•adowlark Village, Festival Grounds •
[Ovelia’s POV]
We stepped out of the hushed, lantern-lit interior of the restaurant, and the festival hit us like a wave, instantly swallowing us in its vibrant chaos. The music was no longer a distant murmur but a vibrant, rhythmic pulse of music—a lively lody of fiddles, drums, and flutes that seed to vibrate in the cobblestones and wrapped tightly around us, threaded through with laughter, shouts, and the sizzle and pop of a dozen food stalls. A kaleidoscope of scents washed over us: sizzling ats, the sugary tang of spun candy, sweet candied nuts, pungent spices, frying oil, and the underlying scent of packed, sweating humanity. The crowd was a living, colorful river, a tapestry of townsfolk and visitors flowing between stalls lit by hanging lanterns that cast a warm glow on the sea of smiling faces.
"What should we do next?" Ray asked, his orange eyes scanning the bustling scene, a small smile playing on his lips. His monocle glinted as he took in the lively lane, his expression one of relaxed curiosity rather than tactical assessnt.
"I want to eat more," Gale declared, casually tossing a small leather coin purse into the air and catching it with a soft smack against his palm. He glanced at Ray. "Ray, can I still use your money?"
Ray looked at him, a faint smile touching his lips. "You don’t need to ask my permission. It’s yours now." The gesture was simple, but the trust it implied was profound.
"Thanks," Gale said, the word unusually sincere. He stuffed the purse into his pocket with a satisfied pat.
"Gale, you’re still not full?" Ann asked, her tone laced with disbelief.
"No," Gale stated flatly, shooting her a look that clearly said, What’s it to you? Mind your own business.
Ann simply rolled her eyes and turned her attention to , her expression softening instantly. "Lady Ovelia, is there anything you’d like to try?" Her smile was gentle, encouraging.
"Umm... I don’t know yet," I said, overwheld by the sheer number of options. My gaze drifted from a stall selling glazed fruits to another with steaming buns.
"Hey," Gale interjected, his voice sharp with mock offense. He pointed a finger between Ann and . "When it cos to Ovelia, you’re all sweet and helpful. But when you’re talking to , it’s like I’ve personally offended your ancestors." He crossed his arms. "Is it because I—"
"It’s because you are not Lady Ovelia," Ann stated flatly, cutting him off. "And you’re my... rival," she added in a whisper that was perfectly audible to all of us.
A brief, stunned silence fell over our little group. Gale blinked. I saw a flicker of sothing like surprise, then understanding, cross his face. They bickered constantly, but there was an odd, grudging rhythm to it. Were they actually... becoming friends? Just thinking about it, I couldn’t help but smile.
"You two are arguing again," Ray said with a weary sigh, though his eyes were amused. "We are here to enjoy the festival before we leave, rember?"
"Let’s play so gas first before we eat again," Ace suggested, his thumb rubbing a slow, soothing circle on the back of my hand where he still held it. The contact was steadying.
"Right," Ray agreed, clapping his hands together once. "Help digest all that food."
"Right there," Ace said, nodding toward a brightly lit ga stall a short distance away. A small crowd was gathered, laughing as people took turns throwing small, colorful wooden balls at a pyramid of stacked wooden cups.
"I can’t wait to play it!" I said, a genuine spark of excitent cutting through the lingering heaviness in my chest. It would be my first ti at a festival ga. I squeezed Ace’s hand as we began weaving through the crowd toward the stall.
[Gale’s POV]
I stopped walking. The cheerful noise of the nearby ga stall, the anticipation on Ovelia’s face, the whole idea of forced, frivolous fun... it grated against my mood. I wasn’t in the mood for forced rrint. Not after the psychic pest, not after the visions, not after rembering the cheating mutt who ran the last ga stall I played. My presence would only cast a grumpy shadow over their fun.
"I’m not coming," I announced.
Ovelia’s head whipped around, her happy expression faltering. "I’m going to stroll on my own," I said, making my tone deliberately dismissive. "Enjoy yourselves."
"What’s with this sudden attitude?" Ann asked, her brows drawing together.
I ignored her. I took a single, deliberate step away from the group, toward the relative quiet of the shadows.
"Gale, please don’t go." Ovelia’s voice was small, threaded with a sadness that was a physical tug in my chest.
My foot, poised for the next step, froze. I couldn’t lift it. Right. The damn geas. I couldn’t defy a direct order from my master. A fresh wave of resentnt, hot and familiar, washed over . I turned back, my movents stiff, and walked until I stood directly in front of her. I reached out and pinched her cheek, not hard, but firmly. "You idiot," I said, my voice low. "Take back what you said."
She scowled up at , trying to look tough despite the red mark on her pale skin. "I... don’t... want to," she insisted, her words stubborn.
"Gale, you’re—!" Ann started, stepping forward.
But before she could finish, Ace’s hand shot out. His fingers closed around my wrist and pulled my hand away from Ovelia’s face. The move was swift and decisive. Ovelia, Ann, Ray, and I all stared, shocked by the sudden intervention.
"You’re hurting her," Ace said, his voice a low, warning growl. His silver eyes were hard, but I could see the conflict in them—protectiveness warring with the knowledge that I wasn’t truly a threat.
I felt a sharp, dark grin spread across my face. "Ohh... another jealous expression." I couldn’t help it. Provoking him was a reflex, a petty revenge for the bond that chained .
I saw his jaw clench. His free hand curled into a tight fist at his side. For a second, I thought he might actually swing. But then he looked away, breaking eye contact. "Sorry," he muttered, the word barely audible over the festival din. It wasn’t a growl or a snap. It was a sincere, grudging apology, and its honesty disard completely.
Ray burst out laughing, a rich, genuine sound that cut through the tension like sunlight. "It’s like I’m babysitting four children," he said, shaking his head in amusent.
"Children...?" Ovelia whispered, looking adorably indignant.
"Hey, I’m older than all of you combined," I retorted to Ray, trying to claw back so shred of dignity from the situation.
"Then act like it," Ann said, her voice flat and unimpressed.
"Are you mocking ?" I snapped, turning my glare on her.
Then Ray stepped forward. In one fluid, casual motion, he threw a heavy arm around my shoulders, pulling into a sideways, brotherly hold that was impossible to escape without an undignified struggle. "Both of you, that’s enough," he said, his voice cheerful but firm. He leaned in, his mouth close to my ear, his whisper ant for alone. "Don’t try to distance yourself from us." The words were gentle, but the command in them was undeniable. "It feels like sothing’s missing without your particular brand of grumpiness around."
Was I that obvious? The thought was irritating.
"A rival is a rival," Ann stated matter-of-factly, still not looking directly at . "And you shouldn’t leave your master alone." The earlier teasing was gone; she sounded completely serious. She really did see as so sort of competitor for Ovelia’s attention.
"If you can’t walk on your own, let help you," Ray said with exaggerated cheer. Before I could process his words, he bent, slid an arm under my knees and behind my back, and scooped up into a bridal carry.
"RAY, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" I yelled, thrashing in his hold, my face burning with a mixture of fury and utter humiliation.
Ovelia and Ann both clasped their hands over their mouths, but it was useless. They burst into uncontrollable, gasping laughter, the sound bright and genuine and utterly mortifying.
"What a touching display of bromance," Ace comnted dryly from the sidelines, a rare, real, and infuriatingly wide grin spreading across his face.
People in the crowd had stopped to stare, pointing and smiling at the spectacle. Ray, still laughing, quickly set back on my feet. I stumbled, straightening my tunic with furious, jerky motions.
Without another word, scowling deeply, I turned and stalked toward the stupid ga stall, my ears burning. I could hear their footsteps and fading laughter following behind.
A part of , a small, confused part buried deep beneath layers of resentnt and exile, couldn’t understand them at all. This stubborn insistence on including , this bizarre tolerance for my temper, this... family. It made no sense. And that, more than anything, was quietly, terrifyingly unsettling.
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