A small smile tugged at the corner of Asher's lips as he approached Stella, her expression normally stoic face always softened a touch when it came to the twins.
"Stella," Asher called out, holding a slice of cake.
Stella, her back straight and her uniform spotless as ever, turned towards him with a faint smile.
"Happy birthday, young master Asher," she replied, a hint of fondness in her voice.
Stella leaned forward slightly, her eyes crinkling at the corners in a rare display of amusement.
"You spoil us rotten, you two," she mumbled, accepting the cake with a small nod of thanks.
Asher watched as she took a bite, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then, a flicker of something akin to surprise passed through her eyes.
"My, that is quite delicious," she admitted.
"I'm glad you like it, Stella. You deserve some sweetness after all the hard work you do." Asher gave a small smile.
"Thank you, young master Asher," she murmured, her voice softer than usual.
Scarlett glanced at him, and other maids.
"Ash, Aur why not feed Ely, a bite of cake?" She whispered, with hope.
A strange expression flickered across Elysia's face. A flicker of something dark and bitter momentarily replaced her usual cool indifference.
She felt happy, her sister was feeding the cake, but her 'dead' brother? Happy? Happy that the little gremlin was shoving cake in someone's face? Absolutely.
Thrilled that the same "someone" was the walking, breathing embodiment of her deepest regret? Not so much.
"Is something wrong?" Scarlett asked softly, concern etched on her face.
Elysia forced a smile, the effort evident in the tightness around her jaw.
"Everything's perfect, Mama," Elysia replied, a touch quicker than necessary. Shaking her head a little too quickly.
"Come on, let's not keep everyone waiting." She added, gesturing towards Aurora with a soft cheer.
Scarlett didn't seem convinced, but with a sigh, she turned to Asher and Aurora, a silent plea in her eyes.
"There you go," She whispered, slowly wiping a stray bit of frosting from Aurora's cheek… she
nudged them towards Elysia.
"Big sis~ eat this!" Aurora, radiating the smug satisfaction of a tiny dictator who'd just overthrown a frosting-covered regime, on their mother, readily grabbed another piece, holding it out to Elysia with a giggle.
"Thank you, Aur." Elysia took the cake automatically, a small part of her appreciating the gesture.
"Hehehe~ Ash! You too feed big sis," Aurora whispered slowly, turning those bright, hopeful eyes towards her brother.
Asher met her gaze with a warm smile.
He, ever the perfect picture of sunshine and rainbows, approached Elysia with a slice of cake.
His movements slow and deliberate as he approached Elysia. The room seemed to hold its breath, the joyous atmosphere replaced by a tense silence.
The maids, all fans of the young master, watched with the intentively, like attention of pigeons eyeing a stray French fry.
Maybe, just maybe, this birthday… it would be the day the siblings finally reconnected?
Elysia watched the hand with the cake inch closer, her emotions a tangled mess. Anger, disgust, a flicker of something… longing?
Did she… actually want a piece? From Asher? It was a ridiculous thought, yet there was a tiny tug at her heart, overshadowed by last years of complicated feelings.
It was a fleeting thought, quickly extinguished by the embers of resentment that burned bright in her eyes.
Hesitation flickered across her face, a tiny battle raging within her.
She stole a glance at 'her' family. Her mother's hopeful gaze, shining with a quiet joy she hadn't seen in years. Aurora's innocent, pure and bright smile.
A memory came in her mind – a memory of simpler times, a family enjoying each other's company.
Their faces held a warmth and hope that she rarely witnessed anymore.
For a fleeting moment, a tiny seed of… what was it? Acceptance? Forgiveness? It sprouted within Elysia.
Maybe, just maybe, for their sake, she could tolerate his presence for a little while longer.
After all, what else was family for, if not tolerating the 'barely-living corpses' that haunted your past?
A sidelong glance revealed the maids' expectant faces, their smiles radiating pure happiness.
Finally, after so many years, there was a chance for a true family gathering.
Seeing those warm expressions, Elysia felt maybe… yeah, just maybe she should forgive him.
But then, her gaze fell on Asher's face. Elysia almost choked on the bile rising in her throat.
Did she really thought to forgive him? The very notion was laughable.
Maybe they'd all forgotten, conveniently buried the past like a dog with a particularly juicy bone. But Elysia hadn't.
The smile plastered on Asher's face, the expression, the same resemblance, the one that mirrored their deceased father's so perfectly, and that disgusting carefree attitude – only served to inflame her hatred.
She took a step back, her voice tight with barely concealed fury.
"I can't… I can't! I CAN'T" She looks at him, and his hands just inches away from hers.
Her father's whose life had been snuffed out because of this… this… thing that stood before her, this brat, useless piece of trash, offering cake like some kind of twisted jester.
He was a walking, breathing insult to her father's memory.
"It disgusts me,'' A flood of anger crashed over her, drowning out the tiny flicker of hope.
The anger surged back, hot and relentless. Abruptly, she shouted.
"Don't touch me!" she hissed, her voice laced with enough venom to melt the frosting.
It wasn't just the cake she recoiled from, but the very idea of contact, of Asher even breathing the same air as her. It was a slap in the face to everything she'd lost.
Her voice, usually gentle and soft, was laced with venom and resentment.
"Don't. You. Dare!" Each word was a barely contained explosion, a desperate attempt to keep the dam of her fury from bursting.
'I will show HIS TRUE colour.' Elysia didn't care about the cake, about ruining Aurora's childish happiness. She needed her sister, their precious Aurora, to see him for what he truly was: a monster disguised in a birthday suit.
With each step backward, the anger continued to rise exponentially.
This wasn't about frosting and candles; it was about a gaping wound in her soul, a wound he'd inflicted with his actions.
"Because of him! Because of that… that… thing you call a brother," she spat, her voice low and dangerous. How dare they? How dare they act like everything was normal!
"Because of his recklessness, my Father is DEAD! And you," she jabbed a finger at Asher, her eyes blazing with a hatred so raw it seemed to scorch the air, "How dare you even touch that cake, let alone expect me to take a bite from it?" The last word dripped with bitter disdain.
"Don't pretend you don't see it, Asher. The loathing in my eyes? It mirrors the truth. This entire birthday party – the cake, the forced smiles – it's nothing but a mockery of what I've lost. Disgusting,"
"You are disgusting, Asher." Her voice dropping low, but the words dripped with icy hatred.
"He killed my father. How can I share the same space as my father's killer, let alone accept this damn birthday cake from your filthy hands? A filthy murderer? It makes me sick!" Her voice rose with every sentence, the last word almost a bitter spit.
"You already know I hate you, Asher! You don't deserve to be here, a stain on Agnes' memory! You aren't worthy!" She finished, her eyes blazing with a raw pain that left everyone speechless.
She took a last, lingering glance at the faces in the hall. Scarlett's smile, once as bright and warm as the fireflies, faltered, replaced by a mask of dawning pain.
Her eyes darted between her eldest daughter and Asher, searching for a way to mend the fractured moment.
Aurora, oblivious to the undercurrents of the moment just a heartbeat ago, now stood frozen, brow furrowed in confusion.
A hint of anger, bubbled beneath the surface. Her tiny hand, moments ago clutching a piece of cake, clenched into a fist at her side.
Her gaze darted between her 'frozen' brother and her tearful mother, the playful sparkle in her eyes slowly replaced by a growing resentment.
The innocent joy that had radiated from her moments before had vanished, replaced by a bewildered hurt.
The maids exchanged a look. Their hopeful expressions, strained with a mix of anticipation and hope just moments ago, now drooped with sadness.
Lastly, her gaze landed on Asher. The smile on his face remained, but behind that smile lurked something dark, a darkness she could almost drown in it.
But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the same carefree expression.
Elysia didn't have time to dwell on it. With a final choked sob, she spun on her heel and fled the hall.
Silence descended, thick and heavy. All eyes turned to Asher's back, his hand still outstretched, the cake forgotten.
"Ash?" softly, Aurora asked. Asher didn't answer. Slowly, deliberately, he let go of the cake, watching it tumble to the floor with a soft thud that echoed in the tense quiet.
Asher slowly turned, the smile never leaving his lips. But for a fleeting moment, the warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a chilling emptiness, a dark abyss that seemed to devour the light in the room.
It was a predator's gaze, a cold and calculating assessment, a horrifying glimpse of something monstrous lurking beneath the surface. It was like a mask slipping, revealing a fractured psyche beneath the facade.
The flicker was brief, a blink and you'd miss it, vanished so quickly, so subtly, that even Scarlett, watching with concern, dismissed it as a trick of the light. The smile returned, warm and reassuring.
"Yes, Aurora?" he asked, his voice laced with the same gentle concern.
No one saw the flicker. No one except Elysia. And the memory of that cold, calculating glint in his eyes would forever taint the way she saw her brother.
"Let's continue the party, shall we?" His voice was smooth, almost seductive, yet it held an undercurrent that sent a tremor through the room.
Scarlett, her eyes filled with a mixture of worry and confusion, forced a smile.
"Y-yes, of course," she stammered. But the joy had vanished from the room, replaced by a chilling unease.
"Do some of you want ice cream instead? Cause I really want some," he suggested, his voice light and cheerful…
The maids exchanged nervous glances, their practiced smiles faltering. The playful birthday atmosphere had been shattered, replaced by a suffocating tension that hung heavy in the air.
Scarlett watched Asher, her eyes filled with a growing sense of dread and worry.
He, however, seemed oblivious (or perhaps willfully so).
He looked down at the fallen cake, a cruel amusement flickering in his eyes for a fleeting moment before he brushed off the crumbs with a careless hand.
Aurora, sensing the change, clung to Asher's arm, her bright eyes filled with worry. Asher, oblivious (or perhaps willfully so), reached down and ruffled her hair.
"Don't worry, Aur," he murmured, his voice a touch too low, too intimate. "We'll have our fun, won't we?"