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Chapter 21 - Chapter-21

The night before they were set to leave for the palace, Cael couldn't sleep.

The room was quiet. The wind gentle. The twins already curled around him, warm and soft like they always were—Viel's hand holding his shirt, Eryx's head tucked against his shoulder.

And yet... something heavy lingered in his chest.

He closed his eyes.

And the dream came.

It started like it always did.

The blood.

The sound of footsteps on the stone floor, slow and echoing, like a heartbeat.

Then the voice.

Soft. Familiar.

"I did it for you."

Cael turned in the dream, breath caught in his throat.

And there he was.

His brother.

Golden hair. Clear purple eyes. The same gentle smile he always wore, even when his hands were soaked in red.

Cael couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

His brother stepped closer, touched his cheek like he was still a child.

"I loved you more than anything," he whispered. "Even more than her."

Cael gasped awake.

His breath came in short bursts.

Sweat clung to his skin.

The room was dark. Still.

Except—

"Cael?" a soft voice called.

He turned his head.

Viel was sitting up, eyes wide with worry.

Eryx was already leaning over him, brows drawn tight. "You were dreaming."

"You looked scared," Viel whispered.

Cael blinked. His throat ached.

"...It was just a dream."

But the twins didn't stop looking at him.

So he sat up, letting the silence settle again.

And after a moment, he whispered, "It was about my brother."

Their expressions didn't change, but something cold flickered in their eyes.

Still, they said nothing.

So he kept speaking.

"We have same father," Cael said softly. "But he always treated me like I was his precious little brother"

He smiled faintly. "He taught me how to hold a sword. Used to steal sweets from the kitchen for me. Carried me on his back when I got sick once."

Viel's hand gripped the blanket tighter.

Eryx said nothing.

"I really admired him," Cael whispered. "He was smart. Gentle. Everyone love him and respect him"

He looked down at his hands.

"Even when everything fell apart, he still smiled at me."

"Where is he now?" Viel asked, voice quiet.

Cael hesitated.

Then he smiled, soft and sad.He buried him in his heart as he is no longer the same person that he know.

"...He's dead."

The twins didn't speak.

"I don't have any family anymore," Cael said, lying as easily as breathing. "So now, I just want a quiet life. Somewhere by the sea, maybe. A little garden. Somewhere peaceful."

Viel rested his head on Cael's arm.

Eryx leaned into his side.

"...We'll come too," Eryx whispered.

"You're not leaving us behind," Viel added.

Cael smiled faintly. "Of course."

He closed his eyes again.

In the heart of the capital, inside the grand manor of House Arveth, the air was heavy with disappointment.

The knights stood silent in the war room. Maps laid open, pins scattered, names circled, leads crossed out in red.

A soldier spoke carefully.

"We almost had him. The forest trail... a small house, hidden past the river bend. One of ours tracked someone fitting the description. Lived alone. But..."

"He slipped away."

The words dropped like a stone.

At the far end of the room, seated in silence, the Duke of Arveth lifted his eyes.

"Cael."

His voice was calm. Too calm.

He stood slowly.

Two years.

Two years, and his little brother had been running.

Two years of being treated like something to flee from.

It didn't matter.

Because Cael was still his.

The right-hand man, Reilan, let out a quiet sigh behind him. He knew this mood.

The Duke was calm now, but beneath that polished mask—

Obsession seethed.

Reilan had known it for years.

Ever since they were children.

Cael had been small then.

Too small for a sword. Always hiding behind his books. Always trailing behind his older stepbrother with those wide, wondering eyes.

"Brother, look what I made!"

"Brother, help me reach it!"

"Brother, stay with me tonight."

And the Duke—then just a boy of thirteen—never said no.

He brushed Cael's hair.

Carried him when he was tired.

Protected him like he was something delicate—something holy.

He smiled kindly.

He never raised his voice.

But if anyone made Cael cry, even once—

They disappeared.

There was one noble's son—rude, loud, spoiled. Mocked Cael's origins, called him a bastard.

The next day, he was found outside the estate.

Bruised. Shaking. Mute.

He never spoke again.

Reilan had seen it all.

The way the Duke would stare at Cael too long during dinners.

The way his hand would linger just a second too long when adjusting Cael's cloak.

The way he'd go still, silent, when Cael mentioned someone else with a smile.

It was never loud. Never violent.

But it was there.

Love twisted too tight.

Possession wrapped in silk.

"I miss you," Rowan murmured now, his fingers brushing over a silver ring Cael once gave him.

"You must be eighteen now... I wonder if you've grown taller."

He smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in it.

"You were always the cutest and always innocent "

Reilan said nothing.

Because what was there to say?

Everyone knew.

Everyone knew that Duke Arveth didn't want Cael like a brother.

He wanted him like a fever—something that burned, something that consumed.

And now that Cael was grown...

Now that he had run...

He never knew that Rowan was the one who stood between him and his mother's schemes.

Rowan killed her with his own hands—because she was Cael's target, and he couldn't bear to let Cael stain himself with murder.

"Find him," Rowan said softly. "Bring him home."

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