Xanthe was greeted by the servants as he entered the palace of Soleil. He could feel the lingering stares and he could taste the fear from some of them.
"Xanthe," Duchess Amara smiled offered a small smile as soon as he entered the dining hall. "I'm glad that you made it here."
The Crown Prince candidate was never a fan of gathering or eating with other people. He liked to enjoy his food on his own however as the Prince, he had to learn how to socialize whether he liked it or not. Despite knowing that, Xanthe never really pretended to have a lovable personality and he never bother with sugar coating things. He was indifferent and unapologetically straightforward. His mouth got him in more trouble than he ever realized.
Xanthe only nodded as he took the seat next to Alexander who never bothered greeting him. Not that he can blame his brother but Xanthe will never apologize for what happened.
Everyone knew if someone owed an apology there, it was him.
"Now that we are all here, let's eat," Duke Evan cleared his throat. "How's the Academy?" The father asked, slicing through his thick cut of premium steak.
"It's the same as ever," Xanthe reached for the glass of water, taking small sips.
"Just one more year and you'll have to start accepting missions," the Duke noted.
"It's not like I can't do them now," Xanthe replied.
"Right, back my time the moment you enter Bizevau you have to tag to missions and dungeons." A pause. "Time has truly changed as our system was strengthened it allowed the young ones to live more at ease."
Everyone just simply replied with a hum.
"Alex," Duchess Amara called. "How's your work treating you?"
"Seemed like a lot more of dungeons pop randomly and we seemed to be having some hard time predicting where the next one will be, hopefully, it gets better," Alexander smiled.
"The Imperial Palace is doing its best." The duke assured.
A silence followed before Alexander placed down his utensils and wipe his mouth, "I'll have to go," He stood up. "I am a bit busy."
Xanthe let out a snort at what he said. Alexander held a high position as one of the best Restorers. He was only on call when it comes to important and huge damages. He wasn't busy, Alexander simply didn't like Xanthe.
The older son of Soleil turned sharply at his youngest brother.
"Why do you even bother making some dumb excuse, Alex?" Xanthe asked stabbing the steak with a fork.
"I am not making an excuse," Alexander's voice was tight.
Xanthe placed the meat inside his mouth and looked up at his brother. "Even father and mother knew you're lying." Both their parents refused to react and simply continued with their meal.
The mask fell off, "Should I just tell you that you make food taste like garbage in my mouth?"
"Alexander," Duke Evan warned.
"Sure," Xanthe smirked. "Why the fuck not?"
"Xanthe," Duchess Amara worriedly called.
Alexander shook his head in disbelief, "You are something." his expression turned more serious. "Are you like this because you know I am just a Restorer?"
Xanthe was unsure why Alexander acted as if he was just any ordinary Restorer when he could easily restore a whole damn town.
"Who told you I gave a damn about your designation?"
"You are arrogant," Alexander clenched his fists tight.
"I just know who I am and what I can do." A pause. "Does that make me arrogant?"
Duchess Amara sighed, "That's enough you two."
Silence.
Alexander turned to his mother and father, bowing down, "I'm sorry for my behavior. I'll reflect on it. I'll have to go."
Xanthe usually just leaves Alexander alone. He never bothers him. Alexander acted like he doesn't exist and Xanthe does the same thing to him but sometimes he was entertained whenever his brother lost his composure.
Was that because it was the only attention he received from his brother?
The thing was Xanthe knew his parents loved him and he knew how much guilt they felt having to isolate him since he was a baby. He was aware that they can't ignore an Imperial Order.
However, when it comes to Alexander, Xanthe knew that his older brother despise him but instead of yelling and blaming him, Alexander chose to treat him like he doesn't exist.
And somehow... somehow that was so much worse.
Or maybe he was overthinking things and he was simply in an awful mood?
He doesn't even know why the fuck he bothers.
"You act as if it's my fault," Xanthe leaned comfortably on his seat. "It's not like I am the one who attacked his 7-year-old brother because he was jealous."
Alexander turned to Xanthe sharply, if looks could kill Xanthe would have dropped dead easily.
"Shut your mouth, Xanthe." Xanthe turned to his brother, his face was crumpled with expressions of disgust and anger. "You think I care if you are a candidate to be a crown prince, even if you are an Emperor right now I wouldn't give a single damn."
"Alexander," Duke Evan calmly interrupted. "Be careful about what you say... that can be a ground for treason."
Driven by anger, Alexander ignored his own father as he kept his glares on Xanthe. "You should have not killed him." It was all the words that Alexander kept in him for so many years.
Xanthe chuckled, finishing his glass of water, "Are you saying I should have just sat still while he tries to kill me." He pushed himself to stand up. "I didn't do anything to Calix." The certainty in Xanthe's words was loud. "Calix was the one who decided that he doesn't need his life anymore."
Alexander refused to admit Calix's sin. For years, he lived in denial of what their older brother did. He rather let Calix live in his memory as the great brother who was ambitious and who looked at his future certain of the greatness that was waiting for him. "He had a great future ahead of him. He was one of the greatest Hunters."
"That doesn't take the fact that he tried to kill me. His own damn brother," Xanthe replied.
Ah, he thought, the whole conversation lost its appeal.
It had become boring.
"I had to put him in his place." Xanthe walked past Alexander as he reached the door of the dining hall, he looked back at his brother over his shoulder. "If he was strong like you claim, he shouldn't have died in the hands of a seven-year-old." Xanthe left the room and it fell into a tense and heavy silence.
"I..." The second son of Duke Soleil swallowed. "I have to go," Alexander weakly declared. He bowed down to his parents but before he could leave the duke wiped his lips and spoke in a cold tone.
"Alexander," it sent shivers down his spine. No matter how old he was, he will always fear his father. "Calix committed a crime. It wasn't a mistake. He planned it and executed the whole thing..." Alexander tried to pretend that he didn't hear the disappointment and heartbreak that somehow lay underneath the duke's words. "What he never accounted for was how strong Xanthe is." Duke Evan stood from his seat. "But whether Xanthe is strong or not if I found out that he killed his own brother, I would kill him with my own hands. What he did was unforgivable and he paid the price for it."
"But fathe—!!!"
"Enough," the duke sighed. "Like what you said, reflect on your words and action. If Xanthe ascends the throne, you are to take over this family and my position and if you can't get yourself sorted out, I won't be able to hand the entire house to you."
Alexander clenched his fists tight and bowed down, "I understand. I'm sorry, father. I will definitely do better."
Duchess Amara let out a heavy sigh, staring at her son. She put on a small lonely smile, "Make sure to bring your wife and kids next time, will you?"
"I will, mother." Alexander excused himself and left the dining hall.
The duchess turned to her husband with a sad expression. It had been years. "Alexander never let his wife and kids near Xanthe." The sadness in her tone was heavy. "Will they ever be alright in this lifetime?" the duchess lamented.
Duke Evan walked towards his wife, comforting her. "It's my first time seeing Xanthe talk like that to Alexander... usually he let him be. The same goes with Alexander. They both act as if the other doesn't exist." He ran his palm over the duchess' hair. "Don't you think that's progress?"
The duchess let out a soft chuckle, eyeing her husband lovingly, "Sometimes you are weirdly optimistic, dear."
"Am I?"
"Yes, I don't even know how you can call that spat between your sons a progress but most of all, I don't know why I agree with you."
"Because you know I am right," Duke Evan smiled. His expression then changed. "I have something to tell you."
The wife was quick to get that whatever it was, it was something serious.
"The Emperor is sick," Duke Evan declared much to his wife's surprise. "The Royal Physicians and Acolytes are determining if it's terminal."
"Oh, dear."
"By the looks of it... it's not promising." a pause. "If the Emperor is terminal, it only means that the test for the throne will happen sooner than we expected."
The duchess leaned helplessly against her husband. "Do... you think Xanthe will become the next Crown Prince?"
It took seconds before Duke Evan finally replied. "The possibility is high. Everyone thinks the same too. However, this will all depend on what Xanthe wanted." The duke knew how powerful his son was more than anyone else however he also knew how uninterested their son when it comes to the throne.
"Do you want him to be the Emperor?" The duchess asked, meeting his eyes.
"I want whatever Xanthe wants... the Empire never really treated him right and if he doesn't want anything to do with it... then be it."
Duchess Amara nodded. "I am also unsure what Xanthe wanted however being the Crown Prince and the next Emperor was a huge responsibility. I dreamed of Xanthe having his own family and getting the love he should have gotten when he was a kid but if he inherited the throne... his life and every second of it will be dedicated to the Empire."
There was a silence that settled between them before the duke spoke, "I guess we still have some time. Let's just cross the bridge when we get there."