"Public reaction was initially surprise, transitioning to quiet approval among bystanders. The individuals subjected to the correction exhibited fear and offered no resistance, presumably due to recognition of status and my presence. The situation de-escalated promptly. We then proceeded to Master Elmsworth's location without further incident."
Ken fell silent, awaiting questions.
Roy leaned back slightly in his chair, tapping a finger rhythmically on the polished desk. "The strike," he asked, his voice low. "Was it controlled? An act of temper, or calculation?"
"Calculated, Your Grace," Ken replied instantly. "Sufficient force to stun and assert dominance, minimal risk of lasting injury. No discernible loss of temper was observed in Lord Ferrum."
"His demeanor during the… lecture?"
"Confident. Authoritative. Entirely without fear."
Roy absorbed this, his expression unreadable. "And at the lesson?"
Ken shifted seamlessly to the next point. "Lord Ferrum participated actively in Master Elmsworth's lesson on Whisperwood resource management. He challenged the established methodologies presented."
Roy's finger stopped tapping.
"Specifically," Ken elaborated, "Lord Ferrum proposed on-site timber processing to reduce transport costs and increase product value, sustainable harvesting practices to ensure long-term yield, and market diversification beyond existing bulk contracts to capitalize on potential niche applications."
Ken recited the points accurately, clinically, like listing inventory.
"He presented these arguments with logical structure and apparent conviction," Ken added.
"Elmsworth's reaction?" Roy prompted, his voice tight.
"Initial dismissal, followed by visible agitation and difficulty formulating effective counter-arguments. Master Elmsworth ultimately adhered to the established curriculum but appeared… unsettled. Other students observed Lord Ferrum's contribution with surprise and interest."
Ken concluded his report and stood silently, a statue awaiting further commands.
Roy stared past Ken, towards the high windows, his gaze distant. "Was Lord Ferrum disrespectful in his tone towards the tutor?"
"No, Your Grace. His tone was consistently respectful, though firm. The challenge was directed at the ideas, not the individual."
"Did Elmsworth appear incompetent, or merely surprised?"
"Surprised and intellectually challenged, Your Grace. Not incompetent."
Roy nodded slowly, a curt dismissal. "That will be all, Ken."
Ken Park bowed slightly, turned, and exited the room as silently as he had entered, leaving the Arch Duke alone once more with his thoughts and the rhythmic ticking of the clock.
The heavy oak door clicked shut, leaving Roy Ferrum enveloped in the weighted silence of his study. He didn't immediately return to the grain tariffs. His quill lay untouched. His gaze remained fixed on the sunlit window, but he wasn't seeing the meticulously manicured gardens beyond. He was seeing the events Ken Park had just laid out with such dispassionate clarity.
His brow, usually smooth with the calm authority of command, was furrowed in a deep, complex frown. It wasn't the simple frown of annoyance, nor the sharp frown of anger. This was the frown of conflicting data, of disrupted expectations, of a carefully constructed equation suddenly yielding an unexpected, possibly dangerous, result.
A public slap. Delivered by his heir. In the middle of the street. Followed by a lecture? Roy's lips thinned. Unseemly. Undignified. While the outcome – the dispersal of nuisances – was desirable, the method was crude, lacking the subtlety expected of a Ferrum. It smacked of impulsiveness, of drawing unnecessary attention. It courted risk, potential escalation, however minor. This direct, physical assertiveness… it wasn't the quiet, almost passive Lloyd he knew. It was irritatingly… bold.
And challenging Master Elmsworth? Publicly? In front of other students? Roy's frown deepened. Undermining a respected tutor, disrupting the established order of education… that bordered on arrogance. Radical ideas were inherently dangerous, destabilizing. Stability, predictability – these were the cornerstones upon which the Ferrum legacy was built and maintained. Lloyd's sudden foray into theoretical economics, however logically presented Ken claimed it was, felt like tossing stones into a placid, carefully managed pond.
Yet…
Beneath the disapproval, confusion swirled. Confidence? Lack of fear when facing down street toughs? Logical structure and conviction when debating resource management with a seasoned academic? Ken Park was not prone to exaggeration or misinterpretation. He reported facts. And the facts painted a picture utterly at odds with the Lloyd Ferrum Roy had been carefully, if perhaps disappointedly, grooming for a quiet, administrative future.
The arguments Lloyd presented to Elmsworth… Roy wasn't a fool. While tradition dictated otherwise, the raw logic of reducing transport costs, of ensuring long-term resource viability… it held a certain undeniable, if inconvenient, merit. Where had the boy acquired such insights? Was he merely parroting some radical text he'd stumbled upon? Or was this… genuine?
The frown wasn't just disapproval; it was the physical manifestation of cognitive dissonance. The Lloyd he knew – quiet, mediocre, compliant – simply did not fit these new data points. This sudden emergence of confidence, assertiveness, and sharp intellect felt… unnatural. Unsettling.