It was strange how everyone was treating the youngest Veilkerburst, the staff noted.
Word had spread among them about the impromptu meeting between the head of the Veilkerhurst, its right hand woman and the eldest Veiklerhurst children. Some have even noted that the youngest had thrown a temper tantrum at being excluded from the gathering, weeping from heartbreak. Some had claimed that the eldest son of the Veilkerhurst had hoisted him in the air, whispering something to the child that was terrifying. They could not ascertain as to what he relayed to the child, but it must have been so shocking as he promptly stopped crying.
It did not take long for many to figure out that the meeting had to do with the youngest. The other members of the immediate Veilkerhurst family had spilled out of the head's office, as if to enact a confrontation. The youngest Veilkerhurst escaped from the eldest clutches, though it was most likely that he allowed him the grace of keeping his life. All watched as he run from his family, disappearing from their presence with his tail between his legs. His family watched him flee, each wearing a varying expression of annoyance. The servants went back to their tasks when the members turned their harsh glares to them.
It was a relief that they went into the office, refraining from using harsh words--or in Brakus's case, fists--in order to discipline the servants. Though they most likely would face some repercussions for their staring. Still, it was an odd day at the Veilkerhurst residence.
Especially with the youngest being the center of the anomaly.
"But he was acting strange, the youngest." One maid, who claimed to be there espoused. "He did something strange with his face."
"What did he do?" Those who surrounded her had asked.
She shook her head, a frown on her face as she tried to describe the strange sight. "He molded it as if it were clay." There was a question mark at the end of her sentence showcasing her uncertainty.
"So he created an illusion." Someone in the audience assumed,
"No," another joined them. A butler who was on his way to the kitchen but was pulled in my the topic of discussion. "This was not unlike any illusion I have ever seen."
But for those who were not there and just listening, there was no other thing it could be. The youngest was able to create an illusion, albeit a cosmetic one, in order to antagonize the eldest Veilkerhurst son. They argued about their own drawn conclusions, yet they were not able to come to agreement.
"He has taken to creating random music and sounds whenever he enters a room," Brenna now joined the gossipy foray. "It is not consistent and the mistress is under the impression that he mostly does it to drive the target to either annoyance or madness."
The door to the office once again opened with force, startling the servants before they rushed away. Some peeked back over there shoulders to see the Veilkerhurst stalk out of the office. Brakus most likely in the direction of the training grounds, Prisclilla seeking sanctuary in her lab and Reilard towards the front entrance of the castle, not willing to spend a second more in the presence of his family. The head of Veilkerhurst and his right hand woman were the last to leave. The servants were not able to witness what they said to each other, once again murmuring their thoughts in suspicions to one another as they went to attend to their duties.
.....
"So the brat became more irritating," a soldier said, his other subordinates resting after a bout of training. Brakus had taken to using them as target practice. He would do this whenever he grew bored or was irked at the youngest Veilkerhurst. There was something different about the last few days. He had taken to running the men ragged, as if he was trying to achieve something. They had caught him murmuring something about "mana manipulations" and "sneaky brats". They were able to get a reprieve when the head stepped him to reel him back.
"Brenna said that he seems to no longer care if he pushed the other Veilkerhursts to the edge," one of the squires replied.
"Is he stupid?" Another questioned.
Before he could get an answer, they received a warning that the head was on his way. They rushed to get into formation so that they could greet him properly. Yet what met them was terrifying enough that they almost turned tail and ran.
Vlaus had a thunderous expression. One that was a rare occurrence and an unwelcome guest. This alerted the men that things had become more serious than they initially thought. When Vlaus had made certain that Brakus would keep to his temporary ban from the training grounds, until he could temper his brewing anger, he took over the sole duty of monitoring their soldiers. Though he was not as merciless as Brakus would be, the young boy more focused on tormenting them for his amusement, he did not go easy on them he did not run them into the ground. Something many were appreciative of. As hours passed, they dared to not make a peep as they ran through dozens of drills. When the head saw that they had finally reached their limit, he dismissed them. They were finally allowed to limp back to their quarters, wincing in pain while still avoiding the eyes of their commander.
Vlaus watched his men leave the training ground, dissatisfied that the drills brought little clarity to how to contend with his new burden. The task of gaining the youngest's "affection points". This has to be another attempt for the youngest Veilkerhurst to force his family to show favor to him. One that has no use within their residence.
Should he just oust him from his presence? It would stave off the constant headaches that have become a permanent companion since the birth of that child. He did not want to even entertain the thought of being under that child's spell. He had to get to the bottom of those unbidden messages. The one that exposed to him how vulnerable the youngest Veilkerhurst was. Vlaus was not the type to kill children. But if this new trait of the youngest was going to result in making the Veilkerhurst vulnerable...
He would have little choice but to end him.