Chapter 99: Twisted Ears, Twisted Truths
Nolan’s ears burned a vivid red as he dragged the mop across the shop’s wooden floors, the rhythmic swish-swish doing nothing to soothe his irritation.
Every so often, he shot a glare at the two figures observing him from behind the shelves—his brother, disguised in his human form, and the insufferable blue bird, Kai, perched smugly on his shoulder. That damn bird was clearly enjoying his suffering.
Damn, it still hurts the same, Nolan grumbled inwardly, resisting the urge to rub his throbbing ears.
His brother had twisted them. Twisted! Like he was still some misbehaving child instead of a grown moon elf prince (even if he had technically run away from home).
And why?
Because he’d been caught.
It seems like his brother had seen everything yesterday—how he’d used his resonance gift to slip past the shop’s wards, how he’d charmed the manager into granting him the prestigious title of "Honorary Custodian," and—most damning of all—how he’d accidentally (okay, maybe not entirely accidentally) used his gift on the twins during lunch break, making them cheerfully scrub the dining area with him like a trio of overenthusiastic maids.
It had been fun and efficient.
His brother, however, had not found it amusing.
Nolan’s grip tightened on the mop handle, his knuckles whitening as he recalled his brother’s scolding. The memory alone made his ears throb again.
"Using your gift to manipulate others for your own selfish desires?" His brother’s voice had been dangerously calm, the way it always was before a storm. "Have you truly become this arrogant, Little Moon?"
Nolan had bristled at that. "I was just being efficient! Humans are weak—why shouldn’t I use my gifts to make things easier?"
His brother’s eyes had darkened, mercury flashing like a blade unsheathed. "Weak? Right, you were also looking at them with disdain, didn’t you? As if they were beneath you. Tell me—did I teach you that?"
Nolan had opened his mouth to argue, but his brother wasn’t finished.
"You said you missed me. But it seems you’ve forgotten everything I ever taught you."
The words had stung more than any physical blow.
Nolan gritted his teeth.
I didn’t kill anyone, did I? He thought bitterly. So what’s the problem?
Humans were weak. Fragile. Their lives were fleeting, their wills so easily swayed. What did it matter if he nudged them here and there? It wasn’t like he was hurting them.
Right?
A flicker of doubt wormed its way into his chest, but he shoved it aside.
Then he recalled his brother’s response to these words.
His brother hadn’t yelled. Hadn’t scolded him any further. Instead...
He’d just... looked at him.
That gaze—filled with disappointment, regret, and worst of all, pity —had been unbearable. Nolan had never seen his brother look at him like that before, not even when he’d accidentally set the royal gardens on fire as a child.
It had made his chest tighten uncomfortably.
So, he’d gritted his teeth and muttered an apology. Because that was what always worked with his brother. A sincere apology, and the lecture would end.
And it had.
Sort of.
His brother had sighed, that familiar mix of exasperation and affection in his eyes. Then—
Twist.
"Don’t worry, Little Moon," his brother had said, his voice deceptively light even as Nolan yelped. "This big brother of yours will drill everything back into that thick skull of yours." Another tug. "And don’t apologize to me. Apologize to those you’ve wronged. Understood?"
Nolan had barely managed a strangled "U-understood!" before his brother finally released him, leaving his ears throbbing and his pride bruised.
Now, as he mechanically pushed the mop across the floor, the memory churned in his mind like storm clouds.
Apologize to those I’ve wronged.
The words sat uncomfortably in his chest.
Because the elders—the Ithil’dor Empire’s revered teachers—had taught him something very different.
"A prince does not apologize to lesser beings."
"Your gifts are proof of your superiority. Use them as you see fit."
"The weak exist to serve the strong. That is the natural order."
Their voices echoed in his head, clashing violently with his brother’s teachings.
Nolan scowled, scrubbing at a stubborn stain with more force than necessary.
Who’s right?
His brother, who had always treated even the lowest servants with kindness?
Or the elders, who had raised him to believe in the inherent hierarchy of power?
A part of him—a small, stubborn part—whispered that his brother had abandoned those teachings when he left. That he had grown soft hiding among humans.
But another part, one he didn’t want to acknowledge, remembered the warmth in his brother’s voice when he spoke of the shop’s workers. And the way he treated them not as servants, but as...
Equals.
Nolan’s jaw tightened.
This was ridiculous. He was a prince. He shouldn’t be agonizing over something as trivial as whether or not to apologize to a couple of human girls! (P/S: Background Character/s is/are forgotten already, xd.)
Yet...
The memory of his brother’s disappointed gaze burned hotter than any reprimand.
With a frustrated growl, Nolan slammed the mop into the bucket, sending water sloshing over the sides.
Fine.
If it would shut his brother up, he’d do it.
But that didn’t mean he had to like it.
Swoosh-!
Just then, the door burst open, and a familiar figure, the manager, stumbled inside. Their eyes darted first to Nolan—mopping furiously—then to his brother and that insufferable bird.
A visible wave of relief washed over their face.
"Good evening, Honorary Custodian," the manager said, nodding at Nolan. "Don’t worry, I won’t disturb your work."
Nolan gritted his teeth but managed a stiff "Evening" under his brother’s watchful gaze. He watched from the corner of his eye as the manager carefully stepped around the freshly mopped rows, making their way toward his brother.
The two exchanged nods.
"Manager," his brother greeted, voice warm—too warm.
"You... okay?" the manager asked, glancing between them.
His brother shyly nodded.
Nolan nearly snapped the mop handle in half.
That! Why was his big brother acting like that?! Were the humans forcing him to—
"He’s cleaning the room for me," his brother said casually, casting a meaningful glance Nolan’s way.
Nolan immediately focused back on mopping, shoulders tense.
"Oh." The manager nodded slowly, comprehension dawning. "Well then, it’s good nothing happened."
A beat of silence.
Too much silence.
Nolan’s mop stilled.
"...W-Was something supposed to happen?"