Ralf’s telekinesis grabbed at both doors and with a thought, he had them swing open slowly until they could no more. He didn’t rush to move. Instead, he took a moment to soak in the three gazes that had come flying in. He recognized them, having seen them all in the Duke’s booth previously.
Lingering for a bit, Ralf entered the room. It was spacious and had a warm decor about it. In the centre, a large square glass top table stood, perched atop a great grey rug.
Around the table, four couches were positioned, each at the cardinal points. On the western couch, Walton sat, elegant as ever, sipping his tea while directing a side-eye Ralf’s way. Less obvious in her staring was Chloe, who sat on the eastern couch, a biscuit in hand and some crumbs on her face. And even less obvious than Chloe was her lover, who unlike the two, was standing, leaning against the southern’s couch’s back.
The trio watched Ralf’s approach with held breaths, each undergoing a unique cocktail of emotions and thoughts.
After a moment, the Duke collected himself and started with a friendly smile.
“Ralf, glad you could make it. “ He pushed off the couch with his palms and walked forward. He stopped after a few steps and then extended his right hand out. “I’m Vincent Arrin, nice to make your acquiescence.”
‘Oh, so this is the Duke, interesting.’
Ralf’s eyes flickered at the other’s actions. It was simple, yet very telling, and instantly informed the duo about what kind of person the Duke was. Standing to receive his guest despite his higher standing spoke of his groundedness and respectful nature, while his decision to shorten the distance between himself and Ralf despite his non-psionic status spoke of his daring.
Chloe and Walton were close by sure, but at just over a meter away, Ralf could easily dispatch the Duke. He knew they weren’t ignorant of this fact; they were all present at last night’s performance after all.
So, knowing this, the Duke’s decision to enter this zone, where his fate was in the hands of Ralf, a still incomprehensible and ‘dubious’ existence, was both incredibly bold and a showing of trust.
It was a gambit on his part and one that worked out as he hoped. The duo’s opinion of the duke soared.
Ralf smiled. “Ralf Fawkes, nice to meet you too, Duke Arrin,” he said as he clasped Vincent’s hand.
Joy and relief bloomed in the Duke as he arrived at this point. “Duke Arrin is too formal, please call me Vincent.”
“Sure, will do.”
Ralf’s eyes moved to the two on the couches.
The Duke followed his gaze and quickly provided introductions. “These two are among my earliest and most trustworthy allies. To your left, Walton, the perpetually tea-drinking warrior and advisor. To your right, his granddaughter and my lover/bodyguard, Chloe.” As he spoke, he circled the couch and made his way to the northern couch before plopping down.
“Nice to meet you two, Chloe, Walton.”
“Nice to meet you too, hotshot,” Chloe removed the biscuit from her lips and said.
A sigh escaped from Walton’s mouth at his granddaughter’s words. “Please take no offence, Ralf, my granddaughter is of the crude variety.”
“No offence taken. I’m far from elegant myself,” he shrugged.
“Is that so, I see.” Walton lowered his mug and focused his gaze on Ralf before saying, “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well. Your match yesterday and those stories of yours have excited this old heart of mine to no end. I’m eager to exchange words with you on the matter, and if you’re up to it, even scatter Psi sometime in the future. What do you say?”
The question ignited a flame in Ralf’s eyes. His battle spirit flared up at the challenge but quickly died down as his mind considered how feasible battling a Rank 7 was.
These calculations ended as quickly as they began. The gap was too big; even Silver would be helpless…well, in a straight-up one-on-one battle that is.
Acknowledging this fact, Ralf cooled down. “Sounds great. When the time comes, let’s scatter some Psi.”
Walton’s eyes shone in approval. “Excellent. I look forward to the day. And seeing how much the Great Aether loves you, I’m sure, I won’t have to wait too long.”
“Hopefully.”
“Oh, if you’re going to fight gramps, Ralf, let’s battle as well.”
“Sure sure.”
In his seat, Vincent wore a wry smile as he followed the conversation taking place. ‘These two, I knew they’d just do whatever.’
Doing a fake cough, he commanded the room’s attention. He gestured to the southern couch and said, “Ralf, make yourself comfortable.”
Ralf circled the couch and plopped down.
“No need to hold back on the snacks, I’ve been informed of your voracious appetite and came prepared,” Vincent said as he noticed the young man’s gaze and the lights swirling within.
“Voracious,” Ralf squeezed out an awkward smile, “Samuel really said that?”
Vincent nodded. “Yeah, and not just that. He told me quite a lot about you. Hearing it all is what made me so interested in meeting you.”
“Hmm, I see.” Ralf floated a biscuit to his front. “So, hearing all that…what’s your thoughts on my many killings?”
The question was no different than a sword, sharp and pointed. Drawn from the sheath that was Ralf’s mouth, it slashed out at the speed of sound and robbed the room of sound.
In the silence, Ralf’s gaze left the biscuit and locked onto the Duke’s, awaiting his answer.
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After a few moments of stupor, the Duke gathered his bearings. As he did, his mouth formed a baffled but admiring smile.
“To bring that up even in this situation, you really are something, Ralf,” Vincent said.
“You said it, alright.”
“Indeed.”
Chloe and Walton followed up, both showing similar expressions as they voiced their thoughts.
Vincent continued. “I never intended to ignore it or sweep it under the rug. Doing so would be a failure of my duties as a ruler,” he said, his manner and voice radiating integrity and seriousness.
“I’ve looked into the matter, and come to the decision that you shouldn’t face any punishment for your deeds...rather, instead of punishment, you should be rewarded for them.”
After the initial wave of relief poured in, confusion arose in Ralf’s heart. His brows lifted.
“Rewarded?”
The Duke nodded and then echoed the same points Samuel had made a day earlier.
“Your…brave actions helped us greatly, in ways you couldn’t know. So, from myself, the White Hawks, and Zudrad, I offer my utmost gratitude. Thank you, Ralf Fawkes.”
The Duke bowed as he delivered these sincere words. At the same time, Chloe and Walton who had been silent mimicked his gesture.
[[This took an unexpected turn,]] Rei couldn’t help but comment, [[Ralf, I’ll leave you to handle this. I’m going to do…anything else. Try to wrap it up as quickly as you can. Call me when we reach Enviso.]]
Not waiting for an answer, Rei snapped Mental Link and busied himself with other things.
‘Too uncomfortable to endure, well, I feel you,’ Ralf thought in understanding.
Truth be told, he didn’t take too well to these types of situations either.
“I was just taking out the trash, it’s nothing praiseworthy.”
Vincent shook his head. “It is very praiseworthy. Not just anyone could take out the trash as you did. I’ll hear no argument about this. You’ll be rewarded for your deed. Money or something else, I’m open to any kind of reward.”
Ralf’s eyes lit up as the most obvious thought rose to his mind. “I see, then I’ll take you up on the offer.”
“Excellent. Once you’ve decided on something, let me know, I’ll grant it immediately.”
“Will do.”
“Okay, now that’s done. Ralf, aside from offering you my thanks, I also owe you an apology. Because of my ineptitude, you and your mother were forced to experience something traumatic. As a ruler, I’m truly ashamed,” the Duke’s face darkened and his head lowered once again, “I’m sorry.”
Ralf showed approval at the words. “Things worked out in the end, so I’ll accept your apology.”
The phrasing caused the granddaughter and grandfather pair to trade a most quizzical look.
The Duke kept his face from following their examples and held firm. “I appreciate it. I’ll be sure to apologise to your mom as well.”
“Mmm, okay.”
Vincent’s heart jolted at the approval.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t sincere in his actions or words. Still, to say that it was free from calculations was incorrect. Usually, it was one or the other, but with the Duke, it was always both. It was this impossible fusion that allowed Vincent to rise to the heights he had.
“Apologies made without addressing and fixing why the apology was needed to be made in the first place, makes for a hollow one. I’m not one for hollow apologies. To avoid such a thing from happening again, I’ve rolled out a new directive, that aims to detect and clear the many undesirable elements that make this Dukedom their home.”
“So that’s why the Black Hawks were in Ganurg and Lagner,” Ralf commented between biscuit bites.
Vincent nodded “Yes, and that’s only the start. In the coming months, I plan to have a clear picture of all that goes on in my territory. The days of regular citizens forced to enact justice themselves will be no more”
“I see, I hope that day comes soon. Our time is limited on this rock floating through space, so we should spend it having as much fun as possible.”
“Here here.”
Taking strongly to these words, Chloe floated over her brimming mug to Ralf, who then clinked it with his own.
Vincent smiled. “Couldn’t agree more. So, instead of these serious topics, let’s switch to something more fun, for instance,” he paused a second as his eyes turned crescent-shaped, “like your upcoming Challenger Series.”