Endless Evolution: Being Op With My Broken Affinity!-Chapter 33: Blood And Ambition

Lyren pov

Lyren Valerius stood at the window of what was his father’s study...no, his study...and stared out at the city of Luminis. Three days had passed since the funeral preparations began, and still, the rage hadn’t subsided.

Kaelen had escaped.

His hand clenched on the windowsill hard enough to make his knuckles white. The construct had been perfect. It should have brought back Kaelen’s body, or at least his head. Instead, House Zephyr had interfered, spiriting away the fugitives before the city guards could arrive.

"You’re going to crack the stone if you keep gripping it like that," Evalina said from behind him.

Lyren turned to face his mother. She sat in one of the high-backed chairs, looking more relaxed than she had in months. No tears marked her face, no grief shadowed her eyes. If anything, she looked pleased.

"House Zephyr is protecting him," Lyren said. "Aldwin has turned traitor to the council."

" Aldwin has made a mistake that will cost him everything," Evalina replied calmly. She sipped from her wine glass. "Your uncle is already spreading word among the other houses. By week’s end, Aldwin will be isolated, and House Zephyr will be under investigation."

Lyren moved away from the window and dropped into the chair across from his mother. "It’s not enough. Kaelen is still alive."

"For now."

"For now isn’t good enough!" The words came out harsher than he intended. "As long as he lives, people will question my claim. They’ll whisper about the trial, about what really happened that night with Father."

Evalina set down her glass, her expression hardening. "Let them. You control House Valerius now. You have the title, the resources, the authority. What does it matter what a few malcontents say?"

"It matters because he’s not just some random fugitive. He’s the firstborn son, and people saw what he could do. That strange magic of his...it impressed them, even scared them. Some of them think he’s special."

"He’s a heretic with corrupted power," Evalina said firmly. "That’s the narrative we’re building, and it’s working. The council has declared him a threat. Corvain wants him dead almost as much as you do. The construct failed, yes, but there will be other opportunities."

Lyren stood again, too agitated to sit. "Other opportunities. That’s what Uncle Salyer keeps saying too. But every day Kaelen lives is another day he could be gathering support, finding allies, learning more about that cursed Aether magic."

She rose gracefully and moved to stand beside her son. "The funeral is in three days. Every noble house will attend. It’s the perfect opportunity to consolidate your position, to show everyone that you are Lord Valerius now, fully and completely."

"What if Kaelen tries to attend?"

A cold smile crossed Evalina’s face. "Then he walks right into our trap. Salyer has already positioned people throughout the ceremony grounds. If your stepbrother is foolish enough to show his face, he won’t leave alive."

Lyren felt some of his tension ease. His mother had always been good at planning, at seeing angles he missed. "What about House Zephyr? If they’re sheltering him, they’ll try to stop any move we make."

"Aldwin is old, and his influence is already waning. Once the other houses see him harboring a convicted criminal, they’ll turn on him to save their own positions." Evalina’s voice was confident. "House Zephyr will fall, and when it does, we’ll be there to pick through the rubble and find your stepbrother’s hiding place."

There was a knock at the door. Salyer Hammon entered without waiting for permission, his dark robes swirling around him. He looked between his sister and nephew with satisfaction.

"The council just concluded their emergency session," he said. "House Zephyr is officially under investigation for harboring fugitives. Aldwin has been summoned to answer questions tomorrow."

"Will he go?" Lyren asked.

"He has to, unless he wants to declare open rebellion against the council." Salyer moved to pour himself wine. "Which would make our job even easier. The moment he refuses to appear, every house will turn against him."

"What about the construct?" Evalina asked. "Can we send it after Kaelen again?"

Salyer shook his head. "It needs time to recover. The damage from that artifact explosion was significant. Another few days, perhaps a week, and it will be ready for another attempt."

"A week," Lyren said bitterly. "A week for Kaelen to prepare, to turn more people against me."

"You’re being paranoid," his mother said. "No one is turning against you. You’re the legitimate heir now. Father named you as his successor years ago, even before that night."

That wasn’t entirely true, and they all knew it. Lord Valerius had never officially named an heir.

"The boy is wounded," Salyer said. "Our sources say he was barely conscious when House Zephyr evacuated him. Even with their healers, he won’t be at full strength for days.

"How long will that last?" Lyren asked. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Another day or two at most. The suppression effect was never permanent, just long enough to make him vulnerable during capture or execution." Salyer swirled his wine. "But vulnerability is a weapon too. He knows his power is unreliable right now. That will make him cautious."

Lyren thought about his stepbrother’s face that night, the shock and pain when their father had stepped between them. The way Kaelen had tried so desperately to save him, even as Lyren had been screaming for the guards.

Good. Let him remember that pain. Let him live with the knowledge that his own actions had contributed to their father’s death.

"We need to be smarter this time," Evalina said. "The construct was direct and it drew sympathy to Kaelen’s cause."

"So what do you suggest?" Lyren asked.

"We let the system work for us. The council has already declared him a threat. Let them tighten the net. Close off his options one by one until he has nowhere left to run." She looked at her son. "And you focus on being the perfect Lord Valerius. Show everyone that you’re strong, capable, worthy of the position. Make them forget about your stepbrother entirely."

"I don’t want them to forget," Lyren said. "I want them to remember him as the traitor who killed his own father."

"They will," Salyer assured him. "Public opinion is a powerful weapon, and right now, it’s on our side. The trial, and evidence, all paints a clear picture of a resentful exile who returned seeking revenge."

"But some people don’t believe it," Lyren said.

"Let them question you all they want," Evalina said. "Questions without proof are just whispers. And whispers fade, especially when there’s a strong voice speaking louder." She placed her hand on Lyren’s shoulder. "You are that voice now. You are Lord Valerius. Act like it."

Lyren nodded slowly. His mother was right. He’d spent so long living in Kaelen’s shadow, so long being the second son, that he’d forgotten how to simply claim what was his.

"The funeral," he said. "I want it to be perfect. I want every house in Luminis to attend and see that House Valerius is stronger than ever."

"It will be," Salyer said. "I’ve already arranged for the most prominent speakers, the finest musicians, the grandest ceremony the city has seen in years. Your father will be remembered as a hero, and you as his worthy successor."

"Evalina returned to her chair and picked up her wine glass again. "Your father made many mistakes, Lyren. He was too sentimental, too conflicted about his sons. He let his guilt over banishing Kaelen cloud his judgment." She took a sip. "You won’t make those mistakes. You’re clear-eyed about what needs to be done."

"I am," Lyren agreed. Though sometimes, late at night when he couldn’t sleep, he saw his father’s face in those final moments. The shock, the pain, and something else...regret, perhaps, or disappointment. But he pushed those thoughts away. His father had made his choice when he’d stepped between them. Whatever happened after that was his own fault.

"Three days," Salyer said. "Three days until the funeral. Use that time wisely. Strengthen your alliances, meet with the other houses, show them you’re in control."

"And what about the investigation into Father’s death?" Lyren asked.

"Officially closed," Salyer said with a thin smile. "The evidence was overwhelming. Kaelen Valerius attacked his father with forbidden magic and is guilty of attempted murder that resulted in Lord Valerius’s death. Case closed."

"Corvain made sure of it. He wants Kaelen dead as badly as we do, though for different reasons." Salyer set down his empty glass. "Now, I have other matters to attend to. The preparations for the funeral won’t manage themselves."

After Salyer left, Lyren and his mother sat in companionable silence. Outside, the sun was setting over Luminis, painting the sky in shades of red and gold.

Lyren thought about it. If their positions were reversed, if he were the fugitive and Kaelen the new lord, would he risk everything to attend their father’s funeral?

Yes. He probably would.

Lyren stood and moved back to the window, looking out at his city, his house, his legacy. Everything he’d wanted was finally his. All he had to do now was make sure Kaelen could never take it away.

And he would. Whatever it took, however long it required, he would end his stepbrother permanently.