When Sevastian finally gave up on trying to get Rohan out of his bed, he drifted off to sleep within minutes. When he woke up, evening had settled in, and there was Rohan, already awake, casually reading a book with his feet propped up on Sevastian's table.
"I am glad that you are awake, I was beginning to think you were dead." Rohan teased, placing the book on the table and folding his hands behind his head.
Sevastian rubbed his sleepy eyes, before running his fingers through his disheveled hair. "Why are you still here Rohan?" His voice deep and heavy.
"I was waiting for you. I am famished and did not want to eat without you. Please, get up, and let us head to the dining room." Rohan was already on his feet, making his way to the door.
Sevastian let out a deep breath and picked up his glasses from the bed side table. He got up from the bed, staring at himself in the mirror while he fixed his hair and glasses.
He walked beside Rohan as they walked down the stairs and into another corridor, just before they could take another turn a voice called out to Rohan. "Rohan!"
The men turned around to see a young woman making her way towards them. She had a white long sleeved dress on. Snatching her waist with a golden corset, the neck line was modest revealing only the smooth and delicate skin of her neck and shoulders. Her silver hair cascaded down her shoulders moving alongside with her, gold bracelet wrapped around her forearm.
Her large amethyst eyes fixed on Rohan, face carved to perfection. Lips appearing red like it was stained with beetroot, her straight pointed nose added to her beauty.
"Lyra! Look at you, you have grown taller. I am almost jealous of you." Rohan joked, a full smile across his lips.
Lyra kicked him hard on the leg, causing Rohan to groan in pain, smoothening the ache on his leg. "You have grown stronger too," she heard him say before she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him into a tight hug.
"I have missed you, Ro," Lyra buried her face into the crook of his neck.
"I have missed you too, Lyra, it is good to see you again." Rohan admitted, hand on the small of her back. They remained that way for a few seconds before pulling away.
Sevastian stood there in awe at the person in front of him, her purple eyes shifted to him and he cleared his throat looking away as he realized he had been staring for too long.
"This is my friend, Sevastian, an advisor to the King of Valeria and Sev, this is my sweet sister, Lyra." Rohan introduced Sevastian to his sister.
Lyra's eyes scanned Sevastian, from his head down to his legs, then back to his face. His expression was unreadable—one she couldn't decipher, despite being skilled at reading people.
"It is nice meeting you, Princess Lyra." Sevastian gave a slight bow, keeping his face as straight as possible.
Lyra narrowed her eyes at him, "Pleasure is mine, Lord Sevastian, I hope you are enjoying Luminae so far?"
"I am, Luminae is a beautiful place. It is my pleasure to be here." Sevastian replied, his voice calm and collected. The young woman's gaze was intense, almost as if she was trying to look into his soul, it was highly uncomfortable.
"I see my brother's cad behavior has not rubbed off on you. You are quite the gentleman for someone who is a dragon," Lyra stated, crossing her arms over her chest.
Sevastian arched his brow at her, someone who is a dragon? What did she mean by that? She looked at him like she was expecting him to respond to her words, but he decided to let it go."I agree, Rohan has a few questionable traits," Sevastian replied, his tone neutral.
A small smile appeared across her lips, her eyes glinting with amusement. "Where are you headed?" She turned to her brother.
"To the dining room, I am famished." Rohan stated, rubbing his stomach with his left hand.
"I hear the cooks prepared something special for you per mother's request." Lyra announced, locking her hand around Rohan's arm.
"That is lovely of her, how has she been? I wrote to her, but she never replied to any of my letters." He said to his sister, walking step by step with her.
"I believe Father got a hold of your letters, stopping them from reaching mother. He tried doing the same with me, but I have my ways." She replied, pushing her hair strands behind her ear.
"His actions does not surprise me. Anyways, how is she doing? Does she still perform at balls?" Rohan inquired, remembering all the times when his mother's beautiful voice warmed his heart and lit the room.
"She is... not quite as she used to be. She always mentions about you when we are discussing. Mother stopped singing when you left. You leaving the palace....took a big toll on her." Lyra explained, she could hear the soft footsteps of Sevastian's boots behind them. She was almost tempted to turn around.
"How sad, I will pay her a visit when we are done eating. Is she aware of my arrival?" His eyes shifted to Lyra who was a few inches shorter than him.
"Yes she is, she says she does not know how she feels about your return, but I can see that she is nervous and happy to see you." She explained dislodging her arm from his when they walked into the dining room.
The room was dashing as other part of the palace, chandelier hanging from the ceiling, white and golden chairs and table, floor covered with a white rug. Rohan took his seat at the edge of the table, Lyra sitting beside him while Sevastian sat opposite Rohan.
The table was soon filled with different foods, from pastries to sweets to soups and juices. Lyra watched as Sevastian took a little mushroom soup into a bowl and mashed potatoes into another bowl. His mannerism and composure was astonishing to Lyra, he must have sensed her gaze because his eyes lifted to hers, making her breath hitch.