Chapter 651: Chapter 651 - Taming the Fifth Year - Pledge

"Can you forgive us in exchange for that information?" Jeannette said quickly, the words tumbling out with desperate hope. "We were brought with a bad purpose, yes. But..." she paused, something like guilt crossing her face, "we didn’t have much choice. Our families ordered. We obey or they throw us out."

"You didn’t have much choice?" Ren repeated, his anger diluting slightly at having heard only truths from them.

"Ren," Cassia said with a softer voice now, vulnerability replacing the normal pretense of charm, "we’re just pawns."

"We were chosen as political pieces from birth," Seraphina continued, her usual composure cracking to show the genuine emotion beneath, "We wouldn’t do this, but our families have reasons to want you to fail. Or at least, to want you not to have complete success."

"And you?" Ren asked, looking between the three. His eyes moved from face to face, searching for the smallest lie. "What do you want?"

Another heavy silence. Full of things they’d never said, thoughts they’d never been allowed to voice.

"Honestly," Jeannette finally admitted, her voice small, "at first we just wanted to fulfill our family orders and get out of this without problems. But after feeling your power..."

"After meeting you," Cassia completed, "we realized you’re genuinely... Someone who deserves their rewards more than anyone. Not like other nobles. And the idea of actively trying to sabotage you started to feel... terrible. We were dying of fear too."

"That’s why we never really tried it," Seraphina added, her mana eyes dimming as she looked down. "And we started to just... play along with your ’games’ and answer what you asked. Within what we could."

Ren observed them, trying to process all this. Three girls who’d been sent to seduce or sabotage him, who’d failed at both because they couldn’t bring themselves to actually go against him. It was... complicated.

"So what happens now? Do your families expect reports? Results?"

"Yes," all three said in unison, the word carrying the inevitable consequences.

’They’re still strangely honest...’ Ren thought, confused. ’Are they very bad at their job as saboteurs? Do they hate their families?’

"And if I tell you to leave now," Ren continued slowly, thinking through all this, "what happens to you?"

Cassia looked down, her perfectly styled hair falling to hide her expression. "We’d probably be punished for failing our mission. Maybe given away to pay some favor to some house to be married to someone our families choose to recover from the error."

The words were matter-of-fact, describing a fate she’d clearly contemplated before.

"Or less probable but we may simply be thrown out," Seraphina added with neutral voice that barely concealed pain beneath. "Losing access to family resources. Opportunities..."

"Basically converted into family shames," Jeannette concluded bitterly.

Ren felt something twisting in his chest. Anger at the injustice to these young women not having a ’real family’ like him, yes. But also... something more complicated. Recognition, perhaps. He’d seen Luna struggle with family pressure. Had watched Klein be destroyed by it before being able to rebuild himself.

"What if I pretend to believe you?" he asked slowly, an idea forming. "If I keep coming to these sessions as if nothing had changed? Would that help you?"

All three looked at him with surprise, their composure slipping to reveal genuine shock.

’Is he offering to protect us?’ Cassia thought, incredulous. ’Or... Is this another game? Layers of the same game from the beginning? Did he always know?’

’After admitting we were trying to sabotage him,’ Seraphina also thought, trying to understand the logic.

’He’s genuinely too good to be true,’ Jeannette concluded, suspicion and hope warring in her chest.

"Ren," Cassia said softly, carefully, "if you do that, it would help us but only until the year ends and we fail anyway, when you receive all the rewards. Though we could try to use the time to divide the blame, it won’t change the outcome much..."

"I see," Ren admitted, processing the limitations. "But I can’t just let you suffer for something your families forced you to do."

’Is he offering us an exit?’ all three thought simultaneously. ’What does he want?’

"Technically you could," Jeannette pointed out, still incredulous but curious to hear the offer. "But we tried to sabotage you. We deserve the consequences."

"But did you really try?" Ren asked, looking at her directly. His gaze was intense, searching for truth. "You said that after meeting me you stopped actively trying. That counts for something in my book..."

Seraphina studied his face, her mana eyes gleaming with her active perception. "I can’t read your patterns clearly, but your expression... you really believe that right? You forgive us?"

"Yes," Ren said simply, the word carrying his absolute conviction. "I don’t like that you lied to me. But I understand that being trapped between family orders and what you really want to do must be very difficult. I’ve seen Luna deal with something like that several times."

He paused, thinking through his proposal carefully.

"So here’s what I propose. We continue with the sessions. You report to your families that the ’plan’ is advancing. I pretend I don’t know anything. But between us," he looked at all three, his expression serious, "let’s be honest from now on. No more lies."

’He wants us to be his double agents,’ all three realized simultaneously.

"I don’t think we have a choice, but if we help you... what will happen to our families?" Cassia asked, concern evident. "I don’t like many of them but my mother and some relatives..."

The other two girls nodded as well, similar concerns written on their faces.

"I know," Ren sighed. "I don’t know if you’ll like it, but now I’m going to explain what I’ll do..."

♢♢♢♢

Cassia stood, approaching him. "Ren, are you sure about this? Once you do that, it won’t be easy to back out... And although Seraphina seems to have seen truth in your mana, if you do it you’re going to make us look worse and maybe even get us eliminated."

Her voice had big concerns.

"I know," Ren said, meeting her eyes steadily. "But yes, I’m sure. Just..." he paused, "just promise me that from now on, if your families ask you to do something, you’ll tell me. Directly."

The three exchanged glances, silent communication passing between them. This was a line they’d never crossed before. Betraying family orders. Choosing someone outside their houses over blood obligations.

"Promised," all three said, extending their hands in turn.

Ren shook each one, the gesture feeling more significant than it should. Like sealing a pact that went beyond simple agreements.

"Then I guess we continue with ’social practice’," Jeannette said with an ironic smile, some of her humor returning. "Though now it’s practice in pretending we don’t know that you know the truth."

"Sounds exhausting," Ren admitted with a tired laugh.

"Real noble politics," Seraphina responded, her lips quirking slightly. "Where everything is pretending and nobody really knows who knows what."

Ren let himself fall into a chair finally. His body felt heavier than after training with Lin, a different kind of exhaustion.

"I’m going to have to talk to Liora again," he said aloud, more to himself than to them. "And with Larissa. And with Luna."

The thought made his stomach twist with anxiety.

"Good luck with that," Cassia said with sympathy, understanding the minefield he was walking into.

Jeannette sat beside him, her expression more serious than he’d seen before. "Ren, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why are you protecting us? Seriously. You seem to have a high standard, we don’t seem to appeal to you much and... After all you could use your connections, your power and your genius to stop the sabotage."

Ren considered the question honestly, taking time to find the right words. "I don’t know why you’re insinuating you’re not pretty enough or why you think I’m a genius... But it’s because if I were in your position, trapped between almost mandatory orders, I’d hope someone would give me the benefit of the doubt. And because..." he paused, some vulnerability entering his voice, "because there are already enough people trying to use others as pawns. I don’t need to be another person doing the same."

The words carried weight beyond their simple meaning for the ladies.

All three observed him in long silence, seeing him perhaps for the first time without all the layers of assumption clouding their perception.

"Your close circle is very lucky," Seraphina said finally, her voice soft with awe. "To have you."

"I’m not sure they think that right now," Ren responded with bitter smile, thinking of Larissa’s tears and Luna’s rigid departure.

"They will," Cassia said with confidence, certainty in her voice. "Eventually. You’re too much to ignore..."

"I hope you’re right," Ren murmured, doubt evident despite his words.

’Liora is going to kill me,’ he thought with resignation, already imagining the conversation ahead.

And he was probably right about that.