SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant

Nerith looked at Trafalgar for a few seconds after hearing the question. There was no surprise on her face, though the way her hand stopped over the documents made it clear that he finally had all of her attention.

”Straight to the point. I like that.” She leaned back slightly in her chair. ”There’s no reason to waste time.”

Trafalgar waited without interrupting her.

”As for who it could be...” Nerith continued. ”We can remove Lyren immediately. That’s the only one I can say with complete certainty. He and I are together in this.”

That much Trafalgar had already understood long before reaching Meraval. The way Lyren had spoken about Nerith, the succession, and everything surrounding it had made his position obvious, and Rhosyn had clearly reached the same conclusion.

Nerith adjusted the glasses resting on her nose before continuing.

”Let’s go in order, then. My eldest brother, Vaelis. The First Heir.” Her expression hardened slightly at the name. ”His observer comes from House Zar’khael.”

That caught Trafalgar’s attention immediately. His expression shifted with genuine surprise.

”The demons? I thought Lucard au Vaelion would be observing for him.”

”No.” Nerith shook her head. ”Having observers connected to several Great Families is better for this situation. The more important people watching the succession, the harder it becomes for anyone from one of the Eight Great Families to interfere without risking everyone else turning against them.”

She glanced briefly toward Rhosyn before returning her attention to Trafalgar.

”Our family doesn’t have much to hide regarding the succession itself, so having influential observers here isn’t necessarily a problem. If someone from one of the Great Families tries anything openly while everyone is watching, they won’t make it very far.”

Trafalgar could understand the logic easily enough.

”That’s more or less what I imagined. Escaping from down here after doing something openly would be almost impossible. Nobody sane would attempt something that stupid.”

Meraval sat buried beneath the ocean, protected by layers of defenses before anyone could even dream of reaching open water again. If a member of a Great Family broke the agreement in front of several other representatives, getting out alive would become the smallest of their problems.

Nerith gave a small nod.

”Back to my brother. Almost everyone believes Vaelis is the one who did something to our mother.”

The lightness in her voice faded slightly.

”But believing something and proving it are different things. We don’t have enough evidence to formally blame him for her death, which means he’s still the First Heir and still part of the succession.”

Trafalgar remained quiet and allowed her to continue.

”He has the support of the Ancients as well,” Nerith said. ”Mostly because they’re stubborn old fools who care more about tradition than anything else. Firstborn means firstborn to them, and until someone gives them proof that removes Vaelis from the succession, they’ll continue supporting him.”

There was enough irritation behind her words that Trafalgar doubted this was the first time she had argued with them about it.

Nerith moved on without lingering on the subject.

”Then we have Corvyn. The fourth child and my younger brother.” The corner of her mouth moved faintly. ”Younger in age, anyway. Physically, he’s a monster. You’ll understand when you meet him.”

”I already met his observer this morning,” Trafalgar replied. ”Toran, if I’m remembering his name correctly.”

”Yes, Toran.” Nerith seemed almost amused by the mention. ”He’s been here for a few months. Fairly ordinary from what I’ve seen, but he’s here to do his part and hasn’t caused any trouble.”

”That’s more or less the impression I got.”

”Corvyn himself has the support of The Tide,” Nerith continued. ”Our military forces, the fleet, and a considerable part of the people connected to them. That gives him more weight than people sometimes realize.”

Trafalgar remembered what Lyren had already told him about the faction. Controlling soldiers and ships during a succession dispute was hardly a small advantage, especially in a place like Meraval.

Nerith paused briefly before reaching the last name.

”Finally, there’s my youngest sister, Ilyra. She’s thirteen.” Her expression changed slightly. ”She’s the one who invited Lucard au Vaelion as an observer.”

This time Trafalgar’s reaction came immediately.

”Your thirteen-year-old sister has ties to the Vaelions?”

Nerith let out a quiet breath through her nose.

”I don’t know how my little sister ended up with enough of a connection to invite one of them here either, but that’s how things are right now.”

That was something worth remembering. Trafalgar didn’t comment further, though. There was little point building conclusions from one strange detail when he had barely spent a full day inside Meraval.

Nerith folded her hands over the desk.

”You already know what I need from you. Lyren explained most of it before you came here.” Her golden-brown eyes settled directly on Trafalgar. ”Someone is trying to influence this succession. If one of my siblings is receiving help from outside Myrrhvale, I need to know who it is and who is helping them.”

Trafalgar gave a slow nod.

”So you want us to find whoever is trying to arrange the succession from behind the scenes.”

”Yes.” Nerith’s expression remained serious as she continued. ”And as Lyren probably told you, if I become head of the family after this is over, Myrrhvale won’t forget the help. This is a delicate matter, and having someone like you involved gives us options we didn’t have before.”

Trafalgar understood what she meant.

”Then that’s enough for now. We’ll have to meet your siblings ourselves. The Tide as well, the Ancients, and the Canal Houses. If one of the factions is involved, there’s no point only looking at the heirs.”

Nerith stared at him for a moment before giving a small nod.

”Do whatever you need to do. Just don’t get caught doing anything you aren’t supposed to.” Her expression sharpened slightly. ”If you do, I’ll kill you myself.”

Rhosyn looked at Trafalgar, and Trafalgar looked back at her. Neither of them bothered answering. They simply stood from their chairs and headed for the door.

Nerith watched them leave her office, the door closing behind them a few seconds later. She remained still for a moment before removing her glasses and setting them beside the documents.

”Tch... All this mess because one of those idiots did something they don’t have the guts to admit.” She pressed two fingers against her forehead while her eyes drifted toward the piles of work covering the desk.

”I had to bring people from the Eight Great Families into our home because everyone else started doing the same thing. We could already have the enemy inside Meraval, and my siblings are still fighting exactly as they were before.”

Nerith exhaled slowly, put her glasses back on, and pulled the next document toward her.

”I just hope this family and our people are still here when we’re finished.”