Here's a long chapter as a sorry gift cuz i wasn't active lately đ¤
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Irene sat in the drawing room of the de Rouvell family's residence, listening to Eleanor's mother, who had been expressing her delight at the princess's visit ever since her arrival.
"I truly cannot believe Her Highness the Princess has graced our humble residence with her presence!" the woman exclaimed, clasping her hands in front of her chest with a broad smile. "Your being here is an extraordinary honor for our family. I hardly know how to express how happy we are to receive you!"
Irene smiled modestly and replied in a calm voice, "You flatter me, my lady. There is no need for such formalities. I simply wished to pay you a visit."
"How could I possibly not be delighted? Your visit alone is enough to change the future of our family! Do you know how much things have changed since you invited my daughter to the royal palace? People are practically competing for the opportunity to do business with us, when they could barely spare us a glance before! I never imagined a single invitation could make such a difference to our trade!"
Irene merely smiled from time to time, indulging the woman in her enthusiasm while trying to maintain an air of modesty.
Eleanor, however, could no longer bear to listen.
"Mother, that's enough!"
Her mother turned to her in surprise, seemingly unable to understand why she had interrupted.
Eleanor sighed in embarrassment before turning to Irene.
"I apologize for my mother, Your Highness. She's a little too excited."
"It's quite all right. Truly."
Eleanor smiled at her before continuing, "Actually, I was planning to visit you at the royal palace myself. I had already sent a request to the palace, so you really didn't have to trouble yourself by coming all the way here."
"I wanted to see you, too," Irene replied.
She hesitated for a moment before adding in a quieter voice, "Besides, I needed to get away from the palace for a while. Things have been terribly tense there lately, especially after the rumors that have been spreading about me."
Her smile faded slightly. She lowered her gaze for a moment before looking at Eleanor again.
"I'm sure you don't believe what they've been saying about me, do you?"
Eleanor's expression changed immediately, concern replacing her smile.
"Of course I don't! How could I, when I know you personally? I cannot understand how people can spread such terrible lies about others without feeling even the slightest bit of shame."
Her mother nodded in agreement before speaking.
"That's quite true, Your Highness. Unfortunately, high society has always been a place where rumors and lies spread faster than the truth. Our family knows that all too well, as we've suffered from gossip for many years."
Eleanor glanced at her mother before turning back to Irene.
"As I told you before, Your Highness, people have always spoken ill of me and my family. And you know what they said about my grandmother, too. I understand how painful it can be, especially when you're powerless to stop them, no matter how hard you try."
She paused briefly before continuing in a warmer tone.
"But what made me trust you from the very beginning was that you never looked at me the way everyone else did. You didn't judge me based on what you'd heard about my family. Instead, you treated me as an individual and gave me the chance to prove myself. So no matter what people say about you, I will never believe that those rumors reflect who you truly are."
Irene appeared moved by her words, or at least that was how she made it seem, and offered Eleanor a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Eleanor. You have no idea how much your words mean to me. This is exactly what I needed to hear during such a difficult time."
Both women looked at her with evident sympathy.
Irene let out a soft sigh and leaned back against the sofa.
"To be honest, I don't think I can endure this situation for much longer. Ever since I arrived at the palace, people haven't stopped talking about me, as though they have nothing better to occupy themselves with. Sometimes, I feel as though the truth means nothing in this world, and that people will always prefer to believe the lies that suit them."
She fell silent for a moment before continuing in a calmer voice.
"Even so, there are still people who give me hope. People who remind me that this world isn't entirely cruel, and that one can preserve one's dignity no matter how hard others try to destroy it."
She lifted her eyes to Eleanor and offered her a faint smile.
"And among those people is your grandmother, the writer Emilia de Rouvell."
Eleanor's eyes widened slightly with gratitude as Irene continued.
"As I told you before, I've always enjoyed reading her books, and I've admired the way she sees the world. She truly is a remarkable woman, especially considering everything she's been through. That's why I wanted to come here today. I've been hoping for an opportunity to meet her in person and ask her how she managed to remain steadfast in the face of all those rumors, and how she overcame them without allowing them to break her."
Eleanor and her mother exchanged a brief glance.
Her mother didn't hesitate for long before rising enthusiastically from her seat.
"Of course! I'll go and tell my mother-in-law that you wish to meet her. I'm certain she'll understand your situation, and I'll do everything I can to persuade her to receive you!"
Irene smiled, feeling genuinely delighted this time. At last, she was about to get what she had come for in the first place.
"Really? You would be doing me an enormous favor, Lady de Rouvell. I would be grateful to you for the rest of my life if you could arrange this meeting."
"There's no need to thank me so much, Your Highness!" the woman replied excitedly before turning to her daughter. "I'll be right back!"
Eleanor watched her mother hurry out of the drawing room before turning back to Irene with a wide smile.
"Although my grandmother doesn't like meeting people, I'm certain she'll agree to see you, Your Highness! I've told her a great deal about you, and she's already taken a liking to you. We'll do everything we can to help you. Don't worry. I'll personally make sure my grandmother agrees to meet you!"
Irene smiled warmly, expressing her gratitude while concealing the satisfaction she felt beneath her composed expression.
It seemed her visit to the de Rouvell residence would prove even more useful than she'd anticipated.
---
"Brother Lucas!"
Bastian finally came to a stop, placing a hand on his cousin's shoulder as he struggled to catch his breath. He bent forward slightly, trying to recover from the exhausting run, then raised his head and looked at the man standing before him.
Lucas's expression remained impassive, as though being chased down by his cousin had been nothing more than a trivial annoyance unworthy of his attention.
Despite his ragged breathing, Bastian smiled.
"You really haven't changed since childhood. You still make me run after you every time I want to talk to you!"
Lucas coldly brushed his hand off his shoulder before turning to face him.
"What do you want?"
Bastian wasn't deterred by his tone. He offered a faint smile before speaking.
"You know, there's something I've never understood. Why have you always hated me so much?"
Lucas's expression remained unchanged, but his gaze grew colder.
Bastian continued, ignoring the silent warning in his cousin's eyes.
"I mean, I spent most of my childhood playing with you at your residence. I followed you everywhere, even when you tried to get rid of me. It never occurred to me that things would end up like this between us."
He let out a brief laugh, but it quickly faded as he resumed speaking in a more serious tone.
"And I never imagined you'd make such a grave and consequential decision because of a few rumors..."
He never got to finish his sentence.
In the blink of an eye, Lucas seized the front of his clothes and yanked him forward so forcefully that Bastian nearly lost his footing.
"Your Highness!"
The two guards standing nearby immediately rushed forward, but Bastian raised a hand without even looking at them, ordering them to stop.
Silence fell between the two men.
Lucas glared at him darkly, his fingers still clenched around his clothes.
"Don't you dare bring that up in front of me again."
His voice was low, but the threat behind it was enough to make any sensible person take a step back.
Bastian, however, had never been particularly sensible when it came to his cousin.
Lucas tightened his grip on his clothes.
Bastian was well aware of the danger he'd put himself in. He knew Lucas well enough to understand that his cousin could kill him right there without batting an eye, and that even the consequences of such an act might not be enough to stop him if he truly decided to go through with it.
Yet he didn't back down.
Instead, he continued in a more serious voice.
"I know you're aggressive and impulsive, Lucas. You always have been. But the very qualities that make you a terrifying man on the battlefield could become your greatest weaknesses when it comes to your position and the way you pass judgment on others."
Lucas's expression hardened as Bastian continued.
"I know enough about you to realize that you allow your anger to blind you to what's really happening around you."
Bastian took a slow breath before adding, "Your father, unlike you, is a wise man. He knows how to separate his emotions from his decisions, and he doesn't allow anger to lead him into taking steps he might later regret. I wish you'd learn at least that much from him."
A heavy silence settled between them.
Bastian knew he was approaching dangerous territory, but he had no intention of backing down before saying what he'd come to say.
"I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. All I want is for you to stop for a moment and think rationally. Learn to separate your personal feelings from your responsibilities, what you want from what you ought to do as a man who carries the Valerian name."
Lucas let out a short, humorless laugh.
"You're a hypocrite."
Bastian raised an eyebrow.
Lucas continued, his voice growing harsher.
"You talk about wisdom and self-control as though you're better than me. But you're no different from me, Bastian. If anything, you might be worse."
Bastian's smile disappeared for a moment.
Lucas went on.
"The only difference between us is that I attack my enemies openly, while you prefer to slither around behind their backs like a snake, pretending to be innocent until the moment comes to sink your fangs into them."
Bastian studied his cousin's face for several seconds before letting out a quiet sigh.
"There's just one thing you're wrong about..."
Lucas cut him off.
"I don't know what game you're planning, nor do I know what you're trying to achieve through everything that's happening. But understand one thing: every action has an equal and opposite reaction."
Bastian's eyebrow rose slightly.
A small smile appeared on his lips as he continued.
"If you think you can do whatever you please without facing the consequences, you're mistaken. No matter how high your position is, and no matter how much you believe you can control everything, I will make you answer for your decisions if you try to harm me."
Lucas stared at him for a long moment before abruptly releasing his clothes and shoving him away.
Bastian stumbled back a step and calmly straightened his collar, as though he hadn't been on the verge of being killed just moments earlier.
Then he raised his gaze to his cousin, his smile having vanished completely.
"Do you know what I truly don't understand?"
Lucas didn't answer, but he didn't leave either.
"Why do you insist on treating me as though we're trapped in an endless war? Ever since we were children, you've looked at me as if I were your enemy. Everything I say, you interpret as an attempt to provoke you, and every move I make, you question my intentions."
He tilted his head slightly before adding in a calm voice.
"Meanwhile, I've never looked at you that way. Not once."
For the first time, a trace of sincerity appeared in his eyes, and he made no attempt to conceal it.
"I've always seen you as my little brother."
A mocking smile appeared on Lucas's lips.
His words didn't seem to affect Lucas in the slightest.
If anything, his expression grew even more impassive.
"Keep those lies to yourself. You always do the opposite of what you say. But I never thought you'd sink to such depths of depravity, even after you'd already taken everything from me."
He turned away and began walking off, speaking without looking back.
"I won't change my position, and I won't allow you to interfere with my decisions. So if you care about your own safety, you'd better stay out of my sight for as long as possible."
He continued down the corridor with steady steps, leaving Bastian no opportunity to respond.
Bastian watched him for a moment before raising his voice.
"Lucas!"
His expression changed, the feigned indifference that had accompanied him throughout their conversation finally disappearing.
"There is one more thing I want you to remember."
Lucas continued walking as though he hadn't heard him.
Bastian spoke slowly, deliberately ensuring that every word reached his cousin's ears.
"Don't you dare treat Princess Irene the way you're treating me right now."
Lucas stopped dead in his tracks.
An eerie silence settled over the corridor. Even the two guards exchanged a quick glance before turning their attention back to the men.
Lucas slowly turned around.
His expression was different this time. His gaze was no longer merely cold or angry. It carried the unmistakable warning of a storm on the verge of breaking.
Bastian took a step forward, showing not the slightest trace of fear.
"If you even think of acting recklessly toward her, or try to hurt her simply because you can't control your temper, I guarantee you that my reaction won't be anything like what you've seen from me before."
Lucas's features stiffened.
Bastian smiled coldly.
"I will never forgive you if you so much as lay a finger on her with the intention of hurting her."
At that moment, Lucas felt as though something dark had spilled into his eyes.
Questions flooded his mind, but one thought quickly overwhelmed all the others.
I'll kill him.
He needed no other reason. Bastian stood before him with that infuriating smile, speaking about Irene as though he had absolute authority over what happened to her, and now he had the audacity to threaten Lucas over her in broad daylight.
For a single second, Lucas imagined wrapping his hands around his cousin's throat and wiping that loathsome smile from his face forever.
But Bastian, as though he'd read his thoughts, merely tilted his head slightly.
Then he turned and walked away without waiting for a response.
The two guards remained where they were, their hands hovering near the hilts of their swords, their eyes fixed warily on Lucas. They were prepared to draw their weapons the moment he decided to move toward their master.
Bastian didn't look back at them, nor did he appear concerned about the possibility of a confrontation breaking out behind him.
Instead, he continued on his way, a malicious smile gradually spreading across his lips.
He knew exactly which buttons to push.
And better than anyone else, he knew that bringing up Irene's name in that manner in front of Lucas would only serve to confirm the very rumors that were circulating.
Bastian was exactly as Lucas had described him. He had simply been waiting for the right moment to sink his fangs into his cousin and openly declare war against him.
Meanwhile, Lucas remained rooted to the spot, watching his cousin disappear down the corridor with a dark, murderous gaze.