This chapter is brought to you by Sunshine by Stray Kids.
Edited by: bafflinghaze
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After the kidnapping incident, Titus and his goons were arrested.
There was no public trial to be had. It was decided that the fallen noble would be confined to his home for the next year.
He also lost his rights to The Lover Cafe. The establishment was scheduled to be renovated into another business and many couples were saddened by the loss of the romantic eatery.
The light sentencing for Titus was only due to the lack of evidence. Besides the kidnapping, the knights could only rule the incident as an act of intimidation, since Nazareth and Aurelion both made it out unscathed.
It would be more accurate to label Titus as the real victim, seeing as he was thoroughly beaten into the ground without any mercy by Nazareth's hands.
What happened thereafter was a series of... unfortunate events... befalling the Phelan Household.
For starters, their reputation fell to the very bottom of Noble Society... again. The Baron had a stroke after hearing the news second-hand.
When he became bedridden, the Baroness decided to take another six-month vacation back to her maiden home, not even an hour after she stepped down from her carriage.
As for the current heir of the Phelan Family, he was away on a diplomatic mission for the Imperial Family when the Baron became bedridden. Although custom demanded that he return and take over his father's duties, he didn't bother caring and followed his mother's example.
He extended his stay in the Hangul Kingdom until the end of spring.
With his absence, along with the Baroness', the illegitimate children of the Phelan House were having the time of their lives.
Tybalt secretly delivered a report to Aurelion regarding his father's current state of health the morning after. He sounded way too jubilant in recounting the prospect of his father's ailing heart, but Aurelion wasn't going to judge.
It wouldn't be surprising if he got an invitation to a house party sometime this month.
In the end, the kidnapping became a source of gossip throughout the aristocracy, making its way down to the common people. By evening, everyone knew the second son of the Odum Family got kidnapped by some second-rate kidnappers and fell into the hands of Titus Phelan. As for Nazareth, he was mentioned to be on the scene and that was about it.
Father and Mother rushed home from the palace once they caught word of the incident.
"Aurelion was following us. I saw him get taken."
"Phelan is incompetent. It was easy to escape."
Two versions of the story were told, both poorly recounted between him and his brother, lacking many questionable details.
Nazareth nearly killed someone, and they both got a few people arrested. At least Aurelion got a cool poisoned knife out of it.
Their father made sure to remind them of their next steps.
"Begin investigations, and be careful."
"Don't kill anyone if you don't have to," their mother added as an afterthought.
As was the case when living in the Odum Family, trouble never seemed to run out even during peacetime.
It was quite irritating.
---
The very next day, Aurelion received a letter from the knight patrol captain.
Titus' goons all died in the middle of the night in their jail cells.
Just as predicted, the case with the kidnapping wasn't as simple as it seemed.
There were other powers at play, but he couldn't figure out the intent.
"Aurelion."
In the middle of the hallway, Aurelion found himself once again standing in front of Nazareth.
Today, his brother wore his hair in a small, loose tail. He had forgone a waistcoat and merely donned a white shirt, looking strangely underdressed despite being fully covered.
Aurelion noticed how both of them were carrying a folder. He raised an inquiring brow.
Why did it look like his brother had more paper than he did?
He felt oddly jealous of Nazareth's connections all of a sudden.
Aurelion hadn't spoken to his brother since yesterday.
It wasn't until he crawled into bed, fully exhausted by the day's event, did he realized what he had done.
Nazareth had saved him. Maybe.
Nazareth was about to kill someone for him. Maybe.
Nazareth patted him on the head and told him to keep his knife.
Yes.
The knife was under his pillow.
Definitely.
Guinivere would be very jealous of his new knife, were his last thoughts, before fatigue had dragged him into a dreamless sleep.
Standing in front of him, Nazareth expressionlessly held up his folder and cocked his head in a questioning manner. "Want to compare?"
Alarm bells rang instinctively in the back of his mind. His brother's presence didn't feel as threatening as it did the night before, but it was difficult to trust him.
People expected him and Nazareth to clash like ice and fire, but the reality wasn't as dramatic as some might assume.
There were days when they butted heads, but the two of them knew how to be deceptively pleasant with one another. Other than the assassination attempts, he and his brother tended to avoid each other as much as they could.
The tea party in the western garden didn't count for any of these categories and was just a very uncomfortable experience, overall. Aurelion preferred not to think about it.
Now their father placed both of them in charge of the investigation for the kidnapping. Their success was based on how well they worked together.
Whether or not this was his way of getting them to bond, Aurelion would rather be knifing down another kidnapper.
But, he sighed inwardly. Family came first and the incident could be related to the safety of the Odum Household. As the heir, he was obligated to protect the Ducal from any emerging threats.
Aurelion bit the arrowhead.
"... Sure."
They entered Nazareth's office.
This was his first time in here.
Nazareth's office was more spacious than he imagined... and brighter.
By the windows, there were jars full of dandelions and plant pots with budding sprouts.
He noticed a long table in one corner of the room with some bottles and containers. There were a few tools he recognized from the Alchemy Labs in school taking up some of the space on the table as well.
Papers were scattered everywhere.
Rainier was inside, setting up the low coffee table inside the office with a few snacks. Beside him, there was a tea cart.
Aurelion threw the servant a questioning look.
Nazareth sat down on one of the sofas and gestured for him to do so as well.
"I had Rainier prepare coffee for us. Do you mind?"
Aurelion wordlessly shook his head, feeling as if he'd been played.
Nazareth's intentions have always been to bring him to his office.
Numb by the realization, he sat down on the sofa across from his brother and tried not to sulk at his own stupidity.
Nazareth placed his folder on the table and took the coffee pot from Rainier.
He rolled up his sleeves and Aurelion immediately caught an eyeful of pale, translucent skin stretched over thin wrists and forearms.
To think those exact arms were used to beat up a bunch of kidnappers...
Nazareth filled a cup with coffee and stirred in a generous amount of cream and sugar. Aurelion watched as he reached for a small bottle on the side of the table and added a drop of its content into the cup. He gave it a quick stir.
Finally, his brother slid the cup over to him with a blank look on his face.
"Coffee, sugar, cream, and Spice-Orchid syrup," he listed out. "As you can see, I didn't poison anything. Rainier can confirm."
Was that...
Aurelion shot him a bewildering look.
Did Nazareth just make him a peace offering?
His eyes caught Rainier briefly.
Well, if he started choking, at least he could trust the servant to bring him to the nearest healer.
Hesitantly, under Nazareth's expectant gaze, Aurelion brought the cup to his lips and took a small sip, barely enough to wet his mouth.
He waited.
A few seconds went by and he wasn't dead or dying.
He took a second sip.
After a moment, he looked down at his drink with a perplexed expression.
The coffee tasted similar to a sugar cookie. There was still an underlying bitterness in the aftertaste, but the natural bitterness of coffee had lessened remarkably.
To Aurelion, who usually had no time to personalize his meals and beverages, Spice-Orchid flavored coffee was gold in the face of all-nighters.
Aurelion didn't even like coffee, but the cup his brother prepared was decent.
"... It's okay."
Nazareth hummed and handed his own cup to Rainier. He drank his coffee plain.
---
Neo and his brother eventually settled into their seats and began working.
"Titus' men..." Aurelion started.
"I heard," Neo answered. "The autopsy report showed they swallowed Ricin seeds. They were hidden in the back of their teeth."
Aurelion revealed a disgruntled look. "You received autopsy reports?"
Neo was surprised by his reaction. A few seconds later, he looked away. "And a few sketches. I have a contact working in forensics for the knights. We have similar interests..."
They met in Ortho and Artho's Apothecary when he was fourteen, fighting over the last of the Copperhead-Petunias...
Aurelion's face remained unchanging except for a small wrinkle between his brow.
Neo wasn't sure why, but the sight reminded him of a square ice cube with its edges melted off.
Like puppy dog ears.
Wait...
Was Aurelion pouting?
Slowly, Neo asked, "... If you would like, I can get the both of you acquainted—"
"Yes. I would like that very much. Your help is much appreciated."
Just how desperately did Aurelion need autopsy reports?!
He coughed.
"A few hours before the deaths, I sent a messenger to deliver the Mulberry Stinger's antidote, but someone interjected with the delivery. The messenger is likely dead."
"But if they were going to kill themselves, anyway, the delivery would have been a fruitless endeavor."
Neo hid a grimace. "They crushed the Ricin in their mouth and swallowed the poison, but the men died due to the Mulberry Stinger."
"What?" Aurelion hissed. "That doesn't make any sense. How could they die from the first poison if they swallowed the second?"
"The first poison is what led to the second poison killing them."
Clink.
Aurelion needed to set his cup down before he lost his grip.
Slowly, he spoke in a low tone of voice, "... Are you saying I accidentally killed them?"
Neo, startled by the reaction, paused.
Oh.
A moment later, he shook his head.
"The Mulberry Stinger will only kill in large doses. That blade isn't capable of killing anyone. It's only meant to incapacitate."
Aurelion didn't appear comforted by the reassurance, which led Neo to add, "Though the effects of the poison likely caused them to kill themselves."
Huh?
Neo was unaware of Aurelion's thoughts as he explained, "The Mulberry Stinger is a type of poison capable of driving its victims to suicide. The toxic rash is very itchy. Those who are unfortunate enough to encounter them in the wild are better off dead since the antidote is difficult to procure. Those men had a few more hours before the poison could drive them to madness, but the antidote was never delivered."
"So they killed themselves with Ricin," Aurelion concluded. The situation was so roundabout!
"Unfortunately, yes."
"You were going to make Titus swallow an entire bottle of that stuff."
"I won't deny those were my intentions."
Aurelion groaned.
"This isn't your fault," Neo reminded him with a stern voice. "Those men worked for an organization where every mission could mean life or death. You had no other weapon and I provided you with the means to defend yourself. If you are so desperate to blame someone, I can take on those grievances for handing you the knife."
His brother glared at him. "Don't look down on me. I'm not so irresponsible as to shift the blame for my own actions to someone else. If what you say is true, I will take full responsibility for their lives."
Neo snorted, amused. "Fine. Since you have decided to make peace with your moral compass, I would like to direct us to another lead."
Sapphire eyes glinted with muted awe. "You found one?" So soon?!
Neo brought out a few sheets of paper and handed them to his brother.
He pointed to a sketch of the organization's symbol, done by one of his contacts.
"They're known as the Iron Lotus. My contacts are still coming in with more information regarding their members, but the most notable crime we've managed to unearth was their connection to the underground black market. In recent years, they've taken interest in using fallen nobles and illegitimate noble children as fodders for their personal gains."
Those words seem to light Aurelion's suspicion once more.
"Fallen nobles and illegitimate noble children...?" he repeated.
There was a look of doubt on his face as he took in the information.
Rainier also discreetly eyed Neo, not even pretending he wasn't able to see.
Neo pretended he was blind to the stares.
He coughed.
"I... may have had some contact with them a few years ago... in exchange for benefits..."
"You—!"
"But I have since begun to withdraw my connections," he immediately rectified.
Aurelion continued to glare at him.
Neo sighed. "I'll tell you about it once I get more information."
Seeing how his brother wasn't going to reveal anything more—Aurelion felt that Nazareth was being awfully nice today, even going so far as to reveal certain secrets that could possibly condemn him for his crimes—he backtracked slowly and began reading through the reports.
Neo took out the reports from Aurelion's folder.
As expected, his brother's connections were still young. There was not enough detail in these reports yet, but those working under his brother were quite talented. They will improve by leaps and bounds within a year.
He came across a few keywords, such as "lotus symbols", and "black uniforms".
The contacts clearly didn't have a high enough clearance to know of the existence of the Iron Lotus just yet, merely listing off observations.
For a moment, Neo felt amused at the sight of these children playing with adults. Their small shoulders will be carrying the future.
Vermillion eyes narrowed a moment later.
He suspected the Syndicate was also related to the incident but refrained from telling Aurelion anymore. His brother shouldn't get involved with them.
They didn't benefit anyone but themselves.
---
The next few hours consisted of detailed discussions on the reports.
No one said anything when Aurelion pushed his cup toward Neo after finishing his drink, and Neo wordlessly refilled the cup and added in the cream, sugar, and syrup.
Soon, morning turned to afternoon and the study remained peaceful.
"Young Master, it's time to take a break."
Rainier entered the room with two large trays of food to feed two growing teenage boys.
Both brothers turned to him, remarkably in sync, and blinked owlishly.
The servant inwardly sighed and brought the trays over before laying out the silverware.
He picked up the half-eaten snacks scattered about and the now-empty pot of coffee, replacing the pot with a pitcher of water.
As smoothly as he came in, the same could be said with how smoothly he left with an elegant bow.
Soon, Neo and Aurelion were left with their lunch and deprived of their caffeine.
"I guess it's time to eat..." Neo put his papers down and grabbed a plate.
Aurelion reluctantly followed soon after.
A few minutes into the meal, conversations took hold.
"Where did you learn those techniques?" Aurelion asked.
"Techniques?"
"When you beat Titus and his men."
"Oh." Neo suddenly understood, "In the streets," he answered, "If you can't stab them, then you beat them into a pulp until they stop crying."
There was truth in his words, but he left out a few details.
While Nazareth learned how to fight dirty in the Red Light District, Neo refined his "techniques" during his delinquent days back in the modern world.
That, coupled with the self-defense lessons he took with his Pa during his childhood, he became quite competent in street fighting.
His adoptive father in the modern world was a retired bodyguard. Safety was very important to him.
Neo admitted his skills wouldn't be on par with the knights, but he knew he was decently capable of protecting himself. That was better than the majority of the people in his school, which was pretty good.
Aurelion made a sullen expression once he heard the answer.
"Do you think it's lowly of me to use underhanded means?" Neo suddenly asked.
"... What?"
Neo hummed. "When I was confronting Titus, did I frighten you?" He wasn't truly asking about the fighting part.
He was curious about what Aurelion thought of the poisons and the hair stick, and the cruelty he exhibited during the incident.
The younger of the two took a long moment to answer.
Believing Aurelion would rather remain silent, Neo was quick to reassure, "You don't have to—"
"It isn't anything I haven't seen before."
Oho.
Aurelion pushed around the food on his plate. "You've behaved worse in the past. At least you didn't kill anyone this time."
"Hmm." Neo thoughtfully eyed his brother. "You should keep that knife on you at all times. I can't promise you will be invulnerable, but it's easy to use."
Aurelion cast him a suspicious look. "Didn't you say the antidote is difficult to make?"
The answer was quite innocent. Neo almost wanted to laugh at how innocent it was.
He could only smile helplessly. "It's difficult for others, but my skills cannot be compared to second-rate herbalists. I have a large stock in case anything goes wrong. If I run out, I'll just make more."
It took great effort not to burst out laughing when Aurelion looked at him in sheer bafflement.
---
There was a level of confidence Aurelion never thought he would ever feel in regard to Nazareth.
It wasn't like the way he threatened him or intimidated others. Aurelion couldn't explain why, but his brother seemed very powerful, in a good way, when he boasted about his talents.
"If someone dies, I'll tell them you gave me permission."
"Since when did you ever need permission?"
"Since when were you ever a decent sibling?" The words left Aurelion's mouth before he could stop himself.
Dammit! He had let down his guard!
Rainier was no longer in the room. If Nazareth got angry, there was no telling what he'd do.
However—
"I'm not sure if I prefer you silent or speaking. Your face does not match the sass I hear in your tone."
And Aurelion wanted to melt with relief.
"Your words don't match your actions," he quipped back, albeit weakly.
"Not a liar."
They effortlessly regained their bantering pace.
"Withholding information is a form of lying. Or you're Tybalt, in which case you have achieved godhood in the realm of being two-faced."
"Rainier's two-faced," Nazareth mumbled.
"Rainier only shows what he wants to show. Everyone is a liar. I'm a liar, you're a liar, Rainier is a liar."
Nazareth frowned. "I don't think that's true,"
Aurelion scoffed. "Name me one person who isn't,"
"That depends. What are you offering?"
The younger brother narrowed his eyes skeptically, before letting out a huff. "Contact information."
"Anyone from the Magic Tower?" Nazareth immediately asked.
"... I have at least one in each department." He didn't know where his brother was going with this.
Soon, Aurelion was given an immediate answer to his question.
"Mother isn't a liar. Get me in contact with the Charm and Talisman Department."
"Wha-hey!"
His brother shrugged. "Mother never lies. She's a woman of few words, but she is very honest."
Aurelion thought deeply about this. He conceded.
"I'll schedule you an appointment. Take it as my favor to you being repaid. I don't wish to owe you for helping me with Titus." He tried to sound confident, but his finger began picking at his thumb.
Nazareth didn't argue. "That is acceptable."
They finish the meal soon after.
Rainier came in just in time to sweep away the plates.
The two brothers were each given a glass of lime-flower water to drink down with their meal.
They each took a long sip from their glass, paused, and then gulped down the last two-thirds of the water, letting out a silent exhale.
If one were to look at their actions, one would think the two of them were the best of brothers. No one could imagine the older desiring to kill the younger.
Truly, the nature of an Odum was mysterious.
---
For some odd reason, Aurelion was still sitting in his brother's office. The reports were now lying haphazardly all over the coffee table as he and Nazareth simply... existed in the same room.
Neo stood up and went over to the long table at the back of the room. He took out a bunch of ingredients from somewhere under the table and placed them down. Aurelion watched with interest and he activated a fire talisman underneath a pot.
"You never told me why you were in the western garden," His brother said almost absentmindedly whilst chopping a Blood Vine into tiny little pieces.
"Why should I tell you anything?" he grumbled back, feeling oddly bold. "What if I liked the plants?"
It took a second for him to realize how stupid he just sounded. Even his brother had to raise his head to check if he was touched in the head. His face grew warm in embarrassment.
Neo could only stare helplessly at this melting ice cube.
"Finneas mentioned you had a meeting with the other heirs. Did something happen?"
"It was stupid," Aurelion mumbled out. "Benedick is a pain to deal with and has no filter."
"Oh?" His brother dumped the ingredients into the pot. "Do you mean Royce?"
"Royce... Benedick... Whatever he's called. There was a food shortage in the Eastern Villages and his idea was to suppress the lower nobles in charge and raise taxes for the benefit of the higher nobles."
"He's a little confused, but he has the spirit."
"He is always confused and has a hole in his head!" Aurelion snapped before his voice dimmed into a vicious hiss. "Forget about benefits for the higher nobles. No one is willing to take time out of their day to reconfigure tax rates already established for the last fifteen years. He doesn't even understand how currency is worthless in those villages compared to crops. There won't be any money in those noble's treasuries once the taxes are raised. It's going to be filled with corn!"
"You know Royce was never meant to be the heir."
"But society demands him to prepare, regardless. His entire house will flounder at this rate and the Crown Prince will lose the support of the Benedicks."
"Royce has not been to school for the last week. Perhaps he is reflecting on his actions. If you like, I can get you an invitation to visit his family's manor."
"No thank you. I cannot stand his babbling."
Neo watched as the ice cube steamed and couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape from his lips. He stirred the pot and brought it to a boil.
---
Step 14: Have some coffee with your brother and use this time to dig out potential threats to your future livelihood and happiness. Very important if you highly value these two things.
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The author has something to say:
Spice-Orchid is Vanilla.