SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant-Chapter 448: Decision [VII]

The decision had been made. Darian du Thal’zar would become the new patriarch of House Thal’zar. The outcome had not been announced publicly yet, but within the walls of the castle the reality was already understood. The fragile balance between the great families required stability, and the path forward had been chosen. Trafalgar’s plan had worked.

The war itself had already ended. The announcement had spread across the world only hours earlier, carried through messengers, magical transmissions, and the networks of the great houses. After months of conflict, the message was simple. The war between the houses was over, and for the first time in weeks, the world began to breathe again.

But the end of a war never meant the end of its consequences.

The first matter to be settled would be the funeral of Sylvar du Morgain. It would take place at the highest mountain within Morgain territory, where the wind never stopped moving across the stone peaks.

At its summit stood the Cemetery of Swords, an ancient resting place reserved for the greatest warriors of the family, where blades carried into battle were driven into the mountain itself and formed a forest of steel marking the graves of those who had fallen with honor.

Sylvar’s sword would soon join them.

After the funeral, the Council of the Eight Great Houses would convene. At that gathering the war would be officially concluded, the agreements reached in private formalized before the eyes of the world, and the fragile balance between the great families restored. House Thal’zar would confirm Darian as its new patriarch, bringing an end to the instability left behind by Kaedor’s death.

There were also matters that extended beyond the war itself. The alliance between House Morgain and House Rosenthal had been arranged before the conflict began, but the war had only made its significance greater.

That alliance would soon be formalized, and with it came one inevitable event. The marriage between Trafalgar du Morgain and Aubrelle au Rosenthal.

The room had grown quiet again. Trafalgar remained seated where he was, his head resting against Aubrelle’s lap as her fingers moved slowly through his long hair, as if the castle around them had not just witnessed the end of a war and the death of one of the heirs of a Great House. His eyes were open, though his gaze remained distant. Too many things had happened in a single day. The war had ended, Darian would soon become the new patriarch of House Thal’zar, Sylvar’s funeral would be held within days, and the Council of the Eight would follow shortly after. Every decision made today would ripple outward through the world for years.

Eventually, Trafalgar spoke. "Aubrelle... what do you think about what I ordered today?"

Her hand did not stop moving through his hair. For a moment she said nothing. Aubrelle was not wearing the cloth that usually covered her eyes when she was around others, and from where he lay Trafalgar could see them clearly, deep red and unfocused, drifting slightly as if they searched for something they could not quite see. The scar that crossed part of her face remained just as visible.

"I understand," she said at last. "Soon I will be your wife, Trafalgar. You are someone from one of the Eight Great Families, and your future will likely lead you to great things." Her fingers paused briefly before continuing their slow movement. "None of this surprises me. I support you."

Trafalgar exhaled quietly and pushed himself upright. "I see. Thank you." He extended his hand toward her, and without hesitation Aubrelle placed her hand in his.

They left the room together. The corridors of the castle were quieter than usual, the tension that had filled them for weeks finally beginning to dissolve now that the war had ended. Servants moved through the halls again, soldiers spoke in lower tones, and the constant urgency that had once filled every corner of the fortress had slowly begun to fade. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Trafalgar walked beside Aubrelle in silence for a while. Caelum had already informed him of the result. Darian would become the new patriarch of House Thal’zar. In reality things were far simpler. Darian would answer to Trafalgar. The man understood very well how he had reached this position, and Trafalgar expected him to remember that fact in the future.

For now, that was enough.

They continued walking through the stone corridor until Trafalgar spoke again. "Aubrelle... how much time is left before the academic year ends?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Not much. Are you nervous about the exams?"

Trafalgar glanced forward with a faint expression of resignation. "Aren’t you? I haven’t had time to study with everything that happened, and I probably won’t have much time going forward either."

Aubrelle laughed softly. It was a strange contrast. The young man walking beside her had just orchestrated the death of one of the heirs of a Great House and played a decisive role in the outcome of a war involving several of the most powerful families in the world. And yet here he was worrying about academy exams, seventeen years old and still bound to the same calendar as everyone else.

Aubrelle smiled faintly to herself. ’It seems I chose a rather peculiar man... don’t you think, Pipin?’

Perched quietly on her shoulder, the small pale bird tilted its head and answered with a soft chirp.

Far from the castle where the final decisions of the war had just been made, another pair of eyes was quietly observing the same events from a distance.

The lands of Nocthar were silent at night. Dark mountains surrounded the ancient citadel of the vampire house, their jagged silhouettes cutting into a sky where the moon rarely shone clearly. Within the highest tower of that fortress, a chamber illuminated only by dim crimson lamps remained warm despite the cold that ruled the lands outside.

Steam rose slowly from a large stone bath carved directly into the floor. Selendra au Nocthar rested comfortably within the water, one arm draped over the edge while the other held a thin glass of dark wine. The liquid moved gently as she tilted the glass, watching the surface reflect the faint red light of the room. Beside the bath, a tall window stood open, and through it she could see the distant horizon beyond the mountains.

For a while she remained silent, simply watching the night.

"So... the vision was correct." A faint smile curved her lips. She raised the glass slightly, the wine catching the light as her eyes narrowed with quiet interest. "I wonder what else you will show me... Trafalgar du Morgain."

There was no hostility in her tone. Only curiosity. Her eyes glimmered faintly as she looked out across the dark lands of Nocthar. "There are still many secrets about you that I have yet to discover."

Far away, the world was finally beginning to settle after months of war. But Selendra knew something most people did not. The war that had just ended was only the beginning.