Episode- 111 Just Along (parte 2)
During the school break, Titus, Walter, and Sara met up.
The library had several small, private rooms designed for small groups. Enclosed spaces that fit about ten people, with a table in the center, chairs around it, and a whiteboard on the wall. Some even had sound systems and televisions, in case they needed to prepare presentations or work in groups.
The three of them were inside one of those rooms.
Sitting on the same side of the table.
Titus had decided not to take the seat across from them. He didn't want to place himself above them. He didn't see them as subordinates.
He saw them as equals.
As friends.
Not as a king.
Not yet.
He still felt… trapped in all of that.
Silence held for a few seconds before he spoke.
"I have some things to tell you… and a few ideas."
Walter frowned, uncomfortable.
"But what's going on? I don't understand… is it about Melanie?"
Titus shook his head slightly.
"No. This time it's not about Melanie."
Pause.
"That part… you and I will talk about alone."
Walter said nothing, but his expression didn't change.
Titus continued.
"For now, I want you to remember something."
He looked at both of them.
"The only ones who belong to this clan are the three of us."
Silence.
"And we have to take care of each other."
His voice grew firmer.
"We are a family."
Pause.
"We are meant to live… taking care of one another."
He lowered his gaze slightly, as if weighing his own words.
"So always remember that before thinking about anything else."
He looked at them again.
"You come first… before anyone else."
Walter let out a small, dry laugh.
"Yeah… sure."
Sara immediately intervened.
"Yes. If Titus is saying it, then it's true."
She leaned forward slightly.
"So far, he has only shown us affection… and he has always protected us, one way or another."
Walter rolled his eyes.
"Alright, alright… yeah, yeah… of course."
He shifted in his chair.
"Well, tell me. What's going on? If it's not Melanie… then what is it? I don't understand."
Titus took a deep breath.
"I've been investigating."
Pause.
"Reading old books from the Duchess's library."
Both of them looked at him more attentively.
"And one thing is clear."
He took a second before continuing.
"Every clan… must have its own court."
Silence.
"And more individuals."
He looked at the table.
"A clan of three people… is not a clan."
He lifted his gaze.
"It won't be accepted."
Pause.
"All the clans meet. They sit. They vote."
His voice dropped a little.
"And they decide who stands."
The atmosphere changed.
"So…"
He paused for a moment.
"From today…"
He looked directly at them.
"Walter… and Sara…"
Another pause.
"You are going to be viscounts."
Silence.
"That will be our first real structure."
"And from there… we will rise."
Walter didn't react immediately.
Neither did Sara.
Titus continued, more slowly.
"There's also something else."
He took his time.
"I don't know if it's a surprise… or a problem."
He looked at them.
"Each of you…"
Pause.
"Is going to be in charge of…"
He stopped.
"Thirty people."
The silence broke abruptly.
Sara stood up from her chair sharply.
And slammed the table.
Sara slammed the table hard.
"What the hell are you saying?"
Her voice came out louder than she expected.
"What do you mean we're going to be in charge of thirty people?" she continued. "We can't even take care of ourselves."
The atmosphere tensed immediately.
Walter stayed silent, his mouth slightly open, not knowing what to say.
Both of them… were shocked.
Frightened.
Sara didn't sit down. She remained standing, trying to process what she had just heard.
"Explain yourself," she said, more firmly. "Because I don't understand anything."
Titus raised a hand calmly.
"Easy… Sara. Sit down."
She hesitated for a second, but eventually sat, still looking at him.
"I'm going to explain what happened."
Pause.
"First… there's something you need to know."
He looked at both of them.
"Now the clan owns three hundred exclusive clothing stores."
"What?" Walter blurted out immediately.
"Yes," Titus replied without changing his tone. "We no longer have to depend on your money."
Walter frowned.
"What do you mean…?"
"Now the clan has its own money," Titus continued. "And when the time comes, you're going to have to help us with that."
He gestured slightly toward him.
"You know business. We're going to need you to choose more. This has to grow."
Walter looked at him, still processing.
But Sara didn't let the point pass.
"And what does that have to do with the people?" she asked. "What do the stores, the money… have to do with this?"
Titus nodded slightly.
"I'm getting to that."
He shifted in his chair.
"When I went to sign the papers… the Duchess took me to a restaurant."
Pause.
"A very exclusive place. The kind that doesn't let just anyone in."
He lowered his gaze a little, remembering.
"They tried to stop me from entering."
Silence.
"The guards."
His tone changed slightly.
"When they realized who I was… they were punished."
Sara frowned.
"Punished how?"
Titus didn't look away.
"They were being whipped."
Silence fell heavily.
"To death."
Walter swallowed.
"I couldn't leave them like that."
Pause.
"They were in a dungeon."
He breathed more slowly.
"A place where they weren't even given time to regenerate."
His words began to weigh more.
"There were corpses."
Silence.
"People hanging."
Sara stopped moving.
"It was… like those dungeons from medieval movies."
He lifted his gaze.
"Exactly like that."
"An underground place… like a castle beneath the earth."
Another pause.
"And all those people… there."
He clenched his jaw slightly.
"I couldn't leave it like that."
Silence.
"So I got them out."
He breathed.
"I adopted them."
He looked at both of them.
"And now… they all belong to the clan."
The air in the room grew heavy.
Walter brought his hand to his head, running it through his hair, trying to process everything.
He said nothing.
He didn't know what to say.
And for the first time since the conversation began…
The problem stopped being an idea.
And became real.