"E-Elder Brother?!"
Aurelia shot up from her seat like someone had set off a firecracker under her chair. Vance was right there with her, his face turning into a stone mask.
Then the whispers started.
"The Crown Prince...", "Is that really him?", "Yeah, no doubt about it!"
One by one, everyone in the hall caught on and scrambled to their feet. Cassandra and I exchanged a quick look before standing up too. When in Rome, and all that.
The prince gave a little wave. "Ah, please, don’t stand on my account. Sit, sit, be comfortable."
His voice was friendly, but it had that royal ring to it that made people listen. Everyone slowly sat back down, but you could feel all the eyes still glued to our table.
He made his way over to us. As he got close, I reached out and pulled the empty chair next to me. "Your Highness."
"Thank you," he said, his eyes flicking over me for a second before he sat down. Carmine slid into the seat beside him immediately, like she was attached by an invisible string.
Our eyes met for a split second — his were sharp, really taking me in. I kept my expression natural, just a simple half-elf healer minding his own business.
Then Carmine looked at Cassandra. Her eyes got all squinty for a moment, then popped wide open.
’...Damn.’
She remembered her. Of course she did. Cassie looked exactly like she did back during their first encounter.
Then, Carmine’s gaze jumped to me, her brain clearly working overtime, but she pressed her lips together and looked away. She wasn’t stupid enough to start anything right here in front of the Crown Prince. But the damage was done. She knew.
And I was damn sure something was going to happen soon: a terrible thing at worst or a minor inconvenient situation at best.
"It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Lumin. And a pleasure to see you again, Lady Carmine." Keeping my expression politely neutral, I gave a slight bow of my head.
The prince’s smile was all charm. "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Lumin. It’s always good to meet my sister’s... friends."
Carmine gave the barest nod in my direction, her lips pressed into a thin line. She was clearly unhappy but holding her tongue.
The prince chuckled lightly, a pleasant sound that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Please forgive my companion’s quietness; it has been a long journey." He then turned his full attention to Aurelia. "It truly is a fortunate coincidence, running into you here, little sister. I wasn’t expecting to see you in Derier City so soon after your trial."
Aurelia flinched almost imperceptibly. "Y-Yes, Elder Brother. A... a coincidence." Her smile was strained, and she couldn’t quite meet his eyes. She was acting clumsily, in a way that went beyond simple surprise. To make things worse, she also displayed a hint of fear and reluctance. I was sure the prince saw it too, but he just kept that smooth, unreadable smile plastered on his face.
Curiosity getting the better of me, I focused on him and used Status Check.
━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━
Name: Bane von Orlan
Age: 24
Race: Human / (?)
Path: ?
General Health Status: Excellent (Peak Physical Condition, Minor Sleep Deprivation)
Resonance Tier: Tier 5
━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━
My eyebrows almost shot up.
’Human / (?) A question mark for his race? And his Path is completely hidden?’
That... wasn’t normal. At all. A dozen questions immediately popped into my head, but I shoved them all down. Now was definitely not the time.
The prince, completely unaware of my internal monologue, turned his charming smile back to Aurelia. "So, little sister, how did your trial go?"
"It was... manageable," she replied, her voice a little tight. She was staring at her plate like it held the secrets of the universe.
"I knew you could do it," he said, his tone dripping with brotherly pride that felt a little too perfect. Or I was just feeling like that. "I only hope you receive the results you deserve. After all, you are perhaps the only one to whom I could ever consider entrusting my position."
That got her to look up, her eyes wide with panic. "N-No! Not at all, Elder Brother! I’m not... I don’t eye the throne! You are the most suited for it! Truly!"
The prince chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "You flatter me. I still have much to learn." He said the right words, but the way his eyes stayed fixed on her, watching her squirm, made my skin crawl. This didn’t look like a friendly family reunion to me. It was more like a power play, and Aurelia was completely out of her depth.
I shared a glance with Cassandra. Her expression was neutral, but I could see the calculation in her eyes. She was reading the situation just as clearly as I was.
’It would be good if she knew what I knew as well...’
Anyway, from the looks of it, we were stuck in the middle of a very delicate, very dangerous royal family drama.
Meanwhile, the crown prince kept the conversation going. "And where was your trial held, little sister? Mine was in the Viremonts."
"I-I see... Mine was in the Luthaire Barony," the princess answered quietly.
"Oh, Luthaire Barony, huh?" the prince muttered. Then, as if remembering something, his expression shifted. His charming smile melted into one of profound sympathy and sadness. "Ah, yes... of course. I heard what happened from Uncle." He turned his gaze, which was now filled with grief. "Please, accept my deepest condolences. Your friend... Amaniel... was truly an amazing individual. To think he sacrificed his life to save the entire academy..."
"A tragic loss for the kingdom." He let out a heavy sigh. "His heroism will not be forgotten."
’It is probably the principal Orlan who told him...’ I guessed.
"Mmm..." Princess, who was initially surprised, nodded at his words. She hung her head low, as if to hide her sorrow.
Just then, a server arrived with meals for the prince and Carmine, carefully placing the steaming plates before them. The interruption was perfectly timed.
"Ah, thank you," the prince said, his voice shifting back to its previous, lighter tone as he accepted the food. He deftly used the moment to steer the conversation away from the heavy topic. "Now, this looks excellent. You must try this roasted fowl, little sister. I heard it’s quite famous around here. Let’s see if it lives up to the rumours."
He took a graceful bite, the picture of a relaxed older brother sharing a meal.
The intense, sorrowful atmosphere he had just cultivated evaporated, replaced by a forced casualness that was almost more unsettling.
I must admit, he was a master at controlling the mood, turning the emotional temperature up and down with effortless precision.
’...Alright, let’s use it then.’
[Character Insight]