The living hall carried a suffocating silence. Edward stood up, his expression unreadable. He studied Nicholas, his tense shoulders when Seraphina didn't even shift the blame to him.

He hadn't forgotten what Aveline had said, even though she didn't even know how Nicholas looked. 'Should I also ignore your actions against Alaric?'

He probably would have taken her words as a bluff if she were just any woman. But every word Aveline spoke was linked to the actions of the Astors. So he wouldn't take those words lightly. But if he interrogated Nicholas now, the rift between him and Nicholas would be unimaginable.

So he chose not to address it. Not because he feared losing a son, but because the warning was clear enough and he hoped Nicholas would learn from it.

However, he wasn't done with it. His eyes brushed over Seraphina and halted at Alaric, who sat there, revealing no emotions.

Though Alaric would never tell him, as a father, he knew Alaric craved no penny from the Lancasters. All he ever wanted was a bit of attention from his mother, and when he began working, there was no looking back to the Lancasters.

He was proud of Alaric, as a son and as a partner to Aveline. However, as a family member, though he wouldn't hurt Nicholas or anybody over hatred, he also wouldn't think of family if they offended him. So he addressed him, too.

"Ric…" His voice calm, yet held the sharpness of his authority, "You've proven your strength. More than once. But strength without restraint will bleed a family dry. If you allow wrath to rule, you will destroy not only your enemies but the Lancasters too."

Alaric didn't flinch. His jaw tightened, understanding what Edward meant. But he wouldn't give his word to Edward. If Nicholas or Seraphina threatened the livelihood of Aveline, he wouldn't stop until he destroyed Nicholas.

"She is my priority." Alaric's low voice cut sharply into everyone's skin.

Isabella found him nothing much different from Edward.

Seraphina could only clench her teeth. His protectiveness, his devotion to Aveline, was something that always unsettled her.

Edward had no words to retort. He was doing exactly what a father should teach his son. However, he didn't tell Alaric that Aveline was also his weakness, just as Isabella was his weakness.

Edward was walking towards his study, but he paused in front of Seraphina. The calm mask on her face cracked slightly under his gaze.

Even if she acted on Nicholas's wishes, the way she carried them out carried her own mark. Her ambition was no different from his.

His voice was deliberate, "Seraphina, you married into this family. That bond gave you dignity. But do not twist it into a weapon against us. Understand this: Lancaster blood will not be your pawn."

The weight of his words lingered long after he left.

Isabella rose then, her presence no less commanding than Edward's, though her voice carried a softer edge—it was like silk wrapped around steel.

She turned first to Alaric when he stood up. "Alaric, when it comes to family, there are times you must forgive. Wars bring victory, yes… but not peace. And you need peace if you truly mean to love and live with Aveline."

Alaric's eyes flickered. He heard her but didn't respond.

Family? Nicholas and Seraphina? They were never going to be his family.

"Go, Aveline must be waiting for you." She didn't hold him back.

Her focus shifted to Nicholas. "You are the heir I raised to lead with dignity."

Nicholas's eyes widened slightly. Isabella had told him countless times that he was the heir, never once letting him believe Alaric was competition. Yet he had never been able to accept it. Not fully. Not with Alaric still breathing.

Isabella continued, "And yet, you let a woman's ambition and evil thoughts drag you into the darkness."

Nicholas's throat bobbed as if swallowing words he could not say.

Her eyes swept over Seraphina as she added, "When brothers turn into rivals, they destroy not each other but their families, children, and the generations after them. I will not allow that curse under my roof."

The silence after her words was heavier than before.

…..

In the quiet of their room,

Seraphina and Nicholas just breathed. There was a storm, but the calm after it was more unsettling than the storm itself.

They weren't able to accept that Edward and Isabella didn't take any serious actions despite everything.

Nicholas finally voiced his suspicion. "Were you planning to divorce me after I get the Lancaster wealth under my name?" His tone was low, but he looked at Seraphina warily.

Seraphina, calm as ever, replied, "My father was desperate to save his position." The words tasted like poison on her tongue. Her hatred for Aveline and Alaric grew by the second. "But tell me, Nick, were you swayed by Aveline's words too?"

Nicholas faltered. He was. How could he not be, when Aveline had guessed his scheme against Alaric so accurately? He was still shaken by it, while Edward hadn't even pressed the point.

Perhaps Edward had chosen to overlook it, or worse, was looking into it quietly.

Even so, Nicholas couldn't shake his doubts about Seraphina. He lowered his guard a fraction and muttered, "I'll have those people stop working on Alaric's project."

Edward's calm earlier had unsettled him more than anything. His father hadn't raised his voice, hadn't condemned them, but Nicholas knew that silence was a warning. If they were caught again, Edward wouldn't hesitate to cast him out with nothing.

Nicholas pulled out his phone to make the call, but Seraphina snatched it from his hand.

"No," she said through clenched teeth. "You won't do such a thing."

Panic flickered in him. Nicholas wasn't ready to go against his father. "Sera, you don't understand. Dad won't let us off…"

"Only if he finds out," she cut him off. Her voice was steady and clear.

Her words sank in slowly. He found her right. Edward could only punish them if he had proof. Alaric could only accuse if something tied back to him. Aveline's pointed words weren't evidence. They could always claim she was trying to pit the brothers against each other.

"Clean up before anyone learns anything," Seraphina's voice broke him out of his thoughts. She continued, "Alaric has to pay for what he is doing to the Astors."

Nicholas shook his head. "We can't touch him. Aveline's shielding him. Don't you see? She wasn't just defending him; she was warning us. We can't move against him." His voice cracked with frustration.

The Laurents might not be as enormous as them, but they held vast connections, massive wealth—more than enough to support Alaric. The difficult part: "Giselle would stand for Alaric and Aveline, never against them."

Seraphina sat on the edge of the bed, her breathing calm, her mind working. She knew Nicholas was right, yet her pride burned. To let Alaric and Aveline walk away unscathed after humiliating them tonight? Impossible.

"I'll make them regret it," she murmured, almost to herself.

Nicholas frowned. "What?"

And Giselle?

Seraphina would rather keep Giselle away from the mess because tackling her was dangerous.

Seraphina met his eyes, her voice smooth but laced with venom. "Erase your tracks. We'll offer apologies, play the part they want. White lotuses? We'll give them white lotuses. And when the time comes, I'll strike so hard they'll never trace it back to us."

Her malicious words hung in the air, heavier than the silence that followed.

Finally, she turned to him. "Nick, whether we inherit Lancaster wealth or lose everything, remember this: I, and the Astors, will have your back."

Nicholas searched her gaze, then gripped her shoulders and nodded. "I know."

Seraphina sat in the quiet of the bedroom, her mind sharper than the stillness around her. 'Two years.' That was all the time left before the presidency shifted again.

'Two years to weave a softer, subtler net around the Lancasters and Aveline.' Her thoughts moved quickly, piecing together each piece.

Isabella could be easily softened by maternal instincts, forever restless with doubts.

Giselle was sharp but still young enough to be pulled aside with constant guidance and worries.

Edward was stern, but not immune to the charm of a child's presence.

Alaric would yield to Aveline's influence.

Aveline was the untouchable one, the thorn. Even she had her softest spot for children. Her warmth toward the orphans was well known. A carefully crafted vulnerability might be enough to bring her walls down.

Seraphina's lips curved faintly. What image could disarm all of them more thoroughly than hers as a would-be mother?

Her gaze drifted toward Nicholas, seated across the room, distracted by his own thoughts. She studied him for a long moment, then spoke softly, "I want a baby."

Nicholas looked at her, startled, uncertain if he had heard her correctly.

"I want to get pregnant," she repeated, her voice carrying a faint tremble that she allowed, deliberately.

He stayed silent, brows furrowing, unsure of how to answer. He hadn't thought of having a baby. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to have one so soon.

That hesitation was enough for Seraphina to lower her eyes. "I can't achieve my dreams anymore," she murmured, her tone fragile. "Why not focus on creating a family of our own?"

Nicholas's throat tightened. Seraphina had been an unshakable force and strategist. There was not a single day she lived without a plan. To see her speak like this stirred something heavy in him.

He reached for her, his hand covering hers. "We will have a family of our own," he said quietly, almost as if making a promise to both her and himself.

And with that, Seraphina hugged him, hiding the victorious glint in her eyes. One move was made. One mask chosen.

The game, after all, had just begun.

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