*****

The carriage bearing the barony's coat of arms departed from the manor. Sir Max sat on the driver's seat, his armor glinting under the pale moon's glow as he whipped the horses with an anxious grimace.

Inside, the two women and the crying kid trembled, trepidation painted on their faces.

"What's happening?" Asked Alina, her voice quivering, overwhelmed by the abrupt shift in their peaceful lives. Everything had been so perfect. Yet, like a dream, her sense of reality began to crack, threatening to shatter at any moment.

It was even truer, considering she had been chatting with Eleanor over the pleasant aromas of tea and late-night snacks when Lucius barged into their room, asking about Julius' whereabouts. His urgent tone didn't register at first. But when he ordered them to wait for him in the hall before scrambling away like a madman, apprehensions gripped her heart.

Confused and fearful, she steeled herself and remained composed despite her heart hammering against her chest.

Fortunately, Elanor knew more than she did. Holding the curtain with a shaking hand, the baroness gazed at the shrinking manor. With quivering lips, she muttered, "The accursed bastard returned to take revenge on his father."

'Who?' Alina thought, narrowing her left eye pensively. Eleanor wouldn't call her own son a cursed bastard, and Lucius' firstborn died years ago. 'Just what is happening...'

As her mind raced through a fog of mysteries, the carriage jolted along the bumpy road. The steady beat of the horse's hooves echoed on the stones in the quiet night.

A moment later, Julius' voice shattered the silence. Tremors shook his slumped shoulders, and tears gushed down his cheek as he cradled his brother's unconscious frame. A soul-shattering sadness engulfed his heart, causing his thoughts to swirl incoherently.

"Sniff... It's over. Big brother is dying, and no one can help him now..."

The trees they passed cast ominous shadows on his face as Alina glanced at her son worriedly.

"Julius, what are you talking about? You already mentioned that earlier. Wasn't your big brother an imaginary friend?" She asked, afraid to hear the truth she had been suspecting for a while.

Upon hearing her call him imaginary in his disturbed mental state, he snapped at her. He had always helped their family, putting their needs at the top of his priority list. Yet, they kept calling him imaginary. He knew his brother didn't want to expose himself. But he couldn't endure this situation anymore, especially now.

"He is not imaginary!" he roared, his voice cracking with raw emotions in a mix of grief and boiling frustration. "He's a ghost only I can see and hear and has helped us from the shadows for as long as I can remember. He looked after and instructed me, cleaned the house and helped Grandpa Theodore brew potions. Grandpa knew about him as well. For a few years, he communicated through me, using my finger to write with..."

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Slap

A resounding slap echoed inside the carriage, forcing him into silence as he held his cheek in disbelief. His eyes enlarged as he looked at his mother's raised hand and felt the stinging sensation. It was the first time in his life she had ever struck him. Then, he gazed at her downcast expression and sadness-filled eyes as tears welled in them.

"How untrustworthy did the two of you consider me? How could you hide this secret for so long?" Alina's voice trembled with hurt and betrayal. She immediately realised her son's big brother's identity: the ghost who communicated with her and Theodore using dust and ash.

She had always wanted to thank the ghost properly after he disappeared. What a joke! He had never left and continued to improve their living conditions day after day, silently, without asking anything in return.

"Explain everything from the beginning!" Alina ordered, her commanding voice leaving no room for negotiations or rebuttals. Yet, behind the strong facade, her turmoil was still apparent. After all, Julius had been lying to her his entire life.

Shaken by Alina's tone and his thoughts back in place after the slap, he began recounting the stories of an old apothecary, a ghost, and a young boy, detailing their lives and plans to join the barony.

"He asked us not to tell you anything, to let you live your life in peace, unrelated to ghosts, magic and paranormal things as he had promised."

Julius ended his recollection, feeling a hint of guilt. No matter the reason, it was correct that he lied to his mother for years.

"In other words, you three devised a strategy... to deceive us," Eleanor said suspiciously, her wary gaze scanning the duo.

"We didn't! We planned to deliver our part of the deal. I have never seen my big brother lie," Julius insisted, feeling wrongly accused.

"I can guarantee that making a deal with him can only benefit you." Alina chimed in, a deep frown covering her forehead. She hated to hear her benefactor labelled a scammer.

Eleanor hesitated, torn between doubt and trust, her gaze lingering on Julius and Alina.

'To think that everything was arranged, and we danced in the palm of his hand...' She thought, a mysterious smile gracing her lips.

Little did she know that nothing of the sort was planned. Adam's actual goal was for Julius to show enough mastery over mana to become an apprentice knight. Afterwards, the boy would sneak into the library as often as possible to allow his brother to learn new magical knowledge.

'His plan-making abilities are even scarier than Gaston's, that devious bastard.' She saw in him incredible potential but also a terrible threat if not handled properly.

As she pondered, Alina turned to her son. Now that she caught up on the events, she asked, "Why did you say he was dying?"

"No matter what I do, I can't wake him up. It's the first time I have seen him like this," Julius said, finally explaining the source of his anguish, his voice trembling as his worry resurfaced.

"Maybe he needs to rest to heal his soul? I remember it had been wounded seven years ago." Alina theorised, an icy shiver running down her spine as memories of the terrifying night resurfaced.

"I don't think that's the reason. Is he fading or blinking?" Eleanor asked, a subtle yet bizarre apprehension mixing in her voice.

Julius scrutinised his brother from head to toe before answering, "No. His form is the same as usual."

"He shouldn't be dying then. Let's wait longer before envisioning the worst," Eleanor said, reassuring Julius and Alina.

While they were discussing Adam's condition, the carriage's wheel screeched on the pavements, slowing down before coming to a stop. Shaken by the sudden halt, the confused passengers stuck their heads out the window to see why.

On the road, they saw an armored man walking. His guilt-filled face cast downwards as remorse flooded his mind.