Next morning, Lucius was there outside the Castle Gallows Prison to welcome Riven as he walked out, with a wide smile upon his face.
"Welcome back, Young Lord."
Lucius greeted warmly, however, Riven merely glanced in his direction for a brief moment before shifting his gaze away and continuing towards the carriage waiting behind him, as he refused to return the greeting.
The reaction immediately wiped the smile from Lucius’s face.
As Riven walked past him without another word, Lucius quietly clenched his fists before following several steps behind, realizing that despite an entire month having passed since their last conversation, the Young Lord had clearly not forgiven him for what had happened.
The journey back towards the White Castle passed in complete silence, as although Lucius occasionally glanced towards the boy sitting opposite him, Riven spent the entire carriage ride staring outside the window without making any effort to initiate conversation.
Once they finally reached the White Castle, Riven was immediately escorted towards the bathing chambers by his personal maidservant, where after spending a month surrounded by the filth of the Castle Gallows, he thoroughly scrubbed himself clean before changing into a fresh set of perfectly fitted Dawnriver robes.
However, although his appearance once again resembled the refined noble who had attended the luncheon a month earlier, something about the way he carried himself had undoubtedly changed.
"Young Lord, before you meet the Duke, there is something I was instructed to tell you."
His maidservant informed him as she followed closely behind.
"For successfully completing your month inside the Castle Gallows, His Grace has decided to allow you to select any weapon of your choosing from the Dawnriver treasury before departing for the Imperial Academy.
So, once your meeting with him concludes, I can personally escort you there so that you may select your reward."
The maidservant offered him a hopeful smile, expecting that the news might improve his mood before he met the Duke.
Instead, Riven merely turned his head and gave her a cold sideways glance.
The look lasted barely a moment, yet it immediately caused the young woman to lower her gaze and straighten her posture, as something about the aggression behind those green eyes made an uncomfortable shiver travel down her spine.
’He’s changed...’
She thought, as although Riven still walked with the same immaculate posture and controlled movements Lucius had drilled into him, the gentleness that had once accompanied those qualities seemed considerably harder to find.
A month earlier, his presence had made her think of a well-mannered young noble.
Now, there was something considerably more intimidating underneath that refinement.
Before long, they arrived outside Duke Dawnriver’s private study.
"The Young Lord is here."
A servant announced before opening the heavy doors.
Riven stepped inside without hesitation, as the attendants currently occupying the study immediately began gathering their belongings before quietly excusing themselves.
Within moments, the doors closed behind him as only the father and son remained.
Duke Drew Dawnriver sat behind his desk studying several documents, and although he knew perfectly well that Riven had entered, he continued reading for several seconds before eventually placing the parchment aside and raising his eyes towards him.
"I heard you did well, boy."
The Duke began.
"I received reports regarding your activities every day while you were inside the Castle Gallows, including the little incident that left you with four holes in your back."
His eyes briefly travelled towards Riven’s shoulders.
"Have those wounds examined by one of my physicians before you depart. They may have healed on the surface, but I don’t want you arriving at the Imperial Academy with some lingering infection because a filthy prisoner stabbed you with a piece of rusted metal."
Riven calmly lowered his head in acknowledgement.
"I will, Father."
He replied, maintaining the same cordial respect that the Duke’s position demanded.
Drew stared at him for several moments before slowly pushing himself away from the desk.
Without saying anything further, he walked around it and approached Riven until barely a few inches separated the two of them, his considerably larger frame looming over the thirteen-year-old boy while his pale blue eyes stared directly into Riven’s green ones.
A month earlier, that alone would have been enough to make Riven uncomfortable.
He would have wondered whether he had done something wrong, questioned what the Duke expected from him and eventually lowered his gaze out of respect for the man he desperately wished to impress.
This time, however, Riven simply stared back.
He did not shift his feet or lower his head, as although he maintained enough restraint to avoid openly disrespecting his father, there was a defiance behind his gaze that had never existed before entering the Castle Gallows.
Drew noticed it immediately.
For several seconds, neither of them said anything as the Duke continued studying him, almost as though he were searching those green eyes for whatever remained of the overly agreeable child he had sent away one month earlier.
Until eventually, the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
"Good."
"You’re ready now."
He declared before turning his back towards Riven as he leisurely walked towards the large window behind his desk.
"Your objective at the Imperial Academy is relatively easy to remember, though not so simple to achieve."
The Duke began, as Riven listened attentively.
"If there are students belonging to any of the other Three Great Ducal Houses attending alongside you, I want you to crush them thoroughly enough that they wet their beds merely hearing the name Dawnriver."
Drew explained, as he spoke without the slightest hint of compassion in his voice.
"I don’t care whether they are stronger than you, wealthier than you or arrive at the Academy surrounded by twice as many supporters. They are your political rivals, and by the end of your first year, I expect everyone around you to understand exactly which Ducal House stands above the others."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The Eastern nobles are different. Any sons and daughters belonging to the Barons beneath my banner should naturally gravitate towards you, and I expect you to secure their admiration and loyalty rather than antagonize them unnecessarily. When those children eventually inherit their parents’ territories, the relationships you build with them now will matter considerably."
Riven quietly committed every instruction to memory.
"Academically, I expect you to finish your first year as valedictorian, while in combat, I expect you to earn a place upon the Imperial Academy team and represent House Dawnriver during the Annual Games."
Only then did Drew turn back towards him.
"Those are my expectations."
His expression remained stern, although there was something different within his eyes as he looked towards Riven now.
"Complete all of them, return home for your summer break having accomplished everything I’ve asked..."
The Duke allowed the silence to linger briefly.
"...and I will start calling you my son."
For the slightest moment, something shifted behind Riven’s expression.
Despite everything that had happened over the past month, despite the prison, the wounds across his back and the resentment he still carried towards the people responsible for putting him there, those words nevertheless reached the part of him that still desperately wanted his father’s acknowledgement.
However, he did not allow any of those emotions to surface.
Instead, Riven simply lowered his head in another respectful bow.
"Understood."
That was all he said.
Drew watched him for another moment before giving a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Then go. Choose your weapon, get your wounds checked and prepare yourself for departure.
You shall leave tomorrow morning."
Riven straightened his back before turning towards the doors without another word, as the Duke quietly watched him leave.
The Castle Gallows had done exactly what Drew had hoped it would.
Now, all that remained was to see whether Riven Dawnriver fulfilled those expectations, or became the sacrificial lamb that ignited the rebellion against the Emperor.