Jarius stopped in front of the large, ornate double doors leading to his father's private chamber.
He raised a hand and knocked.
After waiting for a while.
A voice coming from inside.
"Come in."
Jarius opened the door and stepped inside.
The room was quiet, warmly lit. Polished wood lined the walls, and a thick velvet carpet muffled his footsteps.
Two men sat on floor cushions near a low ceremonial table.
One was his father, Viscount Ravien De Razin.
The other was a stranger.
Broad-shouldered, thick-bearded, with the commanding presence of someone long familiar with power.
Jarius approached with measured steps, expression composed.
"You called for me, Esteemed Father?"
His voice was calm and direct without any trace of childishness in his tone.
Viscount Ravien leaned back slightly, resting one arm on the cushion beside him.
"Jarius. This is His Grace, Duke Larkam."
Jarius shifted his gaze to the guest and offered a formal bow, one hand placed over his chest in the manner of noble greeting.
"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Your Grace."
His tone was steady, courteous, carried with the poise of someone far older than thirteen.
Jarius stood tall and composed, offering a courteous bow once more before speaking.
"May I ask the reason I was summoned, Esteemed Father?"
Viscount Ravien's expression shifted, the warmth fading as a more serious air settled into the room.
"I've heard... that you struck the son of Duke Larkam. Is this true?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"During your visit to one of our towns, the one you insisted was for 'experiential learning,' as Sebastian informed me, and yet on your very first day, you caused an incident?"
His voice was calm, but edged with restrained displeasure.
Before Duke Larkam could speak, Jarius lowered his head respectfully toward both men.
"If I may speak, Your Grace… Esteemed Father."
He raised his gaze, tone even and deliberate.
"It is true that I laid hands on the young lord. However, it was not out of impulse or arrogance."
He paused, letting his words hang with weight.
"The young heir in question was openly harassing the townswomen, groping, molesting a women without consent, and doing so with neither shame nor restraint, despite being surrounded by commonfolk."
Jarius's voice remained courteous, but his words carried unmistakable criticism, precise, sharp, and measured.
"As one born to noble lineage, especially of such elevated rank… should we not lead by example? Should we not protect and uplift the people under our care, rather than violate their dignity?"
He lowered his eyes briefly.
"If I have overstepped… then I accept whatever consequence you deem fit, Esteemed Father. But I cannot stand idle when our name is used to justify disgraceful conduct."
Duke Larkam's lips curled into a smirk, his heavy voice rumbling across the chamber.
"Then perhaps, young man, my son should be allowed to strike your nose in return."
The air grew still.
Jarius met the Duke's gaze, calm, unflinching, his posture immaculate. He bowed his head slightly, the gesture courteous yet deliberate.
"Pardon me, Your Grace," he began softly, every syllable measured with care.
"But I was not raised to stand idle like a banana stem, allowing another to strike me without cause."
He straightened slowly, eyes steady but polite.
"Surely, all that I have studied and been taught would lose meaning if I were to remain silent before misconduct."
A pause followed.
Then Jarius continued, his tone smooth.
"Besides… I am certain that the noble laws of our realm remain impartial, even among peers. Should one of noble birth commit indecency within another's domain. Harassment, assault, or public disgrace, then restitution must be made, not vengeance."
He turned his gaze briefly toward his father, then back to the Duke.
"Of course, if such reports were ever to reach the royal court, I fear Her Highness might take offense."
A faint, knowing smile crossed his lips.
"After all, the Queen has never taken kindly to those who tarnish the reputation of the nobility… particularly when it concerns the mistreatment of women."
The room fell quiet.
Jarius's tone remained calm, respectful, articulate, yet the weight of his words struck harder than any blade.
( End Of Chapter )