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Jack and Mira rode over to meeting point that they had discussed with Baldwin at the break of dawn hoping to sneak away without attracting any attention, however the presence of Cornelius and Aglaya in the carriage along with his elite soldiers, took away all their thoughts of sneaking away.Cornelius chuckled sheepishly as he realized the reasoning behind the resentful gaze of his wife’s wildflower akka his goddaughter-in-law. He didn’t put on airs of the sovereign and explained his rationale calmly “The last incident of plotting at banquet that was meant to announce Thomas’s wedding was a wake-up call for me.”“Although we brothers have never split up, our grievance of losing a brother was misinterpreted and amplified into such a level that even without our knowledge, the jackals were using this for propagating their agenda.” Cornelius continued as he looked into the distance, his eyes filled with regret.“Why did everyone think that you had a falling out?” Mira asked innocently. Thi
Inside the Bellevue palace, Cornelius’s eyes misted as he saw that the arrangement mirrored that of the main house of the Zumerong. Overwhelmed by the emotions brought about by the weight of his sins, he lowered his head guiltily, his lips quivered, however no words escaped his mouth. However, no one other than Aglaya noticed it.Aglaya quietly placed her hand over Cornelius’s and when he looked at her, mouthed soundlessly ‘Own up what you need to own, don’t bottle it. I am here.’Cornelius stood up and bowed deeply “My dear elders, Cornelius has been unfilial. Please forgive me.”“My dear child, what are you going on about?” Edith and Maryanne chided at the same time while Linus stood up, walked over to Cornelius and helped him straighten “Son, we have no grievance against you.”“We are not blind nor are we stupid.” Linus shook his head as he patted Cornelius’s shoulder “We cannot punish you just because your father was a senile fool, can we?”“Forgot Alex, Miriam would jump out of h
“We were happy to see that your bond only grew stronger with time and have always been proud that it didn’t get tainted with the murk of the world around you.” Edith sighed “This is also why we never questioned his decision when he decided not to retaliate and hold the fort together till you got back.”“Do you think your father could have sat steadily in that throne if not for Alex single-mindedly protecting him?” Linus’s eyes were sharp, there was the undeniable Zumerong arrogance, that was filled with righteousness indignation “With just a snap of his finger, everything around you, including your father, the Asters and Basvecs would have perished without a burial ground.”Cornelius had his head lowered, he knew, even from the beyond, his good brother was looking out for him and yet his foolish father…. He couldn’t think further.“And you didn’t disappoint.” Linus smiled although his eyes misted at his loss; None of the brothers raised their heads, their eyes were filled with resentm
“That bitch… I always thought that she had organized the whole event with her brother, just for the sake of making her son the rightful heir. But there was no proof.” Edith cursed at first but then her eyes became blurry “He was the only one worthy of his ancestor’s legacy, but he withered like a pitiful bud without ever having the chance to bloom to his full potential.”After reminiscing, Edith raised her head curiously as she couldn't remember hearing about anyone talking about this event nor did she hear about the poor boy being avenged, “But how come no one heard about it?”“Alex’s favourite one liner…” Baldwin shrugged “As long as justice is served who cares about the ballads?”“You three…..” Edgar shook his head “I can never understand your madness.” Although his words seemed disapproving there was only affection in them.“My lord, the food is ready to be served.” The butler announced, his grace directed at Linus awaiting his orders.“Good…. good….good…” Linus repeated in quick
“Sit down you two…” Linus sighed helplessly “No one is going to crucify you. We just want to know what happened?”“Why Leander never came home even though you knew we were here?” Elias added through gritted teeth although he quickly lowered his head after being glared at by his father.“Is this also part of big brother’s plan?” Wilkin asked curiously; he was Alex’s most obedient little follower, from diapers to pants, that never changed.“Perhaps, this was the only variable in his plan that he had not anticipated.” Corenlius sighed as he sat down with a dejected expression and recounted the past, of how they finally met Jack.“How is John and Beth?” Elias asked once everyone had digested what they just heard.“Uncle and Aunt are well.” Jack responded politely; there was no fluctuation in his tone, no sign of closeness nor alienation.“I still cannot believe that John was able to hold off…” Humphrey shook his head; of all the Zumerong siblings, other than Alex, he was the one who was m
In a forsaken corner of the city stood an old forgotten cabin. Inside the wooden cabin that was dark, dingy and stinky, a figure was slouched on the floor like a piece of rag. The wind howled relentlessly protesting the injustice and brutality, but the cloudy sky seemed like heavens closed its eyes.The sound of horse hoofbeats broke the symphony of the lamenting wind. A decent looking carriage moved through the dark night towards the cabin. The horses neighed as they were halted to stop.Inside the cabin, the figure struggled to get up at the sound of a carriage stopping outside the cabin. Hope ignited in her heart; She was unwilling to believe… maybe, just maybe…...The door was pushed open, and a well- dressed man and woman entered.“Jason….” The figure called out in a feeble attempt.“Not dead yet?” A disdainful male voice sounded.“Why?” Mira raised her head painfully with every ounce of her strength. She had to know…. She had to know why the man she loved from the age of 10, the
Mira felt a small light lighting her path in the darkness. She wondered if she was being guided on the way to hell for her deeds. She stepped in the path lighted by the small light. She was ready… she deserved it….Her life flashed past as she followed the small light engulfed in the darkness around her… Everything made sense to her. The seal that the wicked couple was talking about was not her father’s seal of authority as the ‘Head of Trade and Book of hereditary rights’ but the seal that belonged to the Zumerong estate. The Zumerong was one of the oldest and most prestigious families in the old world, but due to a political unrest, the family had to leave the city under the cover of the night some 15 years ago and no one had heard about them ever since.The Zumerong seal was given to her father by his best friend who was the heir apparent to the estate for safe keeping until they returned. He didn’t want the seal to fall in the wrong hands if they met with trouble on their way. He
Jackson pursed his lips. He didn’t know whether to believe or not. He had also read about rebirth and reincarnation in ancient texts…. But they were all myths…. No one had ever reported or seen anyone proof.“I don’t want you to make a hasty decision.” Mira smiled. “I will give you a small proof.”Jackson raised his eyebrows skeptically; it would be a lie to say that his interest was not aroused.“Give me the parchments, unlock the door and hide behind the curtain. Don’t make a sound.” Mira’s lips hooked up with a knowing smile “If I am not mistaken, Jason should be coming in anytime. He will come in apologizing for all the pain he put me through.”Jackson felt that her smile was becoming brighter and more charming. He stared half dazed in her smile.“He will pretend to be very happy when I tell him about you agreeing to null the marriage but then become sorrowful as he tells me that this was not right time and that he finally has a chance to be appointed as one of the advisors at the
“Sit down you two…” Linus sighed helplessly “No one is going to crucify you. We just want to know what happened?”“Why Leander never came home even though you knew we were here?” Elias added through gritted teeth although he quickly lowered his head after being glared at by his father.“Is this also part of big brother’s plan?” Wilkin asked curiously; he was Alex’s most obedient little follower, from diapers to pants, that never changed.“Perhaps, this was the only variable in his plan that he had not anticipated.” Corenlius sighed as he sat down with a dejected expression and recounted the past, of how they finally met Jack.“How is John and Beth?” Elias asked once everyone had digested what they just heard.“Uncle and Aunt are well.” Jack responded politely; there was no fluctuation in his tone, no sign of closeness nor alienation.“I still cannot believe that John was able to hold off…” Humphrey shook his head; of all the Zumerong siblings, other than Alex, he was the one who was m
“That bitch… I always thought that she had organized the whole event with her brother, just for the sake of making her son the rightful heir. But there was no proof.” Edith cursed at first but then her eyes became blurry “He was the only one worthy of his ancestor’s legacy, but he withered like a pitiful bud without ever having the chance to bloom to his full potential.”After reminiscing, Edith raised her head curiously as she couldn't remember hearing about anyone talking about this event nor did she hear about the poor boy being avenged, “But how come no one heard about it?”“Alex’s favourite one liner…” Baldwin shrugged “As long as justice is served who cares about the ballads?”“You three…..” Edgar shook his head “I can never understand your madness.” Although his words seemed disapproving there was only affection in them.“My lord, the food is ready to be served.” The butler announced, his grace directed at Linus awaiting his orders.“Good…. good….good…” Linus repeated in quick
“We were happy to see that your bond only grew stronger with time and have always been proud that it didn’t get tainted with the murk of the world around you.” Edith sighed “This is also why we never questioned his decision when he decided not to retaliate and hold the fort together till you got back.”“Do you think your father could have sat steadily in that throne if not for Alex single-mindedly protecting him?” Linus’s eyes were sharp, there was the undeniable Zumerong arrogance, that was filled with righteousness indignation “With just a snap of his finger, everything around you, including your father, the Asters and Basvecs would have perished without a burial ground.”Cornelius had his head lowered, he knew, even from the beyond, his good brother was looking out for him and yet his foolish father…. He couldn’t think further.“And you didn’t disappoint.” Linus smiled although his eyes misted at his loss; None of the brothers raised their heads, their eyes were filled with resentm
Inside the Bellevue palace, Cornelius’s eyes misted as he saw that the arrangement mirrored that of the main house of the Zumerong. Overwhelmed by the emotions brought about by the weight of his sins, he lowered his head guiltily, his lips quivered, however no words escaped his mouth. However, no one other than Aglaya noticed it.Aglaya quietly placed her hand over Cornelius’s and when he looked at her, mouthed soundlessly ‘Own up what you need to own, don’t bottle it. I am here.’Cornelius stood up and bowed deeply “My dear elders, Cornelius has been unfilial. Please forgive me.”“My dear child, what are you going on about?” Edith and Maryanne chided at the same time while Linus stood up, walked over to Cornelius and helped him straighten “Son, we have no grievance against you.”“We are not blind nor are we stupid.” Linus shook his head as he patted Cornelius’s shoulder “We cannot punish you just because your father was a senile fool, can we?”“Forgot Alex, Miriam would jump out of h
Jack and Mira rode over to meeting point that they had discussed with Baldwin at the break of dawn hoping to sneak away without attracting any attention, however the presence of Cornelius and Aglaya in the carriage along with his elite soldiers, took away all their thoughts of sneaking away.Cornelius chuckled sheepishly as he realized the reasoning behind the resentful gaze of his wife’s wildflower akka his goddaughter-in-law. He didn’t put on airs of the sovereign and explained his rationale calmly “The last incident of plotting at banquet that was meant to announce Thomas’s wedding was a wake-up call for me.”“Although we brothers have never split up, our grievance of losing a brother was misinterpreted and amplified into such a level that even without our knowledge, the jackals were using this for propagating their agenda.” Cornelius continued as he looked into the distance, his eyes filled with regret.“Why did everyone think that you had a falling out?” Mira asked innocently. Thi
Matthew was right, one sleep was all it took for Jerome to fall back into his usual miserable self. In the morning, while Matthew and Harry were flexing their muscles, rehashing on their shooting skills and swinging their swords, Jerome sat back on the grass, chewing a blade of grass and asked with a grin “So, what do you old men do these days?”“We….” Harry’s lips curled up slyly, feigning a difficult expression “Just living our retirement under the care of our daughter and son-in-law.”“You have a daughter too??” Jerome asked with a hint of jealousy. He had forgotten about those mundane phases of life; he had never gotten married nor had children. He didn’t know why, but none of the beautiful women he saw nor the ones who were attracted to his wealth and delivered themselves to his door interested him.“My daughter… but he monopolises her with the authority of being her godfather… what can I do other than suffer in silence….” Matthew sighed feigning loss “All I can do is watch as the
Caleb sighed as he stretched and poured himself a drink before settling down “How much do you know?”“Let’s start at the beginning” Harry spoke without thinking but then corrected himself “Actually, let’s leave the recollection for later, you would have to repeat it anyway.”“Now that we have found him, everything else can wait.” Harry waved his hand and stood up, turning towards Jerome “When can are we leaving?”“Leaving??” Jerome, who still hadn’t come in terms with what he was told, that his life so far was a lie, raised his head with a confused gaze.Harry, who was full of energy paused; he too realized how tactless he had been. In their excitement, they barged in, overturned his world and then without giving him a chance to adapt, they were trying to uproot him. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself “Apologies, we weren’t tactful.”Matthew who was sitting quietly till now slowly opened his mouth as he yawned naturally “I am feeling tired. Where do I sleep tonight?”Jerome t
The older guard who followed Caleb passed the message to the Butler to serve the dishes for supper in the underground room where the men were seated. The trunk and all its contents had been carefully put away even before Caleb called the guard over for passing instructions.The older guard was also someone who had followed Caleb over the years and followed him from Worthington duchy to this place; still Caleb was cautious; his master’s words were holy edict for him. If his master said that no one other than the four men present could see the contents of the trunk, then no one other than the four men would see it.Once the maids served supper, he asked them all to withdraw, ordering them to only return in the morning to retrieve the empty dishes from the guards’ quarters.No one spoke while eating; the air in the room was filled with curiosity as a myriad of questions danced in front of their eyes, yet no one dared to break the silence. It wasn’t until they finished eating and had the g
Jerome didn’t know why but tears kept streaming down his cheeks as he read the letter, a deep sense of loss and an overwhelming pang of heartache filled his chest, he rubbed his chest in distress as he found it difficult to breath. He didn’t know why the words of a man he couldn’t remember could make him so emotional, why the possibility of not ever being able to meet him would crush his soul into feeling an irreparable loss.Not knowing what to say or feel, he decided to process everything slowly, he didn’t know why, but he wanted to hold the letter close to his heart, as though it was a piece of his soul that could never be replaced. But just as he was about to fold, he saw a life-like portrait at the back of the page and turned around anxiously hoping to see the face of the person who made his heart feel so much loss.But what welcomed him was the life-like, yet miserable faces of the younger versions of the two men beside him. And under it was a side note-“On after thought, I will