A few days had passed.
And Athiel had progressed with Kree more than he expected.
First, thanks to his... odd night of forcing himself through that task.
He was able to obtain a human sample and compare it to Kree’s, and the results were exactly what he had suspected.
Kree’s sample and a human’s were... identical.
Sa composition.
Sa structure.
Under observation, there was no imdiate difference in appearance.
Except for one thing.
The density.
Athiel had compared equal amounts under the sa conditions, and Kree’s showed a noticeably higher count.
More active.
More abundant.
He leaned back slightly in his chair, tapping the end of his pen against the paper.
’More fertile,’ he concluded.
Or—
’Or I’m simply lacking,’ he thought, though the idea barely lingered.
He didn’t care much for human limitations.
They were irrelevant.
What mattered was the implication.
Kree could reproduce with a human.
That alone changed everything.
Athiel’s gaze drifted slightly as the thought expanded in his mind.
There had been hybrids before.
Animals and monsters, though rare.
So rare that even he had never successfully created one.
But humans?
Never.
Not once.
’But what if...’
He could see it.
Not just an experint.
A future.
A kingdom filled with sothing beyond ordinary humans.
Strength like Kree’s.
Adaptability.
Sothing new.
Sothing stronger.
A shift in power that no other kingdom could match.
And it would all trace back to him.
Athiel’s lips curved faintly.
’Endless possibilities,’ he thought.
But the thod—
That was the problem.
Right now, it was impossible.
He doubted any human would willingly participate.
And even for him—
It crossed a line.
Not one he couldn’t cross.
But one that required planning.
Docuntation.
Authority.
’If this is to move forward, it needs to be sanctioned,’ he decided.
Which ant one thing.
The royal family.
Whether he liked it or not, they controlled everything related to monsters.
They always had.
They were the reason monsters beca what they were in the kingdom.
Years ago, when the kingdom had been on the verge of collapse, it was monsters that changed everything.
Discovered by chance.
Marketed as rare creatures.
Sold.
Displayed.
Turned into sothing valuable.
Now the kingdom thrived because of it.
And the royal family had never let go of that control.
Institutes.
Researchers.
Trade.
Everything.
Athiel’s mother had been part of that world.
A researcher.
One of the early contributors.
That was how she t his father.
Two powerful families.
Knowledge and wealth.
rged into one.
Athiel lowered his gaze back to his notes.
The ink had started to smudge slightly where his fingers rested.
"H-Hello..."
Athiel looked up.
Kree stood in front of him, staring down with that sa expression.
Uncertain.
Quiet.
Sothing in it almost looked like sadness.
Athiel said nothing.
He simply stared back for a mont before returning his attention to his work.
He was punishing Kree again.
The fifth ti this week.
For the sa reason.
’I should have soone make proper clothing for it,’ Athiel thought, shaking his head slightly. ’At least then I could establish so form of control.’
Because even if Kree wore sothing—
It wouldn’t solve the problem.
Ever since Athiel had taken that sample, Kree’s behavior had changed.
More restless.
More reactive.
And worse—
Expectant.
As if it had learned sothing from the interaction.
As if it now anticipated it.
Athiel had no intention of reinforcing that.
Every ti Kree showed that expectation, Athiel responded the sa way.
Punishnt.
Followed by silence.
Two things Kree seed to dislike the most.
"H-Hello... Master...?"
Athiel let out a quiet sigh, setting his pen down as he looked up from his papers. "Now, how can I ignore you when you’re stringing words together like that?"
The words ca out clearer than before.
Not perfect, but close enough to be understood without effort.
That alone was progress.
Teaching Kree had taken more ti than he liked to admit.
Repetition, correction, and a careful balance between punishnt and reward. It was slow at first, frustrating even, but eventually Kree began to pick things up.
Basic words.
Simple responses.
Enough to form sothing that resembled communication.
Athiel leaned back slightly in his chair, studying him.
’At least that part is working,’ he thought.
He had expected resistance. Confusion. Sothing closer to the other specins.
But Kree adapted.
Quickly.
Quicker than anything Athiel had worked with before.
It was... satisfying.
"Alright, Kree," Athiel said after a mont, pushing himself up from his seat and setting his docunts aside. "I’ll stop ignoring you."
Kree’s posture shifted imdiately, his attention sharpening.
"But only because you did well," Athiel added, brushing off his sleeves. "And because we have sothing else to do today."
Kree’s eyes seed to brighten.
"O... kay?"
Athiel paused for a second.
’He’s using it properly,’ he noted, watching the way Kree waited, as if expecting confirmation.
That was new.
Not just repetition.
Understanding.
’He learns by observation,’ Athiel thought. ’Not just by force.’
It made things easier.
More efficient.
And far more interesting.
"Today," Athiel continued, stepping closer and reaching for the chains at Kree’s wrists, "you’re going out of the lab again."
The tal clicked softly as he unlocked them.
"You’re going to socialize."
Kree blinked at him.
Clearly confused.
Of course he was.
Athiel didn’t bother explaining further as he removed the restraints completely, letting the chains fall away.
’My brothers did agree,’ he reminded himself. ’Might as well make use of that.’
If Kree only stayed with him, the progress would slow.
He needed variation.
Different voices.
Different reactions.
Sothing closer to how people actually behaved, because admittedly, Athiel didn’t behave like the rest.
Only then would Kree learn properly.
Only then would he adapt faster.
"It’ll be good for you," Athiel said, almost absently, as he stepped back to look at him. "You need to see how others interact."
And it would make things easier later.
For the ball.
For presentation.
For everything that ca after.
"We’ll be pestering my older brothers."
Kree tilted his head slightly, the word clearly unfamiliar, but he didn’t question it. His attention stayed on Athiel, focused, almost relieved.
As long as Athiel wasn’t ignoring him.
That seed to be enough.
Athiel watched him for a mont, then turned away, already heading for the exit.
’Such a simple creature,’ he thought.
Then, almost as an afterthought—
’They’ll get along just fine.’
‧ . ‿̩͙⊱༻♕༺⊰‿̩͙ . ‧
"My dear brothers, I have arrived!" Athiel chirped as he stepped into the drawing room, his voice bright as if he had just brought good news instead of trouble.
The room was warm, quiet, and comfortable.
And imdiately ruined.
"Ugh."
Both Hyacinthe and Lilior groaned at the sa ti.
Athiel’s smile twitched.
He narrowed his eyes at them the mont he saw their expressions.
"Can you at least pretend to be happy?" Athiel asked, his lips forming a small pout.
"How can we be happy when you brought that?" Lilior said, pointing lazily behind Athiel. "We knew you were coming the mont we started hearing screams from the maids."
Athiel didn’t need to turn around to know what he ant.
Kree stood behind him, as usual, silent and towering.
He hadn’t bothered with a leash or restraints when walking him through the manor.
Which, of course, led to chaos.
The staff had scattered.
So froze.
So scread.
So tried to pretend they hadn’t seen anything.
’Dramatic,’ Athiel thought.
"They already knew it existed. It’s their fault for not adjusting," Athiel said, brushing it off.
"Ah, yes," Hyacinthe said with a smirk, leaning back against the couch. "Athiel’s greatest enemy..."
"Hm?"
"Accountability."
Athiel shot him a glare. "Oh, shut it."
He walked over without hesitation, closing the distance between them.
His brothers were sprawled across the couch, relaxed, unbothered.
And of course—
There was a gap between them.
’They never change,’ Athiel thought.
He dropped himself right into the space, pushing between them without warning.
"No matter how troubleso you think I am, you still love ," Athiel said, reaching out and grabbing both of their arms.
One in each hand.
He pulled them closer, leaning comfortably against them as if he belonged there.
Because he did.
Lilior clicked his tongue but didn’t pull away.
Hyacinthe let out a quiet sigh, already used to it.
Kree stood where he was, watching.
And visibly uncomfortable.
His gaze stayed fixed on Athiel.
"Oh, right," Athiel said, glancing at him. "Sit over there."
He pointed toward the couch across from them.
"Oh, co on, Amie. It’s not going to know what—" Lilior started, his tone already dismissive.
Then he stopped.
Because Kree moved.
Without hesitation.
Without confusion.
Kree walked to the other couch and sat down exactly where Athiel had pointed.
The movent was smooth, controlled, and deliberate.
Like he understood.
Like he had learned.
Silence followed.
Hyacinthe straightened slightly.
Lilior blinked.
Neither of them spoke right away.
Athiel leaned back against the couch, satisfied, watching their reaction.
’There it is,’ he thought.
"Now you see why I’m fascinated?"
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