For a moment, Jasmine felt as though she had been struck in the face.
"T-twin brother...?"
Pollux looked on with an unreadable expression, seemingly indifferent to both himself and the brother before him.
"Brother! Are you listening!? We must flee! We will not stand a cha—"
"No."
The Emperor of the Starbloods, Pollux, spoke in a voice so cold it seemed to freeze the very air.
A chill ran through Jasmine, and she shuddered. For a fleeting moment, it felt as though she were standing in the path of a blade—one that would pass through her without hesitation or malice, as though her death would mean nothing at all.
"...Brother..." Castor looked stricken. Hopeless.
"We... we will die here if we do not run."
The emperor turned and looked directly into his brother's eyes with a gaze devoid of warmth.
Then, to Jasmine's surprise, he raised one hand and gently placed it against the side of Castor's face.
