Chapter 38 Chapter 38

Chapter 38 Chapter 38


The door to Skotos's chambers burst open without warning, slamming against the wall with enough force to send vibrations through the ornate silver fixtures. Lady Valeska Maelis stood in the threshold, her tall figure silhouetted by the corridor lamps behind her, silver-streaked obsidian hair arranged in elaborate braids that framed a face carved from cold fury. Her violet eyes fixed on her son with the intensity of a predator assessing prey.

"Mother," Skotos said, mid-changing from his webstrike outfit. "To what do I owe this dramatic entrance?"

Lady Valeska glided into the room, her crimson robes flowing around her like liquid shadow. Two house guards positioned themselves outside the door, which she closed with deliberate softness that somehow proved more threatening than her entrance.

"You disgrace our house," she said, each word precisely enunciated, as if carving them from ice. "While your cousin bleeds for family honor, you stand with our rivals."

Skotos kept his expression neutral, though his heart quickened. "If you're referring to the incident at the ball…"

"I refer to years of misplaced loyalties," Valeska interrupted, moving closer. "Your friendship with Nyxios Keltos. Your dalliance with the high elf ambassador's daughter. Your consistent failure to prioritize the advancement of House Maelis."

She circled him slowly, her gaze never leaving his face. "But last night was the culmination of your betrayal. Standing idle while House Keltos flaunted the human we had rightfully arranged to purchase. The human whose magical bloodline would have strengthened our house for generations."

"I betrayed no one," Skotos countered, matching her gaze despite the tension coiling in his stomach. "Nyxios found her drowning in a canal. His claim is legitimate by all our laws and customs."

Valeska's hand moved with unexpected speed, the crack of her palm against his cheek echoing through the chamber. Skotos's head snapped sideways with the force of the blow, but he remained standing, refusing to bring his hand to the stinging flesh.

"Don't speak to me of legitimacy when you parade around in high elven white, making a mockery of your heritage," she hissed. "When you smile at Keltos while your cousin struggles to salvage our honor."

She stepped back, smoothing her robes as if touching him had soiled them. "You are confined to the estate until further notice. Consider yourself under house arrest."

Skotos's eyes widened despite his effort to maintain composure. "House arrest? For what crime?"

"For the crime of divided loyalties," Valeska replied. "Until Mavros has secured the human for our house, you will remain here, where your... sympathies cannot further damage our position."

A bitter laugh escaped Skotos. "Mavros nearly took my ear last night. Does that satisfy the family honor?"

"A temporary outburst," Valeska dismissed with a wave. "Understandable, given the circumstances." Her eyes narrowed. "What was your schedule to be today? Answer honestly."

Skotos hesitated, weighing his options before sighing in resignation. "I was to meet Nyxios for our weekly webstrike match this afternoon. And this evening..." He faltered.

"This evening?" Valeska prompted, her voice dangerously soft.

"This evening I had arranged to meet Wynth Besanril," he admitted, unable to keep a note of defiance from his voice.

Valeska's lips pressed into a thin line. "The ambassador's daughter. How convenient that you maintain such close ties with both our rivals and those who might influence them." She moved to the door, opening it just enough to speak to someone in the corridor. "Lysandra. Enter."

The tall, voluptuous dark elf woman slipped into the room, her multiple silver ear piercings catching the light as she bowed deeply to Lady Valeska. The shadow spy's eyes flickered briefly to Skotos, revealing nothing.

"You will deliver two messages immediately," Valeska instructed. "First, to Nyxios Keltos, conveying Lord Skotos's regrets that he must cancel their webstrike engagement due to an unexpected family matter. Second, to Wynth Besanril, explaining that Lord Skotos is indisposed and must postpone their meeting indefinitely."

Lysandra bowed again. "As you command, Lady Valeska. Should I wait for replies?"

"No. These are notifications, not invitations for negotiation." Valeska's gaze returned to her son. "Lysandra will now be responsible for monitoring your activities within the estate. Consider her your shadow, quite literally."

Skotos's jaw tightened. "And how long do you intend to keep me prisoner in my own home?"

"Until Mavros has implemented our strategy to legally acquire the human," Valeska replied. "House Keltos believes their position is secure, but there are... irregularities in their claiming procedure that we intend to exploit. The human will be ours, as originally arranged."

"And if I refuse to participate in this scheme?" Skotos asked.

"You need not participate," Valeska said with a cold smile. "Merely stay out of the way. The house will handle the rest."

Skotos moved to the window, looking out at the canal that separated the Maelis estate from the rest of Limdrion. "What you're planning is wrong. The human has clearly formed a bond with Nyxios. I want no part in destroying that for political advantage."

"And that, my son," Valeska said as she reached for the door, "is precisely why you're under house arrest." She paused in the doorway, her expression softening almost imperceptibly. "Your heart has always been your weakness. One day, you'll understand that sentiment has no place in the advancement of a great house."

The door closed behind her with a final click. Skotos heard the distinctive sound of a locking spell activating, not a simple mechanical lock, but a complex magical barrier that would respond only to those authorized by the house matriarch.

He was truly imprisoned now, caught between family obligation and personal conviction, with no clear path forward that wouldn't require betraying someone he cared for.