The study was cold. The heavy mahogany desk at the center of the room seemed to cast a shadow that stretched over everything, its presence suffocating.
Duke Astoria sat behind the desk, his back straight, his fingers steepled in front of him as he glanced over some documents. The air was thick with unspoken expectations, the silence a heavy weight pressing against my chest.
I stood before him, trying to maintain the demeanor of Alden Astoria—calm, composed, untouchable.
I wasn't ready for this.
The Duke, my father, hadn't yet acknowledged my presence, his gaze fixed on the papers in front of him. His presence was like a storm, distant but capable of tearing apart everything in its path.
I had learned the hard way that this was a man who did not indulge in pleasantries.
"Sit."
His voice was cold, sharp like a blade that cut through the stillness of the room.
I complied, taking a seat in the chair opposite him. The weight of the moment pressed down on me. The man I was now inhabiting—Alden Astoria—was a stranger to me. His past, his choices, his relationships with everyone, including this man, were just fragments in my mind, slipping through my grasp like smoke.
"You've been informed, I assume," the Duke said, finally lifting his gaze to meet mine.
I nodded. "Isaac and I are to enter the Royal Academy."
A flicker of something I couldn't quite place crossed the Duke's face. Displeasure? Worry? Perhaps even a flicker of hope?
"A lesson is often needed in places like that," the Duke murmured. "Your brother… will have his time there. But you…" He paused, his eyes narrowing. "You will ensure he stays in line. You will watch over him and keep him safe. Isaac needs you now more than ever."
I fought the urge to clench my fists. The weight of the request was heavy, but it was a task I could accept.
Isaac.
The name echoed in my mind. My brother. The villain. The man destined to become something monstrous.
The Academy would be his crucible. His proving ground. And as much as I resented the role, it was clear my duty was to keep him safe. To protect him from the dangers he wasn't yet prepared for. From the forces that would inevitably target him.
The Duke's gaze didn't waver. His words were final. "Do not fail him. He will need you."
I swallowed hard, keeping my expression neutral. "I will protect Isaac."
The Duke seemed satisfied, his gaze softening ever so slightly, though the underlying tension remained. "Good. You leave tomorrow. Both of you are to be enrolled in the Academy without delay. The time to waste is gone."
The finality in his tone made it clear there was no room for debate. The decision had been made.
I rose from my seat, my thoughts swirling with the weight of what was to come. The Royal Academy. A place for the gifted, the elite, and the ambitious. A place where power was forged, where futures were made—or broken.
And now, I was to enter this world with Isaac. I had no choice but to protect him. To watch over him, even if he didn't realize it yet.
I turned to leave, but before I reached the door, the Duke's voice stopped me.
"One more thing, Alden." He paused, and for the first time in a long while, I saw something like genuine concern flicker in his eyes. "Isaac may not understand the danger. But you do. Keep him safe. The story has already begun."
I nodded sharply. There was no more to say.
The Academy was calling. And my brother's fate rested in my hands.