Chapter Sixteen
_ The Older Brother
Ariana muttered in an almost inaudible voice as she thought. Raphael, with his keen senses, heard her words. He looked at her with scrutinizing eyes. Ariana, feeling his gaze, realized her mistake and tried to avoid the subject, but he spoke, ignoring what he had heard:
"If I can win King Nathan to my side, I'll avoid the external threat, that's what you're saying..."
"If you negotiate with him correctly and try to win him over, without harming the Emperor's pride, it will be a good move for us..."
Ariana felt grateful to him and replied to his words, as if the muttering hadn't happened.
Raphael smiled at the word "us" and felt a kind of complexity in his heart and a great deal of happiness. He sighed slightly, then spoke to remind her of the subject:
"And Duke Silvano?!"
"Leave him to me, I'll find a solution..."
"Are you going to talk to him?!"
"..."
Raphael was greatly annoyed, but he controlled himself and spoke with the utmost calm. However, his tone was cold, and Ariana felt something strange, looking at Raphael and tilting her head.
'Is something wrong?!'
But Raphael composed himself, smiled, and said:
"I want to handle the matter. I... That's all there is to it."
Ariana was flustered and said with a note of concern:
"Raph! I'm sorry... It seems I'm interfering and being overbearing too much..."
Raphael, who felt he was always making things worse, rubbed his forehead and said in an apologetic tone, speaking recklessly, though he knew it.
"Aya, I trust you... It's just that I don't want you to meet that man..."
Ariana was shocked and couldn't find a justification, as in the novel there was no animosity between Philip and Raphael before the novel began, so she thought anxiously:
'Did Raph meet Elena and something happened... No, no, oh my God, how can I ask?! So much has changed because of my entry into the novel and the change in events.'
Raphael sensed her worry and spontaneously reached out his hand and placed it on Ariana's head, patting gently, which made her heart beat fast. She raised her eyes to meet his, and he smiled gently at her and said:
"We should summon Ivan to check on your condition."
"And will he come?!"
"Certainly."
Raphael smiled brightly, which made Ariana forget the bad thoughts and look directly into his face, feeling a lot of emotions: happiness, safety, comfort, and kindness. Then she remembered something, stood up, headed to the drawer, and took out a small box. Raphael looked at her in confusion, and Ariana spoke with a radiant face as she held out the box:
"It's your gift. I forgot to give it to you yesterday..."
Raphael chuckled, took the small box, and opened it. It was a beautiful necklace, somewhat similar to the one he had given her. He laughed merrily, took it out of the box, and said:
"Will you help me put it on?!"
"Okay."
Ariana stood up awkwardly and helped him put it on, then looked at it and liked Raphael's appearance with the necklace adorning his neck. Its chain was a little long, descending to the sternum, and the delicate appearance of the necklace contrasted with Raphael's strong and muscular body, adding a powerful and masculine aura. Ariana nearly drooled from the effect.
(Sara: Even I, imagining it, drooled đź¤)
Raphael coughed lightly and said:
"It's beautiful, thank you."
"I'm happy you liked it."
Ariana smiled with a flushed, happy face, which made Raphael look at her like a man possessed, but he collected himself and said playfully:
"If the gem were blue, it would be better..."
Ariana tilted her head in confusion, and Raphael laughed and said:
"My gift resembles me. Your gift should be something that resembles you, like your beautiful eyes, for example."
Ariana's face turned deeply red. Despite the playful tone, he was flirting with her, which made her heart pound violently and left her standing hesitantly, unsure how to reply. Raphael realized this and said merrily:
"Well, I'm waiting for a special gift on my birthday, and I hope it includes something from Aya..."
"..."
"Well, I have to leave now."
When he found her unbalanced, he excused himself to leave, looked at her rosy face, felt heat in his own, and quickly departed so as not to do something foolish...
* * *.
He was striking relentlessly with his sword until the monsters' blood splattered and scattered. She was looking at him with a kind of confusion and worry. She turned to the monster that passed by her and stabbed it, then returned to looking at him:
'Ever since he went to the Imperial ball, his state hasn't been good.'
A Paladin knight and a Duke's knight approached:
"Duke, a message has reached you from the Temple..."
The Duke raised his head, and his golden hair shone. He looked at the Paladin with a cold look and a dry smile. The knight stepped forward, handed him the message, and then asked permission to leave...
The knight left, and the Duke opened the message and smiled sarcastically. She looked at him with worry:
"Duke! Why does the Temple want to communicate with you?!"
"Elena, they love to seize opportunities..."
He laughed mockingly. Elena approached him on her horse, looked directly at him, and asked:
"What happened yesterday?!"
"I received an indirect insult from the Emperor, and now they want to win me over."
"And what will you do?!"
He looked at her with a friendly smile and said:
"I will only do what is good for us..."
"I trust the Duke very much."
Elena felt reassured and smiled at him confidently.
* * *.
"I told you, no, a thousand times no, I don't know..."
He replied firmly, still clinging to his stubborn stance. He looked at the other, who was as stubborn as his companion. He sighed, growing annoyed, and said:
"Doesn't either of you know where His Majesty disappeared to? He was with you before he vanished from the ball. Where, for hell's sake, did he go..."
"I went for a stroll... Marshal."
Marshal was surprised and looked at his Lord, who spoke from behind him with worried eyes, then bowed with a shaky voice:
"Why did you disappear, Your Majesty?! I was about to die from worry..."
"So you were investigating them without permission?!"
"..."
Marshal fell silent in shame and bowed. Casper spoke defensively:
"We didn't tell him anything, Your Majesty."
Raphael nodded affirmatively, then looked at Marshal and said seriously:
"Is there a serious matter, Marshal?"
"No, it's just that I was worried about Your Majesty."
"I am at my best today, rest assured..."
Marshal raised his head to look at Raphael's bright face and relaxed features. He looked happy and less ill...
"Your Majesty! I have a question for Your Majesty."
Raphael looked confused at Marshal, who spoke with hesitation and worry, but he urged him to complete his words. Marshal swallowed his anxiety and tension and spoke with the utmost courage he possessed:
"Does His Majesty have a woman in his heart?!"
Marshal's and the others' gaze was fixed on Raphael. Their reaction was to avoid Marshal's scrutinizing looks, which confirmed his suspicion. As for Raphael, he froze and found no answer. It was a question that had been asked many times, and he couldn't deny it easily as he had before. It was the second time he was unable to respond. He thought deeply...
'Since when am I unable to respond?...'
He swallowed the words because he knew since when. He looked at Marshal and said calmly, forgetting the thoughts that invaded his mind every time:
"I don't know what you mean, so how?"
Marshal hesitated and felt sad, but the reckless Casper spoke:
"Your Majesty! Don't you know what love is? But what I see in your dealings with the Lady, doesn't it seem..."
Casper got entangled and realized it when Raphael glared at him and Brian nudged him. Casper put his hands over his mouth, and his eyes glistened with worry about the Emperor's anger. As for Marshal, he looked at Raphael with a kind of suspicion. Raphael swallowed his embarrassment, as it was the first time he had lied to Marshal. Raphael sighed and said with a frown:
"My relationship with Aya is just friendship. What are you thinking?"
Casper forgot his fear and spoke in disappointment, saying:
"Doesn't His Majesty like the Lady? You look very perfect. You care about her smallest details, you even feel jealous for the Lady, don't you? Isn't that called love?!..."
Casper's words were true, which made Raphael flustered...
'Did I feel jealous? When? ... When I saw her talking to them, or when she praised Philip Silvano... What is this nonsense?!'
Marshal looked at all the details and changes in Raphael and said:
"Your Majesty! Can we talk in private?"
He nodded yes and said:
"You two, leave. And you, Casper, will be held accountable..."
They bowed, and Casper swallowed his saliva in fear. When they had left, Raphael spoke:
"What is the serious matter you want to talk to me about in private?"
"There are many serious matters, should I start listing them?"
"Speak."
Raphael walked and sat at his desk. Marshal stood up straight and said:
"We received a report from our spies: the Temple has contacted Duke Silvano, and we currently don't know the Duke's response..."
"The Temple has started the war and wants the noble faction under its hand, that's a good thing... Continue."
"The delegations asked about Your Majesty in your absence at the banquet. I managed the situation along with Count Cyrus, Baron Rolf, and The two rascals... But King Nathan requested an urgent meeting with Your Majesty."
"I expected it. Tell the assistants to set an appointment at lunch with the delegations, and tell King Nathan that the Emperor wants to meet him after lunch..."
"I follow His Highness's orders..."
"Is there anything left?!..."
"Mr. Lyndon sent the necessary budget for the new project at the Academy, and requested a meeting with you at the earliest opportunity..."
"That's fine. Send the budget to the treasury, and I will check my schedule and set a day to meet Professor Lyndon..."
"And there is, Your Majesty, the Minister of Finance sent the budget report regarding this year's exemption..."
Raphael was speaking seriously, calmly, and very confidently, as if the matters were not of such magnitude. Marshal hesitated with his last question:
"Ah, there is one last thing... I apologize for my interference, but I want to ask you about the Lady Sir Wilton spoke about... Does Your Majesty love that Lady?! I mean, will that Lady be our awaited Empress?!"
Raphael was flustered and found nothing to say. He thought for a moment, then laughed awkwardly, rubbed his cheek, and spoke spontaneously, fiddling with the necklace she had given him:
"A girl who is strong and fragile, wicked and innocent, that's what I can say about her. If there's anyone who deserves the position of Empress, it would be her. She thinks of everyone, for their sake and mine. She worries about me and protects me, and she is the one who most needs protection. A person I can be defenseless in front of because I trust her. She is beautiful and pure, and she has eyes that make me feel that the sky is embracing me with warmth. I feel happy when talking to her, a feeling I had forgotten long ago. She is my shield, so I want to be her sword..."
Marshal, who had listened calmly to his words, began to feel happy, as the young man in front of him seemed completely in love. Raphael, who fell silent, a sweet smile still adorning his lips, noticed Marshal and looked at him. Marshal cleared his throat slightly and said in a sincere and happy tone:
"Your Majesty! You are deeply in love. I truly wish to meet the Lady who made His Majesty smile like a sweet, carefree child. I must bow to her with great respect..."
Marshal was a person he had trusted since childhood, so he found himself talking about Aya sincerely and non-stop. Raphael was flustered because he now realized that he had expressed feelings he himself wasn't aware of. His ears turned red, and he covered his face in embarrassment, which made Marshal laugh in the tone of a father who understood his young son's feelings. Then he remembered something:
"I don't know who the Lady is, but I hope to see her... And there is no fault in it, Your Majesty, for the late Emperor loved the Empress very much, and his health deteriorated greatly upon her death, and Your Highness knows this."
Raphael remembered memories that were about to vanish from his mind due to the crises that afflicted him: the warmth surrounding his parents when he was a child. How could he forget that?! He had been the happiest child in the world. The atmosphere surrounding the room grew cold, and Raphael clenched his fist tightly...
'My happiness was stolen in the past and taken from me, so I must protect my happiness again. Aya... I will protect you no matter the cost.'
Marshal felt the suffocating atmosphere and sighed with a warm voice:
"I may not have the right, but Your Majesty, be happy always... The souls of the Emperor and Empress will be happy to see you happy."
The suffocating atmosphere passed, and Raphael spoke in embarrassment, speaking like an adolescent boy:
"I didn't realize I loved her, is this wrong?!"
"That's fine, and since Your Majesty knows this, try to make her happy, make her love you, and become one entity..."
Raphael smiled with a deep sense of relief. His mind had been greatly confused, which made him unaware of what he felt inside, but now he knew his feelings and knew what he wanted. He looked at Marshal and said seriously:
"No one should know about this..."
"I follow Your Majesty's orders."
Marshal bowed with a light heart and left. Raphael, left alone, smiled, fiddling with the small necklace:
"It seems I love that mischievous girl, but does she love me?! ... That's fine, I'll make her love me, but let's first clean the Empire of garbage, and then we'll make the sweet Miss an Empress..."
* * *.
The day passed quickly as she was immersed in thinking about Raphael's strange and confusing behavior, but she finally returned to thinking about the new matter, and now night had come. She was pacing back and forth in her room, thinking of a way to bring up the subject:
'Should I go and say I want a priest?! Oh my God, how do I do it?! I haven't talked to anyone in the palace except Marianne and that evil Marquis whom I've seen twice since my arrival. They don't care about Ariana...'
She stopped moving, raised her head, gathered her courage, and rang the bell. Marianne entered, confused by Ariana's stern and nervous look, but she acted rationally and spoke:
"Does the Miss want something?!"
Ariana hesitated slightly but spoke with courage:
"Who is in the palace now?!"
Marianne understood the meaning of her question and gave her report quickly:
"The Marquis is still out of the house, and the young Master has finished his dinner and is now in his study..."
'As I know, the Uncle was responsible for the exterior affairs of the palace and his position, while the interior affairs were taken care of by Elliot after his mother's death. It was a job done by the lady of the house or the eldest daughter in the family, but the Marquise died and only bore Elliot, and Ariana was very ill since childhood, and basically no one cares about her in this family, so Elliot took care of the interior affairs of the palace—the budget, servant problems, and so on—in addition to his job on the council as Deputy Minister of Finance... So the previous Ariana didn't care, and the current Ariana didn't care either because it's a job I don't want. As for Elliot Silas, he wasn't a bad person in the novel, and also in Ariana's childhood memories, he was a person she loved very much and walked behind him like an annoying younger sister, and Elliot, who was six years older than Ariana, was not annoyed; rather, he took care of her. How did everything change?! And why did Elliot change towards his beloved sister...
I don't even know his appearance if I met him. He was described as handsome and strong and inherited the sky-blue eyes of the Silas family, which even his father didn't inherit, and he was very close to the former Marquis. I don't know anything, so we must get to know the older brother, Elliot Silas, and decide what to do.'
Ariana looked at Marianne and spoke calmly:
"Send word to my brother that I want to talk to him about an important matter..."
Marianne opened her eyes wide in astonishment, but she complied, and before she left, Ariana remembered an important matter and said:
"Ah! I will tell my brother that I will summon a specific priest called Ivan Jerome, and if my brother asks me where I know about him, I will tell him that you told me, okay?"
Marianne smiled and nodded vigorously and left quickly...
* * *.
As usual, he was engrossed in the large amount of work and pushed his dark brown hair back from his forehead as he sighed:
"Does the work never end?!... "
Knock knock knock!!
"Huh, come in."
He sighed and grudgingly allowed entry. He was surprised by his sister's maid, which made him worry, as the last time she came to his office, his sister was in a very bad condition. He was about to stand up, but he composed himself and said:
"Speak."
"Sir, my young Mistress wishes to meet you now for an urgent matter, if you are free..."
"I am free now, let her come..."
His sky-blue eyes widened, for she hadn't even finished her words before he allowed her. Marianne bowed and left, which made Elliot think in confusion:
'My sister has never asked to meet me, and we never talked except when her engagement to the Duke was announced, and I even showed my anger towards her. Why is she asking to meet me today?!'
Knock knock knock!!
The sound of the door brought him back from his thoughts again, so he allowed entry, and he was surprised as Ariana entered calmly, with a face that didn't look annoyed at all, and what he noticed most was that her face had become healthier. Ariana bowed elegantly:
"Good evening, brother."
The corner of Elliot's mouth rose slightly, then returned to his cold face, and he said in a sober voice:
"You may sit."
"..."
Ariana ignored his rudeness and sat down, looking at Elliot's strong body, sky-blue eyes, and dark brown hair...
'He is handsome. If he were in my world, he would be an idol for girls, but compared to Raph, he is nothing. No one has defeated Raph in handsomeness...'
"What is the matter?"
It was embarrassing when she was caught admiring his beauty, so she smiled playfully and said:
"It seems my brother is getting more handsome..."
Elliot's eyes widened, but he laughed sarcastically and said mockingly:
"Are you here to praise me, and at this hour?"
"Actually, no... I came for another matter."
Ariana adjusted her sitting position and smiled seriously, with sparkling eyes:
"You may speak."
"Thank you, brother. Ummm... I heard a rumor that there is a special priest who might help me solve my problem or at least alleviate my severe symptoms..."
Elliot listened to her intently and looked at her in confusion:
"Who is he?! And I will request his attendance at the palace..."
"Really! I would be very grateful. The priest is called Ivan Jerome."
... To Be Continued ...