Several nobles nodded with expressions suggesting they understood exactly what "Orion's plan" entailed and had already committed to supporting that particular madness despite their past reservations.

Everyone knew they were burning their last option with this approach that might backfire catastrophically.

But they had no alternative remaining that offered even a slim chance of success. They were already so buried in fines and punishments from failed schemes that their families would collapse in a few years anyway without any dramatic change. Cornered beasts who'd bite at anything offering escape even if that escape was an illusion.

But like addicted gamblers they felt it was better to try something desperate than accept a slow inevitable decline into irrelevance and poverty.

♢♢♢♢

In the corner closest to the field in the noble section, separated from others by deliberate distance that communicated superior status and desire for privacy, three figures watched with expressions very different from those of the desperate nobles discussing nearby.

Orion Starweaver rarely attended student competitions despite having a niece participating in them. He was a busy man with many obligations managing his Night faction, long-term plans requiring constant attention and adjustment. Academic events usually fell under the "not priority" category in his densely packed agenda that left little room for such things.

His twin brothers Dorian and Magnus equally rarely appeared at such public events. They preferred working in the shadows where they could operate without public scrutiny, managing aspects of the Night faction that didn't require, (or in fact benefited from the 'absence of'), public presence that might draw unwanted attention.

But today all three were here together in a rare show of united interest.

Seated together in a configuration that made their unity unmistakable to anyone observing.

Watching with attention they didn't bother disguising behind some polite interest.

And none of the three looked remotely happy with what they were witnessing unfold before them.

"Interesting image," Dorian commented with a neutral voice but eyes as sharp as knives while looking at Selphira and Julius across the noble seating area. "Almost as if someone had invested considerable effort and not-insignificant resources in ensuring our dear niece looked especially radiant today for this particular performance."

"That Patinder boy," Magnus added, his own eyes following every movement Ren made with the intensity of a predator evaluating potential prey. "He's been causing... problems. But this development..."

"Is more serious than we anticipated when we first noted his existence," Orion completed the thought with an expression that was a carefully neutral mask, but his hands clenched with force that contradicted his 'calm face'. "He's not just a convenient puppet for someone else's schemes then. Nor is that just a strategic friendship with our niece that could be leveraged or broken..."

"It's personal involvement," Dorian confirmed while observing the way Luna looked at Ren with an unguarded expression. The way her entire posture softened when near him. The way the masks she usually maintained perfectly in place slipped.

Magnus noticed the same telling details. His expression darkened slightly as implications became clear. "If the brat is half as incredible as all the rumors suggest... We can't allow him to continue growing unchecked."

"If he becomes stronger than Sirius or Selphira through continued development? He and those kids near him are gold already, too fast. Platinum… If he's a second Dragarion in the making..." Orion murmured looking between his brothers, confirming all three were on the same page about what this represented. "Will our future plans still serve their purpose if he reaches that level of power?"

The question hung heavy between them because they all knew the answer was no. Plans built on assumptions of the present power balance became worthless when someone capable of overturning that balance emerged.

"They'll need adjustments," Orion said slowly, his mind already working through possibilities. Contingencies that accounted for the new variables. Alternative methods of obtaining what he wanted on a faster and riskier timeline. "It seems we'll have to be somewhat more aggressive than we originally planned for this stage."

The words were mild but carried a threat that his brothers understood perfectly.

"How aggressive?" Magnus asked..

Orion's eyes remained fixed on Ren and Luna below, watching as they navigated the crowd. "That depends on what resources Julius is willing to commit to defending them."

"And whether our dear niece's attachment is as deep as it appears," Dorian added with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We'll need to test that whit..."

"We're not there yet," Orion said firmly. "But we've got time..."

"The war exam," Magnus suggested. "If it happens when they are distracted..."

"Possible," Orion acknowledged without commitment. "Selphira will be watching for any internal 'accident' given recent events... We need to be subtle still."

The three brothers continued discussing in voices too low for nearby nobles to overhear despite proximity, planning adjustments to schemes that had been years in development.

Below them, unaware of the threat being carefully calibrated in the noble section, Ren and Luna accepted congratulations with a grace that came from different types of training but achieved similar results.

And in another part of the same section, Selphira felt the hair on her neck prickle with warning that something dangerous was being planned even if she couldn't hear specific words being spoken.

She'd lived too long not to recognize the feeling of threats gathering like storm clouds on the horizon.

The question was whether she could identify and counter those threats before they materialized into action that would harm the children she'd decided to protect.

Because she'd meant what she'd thought earlier, she wasn't going to let these kids fall when they represented hope for a better future.

Even if protecting them meant going to a cold war with nobles who should have known better than to threaten people under her protection.

"Julius, I need you to ask Victor for something… I need to make sure about something regarding the ruins of the former Goldcrest and Starweaver territories."

Julius turned, curious. "Sure, but what's that about?"

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