As the Lord and Lady were walking toward their room, she asked him the reason behind him always being so harsh with their son, especially given what he had gone through and how hard he was trying to prove himself.
The Lord raised his head, took a deep breath, and sighed, "What would you prefer? Our son being questioned by me, or being questioned by all our enemies- who want to see him fall? Our son has great potential- potential to surpass not only me, but all of our ancestors; he is gifted with that much wisdom and zeal. But because of his childhood, he could not develop the necessary adult maturity. If we don't shape him right now, help him develop this skill, all the rest of his talents and potentials will become a wasted opportunity. So, unlike you, I cannot afford to be a compassionate father. I need to be harsh on him, to forge the best version of himself, so that when he takes the Throne from me, no one will dare to go against him."
Lady Seraphina felt reassured. She grabbed his hand and leaned on his arm, "But our son is not the only one who is so naïve; his father is also…"
Lord Elmsworth raised his eyebrow in amusement and asked, "How?"
"You discussed all those private matters in front of Kaelen and the Beastman! You think they can be trusted blindly?" There was a hint of worry in the Lady's eyes.
The Lord stopped in his tracks and placed his hands on her shoulders, "If Kaelen had wanted to betray us, he had enough motivation to do so when he was serving the Idiot Prince. He had turned down all temptations, bribes, and threats in order to serve a boy who had no future. And now, when he is serving the most promising person on the continent, he would be a suicidal fool to betray him."
"And the Beastman?" the Lady asked.
"Jax," Elmsworth corrected her gently. "He would never betray our son. He would rather die a thousand times before harming Lorian. I have seen it in his eyes: the gratitude, the respect he has for our son. He is a Beastman, not a human."
Lady Seraphina, assured, grabbed her husband's arm tighter as they walked toward their room.
.....................…
Lorian was chatting with Jax and Kaelen, making plans for the next few days, when there was a knock on the door. Guessing it was his father sending his favorite spirit from his private collection, Lorian sprang to his feet to open the door himself as a sign of respect.
To his surprise, instead of a butler or maid, it was Elara and Zara at the door. Elara was holding an ornate bottle containing a vintage wine.
The trio hadn't anticipated the two women joining them. They were even more surprised when they learned it was the Lord and Lady who had summoned Elara and Zara to their chambers and had ordered them to take the wine to the boys and enjoy it with them.
None of the five could understand exactly what was going on in the Lord and Lady's minds, but none dared to question or speculate on their motive.
As they opened the bottle, the room was filled with a rich aroma, which contained the sharp tang of exotic spices and herbs along with the sweet scent of fruits. Lorian, having tasted expensive wines in his past life, had never encountered such nectar.
At first, they started drinking while maintaining their aristocratic calm and composed demeanor. But as the alcohol started kicking in, they all gradually loosened up. Suddenly, without being asked, Elara started singing as if to set the mood. It was such a melodious voice; they all seemed lost in the moment.
Elara, who was a bit intoxicated, walked toward the balcony while singing. Kaelen, afraid she might fall, walked toward her. As he put his hand on her shoulder, Elara rested her head on Kaelan's chest and kept on singing, her eyes closed. Lorian noticed Kaelan's face had turned red, though he didn't find it very amusing.
On the other side, Zara was leaning on Jax. They were listening to Elara's song with their eyes closed, getting very intimate. The two Beastmen began to cuddle each other from time to time. Their warmth could be felt in the air, as if secreting a special pheromone in the room.
The environment turned deeply romantic and sensuous. The four had lost themselves in each other's arms, each other's eyes.
And suddenly, Lorian found himself alone. His mind drifted back to his past life, where he had a pretty miserable love life. His friends would mock him as the Prince of Friendzone. Then she came into his life. With her, he felt he had been waiting for her all his life. To win her love, he decided to start his business, pouring all his time and energy into it. When it succeeded, he asked for her hand, and she said yes. At that moment, he felt he was the happiest person alive.
But it didn't last long. She had left him when he lost his business. His partner not only took his business from him, but his girl as well. And that betrayal was the reason Adrian had lost all his will to fight back and started wallowing in self-pity.
He had promised himself, if he ever reborn, he would never again fall in love, for love was nothing but a hoax, a gamble. He had kept his promise to himself till date, never even thinking of love.
But today, suddenly, he felt utterly alone. In a city full of people who could give or take a life on his command, Lorian felt an emptiness in his heart. He was alone- alone in a crowd.
Lorian filled his cup and emptied it in one gulp. He had to swallow his sorrow with the wine, not to ruin the mood of the four.