A hesitant knock echoed through the room.
"…Enter."
The door opened just enough for Lina to slip inside, head lowered.
"I–I apologize, Young Master… L-Lady Elara wishes to see you."
Her voice shook.
Lucian watched her quietly.
She looked like she expected him to lash out.
"I am on my way."
"Yes— yes, Young Master."
She bowed too quickly and hurried out.
The door shut a little too fast.
Lucian stood there for a moment.
So that was what remained of his name.
Fear.
He stepped into the corridor.
In the courtyard, Livia's laughter rang clear and bright.
Ardyn stood across from her, wooden blade resting lightly in her grip.
For a moment, it almost looked normal.
Then gravel shifted beneath Lucian's boots.
Livia turned first.
"…Brother."
Her smile dimmed.
Ardyn followed.
And whatever warmth had been there vanished.
"Lucian."
Flat.
Controlled.
"You embarrassed Seraphina," she said.
Lucian met her gaze calmly.
"She will recover."
Ardyn's jaw tightened.
"You told her — in front of three noble houses — that House Ardent would gain more from her marriage than from her blade."
Silence.
Livia looked confused.
Ardyn continued, voice colder now.
"You implied her worth was political. Not personal."
Lucian did not respond.
"You knew exactly what you were doing."
Her eyes sharpened.
"You tried to humiliate her."
There was no shouting.
No drama.
Just truth laid bare.
"She stood there and defended you," Ardyn said quietly. "She tried to soften the mockery directed at your B+ potential."
Ah.
So that was the part Lucian hadn't considered.
Or perhaps… had ignored.
"And you repaid that by reducing her to a bargaining chip."
The air between them felt thin.
Lucian's fingers curled slightly at his side.
"She represents a powerful house. That is reality."
"And you chose the cruelest way possible to say it."
Ardyn stepped closer.
"She trusted you enough to speak for you."
A pause.
"You made sure she would never do that again."
Livia lowered her gaze.
Lucian inclined his head slightly.
"Noted."
The calmness unsettled Ardyn more than anger would have.
"You are not the heir," she said. "You do not carry my burdens."
Her voice tightened faintly.
"But you carry this house's name."
A beat.
"And I will not allow you to stain it because your pride cannot accept its limits."
Lucian looked at her for a long moment.
Then he walked past them.
This time, the courtyard felt colder than before.
No one called him back.