“Elena Kallis, for crying out loud, stand still. . .” We couldn’t help but snicker at Penelope’s muffled voice as we waited outside the dressing room, the tailor patiently waiting for them to finish so she could help refit if needed.
“Damn. Her full name, huh?” Eliot commented before Ellie’s giggles made us choke on our desire to laugh out loud again, but we knew better than to invoke Penelope’s wrath. He turned to me with his arms crossed, looking at me from above. “So, is that how you plan to greet me? Sitting down after so long?”
“Why?” I asked, a coy smirk showing as I stood up. “Would you like a hug?”
While I only intended to tease him a bit, Eliot surprised me when he stepped closer and hugged me firmly without hesitation. His hand tapped my back a few times before pulling back while still holding my shoulders, sighing in relief.
“I knew if anyone were to come back, it’d be you. It’s good to see you again, Brother.”
It was the first time I’d seen him smile so genuinely at anything unrelated to Penelope and Ellie, making me fluster a bit as he finally let go. For a second, I had completely forgotten where we were.
“T– thanks.” To think he’d gotten me to smile shyly right in front of him was unimaginably embarrassing. My right hand instinctively reached for my nape as I averted my gaze while the other hid inside a pocket. “It’s good they took me since you would’ve struggled to escape.”
My awkward teasing had me dying inside, but it couldn’t be helped as I wasn’t used to us talking casually, let alone hearing praise. After what happened, it’s only natural for our relationship to change, even if just slightly, but by how much was yet to be seen. While Penelope’s attitude toward me changed drastically as she no longer kept her distance or gave me the cold shoulder, it wasn’t as if we had clashed the same way Eliot and I did.
Who was I to say Eliot wasn’t simply being nice because of what happened and would return to how he usually treated me a few days later?
“Couldn’t take the smug bastard out of you even after all that, huh?” He chuckled, placing a hand on my shoulder with a smug smile of his own. “That’s where you’re wrong, Brother. Had it been me, I would’ve been back before sundown. You–”
Whatever expression I was making got him to stop talking, but I couldn’t help it as I heard him call me brother not once but twice in the past minute or two, something he hadn’t done since we were kids. The big difference, however, was that, for once, it wasn’t in a spiteful manner.
“You’re probably right.” I smilingly sighed while looking at the ground before my gaze flickered back to him. It was only then that I noticed he had gotten bigger, and the look in his eyes turned a bit more mature. Though, maybe it was just the black and red uniform he wore that made him look so much like our father. “Seems the Academy changed you a bit.”
“Did it?” He asked, placing his hands on his hips, looking at himself. “Well. . . maybe–”
“Eliot?” Penelope interrupted our conversation after seeing him standing beside me while peeking through the red curtain. “You’re here!”
There it was, an endearing bright smile that made me envious of Eliot in the past, one that I never got to see until recently. Whenever she wouldn’t see him for a while, be it a day or a month, Penelope always welcomed him, overwhelmed with excitement. In that regard, she was similar to our youngest, who could’ve likely picked it up from her. After all, Ellie always wanted to be like her big sister.
“Brother!” Ellie yelled, rushing out of the dressing room and beating Penelope to the punch by leaping into Eliot’s arms. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as he spun her around. “I’ve missed you!”
“I was wondering where you were hiding, Princess.” Eliot stopped spinning, holding her up with one hand while the other messed with her hair, making her giggle. Looking at them now, I’d realized just how much I almost lost that day. It warmed my heart to see us all together again. I couldn’t have asked for more. “Have you been good while I was away?”
“The bestest!” Ellie claimed, tightening her grip around Eliot’s neck until he finally set her down.
Penelope waited patiently before approaching for a hug, snuggling into him with a winsome smile and eyes closed as they were finally reunited after being apart the longest they’d ever been. His hand gently cupped the back of her head before kissing her forehead. It was only then that I realized just how much they looked alike.
Waiting with her lips pressed together and cheeks puffed with air, Ellie averted her gaze in a desperate attempt to mimic her sister, trying her best to wait patiently for the two to separate as she was dying to ask Eliot a question. It was adorable watching her feet wiggling back and forth while holding the skirt of her forest-green dress.
Thinking I’d help her out, I cleared my throat, nudging my head toward our youngest as soon as the siblings turned their gaze toward me.
“What is it, Ellie?” Penelope asked, soft-spoken as usual when talking to her.
Knowing Eliot was watching, Ellie spun in place, making her dress flutter. “Wanted to know what Brother thought of my dress.” Her cheeks turning red melted my heart as she waited for Eliot to say something.
“It’s a perfect fit! I don’t think another dress will ever be able to match it,” Eliot said, patting her head while still holding Penelope with his left arm. “Want us to get it for you?”
Elena’s excitement died in an instant as she let out a sigh and rolled her eyes.
“You’re just saying that because you want us to leave. . .” Ellie had him all figured out, but the guilt soon transferred to me as her gaze turned. “You’re all the same. Humph!”
Penelope started snickering, making things worse.
“Umm. . .” Eliot awkwardly mumbled, desperately trying to think of something to say while I pocketed my hands and averted my gaze upward, pretending to be innocent. Honestly, it was hard not to laugh in a situation where a nine-year-old had two adults struggling to make an excuse.
“Told you,” Penelope agreed with her, letting go of Eliot before approaching Ellie and crouching down. “But you know. . . they’re right. It does suit you and would match well with my dress. We’d be showing everyone how close we are if we wore matching outfits.”
“Really?” Ellie’s disappointment quickly turned into excitement as Penelope reassured her what she said to be true. “Then. . . would you like something like that?”
Ellie’s shy smile softened Penelope’s gaze before she gently poked our youngest’s nose with her finger, catching a glimpse of her eyes. “If I didn’t, then I wouldn’t have suggested it, now would I?”
Ellie’s eyes sparkled as she grabbed Penelope’s hand, dragging her toward the dressing room. “Then we’ll take it!”
“Alright.” Penelope chuckled, standing up and allowing Ellie to guide her.
“I don’t know how she does it, but it just makes me wonder why we’re here in the first place,” I said to Eliot, sighing through a coy smirk.
“Why are you asking me?” He laughed, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall while looking toward the closed curtain. There was a moment of silence between us as we ran out of things to say, but strangely enough, it wasn’t awkward. The idea of asking a question or two about the Academy came to mind, but he beat me to it. “Hey. . . Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah?” I furrowed my brows, oblivious to what made his voice drop suddenly.
“How’d you do it?” He looked at me before sitting down. “How’d you escape?”
“Oh. . .” I chuckled awkwardly. “Well. . . It’s a bit of a long story, but it essentially comes down to a stroke of luck, as I can now use magic, just like you.”
“You lifted your curse?!” He raised his voice, covering his mouth afterward, realizing how loud he was. Slowly moving the hand away, he whispered, “You lifted your curse?”
“I heard you the first time.” Leaning back with my arms crossed, I chuckled while looking around. Noticing that there was nobody around to listen in on our conversation now that the tailor was in the dressing room with the girls, I felt comfortable explaining. “Hmm. . . It turns out it wasn’t a curse but an unknown seal placed at birth. A mage imprisoned in the same cell as I helped me form a mana core, allowing me to escape. But yeah. . . I can use magic now.”
“Who’s the mage?” Eliot stared at me intently.
“Amon, but that’s all I know about him.” Letting out a sigh, I rubbed the itch in my right eye. “Not that it matters since he died helping me. . .”
“Oh. . .” Eliot averted his gaze before a smile appeared on his face. “So we have him to thank. No wonder you’re carrying yourself more confidently now.”
“Is it that noticeable?” I raised an eyebrow, thinking I wasn’t acting any differently.
“You kidding?” Eliot chuckled. “Others might’ve not told you, but you look. . . calmer?”
His comment made me think back, but the more I thought, the more his words rang true. Escaping Tartarus and surviving Fane’s torture, while traumatizing, did help me view the world differently. Some things would’ve troubled me in the past while in the Capital that I couldn’t even think of anymore as they seemed so trivial, and training with Alice tremendously boosted my confidence. It was as if I felt safe knowing I had what was needed to defend myself.
“I guess a lot happened along the way.” My gaze turned to our sisters, who had left the dressing room and were busy purchasing the dress. “But my journey’s just starting.”
“Journey?” Eliot worriedly asked, probably thinking I was going to run off again.
“You won’t believe it, but Father agreed to send me to the Academy alongside Penelope. So I guess I’ll be seeing you there.” Considering how our conversation unfolded, I was expecting him to look happy, but when I looked back at him, there was a clear sign of shock. It immediately made me doubt his attitude toward me up until now, as the idea of him hating me for tagging along with his sister when he believed he’d be alone with her at the Academy suddenly felt believable. While awkwardly chuckling, I asked, “Everything alright?”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Alex, don’t go to the Academy.” He lowered his voice again without looking back.
“What?” I asked, caught up in my idea. “Why?”
“Look. I’m glad you’re doing great, but the Academy–” He paused, taking a deep breath. “It’s not a safe place for someone like you.”
“What do you mean?”
Whatever the reason, it made no sense for him to warn me and not Penelope. If anything, I believed I had proven myself capable by returning home safely from such a dark place.
“Listen. . . The students there are vicious. Much worse than the pesky nobles you’ve encountered back home. If they learn you’re an illegitimate child, you’ll never hear an end to it.” Scratching his head, he finally looked back at me. “Sorry. I didn’t want to say it like that, but I already failed to protect you once, so please. . . don’t ignore my warning. Stay home. Rest. You know Ellie would be thrilled to have you by her side.”
“Pff. . . I can handle that much.” My voice remained calm, but his words, despite being said with good intentions, still struck a nerve.
“You don’t understand–” He paused, realizing he was going to raise his voice again. “It’s dangerous. . .”
“I appreciate the warning, but there’s nothing that’ll stop me from going.”
“But–”
“Eliot,” I cut him off sternly, staring back into his eyes. “My mind’s made up. Besides. . . I made a promise.”
“A promise?” I could tell he was confused and worried, but nothing he could say would change my decision, and I think he knew.
“What are guys talking about?” Penelope asked, interrupting our conversation as they finished purchasing the dress.
“Oh, nothing. Just a brotherly chat,” I explained. “Right, Eliot?”
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand Eliot’s troubled look, but it wasn’t as if I’d let that get in my way. The idea of missing out on being reunited with Alice and studying alongside them about magic because of some brats that would dislike me for not being a pure blue blood was honestly laughable. However, it made me question if Eliot suddenly became overprotective or if he simply lacked confidence in my ability to handle them.
“Right.” Eliot went along with me, but Penelope didn’t look convinced.
“Is that so?” She asked, grabbing Ellie’s hand. “We should head back. The auction starts in a few hours.”
Penelope took the lead, giving me a chance to whisper quietly to Eliot. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
Eliot refrained from saying anything, silently looking at me before leaving the shop.
----------------------------------------
It was a bit surprising to hear that the Weltons wouldn’t be joining us at the Auction House, and as if things weren’t looking great for me already, the management had someone escort us to our balcony seats overlooking the central stage. We were joining the Royal Family as their guests, so I avoided having to sit next to the flocking nobles below that were absorbed in the murmur. Unfortunately for Penelope, that meant having to deal with Prince Damien again.
Before I could choose a seat, I felt Penelope’s touch as she latched onto my arm without saying a word. Penelope seemed to be looking for a good spot for us to sit, one that would keep Prince Damien away.
“You okay?” My gaze dropped to her hands that held me.
“Yeah,” she whispered before her eyes locked onto mine. “Does. . . your offer still stand?”
Before I answered, the heavy boots marching toward the door warned us of the King’s arrival. However, I was more focused on Penelope’s request, which took me by surprise as I would’ve expected her to ask Eliot for help.
“Always,” I reassured her with a smile on my face as the King made his appearance along with his wife and their second son.
“Thanks.” She tightened her hold, and I could sense Eliot peeking at us.
Following in Father’s footsteps, Eliot immediately went to greet the King; meanwhile, Penelope and I simply greeted them respectfully before choosing our seats. Sadly, things didn’t exactly go as planned as our decision backfired by sitting in a corner, inspiring the parents to stay on the right while the children stuck to the left. Luckily, I had Penelope sit on the edge, so Prince Damien was forced to sit beside me if he wanted to be even remotely close to her. As for Eliot, he decided to stick with Ellie, who had to sit next to our mother. Of course, he did it knowing he’d be as close as possible to Father and the King, so he had a chance to overhear their conversation. Next time, I was going to wait for everyone to sit first before picking a spot, a valuable lesson learned for the future.
The auction soon began without us saying a word to each other. Most things ranged anywhere from a few dozen silver to hundreds of gold, auctioning ingredients, scrolls, potions, weapons, and other wonderous items.
“Anything in particular you’re looking for, Alexander?” The Prince asked, starting a conversation with me voluntarily for the first time.
While his blue eyes were looking at me, they were really looking past me and glancing at Penelope. Had she not asked, I would’ve moved away as it felt awkward sitting between them. However, it still beat having to be among people who had found joy in humiliating a child with degrading comments regarding his birth. Despite knowing their hate wasn’t aimed at me per se and was instead targeting the Welton’s reputation, it still hurt to hear, no matter how hollow their words were.
“Not really, Your Highness. I’m merely going to observe since I know little about magic.”
“Luckily, your sister is a prodigy.” He shamelessly looked at her before returning his attention to the central stage. “It seems you’re closer than the rumors claimed.”
“She just missed me because she thought I was dead.” While I was trying to rationalize for the Prince why he was getting cucked out of a chance to talk to her, Penelope didn’t take a liking to what I said, digging her nails into my forearm. Realizing my mistake, I cleared my throat, following up with, “That being said, rumors are just rumors, right? I’m just lucky to be alive.”
“Maybe, but no matter how I look at you, I can’t help but admire how you escaped from the chains of fate.” Hearing him compliment me was just about the last thing I expected.
Whenever people talked about Prince Damien, his eloquence came up. Not only was he described as a capable leader and an intelligent man, but he also had a way with women. Obviously, that wasn’t enough to grab Penelope’s attention as she always avoided stuff like that, and I’m sure countless women would berate her for refusing his advances. Penelope never cared for such things and always did as she pleased as long as it didn’t harm the family, an attitude I could very much get behind.
Honestly, though? I didn’t see it. To me, he looked like a prideful idiot who didn’t know how to take a hint and just became a nuisance as time passed, but that didn’t necessarily mean he had a bad character. Before I formed such an opinion, we at least needed to talk a few times and share our views. Still, harboring suspicion against him wasn’t helpful when it came to forming any sort of relationship.
“Are you perhaps referring to the rumors about me?” I asked, knowing the mana curse was a prominent topic more than once within the Royal Palace.
“Were they truly rumors?” Prince Damien caught me off guard with his confidence.
“I. . . I guess you’re right.” A chuckle escaped me as I kept looking at him, wondering what was going through his head.
“I apologize. I only intended to compliment someone who did what others thought impossible.” His tone softened while his gaze narrowed as if sorrow and disappointment swept him away, adjusting the way he sat in the cushioned chair. “After all, I’m someone who’s familiar with the feeling of helplessness as the chains around my soul tighten with each passing day.”
“Are you perhaps referring to the line of succession?” I dared ask, looking intently for any hints that might solve the mystery of who was behind the ambush. To think he gave me such an invaluable chance all on his own without me raising suspicion.
“Can you keep a secret?” He asked, turning his gaze back to me as we both ignored the ongoing bidding war for a sword imbued with arcane runes.
“Depends on the secret.” Our eyes locked as the surrounding murmur deafened on its own.
“I admire your honesty.” He chuckled, breaking the eerie silence. “You see, Alexander, I always wanted to be a mage when I was a child, but seeing as I was born a prince and one without any talent for magic, the furthest I’ve gotten was forming a core at the age of nineteen.”
“I didn’t know anyone from the Royal Family had a mana core after the late King.”
“Hence it being a secret.” We kept staring at each other, neither willing to look away. “Sadly, our grandfather’s talents abandoned us, but unlike my brother, who didn’t even attempt to form a core, I tried my hardest. However, reality isn’t as kind.”
While my knowledge was vastly limited when compared to Penelope’s, I still knew that forming a core at nineteen likely meant he’d struggle to reach the second circle, let alone higher. Sadly, while hard work was necessary to succeed, it didn’t guarantee it, no matter how hard one wished otherwise.
“Might I ask why the Crown Prince didn’t even try?”
“There were two main reasons. He couldn’t sense mana despite being of age, and he had other things to do with his time. Being a Prince isn’t all it’s made up to be.”
It was the first time I somewhat sympathized with Prince Damien, but even though he showed no signs of being the one responsible for my kidnapping, I still held onto my suspicion. It wasn’t hard to believe that someone would commit atrocities for the sake of power. Of course, such claims without proof were a good way of getting beheaded, so while his position in the hierarchy provided some form of cover, it also put him as a first suspect whenever something suspicious happened.
“The way I see it, you’re just as lucky,” I said, looking back at him. “Though you may not become the next greatest archmage, you’re still born into a position of power.”
“I’m just the Second Prince.”
“There’s no such thing as just the Second Prince, Your Highness. How many lives do you think you could improve by helping your brother when he becomes King? Remember, wielding great power doesn’t make a great man, but the actions he commits during his life.”
“What an intriguing way of looking at things.” He finally broke eye contact, returning his attention to the stage with a smile. “I like it.”
After that, Prince Damien stopped talking to me, making it hard to bring back the topic again. The auction after that continued, and Penelope finally took an interest in something, a rare mana crystal Father didn’t hesitate to purchase.
“Alex,” Father called my name. “Is there anything that caught your interest?”
“He needs a sword,” King Edward got involved, bursting into a hearty laugh that nobody dared comment on despite it echoing through the entire auction hall. “Every warrior needs a sword.”
“Control yourself, dear,” Queen Olivia said, letting out a sigh that made us all snicker.
“Did I say something wrong?” King Edward kept laughing.
“Alexander?” Father asked again.
“Not really, if I’m being honest. But maybe Penelope could help me choose something.”
“We’re not even halfway through, so there’s bound to be something,” Penelope said, carefully observing every item that came up. “Don’t worry. I’ll be on the lookout for something that fits you.”
“Thanks.” I smirked, leaning back.
All the novels I’ve read that had the characters attending such auctions always had them spot something unique, something nobody else knew was valuable. It made my expectations quite high, but I soon realized how bullshit their descriptions were. If anything, I had a hard time recognizing the difference between items of similar nature, forcing me to rely on descriptions given by the auctioneer. Luckily, Penelope offered her much-appreciated help, granting me the luxury of taking it easy.
Time felt like it slowed down as the auction dragged on. Even sitting still started becoming uncomfortable. My focus dwindled with each passing moment, only returning after someone opened the door behind us.
I couldn’t see his face clearly as he approached from behind, leaning down next to Prince Damien’s ear while grabbing hold of his left shoulder. Based on his hands alone, my guess was he was in his late forties, but that was a wild claim to make.
“Your Highness,” he said before beginning to whisper with his other hand covering his mouth.
I tried focusing on what he was saying, but my attention was averted when Penelope suddenly tightened her grip on my arm.
“Penelope?” I turned to look at her but was shocked to see surprise written all over her face.
Her eyes were wide open, and her hand began trembling, looking as if she saw a ghost.
“That voice. . .” Penelope mumbled, slowly turning her head.
Chapter End.
Thank you for reading.