Chapter 226: Reluctant Matriach.

Alessa stared at her stepfather Ralf, her throat tightening. In the dim light of the study, every line carved into his face seemed deeper than it was yesterday. The man had practically dragged their dysfunctional family on his bare back for decades, and it showed.

Only a handful of people who how many assassination plots he had survived over the years and how many inside schemes he had foiled. Nobody could have anticipated that his greatest betrayal could come from someone he called a daughter.

Even though he had climbed to a new height as grand elder, they all knew Sabrina would not rest easy. She had been alienated. The battle line had been drawn. If they were not careful, blood would be spilled.

"Father, you cannot do this to me," Alessa pleaded, her voice dropping into a desperate whisper. "You know what making me the matriarch means! I’ll have to move back into that god-forsaken main compound! Do you know how many times my sister laced my tea with laxatives or some other harmless but painful poison to instill fear in me?" She sighed. "I am not even ashamed to admit that it worked. That monster will not let me rest."

The Grand Elder just nodded slowly. His face was a picture of helpless guilt, but his decision was set in stone. "It’s only temporary, Alessa," he said, rubbing his temples. "Just until Hunter returns. If he comes back and you still hate sitting on the high throne, you can throw the reigns right into his lap and run away again."

"Hunter?" Alessa let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Father, he’s been gone for years! He’s probably dead in some ditch! People don’t just vanish without a trace unless they’re six feet underground." She stepped closer, pointing an accusing finger at the old man’s chest. "He abandoned everything, he abandoned the clan, and he abandoned you_ his absolute favorite person in the world! You sent out three waves of scouts plus Maverick and even you couldn’t track him down."

Instead of flinching, the Grand Elder’s lips twitched. A small, sly smirk crept onto his wrinkled face, accompanied by a soft, amused sound from his throat: "Hmph."

Alessa froze. Her brows pulled together into a tight knot. That tiny, knowing smile was a dead giveaway. "Oh..I know that look!" she gasped, her eyes widening. "Father, did you find him?"

The Grand Elder’s smirk faded into a subtle, solemn nod.

He knew exactly where his grandson was. Two years ago, a secret report had reached his desk. Hunter had been hiding out in a dingy, lawless little border town of Tree Top, in the Iron Vale Confederacy. Another report had come in just before the flood that he had moved to Greenwich. The boy was covered in blood, bruises and dirt from throwing fists in underground fighting pits for God knows what.

At the moment, he did not know where Hunter was, but he was certain he would get news soon.

A distant, misty look entered the old man’s eyes. "When he went beyond the veil, something must have happened to Hunter__"

"Well, obviously!" Alessa interrupted, waving her hands in the air. "Something happens to every young person who goes beyond the Veil! Look at Elliot! He came back missing half of himself and severely injured! Something broke those boys on their last trip there and cemented their enmity. Achilles told me that Elliot claims Hunter was the cause of his injury. Even if he is alive, he must be on the run."

"No," the Grand Patriarch shook his head, his tone heavy. "You know your nephew. Hunter wouldn’t run away just because his brother was injured. He’s too responsible to do that and he is not cowardly at all. Something else happened. Something triggered him to throw away his future and abandon his entire life here." The old man let out a long, weary sigh that seemed to drain the remaining strength from his posture. "I’m running out of time, Alessa. My patience is thin, my old injuries are acting up, and Sabrina is only going to become more vicious the moment she smells weakness. Don’t you feel some mercy for your poor old father?"

Alessa groaned loudly, throwing her hands up in absolute defeat.

"Fine! Great! Fantastic!" she threw her head back, exasperated. "I’ll take the family seal! I can’t leave you to deal with that snake of a woman alone. And cut the act, you are not that old."

The Grand Elder’s face brightened, breaking into a warm, genuine smile. "I knew you’d understand," he chuckled softly, already sliding a heavy, ancient wooden box across the table toward her. "Now, first order of business—Sabrina is waiting outside to contest next month’s budget. I have fired all the accountants that spied for her and allowed her to take resources from the family as she pleased. Have fun!"

*****

Back at the Sanctum, Trinity was finally getting all the juiciest details of what had gone down at the Sanctuary of the Skies. Spread out across the low wooden table before her was a paper containing the full list of fighters chosen to represent the various clans in the upcoming tournament.

A slow, calculating smile spread across her face. Having these names was like holding the puppet strings. Knowing who was fighting made it ridiculously easy to manipulate the matches, pull a few favors behind the scenes, and control the final outcome.

Julia set down a steaming cup of tea and eyed her curiously. "So, my divine maiden which clan are you going to let win this time?"

Trinity leaned back into her plush swing chair, swaying gently as she crossed her arms. "Definitely not the Kaelion Clan," she snorted without missing a beat. "Their influence is already getting too big for my liking. Giving them a tournament victory on top of everything else? Please. Winning would only boost their power, and I’m in the business of cutting them down to size, not feeding their egos."

She paused, suddenly bursting into a sharp, musical laugh. She clutched her stomach, leaning far back into the swing chair.

"Oh, gods! I just_ I honestly wish I could’ve seen Sabrina’s face!" Trinity wheezed, wiping a tear from her eye. "The moment that old geezer stood up in front of everyone and declared he had adopted the butler?! A butler! Hahaha! I would have paid a mountain of energy stones just to see her jaw hit the floor!"

She laughed until tears actually spilled over her eyelashes, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Julia chuckled, shaking her head, though her expression quickly softened into something more thoughtful. "I’ll admit, at first I was genuinely worried about Lita’s loyalty. I thought she might double-cross us." She paused, then nodded. "But it seems the girl can actually be trusted. She has passed the test. I think we can trust her with bigger jobs going forward."