Reporter: Lyn Tolbert (Gen 11)
Subject: Tybalt Capp (Grand Duke / Addyson’s Husband)
Lyn: I’m standing in the Capp Manor, and the air is noticeably colder than it was in the parlor. I’m with Tybalt Capp. Tybalt, your wife Addyson is a Grand Duchess, which technically makes this house the highest-ranking property in the 48 households. Yet, your sister-in-law Alicia is running around like she’s the one wearing the crown. How do you handle having a self-appointed 'Empress' living in your guest wing?
Tybalt: (He doesn't answer immediately. His gaze flickers—sharp and reflexive—toward the heavy shadows of the West Wing staircase before returning to me.) Alicia is a guest. She is welcome to write her 'Charters' and organize her 'archives' as she sees fit. But she forgets that a Manor is held together by its foundation, not its paperwork.
Lyn: You seem... distracted. Every time the floorboards creak upstairs, you look toward that West Wing. Alicia says those rooms are for 'preservation.' If that’s true, why do you look like you’re guarding a prisoner every time I glance that way?
Tybalt: (He shifts his weight, blocking my line of sight to the stairs entirely.) The West Wing is private. Even for a 'Historian' with a blog. You’re here to talk about the lineage, Lyndsey. Stick to the living descendants in the parlor. Leave the rest to me.
Lyn: Beckett says Alicia hates children. You’re a father now—to little Leslie. Are you worried her 'Imperial' influence is going to rub off on your son, or are you more worried she’ll find something in this house that she can use to finally out-rank her sister?
Tybalt: (His hand tightens on the banister, his eyes drifting back to the stairs one more time.) Alicia can't out-rank the truth. And my priority isn't rank—it's protection. If I have to stand at the bottom of these stairs until the 12th generation is grown, I will. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the Grand Duchess is expecting me.
The Historian’s Tactical Sidebar:
The "Tell": Tybalt is a professional, but he has a major "tell." He looked at those stairs four times in ten minutes. He isn't worried about Alicia's decrees; he’s worried about someone up there making a sound.
The Sibling Rivalry: It’s confirmed—Alicia is working overtime because she can't stand being the "low-ranking" sister. Her "Empire" is a way to make herself the boss of a Duchess.
The Discovery: Tybalt didn't escort me to the door. He stayed at the foot of those stairs. He’s a sentinel. Whatever—or whoever—is in that West Wing, they are the secret heart of the 421-Sim tree.