Gabriel was looking forward to perhaps one of the most important meetings of the decade. He tapped his finger incessantly on the table in his room, already dressed for the occasion. He had asked Salles to fetch his wife, Derimina Germaco, and let his wife choose her clothes.

Derimina was one of the few noblewomen who did not show up at balls or contemplative parties of the other families. Gabriel didn't mind her going, much more focused on economic than social matters.

But, her beauty was unmatched. Her wavy hair of mixed colors, the gold of the sun and the white of the snow, falling side by side down her shoulders, in keeping with her rosier skin. Gabriel first saw her about thirty years ago, and never wanted to look at anyone but her again.

- You're nervous," Derimina said as she touched his shoulders from behind. - I can feel the tension in the air in the hallway.

- Ernesto makes me angry. - It was not a confession since she had known about it for a long time. - Magic was given to us, but he insists on having it at any cost. I want to send him away and hope that lightning strikes him on the way home.

- It might just happen. Chances can be wrought if there is a large amount of money being put into the right hands. - His arm slid down until his lips touched Gabriel's ears. - If you want, he won't even leave here today. Your wish, my life, is my command.

Derimina's tongue danced around his ear until it nibbled part of his neck.

- This is not the time, my darling," he tried to resist, but her hands had already grabbed his cock. - Derimina, it's almost time for the... meeting.

- Tension only goes away with pain or pleasure. - She turned the chair around, sitting on his lap. - And for your pleasure, I can do both in equal measure.

- I know you can. No one in the world can compare to you in anything, but for today, I need a little more concentration. - Gabriel brought his hand to Deri's wavy chin and held it gently. He brought her close to him, feeling the fragrant liquid she used every morning after her bath. - The only thing in the world that can make me lose focus is you.

- I'm glad you know that.

She grabbed him by the neck, kissing him.

I

Gabriel walked through the door, alone. The table, seated side by side, Ernesto Vidian, his two advisors, Mimato and Wares Vidian. No one else but Gabriel. He went to the chair, pulled it out, and sat down slowly.

- Can we get started soon? - Ernesto asked impatiently. - I have other things to take care of.

- Is someone holding you here? - Gabriel retorted. The face of the most powerful man in the Boilers grew colder. - Salles, are you there?

The door opened with the boy showing his presence wearing the silver armor earned in the previous days by one of the Knights.

- Sir, you called me?

- Ask Rodrigues to prepare some tea, please. One cup is enough.

- Yes, sir.

The door closed, and Wares gave a fake laugh.

- Can you be so stingy as to not even offer a cup of tea to your guests?

Gabriel pretended to think about it and then nodded.

- Yes, very much so. By the way, I didn't invite any of you here. If you wanted tea, you could stay at your house, which is a long way from mine, by the way. And that would be great, you have no idea.

- We came with an important mission to protect the crops," Ernesto countered. - And clearly you are neglecting an emergency situation.

- Am I? Tell me, Ernesto, when did you last come to my house? - Ernesto didn't answer immediately, and Gabriel continued. - Can you even remember the last time you came to congratulate me for sending a larger share of the harvest to your family? Or the animals that I had to slaughter for your ridiculous end-of-the-year feast?

- The banquet was a blessing for the Boiler Elders - Wares and his square Wizard's hat waved together as he spoke. - Be careful when insulting more powerful people.

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- More powerful people or those who have their hands washed? If you want me to stop asking simple things that even one of my stewards would know by heart, leave that superiority tucked deep inside your pockets.

His words did not please Wares, but Gabriel nodded and he stopped first.

- I thought you were going to say something. Before we begin, my tea is coming, so wait.

- As you wish.

Interlacing his fingers, Gabriel sat comfortably for more than ten minutes looking at Ernesto. At no time did it cross his mind that this man had the ability to give orders there in his house.

"A Vidian can only be a Vidian when he has control of the situation. If he knows he is at a disadvantage, he will lose his poise."

His late father's advice always had a fund of truth. In Ernesto, it was his greed that made him susceptible to error.

When Rodrigues came in with the cup and a pyrex, Gabriel shifted position, taking it gently and thanking him. After that, he delicately tasted the sweet flavor of the tea.

- It's Green Grass, it comes from the Baker Mountains. They take great care with the production. Almost as good as Robert's Golden Pearls.

- Better than Blue Symphony? - Ernesto asked. - Our vintage is far superior to theirs.

Gabriel answered, shrugging his shoulders.

- I have never tasted this one. I prefer the ones my father grew before he passed away. They tasted decent, but he always said to be careful with the Bakers. They are too strong to sleep. Great for waking up.

- Do you do business with that family? - Wares was not very happy to hear the name of those who lived on the other side of the Caldera, on high hills. - May we know why?

- No, you can't.

- The law about doing business with the Bakers is still in force today. - Ernesto crossed his arms, indifferent. - The punishment is severe for anyone. The Robert's learned the hard way.

- Yes, I remember. A fine of almost two thousand gold coins a year for you, wasn't it? May I ask why I never received any of this money, since the law is also in force for my family?

The fat Mimato stared at him firmly.

- Because our family's losses were much greater than yours.

- Oh, and that's why I get nothing? - Gabriel feigned surprise. - Gee, what kind of agreement is this that I never signed and am forced to follow? For the love of the gods, Ernesto, your two advisors are two amoebas who don't think before they speak. They look like they are simply spouting mummurs. Get them out of here before they succeed in lowering your family name even further.

Ernesto looked at Wares and Mimato and nodded.

- Get out.

- But, sir, we are here to discuss...

- I won't repeat it - Ernesto cut him off, cold as a stone. - Enough said for today.

The chairs were pulled out and the two of them went out the door behind Gabriel. Alone, Germaco sighed heavily and took some more of his tea.

- Now that he had managed to irritate them both, can we get down to business?

- It would be a pleasure. - Gabriel smiled behind his cup. - Go on.

- Last week you had a visit from one of my heirs. Silena Vidian.

- That's right, I did. And what about it?

- She carried a letter from a man known in the Boilers as the Professor. A very high level Scholastic with rune forging abilities and Fourth Degree passive spells. I heard that...

- I heard is a very shallow word," Gabriel interrupted him. - You sent someone to question one of my farmers, and when you got what you wanted, you sent a message to the Elders, who are your best friends, that magic should be given to your family as well, as a way to equalize the protection of the planting fields. Am I wrong?

Ernesto had no way to deny it, and neither did he.

- Correct. Silena Vidian has a very strong bond with the Professor. That is one of the reasons why I want magic too.

- I will not give it away.

- Gabriel, the Boilers need magic of this size to keep them balanced. - Ernesto went further, joining hands above the table. - Each family should have an equal base, and climb without help from others.

- Do you really want to argue about this here? And with me? Me, who had a father killed by a mistake of his relatives, who swore to have discovered the cure for his disease and only succeeded in killing him faster?

- That ... has not been proven.

The demise of Guilhermus Germaco, the Great Selector, known as one of the few men to help those who really needed it, had been killed by skillful hands. At the time, Gabriel was in his twenties, and studying to take over the position when the time came.

He hoped it would be in thirty or forty years, but within two months of graduating with a degree in Continental Economics, he had to take over the family in a hurry.

- I'm not here to say whether it was or not, but I'm not handing anything over to anyone. The Professor sent his heiress because he wanted to stay hidden, not because he supports his family. He, unlike the two of us, has the ability to see things clearly without blinding us with past feuds.

- How do you know this if you don't even know him?

- Because he is supporting Silena at the same time that he helped me. I may not know who he is, who he was, or which family he came from, but he doesn't forget the people who helped him, so he won't forget who hurt him either.

Ernesto's smile was a puzzle to Gabriel.

- I'm confused," he told him from across the table. - Are you afraid of him?

- I have respect, very different from what I have for many people. And you, Ernesto, have you ever harmed him?

Without hesitation, he denied it with a shake of his head.

- Inside the Boilers, few people have my attention, and when I don't get what I want, I run after it to get something better.

- How ironic.

- What is it?

Gabriel continued to smile for a few seconds longer.

- Ironic that you should say that. You came to my house knowing that you wouldn't get anything, and yet you think you'll get something better.

- Your fields are green like mine, and the last time they caught fire, it took about a week to put out. Was the loss great, Gabriel?

That sarcasm was a sharp weapon. Ernesto always used it against people, dealing it as an indirect threat. In the Professor's letter it said, "Be careful." And Huggens proved that his protective magic had been forcibly broken.

A lunatic like Ernesto would do anything to stay in power, even kill the fields that fed his own family. This was the kind of freak who held the highest title in the Boilers.

A man who didn't care about the environment in order to achieve his goals.

- So," Ernesto continued after the silence, "do you still think about not giving me the magic?

- Think about it? I've never thought about it. - Gabriel stood up, putting his cup on the table, calmly. - Coming to my house, saying meaningless words, insulting my family's history and the way we live, even daring to dictate drivel about my losses. If I wanted to give you something, I would give you a nice soothing tea to see if your pyromaniacal ideas go away together. And don't worry about the fields, the Professor warned me about my losses, and who knew I had the best harvest of my life last week and sold it all to the Bakers and the Robert's.

Ernesto changed his expression on the spot.

- You did what? - He stood up, tipping his chair backwards. - Sold everything to the others?

- Why, your family is the richest in the Boilers, and they've had the biggest losses all these years," he sneered openly, feigning concern. - The poor Vidian family will have to negotiate with the two families they have humiliated the most in the last twenty years. Dishonor or debt. - Gabriel thought some more. - Which will be less shameful for a Vidian to negotiate?

- This is an outrage, Gabriel," shouted Ernesto, pounding the table. - We have an agreement about sales and purchases.

- I have never signed anything like this, or do you remember anything like this? - Gabriel's provocative smile infuriated him even more. - I hope it doesn't rain on the way home because no one will rescue you or those two court jesters of yours.

- Gabriel...

- The meeting is over. - He took off to go to the door. - Some guards will take you to the exit. Mimato and Wares should already be waiting for you there. Goodbye, Ernesto, I hope I won't see you for another decade.

- You will pay, Gabriel.

Before leaving, Gabriel held the door still on his back, staring at the floor.

- I am still paying. I hope your turn will come.

The door was closed. Outside, something breaking in a loud crash was heard by the guards and Knights who were waiting for Gabriel. With a wave of his hand, no one approached.

- He is just a spoiled boy who didn't get the toy of the year. That's all.