Focused on arcane research, potion commerce, and innovation. Mostly neutral, though prone to shifting loyalty based on access to funds and artifacts.
The Healer's Wing – A softer branch, yet crucial for influence over public perception and field logistics. Controlled by Lady Merienne.
The Military Advisory Council – Lord Varum's domain. Focused on defense contracts, private armies, and training programs.
The Hidden Wing – Not officially acknowledged, but Clayton had heard whispers. Intelligence.Black market trading.Sabotage. Assassinations, when needed. They answered directly to his father. He suspected they'd been watching him long before his soul merged.
Every branch had political clout. Every move he made would ripple through them all.
He was no longer just a boy with a merged soul. He was a political factor.
House Antigonus divide was their strength and as well a weakness. It lets people oprate to the best of their abilities, making profits suring higher than ever. But trust at all time low. Everyone has an agenda, an angle and they trust nobody, some of them will even betray House for thier own motives. Loyalty was lacking a lot in House Antigonus. Only someone like his father can control these hungry wolves.
The house Antigonus I knew from the novel truly did not dissapoint me. The had a notorious reputation for doing things. There was a time people speculated that they were going to be the finnal villain.
In the novel the head of hose antigonus was revealed around 300 chapter. It was Renix, readers used to call him the fox among wolves. He single handedly changed Antigonus family power, in this life I will need to stop him a storm is brewing in my house and I need to step up otherwise, I will be swept along with it.
He returned to his room via the teleportation corridor, body buzzing with the faint trace of mana static. The instant he stepped in, he closed the wards and activated a privacy seal. A series of glyphs blinked to life across the walls.
Moments later, his communicator orb vibrated.
Clayton opened it.
It was a message from his private investigator—the one he'd secretly hired after Lily's odd behavior and vanishing act post-enrollment.