"Duke. Apprentice at the Colin Workshop."
Duke gave a gentlemanly nod as he gently released Caitlyn's hand after a light shake. Caitlyn gave him a curious look, studying him briefly before remarking casually, "So you're from Mr. Colin's workshop? That makes you part of Orianna's household, then."
She tugged on her sleeves, then added with a smile, "Looks like Mr. Colin really trusts you. He actually brought you along to witness a council hearing?"
"Skilled people are welcome anywhere," Duke replied with a casual shrug, sounding nonchalant. "I just showed a little bit of my talent, that's all."
Colin bringing him to the council was proof that he saw potential in Duke. The boy's recent experiment had impressed him deeply, even if it was just a bold gamble. And grooming Duke might just be Colin's own leap of faith.
"Seems like you couldn't stand the atmosphere in there either, huh?" Caitlyn leaned against the window, turning to look outside.
Duke glanced at her profile and responded indifferently, "Everyone's too rigid. Stubborn. They only care about what's right in front of them, with no thought for the bigger picture or the future."
"What about Jayce?" she asked.
"Jayce?" Duke tapped his chin with his pen, tilted his head back toward the ceiling, and scoffed. "A reckless fool with more guts than brains."
"Reckless? Fool?" Caitlyn tilted her head, frowning a little. She and Jayce were on decent terms, and Duke's blunt words rubbed her the wrong way.
"Let me hear your reasoning."
"He acted too rashly. If he'd just bowed his head a little, played nice in front of the council, he might've gotten another chance down the road. There's no shame in a temporary retreat, you lie low, build your strength, then return with real results to blow them all away."
"But sadly, the timing just wasn't on his side. He lacked that one stroke of luck."
"Even if he had pretended to surrender publicly and regrouped in secret, it would've been something."
"You've got a dangerous mindset, Duke." Caitlyn leaned closer, eyes fixed intently on him.
Duke just smiled. "On the path of science, the ones who make it big are often the misfits, the ones who break the rules and dare the impossible."
"Sometimes, all it takes is one act of impulse to change the future."
"It's clear Jayce had the impulse... he just didn't have the opportunity."
"So what do you think will happen to him?"
Still scribbling equations and formulas in his notebook, Duke replied without lifting his head, "Worst case? He gets exiled from Piltover."
"But considering the Professor is backing him, and his mother's still got influence, and even Councilor Mel didn't push too hard… he'll probably just be grounded at home and stripped of his Academy status."
"Who's 'the Professor'?"
Duke's pen froze for a second. He'd accidentally blurted out Heimerdinger's nickname. Without missing a beat, he tapped Caitlyn on the forehead with his pen and chuckled. "Take a guess."
"You've got some nerve," Caitlyn teased. "Heimerdinger is one of Piltover's founders, you could even call him the Father of Progress. If anyone hears you giving him nicknames like that, you'll be in trouble!"
"Relax. Heimerdinger wouldn't care. To him, we're just a bunch of cute kids. He's over 300 years old and probably thinks we're amusing. He might even laugh at the nickname himself."
Duke really didn't care. The Professor wasn't the kind of person hung up on formalities. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken Ziggs as an apprentice.
Speaking of which, where was Ziggs, anyway?
If Heimerdinger had been here for centuries… what about Ziggs?
Did Riot forget to write him in?
Damn.
Duke scratched his head with the end of his pen. The Arcane storyline was a sort of alternate universe, after all, most of the focus had gone to Vi, Jinx, and of course, Viktor and Jayce. Caitlyn had a role too, of course. But still… there was a lot left unexplored.
"Whatever. I'll just ask when I see him. Hopefully that little maniac won't lob a Q at me out of nowhere..."
He shook his head, refocusing on his calculations. Caitlyn noticed the shift in his expression and casually kept up the small talk as they stood side by side.
Before long, loud voices echoed from above. Colin and Orianna had come down from the upper level. When Colin saw Duke chatting with Caitlyn, he paused momentarily.
"That your boy?" asked a well-dressed older woman approaching Colin.
"Lady Gilamann." Colin bowed slightly and removed his hat. "Good day."
"Good day to you, Mr. Colin."
"He's my apprentice," Colin explained. "Talented and imaginative. That's why..."
"No wonder you brought him to the council hearing," Lady Gilamann said approvingly. She glanced toward Caitlyn and Duke, deep in conversation, and a thoughtful look crossed her face.
Jayce was finished. They'd need someone new to take his place.
It might seem cold, but such decisions were essential for elite families. A boy that had Colin's endorsement had to be talented, and young, which made him easier to mold. He was worth a gamble.
"When you get the chance, bring him by my estate. Young people should broaden their horizons."
Lady Gilamann offered a polite nod and added, "If you'll excuse me, Mr. Colin."
"Goodbye, Lady Gilamann."
"Until next time."
As Caitlyn followed her mother away, Duke closed his notebook and approached Colin.
"Looks like you're in luck, Duke."
The unexpected comment made Duke scratch his head in confusion. He turned to Orianna, who responded with a glance that said it all.
"Lady Gilamann just invited us to her estate, for your sake."
"Oh."
Duke understood instantly. With Jayce out of the picture, they were shifting their bet. And now, he had just happened to step into the spotlight at the right moment. With Colin's backing, they were ready to invest in him.
"Well, I'll follow Mr. Colin's lead."
He wasn't about to bite the hand that fed him. Even if the Gilamanns showed interest, abandoning his current master would only backfire. People with questionable loyalty didn't get far, no matter how gifted.
"We'll talk about that later," Colin said, brushing the topic aside. As they entered the elevator, he reached into his coat and pulled out a coin pouch.
"Here."
"Is this my severance pay in advance, sir?"
Duke joked as he tossed the pouch in his hand. Colin grunted.
"I'm taking Orianna to a concert. If you go home, you'll probably just lock yourself up in that attic again."
"So this money…"
"Is for materials. Didn't you say you were working on combat boots?" Colin exited the council hall, cane in hand. Orianna and Duke followed closely.
"That's your material fund. Go buy what you need and start building your prototype."
"Once you've got a working model, people will really start paying attention."
"Understood, sir!"
As Colin and Orianna disappeared from sight, Duke weighed the pouch in his hand and smiled.
He'd been racking his brain about funding, and now, money had literally fallen into his lap.
"Colin really is too good to me. If I don't turn this into results, I'll be wasting his kindness."
"Money's easy to spend. Debts are hard to repay."
"I'm racking up quite a few now."
Duke rolled the pouch in his palm, feeling the coins shift with satisfying weight. He was tempted to blow it all in one go, but he held back. He still needed to buy supplies… and top up his system.
"I've got to find a good place to buy materials, cheap, and in bulk."
Tucking the pouch away, Duke walked with a spring in his step.
"Hopefully I can get a little kickback too."
"Now that'd be perfect."
"But before that… time to cash in that Wealth Value for a spin on the lottery."
"Wonder what kind of loot I'll get?"
Lost in thought, Duke blended into the crowd and gradually disappeared from view.