167: Brothers 167: Brothers The Vaelorian mansion was cloaked in silence, its grand halls dimly lit by the faint glow of wall sconces.
The thick drapes had been drawn, allowing only slivers of moonlight to seep through, casting elongated shadows across the marble floors.
The air was heavy with the scent of aged wood and faint embers from the fireplace that had long since died out.
Elion strode through the front entrance, his steps eerily soundless despite the polished surface beneath him.
His dark coat hung over his shoulders, slightly damp from the mist that clung to the night air.
He exhaled, rubbing his temples as exhaustion gnawed at his mind.
The day had been long, his business far from resolved, and yet here he was, returning to a house that had felt increasingly unfamiliar since Raelynn’s arrival.
Elion stepped inside, his boots making a dull thud against the polished marble floor.
He exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders as exhaustion weighed down on him.
The trip had been longer than expected, and all he wanted was a mont of solitude—perhaps even rest.
But sothing felt off.
He had lived long enough to recognize the presence of another before seeing them.
It was an instinct, sharpened over years of survival, a gut feeling that sent his senses on high alert.
In the blink of an eye, he turned on his heel, his hand shooting forward to grab the collar of the intruder, slamming them against the cold stone wall.
A quiet chuckle broke the tense silence.
“Really, Elion?
What a warm welco for your dear brother.” Elion’s grip tightened for a fraction of a second before recognition set in.
His brows furrowed slightly, though his sharp gaze did not soften.
Reinhart smirked, tilting his head as if Elion’s aggressive greeting was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you missed .” Elion clicked his tongue in irritation before releasing him with a sharp shove.
Reinhart stumbled slightly but straightened himself, dusting off his coat with exaggerated movents.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Elion muttered, running a hand through his hair as he turned away.
“A surprise, I know,” Reinhart said, spreading his arms dramatically before plopping onto the plush couch.
He crossed his legs, resting his arm on the backrest as if he owned the place.
“But what timing, huh?
I barely arrived and here you are, returning at the sa ti.
Fate, don’t you think?” Elion shot him a sideways glance, clearly unimpressed.
“Unfortunate coincidence, more like.” Reinhart feigned a wounded expression, placing a hand over his heart.
“Oh, Elion, you wound .” Elion didn’t trust that answer in the slightest.
He exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose before shaking his head.
“Don’t even think about causing trouble while you’re here.” Reinhart pressed a hand to his chest, his expression overly dramatic.
“?
Trouble?
You wound , dear brother.” “Spare the theatrics,” Elion muttered, walking toward the sideboard and pouring himself a glass of whiskey.
He swirled the amber liquid before taking a slow sip, his silver eyes flickering toward his brother with suspicion.
“What are you doing here?” Reinhart sighed dramatically.
“Do I need a reason to visit my dear, beloved older brother?” Elion arched a brow.
“Yes.
Because the last ti you ‘visited,’ I had to clean up your ss for months.” Reinhart grinned unapologetically.
“Ah, well, to be fair, that was an accident.” Elion scoffed and took another sip.
“Right.
An accident that nearly started a war.” Reinhart waved his hand dismissively.
“Details, details.
But let’s not dwell on the past, shall we?” He grinned, then suddenly perked up as if rembering sothing.
“Oh, by the way, I noticed soone else interesting around here.” Elion already knew where this was going.
“Don’t.” Reinhart smirked.
“Oh, co on, I didn’t know Hera was here too.” Elion pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I said don’t.” Reinhart laughed, throwing his hands up.
“Fine, fine.
Let’s talk about the future.” Elion’s gaze darkened slightly.
“What are you getting at?” Reinhart leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“I hear congratulations are in order.” Elion stilled, lowering his glass slightly.
“And what exactly are you congratulating for?” Reinhart smirked.
“For making an uncle, of course.” Elion exhaled slowly, setting his drink down on the table beside him.
“So, I take it you’ve t Raelynn.” “t, observed, possibly annoyed—” Reinhart counted on his fingers before shrugging.
“She’s quite the interesting one.” Elion’s jaw tightened.
“What did you say to her?” Reinhart blinked, then grinned.
“Nothing too bad.
But I maaay have ntioned sothing I wasn’t supposed to.” Elion’s eyes flashed dangerously.
“Reinhart.” Reinhart imdiately raised his hands in surrender, leaning back against the couch with an innocent smile.
“Before you get all scary, I didn’t do it on purpose.” Elion sighed, rubbing his forehead.
“You never do anything on purpose.
And yet, trouble follows you like a shadow.” Reinhart chuckled.
“Ah, but isn’t life more fun that way?” Elion shot him a glare so cold that Reinhart wisely shut his mouth and stood up.
“Well, it’s late,” he said, stretching again.
“I should head to bed.
You know, beauty sleep and all that.” Elion’s stare remained unyielding.
Reinhart took a step back, then another.
Then— He bolted up the stairs.
Elion scoffed under his breath, shaking his head.
That idiot.
Still, the thought of what Reinhart might have told Raelynn left an unpleasant weight in his chest.
He had ant to return sooner, to tell her the truth himself, but things had not gone as planned.
If Reinhart had carelessly revealed sothing out of context, then Raelynn could be fuming right now.
Not that he could do anything about it at this hour.
Leaning back against the couch, he exhaled deeply, his mind already calculating how to deal with his reckless brother’s ddling.
For now, though, he muttered under his breath, “Reinhart better not do anything stupid.” And with that, he finally closed his eyes.
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