Dimitri's gaze hardened, and his throat tightened. "That was a mistake," he muttered.
Kaelith rubbed his temple at the drama unfolding. A look of disdain crossed the Patriarch's expression as his eyes settled on Scarlet. The Patriarch closed his eyes, as if he were trying to digest everything.
His gaze moved to Scarlet, who was now tugging at Agnes' sleeve. Agnes turned to face him. She squatted to reach his level.
"Are you really not my mother?" he asked, his head tilting to one side.
Agnes swallowed nervously. She knew that this day would come, but she had never expected it to come this soon.
"I'm not your birth mother, but I'm your mother. You have been with me since the day you were born. You grew up with your mother." She cupped his face.
Scarlet blinked at her.
"So don't believe what anyone says about you, okay?" she muttered, her eyes welling with tears.
Scarlet nodded his head in obedience.
"Can't I really train and become strong like the Patriarch?"
Agnes' eyes flickered to the Patriarch.
"You can, but in a different way."
"That's a no," Scarlet muttered. His face turned stern. He turned to the Patriarch.
"Do you like me?"
His eyes sparkled with hope. He had always looked forward to this day. He even wished he could train with him as his student and maybe travel the world with him.
Kaelith watched with an unreadable expression. He knew the Patriarch would never take a liking to him. He was a weakling. And weaklings are despised by great men, even more so by average men.
The Patriarch's lips twitched.
"I need to get to know you properly before I can say if I like you."
"That's a no… too." Scarlet wiped his tears off with the back of his sleeve.
The Patriarch squatted in front of him. He brought his arms around Scarlet's neck, locking a silver-black pendant around it. His hands trailed along the chain to the round pendant resting on Scarlet's chest.
"This has been with me since I was a child. I want you to have it, and never let your weakness become your limitation." He ruffled his hair before rising back to his feet, retreating from him.
"Thank you for giving me something this valuable. But why does it feel like compensation for you not liking me?"
The Patriarch was a little stunned by the intelligence he possessed at such a young age.
"It is," he answered curtly. "You don't want it?"
Scarlet's hands fidgeted with the pendant. He looked down at it for a moment before raising his head.
"I'll keep it… but only to show that one day I will be great like you." His gaze turned serious.
This made the Patriarch smile.
"I'll be waiting for that day."
A smile formed on Agnes' lips. She was proud of how Scarlet handled everything. He didn't even throw a tantrum. But this made her heart clench at the thought that he was trying to bottle up his emotions.
Then the Patriarch turned to Kaelith.
"You must be Kaelith?" A glint flickered through his eyes.
"Yes. I am," Kaelith answered curtly.
"You have grown up. Why didn't you come to me earlier? Even when others were trying to get my attention, you remained quiet… or do you think I'm not worth your attention?"
At the Patriarch's word, Agnes rushed to defend Kaelith, but he held up his hand, silencing her midway.
Kaelith's eyes fixated on him.
'I remember when I was just a day old, he had helped me and White Lotus. And White Lotus had said that we have to get him to our side if we want to survive under the Emperor's reign.'
A small smile broke on his lips.
"Of course you are worthy of my attention," he said, walking closer to him. He clasped his hand across his chest as a greeting to the Patriarch, but he didn't bow his head.
"I just didn't want to fight for your attention with my brothers. Otherwise, it would be unsightly."
"Now that you have put it that way… it shows that you are very insightful." He chuckled.
"How did you find my gift?" he asked.
Kaelith raised his brows slightly before he realised he was talking about the Drakyn ring.
"It was the best there is."
"Good." He placed his hand on his shoulder, giving him a tight squeeze, then leaned closer to Kaelith.
"Don't disappoint me," he whispered, just so only Kaelith could hear him.
Kaelith's brows furrowed. But he wasn't stupid enough not to grasp the meaning behind his words. He was only being nice to him because he wanted him to ascend the throne, the very throne Kaelith swore to destroy.
"I won't." Kaelith smiled widely at him, but none of it reached his eyes.
Then the Patriarch turned to Dimitri.
"I have returned to finally stay… for a very long time… son." He drawled.
"Welcome back." Dimitri stretched his hand. The Patriarch grabbed it. They locked their hands in a friendly handshake, but their eyes were telling a different tale.
......
It was midnight. Kaelith stood at the window in his room. His eyes scaled the wall outside. He wasn't sure if the rope he had thrown out was long enough to reach the ground. He walked back to tighten the knot on the pole of his bed.
Five years had passed, and he had never gotten the chance to meet Gabriel Flamehouse because he had been in a coma for almost five years now. But luckily for him, he had woken up three months ago. He had given him time to recover, and tonight he had decided to pay him a visit.
After confirming it was safely secured, he glanced back at his bed to make sure the pillow he had covered with his blanket was well placed, a decoy to make the servants believe that he was sleeping.
He walked towards the window, seconds from jumping, but the door to his room creaked open.
He turned around, his eyes slightly widened that he had been caught.
A small head peeked out from the other side of the door before his body came into view.
"Scarlet," he called through gritted teeth. "What are you doing in my room in the middle of the night?"
Scarlet locked the door behind him. He walked closer to Kaelith, his head tilted slightly at him.
"You were right, Kael," he sniffled. "He really doesn't like me." His lips pulled down, his eyes glistening with tears.