The sudden shift in Lorian's eyes, the cold, steady gaze, sent a jolt of raw fear through Lyssian.
He swallowed hard, a dry, loud gulp, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine.
But he wasn't the only one caught in that icy grip.
Behind the door, his father, Cassian, still hidden, felt a similar, heavy dread.
Cassian was utterly lost, his mind racing, not knowing what to do or how to react.
Should he step out?
Should he just stay hidden and pretend he wasn't there?
Lyssian, forcing himself to appear tough, gathered every last bit of courage he had left and yelled, his voice strained and sharp,
"You... you puny weakling! You can't even stand up for yourself, can't cast any magic, can't swing a sword! And you dare to claim you're going to lead the Thornes?!"
Lorian just let a slow, cool smirk spread across his face.
His calm and steady voice cut through Lyssian's bluster,
"Well, if that's your standard, Lyssian, then Kaelan here is clearly better suited to lead this house than you are. You're nothing but an over-pampered, arrogant moron, and that poison in your mind is slowly rotting your heart and your brain."
Lorian's gaze then drifted meaningfully towards the door, "Now, why don't you run along to your father? He's still right there, isn't he?"
Cassian felt a flush of heat spread across his face.
There was no way he was going to reveal himself now and look like an utter fool.
In his rush to quietly slip away, he bumped into a flower vase. It crashed to the floor with a loud clang, drawing everyone's attention directly to his hiding spot.
Caught, the supposedly 'clever' man quickly changed his plan.
Instead of bolting, he straightened up, put on his best show of outrage, and strode into the room as if he had just arrived, hoping to make Lorian's claim seem ridiculous.
"What in the blazes is happening here?!" Cassian thundered, his voice was booming with a fake anger and an exaggerated air of authority.
He looked around, feigning ignorance, "Why is Young Master Lorian's private room wide open? And why are the library doors left ajar, with no guards or attendants present?!"
But the effort to hide his earlier panic and inner turmoil made his act painfully obvious. Everyone in the room, including his own son, Lyssian, saw right through him.
Lorian watched his uncle's clumsy performance, then looked calmly at Kaelan, then back at Cassian.
Cassian was still unfazed; he enquired in a commanding voice, "It seems someone has invaded Young Lord's room and beaten his guard."
He then turned his full attention to Lyssian, his eyes narrowing slightly, "Lyssian? Was it... you?"
Valerian raised a hand, to stop his uncle from continuing his pitiful overacting and embarrassing himself,
"Nothing happened, Uncle! It's just… we met after so many days, and we were just playing!
I tripped, that's all, hurting myself a little.
And Kaelan, well, he tripped too while coming inside and got hurt. I'm strong, so I'm fine!"
Lorian paused, then added with a forced chuckle, "You know, when I become Family Head, I think I'll make Lyssian my personal guard. Kaelan here is far too clumsy for that job. He'd be a much better diplomat, don't you agree?"
Cassian let out a booming, entirely unnatural laugh, "Ha ha! Good joke, loved it!"
He quickly grabbed Lyssian by the arm, his fingers digging in, and practically shoved his son out of the room.
Even after the awkward departure of father and son, Elara and Kaelan remained frozen, standing utterly stunned, their minds still trying to process the strange scene they had just witnessed.
Lorian scanned the surrounding, his gaze sweeping over the slight mess in the room.
He spoke to Elara in a very bored, almost dismissive tone,
"Elara, if you would be so kind, please help me get cleaned. It's quite a sticky mess. And do see to the room. It seems those classless buffoons just managed to destroy the serenity of my library."
At the crisp, calm command in Lorian's voice, both Elara and Kaelan seemed to snap out of their dazed states.
Elara quickly called for other maids to help tend to the Young Master's minor injuries and to restore order to the disturbed library.
Kaelan, still on the floor where he had fallen, pushed himself up and immediately bowed low, touching his forehead to the ground, "Young Master, forgive me," he pleaded, his voice thick with shame and raw emotion, "I... I could not help you when you needed me."
Lorian, however, cut him off with a sharp, unexpected rebuke.
His voice was cold, almost dispassionate, "Kaelan, your duty is to protect me, not to prioritize saving yourself from the aftermath of stopping another Thorne from hurting me. Did you forget your purpose?"
Lorian then simply waved a hand, dismissing Kaelan.
The guard, still bowing his head low, accepted the unspoken sentence without a word of objection, protest, or further plea.
He knew what Lorian meant, and the shame was a heavier weight than any blow. He turned and quietly left the room.
***** ****** ***** ***** *****
The mysterious voice spoke again, and this time there was a clear note of surprise, even disbelief, in its tone.
It sounded less like a detached observer and more like someone genuinely baffled,
"Why did you give away your future plans? He will identify you as a clear threat now! He will increase his efforts to get rid of you! I truly didn't think you would be so careless, such a braggart, to make such a mistake!"
"You seem quite disappointed," Lorian replied, a hint of amusement in his voice, but his expression remained calm.
"Yes, I am, indeed!" the voice replied, its disappointment thick and almost tangible.
"Well, although I don't see any need to justify my actions to you," Lorian began, shrugging slightly, "but why not? He had already marked me as a target the moment I truly regained my senses in this body. He would have found a way to get rid of me anyway, slowly, carefully, with well-laid plans."
Lorian's voice turned colder, more calculating,
"But by nudging him, by completely shaking his confidence and showing him what's to come, I've gripped him with a sense of urgency, and dread.
And I, for one, would much rather face a dangerous conspiracy that was concocted in a hurry than a perfectly planned, well-organized scheme. The second one leaves little to no room for a counter-move, compared to something cobbled together in haste!"
"Aha!" the voice burst out, now sounding utterly, triumphantly pleased, "I knew I didn't make a bad investment!" And with that, it fell silent.
Lorian raised an eyebrow slightly at the 'investment' remark, but didn't bother to respond.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Eventually, Seraphina also found out what had happened from the gossiping maids.
Her heart pounded as she rushed to check on her son.
She was absolutely furious to see the condition he was in.
It took a great deal of effort from Lorian to calm her down, to convince her not to escalate the matter further and to let him handle it by himself.
Though she didn't publicly accuse Cassian or his son, she made sure to whisper every detail into her husband's ear.
Elmsworth, hearing the tale, seemed less angry and more simply proud.
He broke from his usual strict and formal demeanor, pulling Seraphina into a tight embrace,
"You know," he murmured in an unnatural voice thick with emotion, "I always worried. What would happen to our Val, when we pass on? His life... it could have been worse than a slave's."
Elmsworth's grip tightened, "I couldn't sleep at night. I spent every waking hour fearing the absolute worst for him. But no more. Now, even if something happens to us, our son will live. He won't just survive. He will thrive."
Eldard, who had been away, returned later.
When he heard the full story, his first action was to humbly beg Lorian for forgiveness for his absence during the incident.
He then respectfully requested Lorian to reconsider his decision to dismiss Kaelan from his service.
Lorian was a bit surprised. He had expected Elara to approach him with such a plea, not Eldard.
Eldard, sensing Lorian's unspoken question, explained, in his measured and grave voice,
"Young Master, a personal guard, no matter how loyal or skilled, is considered a commoner, a hired hand.
They are allowed to defend their charge against external threats—like bandits, assassins, rival mercenaries, or common criminals.
But raising a hand—even in defense—against a direct bloodline member of their own family, especially an heir like Lyssian, is an absolute, unforgivable taboo.
It would be seen as an act of treason against the family's very foundation, a commoner daring to strike a member of the ruling lineage."
Lorian let out a short, cold chuckle, "So, that means he was just saving his own hide after all, wasn't he?"
Eldard shook his head, his gaze firm, "No, Young Master, that's not it.
The penalty for such an act wouldn't just be dismissal for Kaelan, or even likely his public execution.
It would also cause severe dishonor and significant political damage for you, the master he was trying to protect!"
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Total Net Worth: 0 Solars