"Brother?"
Aiden snapped back to reality, jolted by the concerned gaze of the child across from him. Startled, he fumbled with his fork and it clattered to the floor, the sharp clunk cutting through the heavy silence of the room.
He gulped nervously, his eyes flicking downward to his lap as he felt the weight of a hurtful gaze directed at him from the center of the dining table. A servant swiftly approached, retrieving the fallen fork with quiet efficiency, while another discreetly replaced it with new utensils, setting them down before the young lord of the house as if nothing had happened.
"Thank you..." Aiden murmured as the servants took a bow before returning to their position at the side of the room, standing in rapt attention in case the family may need of them.
"Are you okay, brother?" The boy across from him asked, his electric blue eyes brimming with concern, their intensity making Aiden feel even more exposed under the weight of his discomfort.
Orion Chase set his cup of water down with deliberate calm, and the room fell into a tense silence. The boys ceased talking at once, their attention shifting to him. Orion's jaw was clenched tight, his eyes narrowing with a sharp intensity as he fixed Aiden with a look so searing it felt as though the boy might catch fire from the weight of it.
"Have you been taking your etiquette lessons diligently, Aiden?" he asked, his voice low but carrying the unmistakable edge of reprimand.
"….Yes, father," Aiden mumbled.
Orion side-eyed Aiden and sliced his sausages into thin bite-sized pieces before responding monotonously, "Clearly not."
He was about to respond to clear his name when, in the corner of his eye, Aiden noticed her mother subtly shaking her head.
Aiden bit his lip, sighed in defeat and slumped back in his chair.
"Losing focus. Dropping utensils. Not taking classes seriously. Posture," Orion's words came with a cold precision, each one landing like a reprimand Aiden could feel deep in his bones. Instinctively, Aiden straightened in his chair, sitting up as if the force of his father's words had physically pulled him upright. Orion's gaze never wavered, his voice growing heavier with every syllable. "Aiden Chase, you will be the next in line. Our name, our reputation- everything that matters to this family- will rely on you in the future."
His father delivered the words so nonchalantly that anyone overhearing might assume it was just another casual conversation. After all, fathers gave talks like this all the time to their eldest sons.
However, the subtle tone, the piercing gaze, and the deliberate way his father phrased each word left Aiden with a small, uncomfortable knot in his stomach. What his father said wasn't a gentle reminder to take his etiquette classes more seriously, nor was it a suggestion that he could be better.
It was a command.
A command that he should be better.
To Aiden, it felt like the heavy hand of destiny was settling squarely on his shoulders, pressing down with the weight of an entire lineage.
He felt his hands slightly shake, the pit in his stomach growing larger, feeling like he could be sucked inside out at any moment. His face flushed- maybe from embarrassment, anger, or a mix of both, Aiden felt like he wanted to just combust right then right there.
Helia, who was silently watching the whole ordeal between her husband and her kids, had finally had enough and she cleared her throat, the sound sharp in the quiet room, instantly drawing everyone's attention away from Aiden. Even the servants, who had been carefully avoiding eye contact with either Orion or Aiden, turned to look at her. With a sigh, Helia spoke, her voice calm but firm. "They are still kids, Orion."
"Kids who will one day become heroes."
"But kids, nonetheless," She emphasized, her voice unwavering. "And they're not just any kids, they're your kids. Our children."
At this, Orion's eyes softened as he stared at his wife, who was busily emphasizing with such conviction about the need for children to have a little fun, about the dangers of thrusting them too soon into the weight of adult matters.
"Don't get me started on yesterday, Orion," she continued, her tone becoming increasingly stern. "When you know just how dangerous it is for a kid to go there and witness something as heinous as killing a Magi."
"Not this again, Helia, dear."
"Oh yes, this again. You won't hear the last of this!"
"Aiden is already a teenager and he will be head one day. Should we shelter him until he alone could not stand to see someone dying?"
"He does not need to see it right now. It has been centuries and yet not a single one of you is able to find another alternative for Magis?"
"They are ruthless. They kill our people, Helia and it is our job as a Chase to see to it we are safe and we do so by exterminating them."
"Humans are also ruthless. It's not the Magis who killed that family of four last week, now is it? Killing a Magi and letting your son see such things are heinous!"
"Keeping a Magi alive is just as heinous," Orion replied, unyielding.
The two locked eyes for a moment, their bickering coming to a stop. Aiden and Blaze, his younger brother, shifted uncomfortably in their seats watching their parents stare each other down. The room was unbearably silent.
Without missing a beat, Helia smiled gently at her two boys before turning her gaze to the towering figure standing beside Orion Chase. The butler stood as though like a sculpture, his posture impossibly straight, exuding an air of confidence and professionalism. His charcoal-gray suit, tailored to exacting precision, whispered elegance in every measured step he took.
"Ettore, take the children outside."
With a slight inclination of his head, the butler acknowledged the command, his expression unreadable save for the faint smile he had given the lady of the house.
Aiden could not have been told twice.
The butler motioned for a few servants to open the tall double doors while the two Chase brothers were hurriedly bowing towards their parents before making a beeline out the dining room, where Ettore was waiting for them. He led them down the hallway, their footsteps a synchronized tapping against the mahogany floors.
Not one of them dared to say something.
Ettore led them to the study, a large room just down the hallway from where the dining area was. Its walls were lined with towering bookshelves filled to the brim with all kinds of books from classical literature to scientific journals that seemed to watch as they entered. A rolling library ladder rested against one shelf, waiting patiently for someone to scale its height.
The sunlight poured through the large window that stretched from floor to ceiling, painting the room in golden hues, casting soft shadows across the furniture, and igniting the air with a warm, tranquil glow.
The butler gestured toward the wide desk, its surface already set with ink pens, blank notebooks, and piled textbooks.
Aiden and Blaze hesitated.
Noticing their hesitation, with a small smile, Ettore spoke, "The study awaits your presence Master Aiden and Master Blaze, and it would be unwise to keep its wisdom waiting."
Blaze, who still had yet to begin his advanced etiquette class, groaned. "But we just had breakfast. Can't it wait?"
"Master Aiden, Master Blaze, I assure you, a mere hour of study now will save you an afternoon of lectures later. Efficiency, as they say, is the cornerstone of wisdom."
With this, Aiden entered the room and picked up a few books from the bookshelf without looking them over in a robotic-like fashion, before plopping himself down a chair.
Seeing his brother diligently scanning his books, Blaze conceded defeat and followed suit.
Ettore, his work done, began to retreat towards the door.
Before leaving, he paused, turning back to offer one final remark. "Should you require any assistance, do not hesitate to call."
And with that, he vanished as quietly as he'd arrived, leaving the boys to their books.