The heavy oak doors of the study groaned as Julian's staff scrambled to follow his frantic, wheezing commands. 'If Alaric sees me trembling like a leaf in a hurricane, he'll cut off my allowance before he even cuts off my head,' Julian thought, his eyes darting toward the ledger on his desk. 'And I haven't even billed the Saintess for her room and board yet. I can't afford to be disinherited now.'
"Elara! The curtains! Close them!" Julian barked, his voice cracking. "I need 'ominous mastermind' lighting, not 'dying Victorian orphan' lighting! And Lyra, stand behind my chair. Don't say a word. Just look like you're contemplating which part of the Empire to set on fire first."
Lyra watched the crumbling man with a look of pure judgment. "You're going to lie to a Duke of the Empire? A man who has killed dragons?"
"Lying is free, Lyra. Dying is expensive," Julian retorted, wincing as he lowered his fragile frame into a chair reinforced with six hidden cushions. "Now, look scary. If you look terrifying enough, maybe he won't notice that I'm currently held together by silk threads and sheer financial greed."
[System Notification: New Quest - 'Survive the Lion's Audit'][Objective: Convince Duke Alaric Blackwood that you are a competent villain.]
[Reward: 500 System Points, +1.0 Authority, +0.5 Body Constitution (Minor Stability)]
[Penalty for Failure: Immediate 'Correction' by the duke (Lethal).]
'Wait, a constitution boost? That's worth more than the points!' Julian thought, his eyes widening slightly behind his "mysterious" mask of calm. 'If my ribs stop sounding like a xylophone every time I breathe, I might actually save a fortune on medical ointments.'
Duke Alaric stepped further into the room, his shadow stretching across the floor like a predatory beast. He didn't look like a man coming home to see his son; he looked like a general inspecting a faulty piece of equipment.
"Busy, you say?" Alaric's voice dropped an octave, vibrating through the floorboards. "You expect me to believe you've tamed a Calamity while you look like you'd crumble if I spoke too loudly? Your 'incident' at the capital was an embarrassment to the Blackwood name."
Julian forced a thin, sharp smile, though his jaw joint gave a warning click. 'Stay cool. If he smells weakness, he'll "correct" me right into a coffin, and I haven't even paid the estate taxes for this month yet.'
"An embarrassment, Father? Or a necessary distraction?" Julian leaned forward, his spine groaning in protest. "While the Hero's party was busy 'poisoning' me, I was busy securing the most powerful asset in the northern territories. Appearance is a tool for the wise. Why look strong when you can let your enemies underestimate you until their throats are already cut?"
Alaric paused, his icy gaze flickering toward Lyra. The Saintess remained as still as a statue, her tattered silver hair and purple eyes radiating a pressure that made even the Duke's elite guards outside the door break into a sweat.
'That's right, look at her, not my shaking knees,' Julian prayed. 'She's the expensive centerpiece. I'm just the fragile pedestal.'
"Hmph. A bold claim for a boy who looks like he's made of parchment," Alaric rumbled, though the lethal edge in his tone softened by a fraction. "We shall see if your 'strategy' holds up over dinner. I've brought a krak-bull from the front lines. A warrior's meal. I trust your stomach hasn't turned as soft as your bones."
Julian's heart sank. 'Krak-bull? That meat is so tough you need an enchanted saw to cut it. My teeth are going to shatter like glass. Do you know how much a magical dental restoration costs? It's a literal gold-sink!'
"I look forward to it," Julian lied, his voice barely wavering. "Though I do hope the wine is up to my standards. I've developed an expensive palate during my... recovery."