"Each of them gets to choose the next Young Lord."
Ray raised an eyebrow. "What?!"
William nodded. "Yes, Young Master. Each year, everyone on the selection bench gets to cast one vote for their candidate. To become the Young Lord of the family, a candidate needs to secure 70% of the votes."
Ray grabbed his head. "Wait, so this is not the first time this meeting has taken place?"
William simply smiled at him.
Ray looked up at the plain white ceiling. This completely changed his understanding of the situation.
Earlier, he thought Aren was just a nuisance, but these people had not even included him in the meeting until after the trial. Were they that confident in Aren's demise during the trial?
Ray shook his head. No, this had to be related to some power struggle. The more he learned, the dirtier the situation became.
William pulled him out of his thoughts. "Young Master, we don't have much time."
Ray turned back to him. "How many of these meetings have already taken place, then?"
William ignored the question and said, "Young Master, you should stop worrying about that and focus on saving your position."
Ray looked at him with wide eyes. "My position? Don't tell me the elimination of a selection bench member is possible."
William shook his head. "No. Only the candidates' positions are not secure."
William looked down and rubbed his hands. "Young Master, there are many criteria on which every candidate is judged by others."
A wide grin formed on William's face as he looked back into Ray's eyes. "Let me tell you an interesting statistic from the past. The survival rate of candidates who lost their position on the bench is zero."
"Compared to them, those who remain on the bench and only lose to the next Young Lord always receive greater responsibilities."
Ray stared directly into William's eyes. He clearly understood the undertone of the threat.
Before he could respond, William added with a smile, "Young Master, you must be thinking, 'Increasing strength will not be a problem since you are about to join the academy.' Hehe, but only if everything were that simple."
Ray sighed internally. Aren might not know this, but Ray was well aware of the brutality of the upcoming academy.
William took his silence as success, and his tone shifted to that of a caring adult. "Young Master, to learn in the academy, you need a great deal of resources, connections, support, and several other things. I will say this clearly: your chances of survival there without a sponsor are very low."
Ray, acting as Aren, replied in a monotonous tone, "I want to live."
William frowned at the lackluster reaction, but the smile soon returned to his face. "No need to be tense, Young Master. My lady understands the problem you are in, and she does not want you to die. That is why she offers to sponsor you if you agree to follow the commands of your younger brother."
Unknowingly, a smile formed on Ray's face. 'You sure have an interesting mother, Aren,' he thought, almost saying it aloud.
He was never the sentimental type, but just listening to William made him feel pity for Aren.
In just the first two days, he had seen how Aren wanted to prove his worth to his family, and now that same family wanted him to become a slave.
Now he understood why Aren's mother did not care about her son.
Ignoring William, he mumbled to the blank wall, "Well, be grateful that I'm handling this mess for you."
William tilted his head. "What, Young Master?"
Ray smiled back at him. "Becoming a slave for my survival, is it?"
William shook his head. "Ah, it's not slavery. Young Master, you're just being a good older brother."
…
Inside, Aren was unable to control himself and started laughing wildly.
He had dreamed for so long of leaving that room, of gaining freedom, yet not even a day had passed, and he now had multiple death threats looming over him, along with an offer to become a slave.
He had always believed his mother was cold. No, he was wrong. His mother was not cold; she had warmth and maternal love, but it was simply not meant for him.
If only she had cared even a little, he might not have had to go through all of this.
Truly a laughable situation.
He wanted Ray to scream at William. There was no way he wanted to be trapped again. If the consequence was death, then so be it.
Unaware of Aren's turmoil, Ray remained calm. He understood that direct rejection was not an option here.
So he asked with a fake, reluctant expression, "Sir William, can you tell me why my brother needs me as his slave? I mean, I don't have any kind of power in the family, and even my life is barely hanging by a thread. What is the point of keeping me as a slave?"
William stared at him with a face full of questions and said, "Young Master, you really have a clear understanding of your situation."
That ticked Ray off. He wanted to scream, 'Didn't you just explain my worth to me a moment ago?' Still, he restrained himself as William nodded.
"Well, you are right. You don't have much to offer, but your position as a candidate on the bench is far more beneficial."
Ray shook his head, interjecting, "I have no interest in the Young Lord position. I only want to live peacefully. If you help me survive, I will vote for my brother and do my best to support him."
William's eyes widened for a moment. He stared at Ray for a long time, then shook his head. "Young Master, you can't back off. Didn't I tell you what happens to those removed from the selection bench?"
Ray sighed, having already expected that response.
The way William restated the danger without acknowledging his answer made it clear that William was not here for Aren.
More likely, he was here to test Aren's stepmother's side. From the start, all these choices had been nothing more than an illusion laid before him.
Understanding this, Ray decided to play along and said, "Well then, I would like to reject the offer, Sir William."
This time, William instantly stood up and bowed. "Very well. I will inform my lady of your response. I hope you are ready to face the consequences of your choice. See you soon, young master."
With that, William took one final look at him and walked out of the room.