A primary fact of the Rhine Empire: it is biologically impossible for the Odum Family to conceive more than two children per generation. The two children will always consist of a boy and a girl and this has always been set in stone since the foundation of the Odum Family.
It is said that this was a curse placed on them by a particularly vicious fairy that the first Odum had offended. The uniquely blue-sapphire eyes and raven hair, a symbol of the Odum, passed down through the heir of the Odum bloodline, was a part of the curse.
The fairy had been particularly volatile. The eyes and hair were markings to shame the Odum until the day they die.
How this curse came to be, no one knew. The Odum Family has always been a part of the Empire since the dawning of the first Rhine Emperor. This was a fact, to anyone belonging to the noble class.
Here's the thing, though. Aurelion was not the unknown factor in this sudden break in tradition. Rather, it was the existence of the oldest, Nazareth Everette Odum, that brought about questions.
Because everyone knew that for the Odum Family to conceive children, a series of customs must be met.
One: The marriage between the heir and their chosen partner must be of consent.
Two: The marriage between the heir and their chosen partner must be performed in the Odum Territory by midday on the third month of summer, a day with the full moon, approximately three hours before the groom utters his proposal--which starts the clock for conceiving a child.
Three: The ceremony must have exactly two witnesses--one from the groom's family, and another from the bride's family.
Three: The Mulberry Wine from the wine cellars of the Rhine Palace must be drunk by the bride and groom before the ceremony begins.
Four: The officiate of the marriage must be related to an Odum--either by marriage or distant blood.
Five: When the ceremony is over, the bride and groom have approximately five hours to consummate for a child.
For the second child, the ceremony can be skipped, but the third month of summer and the day of the full moon is a must. Without the existence of the first child, however, the second child will not exist, thus dooming the Odum Dukedom to extinction.
These instructions were uttered by the grand magician of the Magic Tower, who looked into the curse of the Odum bloodline when the first Odum became wary. Thankfully, he had not chosen a bride at the time, but every generation from then on had been warned, fearing that a break in tradition will surely cause the next extinction of the Odum.
So... how the hell did Nazareth come into existence?
"--And what about the second child?"
This question was a constant in Neo's mind after coming back to the past.
A warm breeze hit his face just as he looked up from his book. The seasons are changing from spring to summer, indicating that it's been a few months since he settled back into his previous life.
Soon, the school will be closed for the summer holidays.
Not only that but the dreaded "school play" is scheduled to perform for the closing ceremony.
Neo cringed. Directed by Professor Rickman and played by his class.
With him and Finneas as the leads.
It was a recipe that spelled disaster.
But enough said about the play. His mind wandered back to the mystery swirling in his mind.
In the past, he didn't take into account the mystery of the curses befalling certain noble houses.
First, there was the whole fairy thing.
Some fairy back in ancient time cursed the two Ducal Houses of Rhine--the Odum and the Elysium Families.
Neo wasn't fully sure if it was the same fairy, but he has no doubt that these mysterious creatures had forced his and Julius' families into what is now considered "traditions".
Of course, the full detail of the curses is never released to the public. The only reason why Nazareth had even stumbled upon this information was due to his own network back in the day.
The only other thing he had managed to guess was that the fairy was very mischievous and manipulative.
Whether or not it truly cursed the two houses, it had targeted the most important thing to a noble family, and that was bloodline.
Obviously, the Elysium and Odum family don't dare to break from traditions, in fear that their bloodline will surely be stricken down the moment they step out of line.
That fairy had played its cards well, and the end result was the suffering of both families for many generations to come.
But...
How would that explain the one anomaly that broke the mold?
His existence?
His father had no knowledge of him until after his Mummy died, and even then, it had taken several tests to confirm his identity as an Odum.
Aurelion and Guinivere were already birthed. If the curse held true, it wouldn't have been possible for Guinivere to exist.
A chilling thought suddenly occurred to Neo.
His father and his mother hadn't been wed. There was no proposal or marriage.
Two hypotheses appeared in his mind.
There are only two possible outcomes if the curse took hold.
The first called into question his own existence.
If father and Mummy didn't do the ritual, then he shouldn't have existed in the first place.
But since he was born--which is a mystery in itself. How was it possible that his mother would fall pregnant if his father was cursed?--then it wouldn't have been possible for Aurelion and Guinivere to be born.
Neo suddenly paused, the hand he had used to lift his teacup freezing in place at this realization.
If the curse was truly a curse, then his younger siblings wouldn't have existed.
So... so...
"Young Master, are you alright? Is the sun too warm?"
"I..." Neo hastily took a sip of tea to try and clear his throat. "I'm fine, Rainier. I was just thinking."
The servant didn't look all too convinced by this answer but chose not to pry.
These days, the Young Master seems to be troubled by something. Often, he can be seen spacing out at certain intervals.
Mealtime has certainly become less tense since Young Master Nazareth had cut his hair. The servants gossiped in the corridors, suspecting that something terrible must have happened to cause this miraculous shift in behavior.
Though, besides his new change in attitude, it doesn't seem as if the Young Master is all that different. He still has the habit of adjusting his clothes when uncomfortable, and his resting face is as cool as the rest of the family when he's not smiling.
So what if he requests to eat cakes all the time? So what if he drinks more tea and coffee than water half the time?
Certainly, he does eat more than usual, but he's a growing boy who is somehow able to maintain his proper weight despite his sudden increase in appetite.
At the end of the day, he is still an Odum child.
Of course, there are still whispers of those sordid attempts at Young Master Aurelion's life, but for the sake of their hides and necks, the servants will discreetly pretend none of it happened.
If no one talks about it, it's best to sweep it under the rug until it all implodes.
The cutlery clang against plates as the entire family took their meal.
Dinner was a quiet affair, with Aurelion and Gareth holding a conversation on the current matters of the court.
Vespera was silently eating, stone-faced as she slowly butchered her steak with a butter knife as if she was carving up a human corpse. Neo tried not to look at her, lest he wanted to lose his appetite. She was just too scary!
Guinivere had her focus on her meal, trying to cut through a slice of fat that seemed too thick for her steak knife. She took a glimpse at her mother, almost enviously, before going back to cutting.
"Let me," Neo reached over and helped his sister trim the fat off the steak. After doing so, he sliced the meat into smaller, bite-size portions, his hands moving as if he was performing a dissection.
"Here."
Guinivere took back the plate, her face becoming rather shy as she nodded her thanks.
Clang!
The sound of silverware being dropped was resounding in the quiet eating space.
All heads turned to the source.
"Aurelion, what are you doing?"
Gareth looked at his son questioningly, signaling for the servant behind him to replace the knife his son had dropped. This was no way to act during a meal.
Aurelion didn't meet Gareth's gaze, his eyes looking down at his plate rather intensely. Was the food not to his liking? He has never been a picky eater.
"It's nothing, Father," Aurelion assures, looking up. He accepts the new knife that a servant hands him. "I just wasn't paying attention."
The blank and frosty expression on his face didn't give way to his emotions.
Satisfied by the response, though still rather perplexed, Gareth returns to his meal.
The man's eyes wander to Vespera, who stares back with equally intense fervor as she brutally cuts another piece of her steak and brings it to her mouth.
They were now lost in their own world and will remain in such a state until the meal is over.
Neo requested for Rainier to refill his glass. He avoids looking at his parents. This was their equivalent to flirting.
As his focus was solely on his food, he didn't notice the tension between his two younger siblings.
Aurelion scowled behind his mask of calm as he glared at Guinivere.
The girl just smirked victoriously behind her icy composure and pointedly eats a piece of steak.
With two different tensions happening in the room, the servants felt hot and cold at the same time.
Most of them shot Rainier envious looks.
Why does it seem like the only normal person in this family is Young Master Nazareth? What happened to that scummy-troublemaker? Something must be wrong with their memories if Young Master Nazareth is the normal one.
Has the Odum Family always been like this?
Neo wasn't as oblivious as others might expect. Sure, his mind does tend to ignore things that it doesn't want to think about, but being in a room with his family isn't something he can pretend doesn't exist.
Whatever fight Aurelion and Guinivere are having all of sudden has nothing to do with him, and his Step-Mother and Father are being their usual love-struck selves.
He has noticed the discomfort that some of the servants occasionally have during meals and the only thing he can deduce as to why they're like this is quite simple.
His own chaotic tension isn't in the mix.
Being self-aware of his past actions, Neo understands that the tension between Gareth and Vespera has always been smothered by the tension he used to immerse in during meals. Being the turbulent person that he once was, his family had noticed this distinctness and just gradually managed to live with it.
Now that he has taken his tension out of the equation, Gareth and Vespera can spread their love without any dampening tension from him. While newly added tension, such as Guinivere and Aurelion's, are unexpected, and therefore, uncomfortable.
Now that leads to the question of why Guinivere and Aurelion are acting like this.
It certainly wasn't the hormones.
Neo should know. He and Royce had his siblings fill out some questionnaires in the guise of plant research.
So what could it be?
"Mother, Father,"
He drew their attention to him quickly.
"What is it, Nazareth? Are you feeling well? Is the food alright? Do you need more plants?"
Gareth fired off in rapid succession. His voice was demanding and cold, almost to the point of harsh.
Internally, he was wondering if Nazareth was going to request something of him again. If so, how much would he like and how soon would he be able to get it to him?
He loved to provide for his children if only they would just ask.
His love and money are free to give, but no one in this household will let him be a parent!
(And Vespera just wants to cuddle when she's not training--which he won't complain--but he wants to go on a date and they haven't been out for ages. Unfortunately, they're quite busy with their own work this year and haven't had the chance to catch a break.)
Gareth was in absolute Euphoria when his eldest son came to him requesting a Greenhouse.
Although he agreed in a cold manner, he wanted to ask how many and how big.
But wait.
He's getting ahead of himself. There's no guarantee that his son would ask him for anything--
"I just wanted to know if the two of you would like to come to my class production of the Tragedy of Ohmlet--"
Clang!
Clang!
There goes Gareth's fork and knife.
All heads turn to him.
"Father, what has gotten into you?" Aurelion looked perplexed as he has a servant replace the silverware.
"It was nothing. I was just thinking. Please continue, Nazareth."
"Um, alright." Neo brings out four envelopes from his pocket, "The show is really not... that good, but Professor Rickman handed out tickets for friends and family--"
"We will come."
Vespera states her voice as swift as a knife. She exceeded her word count as she gestured for a servant to bring over the tickets.
Neo gave the serving girl all four.
Vespera inspected the invitations once they were in her hands and frowned with a bit of dissatisfaction.
She narrows her eyes and stares intently at Neo.
"Request for more. We will bring the entire staff."
"Yes, yes," Gareth joins in, his mind already making plans. "Does the show have enough funding? Do you require donations of any sort? I'm guessing it is lacking due to money, isn't it? Tobias, get my checkbook. We will make several donations to Noble Academy immediately."
Forget about the fact that his Father is about to donate a hefty amount of money to the school, Neo wanted to tell him that the production isn't good because he and Finneas were cast as the main leads!
And what is this about the entire serving staff?
If everyone in the manor comes, there won't be room for other families!
"Brother, Brother, who will you be playing?"
"Obviously the main lead, Guinivere. Have you not seen Brother's rehearsals?"
"Have you? For someone who knows that Brother is playing the lead, I don't see you helping him practice his lines."
"Tch. That's because Brother is capable of doing something as simple as memorizing his lines."
As Guinivere and Aurelion began to argue, Gareth and Vespera began planning to cancel all their appointments.
"... Last day before the summer holidays. It will be busy, but I think if we handle the morning schedules and assign others to do the afternoon and evening assignments, then we will have the day off."
"If they don't say yes, we can use other methods of persuasion."
"Talk first, violence later. The medical expenses take time to process."
Rainier poured another glass of water for Neo.
"Rainier,"
"Yes, Young Master?"
"I think I'm dreaming."
The servant cocked his head. "Why so, Young Master?"
Neo smiled, looking almost fond as the conversation exploded throughout the table.
"It's just..." He shakes his. "Nothing. I'm thinking of silly things."
Rainier took the empty plate off the table and presented a steamed chocolate pudding in front of his Young Master.
"Forgive me if I step out of bound, Young Master, but by the expression you're wearing, I have the mind to believe you are very happy at the moment." He pours a generous amount of chocolate sauce over the pudding and lifts his thumb under his blindfold, letting his eyes peek out to stare at his Young Master meaningfully.
Despite the delectable dessert before him, Neo could only stare into cornflower blue eyes in awe.
Happy?
Perhaps...
He chuckles and digs his spoon into the pudding.
"I think you're right." He smiled, lifting the chocolate in a toasting manner. "I am very happy right now."
---
"Rainier."
"Master Aurelion?"
In the corridors of the manor, the servant meets with the Second Young Master of the house.
Aurelion had his arms crossed as his gaze fell on his brother's servant.
Sapphire blue eyes narrowed into icicles as they peered at the blindfolded man.
Distrust. Disbelief. Doubt.
"You have not reported on my brother for weeks. Do I see this as an act of betrayal?"
"To you, Master Aurelion?" The servant cocks his head as if it was a funny question.
"I do believe that is what I said."
Rainier purses his lips. "I believe my lack of actions is less of a betrayal and more of... reinstating my loyalty to the Young Master."
Aurelion raised a brow. "Even after he branded your face? You're still going to go back to someone like that?"
Rainier's gaze fell to the piece of black fabric in his pocket before a bitter smile appears upon his face. "It is hard to forgive him for his wicked actions, and I doubt that you, Master Aurelion, has forgiven the Young Master for his attempts at your life--"
"Rainier!"
A long stretch of silence followed Aurelion's sharp command.
"Forgive me if I stepped out of line," Rainier bowed his head, subservient and polite as any servant as qualified as he is able to.
It feels almost like a parallel to the day he had offered to spy for Master Aurelion.
He had been a youth, just branded and filled with resentment and rage.
Now, however. It was different.
He was different.
And so is Young Master Nazareth.
"I don't forgive him," Rainier admits, when he realizes that Aurelion wasn't going to say anything. "I can't. But... I believe something has changed. He has changed. And I don't want to hinder him in becoming kinder."
Aurelion clenches his fist.
He knows. He understands what Rainier is talking about. Every single word he says is sensible.
Nazareth is becoming... aware of his actions. And that's wonderful.
It's so wonderful to have a big brother that listened and talked and dotted on him.
It's so easy to forget that this is the same person who plotted to kill him.
And it's just so hard to live every day, afraid that it is all a dream and that the kind older brother in front of him is all but an illusion.
They never talk about the why's.
During tea time, or in the library or the greenhouse. They never talk about the past.
It's like both of them are trying to forget that brewing hatred between them, that one-sided rivalry.
Why did his older brother hate him to the point of trying to kill him?
Why was he despised by the older boy?
Why didn't Nazareth want to be a part of their family?
Why? why? why?
"Rainier,"
"Yes, Master Aurelion?"
"You are dismissed for the night. Don't bother with your reports, anymore. You can serve my brother with a clear conscience."
The servant appeared almost relieved. There was a bit of surprised mixed in as well, but he appeared mostly satisfied by his orders. He bowed deeply. "Of course, Young Master Aurelion." He turns and walks off, back to the servants' wing.
Aurelion watches as his back disappears.
Now, other than his own people, he will have no one planted to report on his brother.
He should be happy that this was so.
By withdrawing his ties to his brother's people, it just means that their mending relationship is real.
So why does he feel so empty and desperate?
They say that your deepest fears come to haunt you in the dark.
And for Aurelion, his own brother terrified him.
That crazy wraith madman who haunted this manor rather than living in it.
The dredges of that fear spiked, because in the darkness, those Vermillion eyes had flashed like a demon, ready to drag him into hell.
At the same time, when the hair was cut and the scowl was pulled, the same demon became his big brother.
Or, at least what should be expected of a big brother.
A protector. A loved one. A little foolish, but means well. Nazareth.
Like two sides of the same coin, Aurelion can't tell which one is real.
Can he trust Nazareth this time around? Can he trust that his brother won't try and kill him? That there will be no more ambushes in the dark or the fear of being taken?
Can he--
Standing in the empty hallway, Aurelion's body was stiff, his lips pursed in a hard manner, looking rather painful with every second that passes.
There was a quiver.
And a shaky breath that came out.
A sniffle.
Tears welled up behind Sapphire eyes and trickled down pale cheeks.
Plop. Plop. Plop.
Making sure that there is no one else in the hallway, the boy slides down against a wall and tucks his legs under his chin.
He buries his tear-stained face into his knees.
And under the cover of night, Aurelion cries for the first time in years.