Chapter 269: There wasn’t a choice

Killian let out a low grumble, taking a sip of his black coffee. "It really isn’t a big deal. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t late because I was working late. I actually had an exceptionally good, restful night and simply overslept."

Kieran, seated quietly beside Kaden, raised his blue eyes from his plate, his tone laced with a sudden, sharp edge. "It’s rather odd that you managed to get a good night’s sleep immediately after Eloise slit her throat in your office yesterday."

The entire dining table went dead silent.

Killian’s eyes narrowed into razor-sharp slits as his gaze locked onto Kieran. He had expected snarky, aggressive remarks from Kaden, but to hear such cold, pointed judgment from Kieran, the quiet, rational brother, caught him off guard.

Alexander, who had not yet been briefed on the gory details of the office incident, looked between his sons with a heavy frown. "Eloise did what in your office? Why on earth would she pull such a stunt?" he questioned

The moment the dramatic topic was brought back into the air, the soothing clarity in Killian’s mind vanished. A sharp, throbbing spike of agony slammed behind his temples, his chronic headache returning with a vengeance. He pressed two fingers against his temple before he could stop himself.

"It is nothing for the council to worry about," Killian stated flatly. "The matter has been handled. Please, my head is already throbbing. Don’t give me another headache."

Alexander sighed, rubbing his jaw. "I will have the court physicians look into stronger herbal remedies for you." He turned his head toward Kieran. "Kieran, why haven’t you formulated a specialised sedative for your brother?"

Kieran met his father’s gaze calmly, leaning back in his chair. "I am a medical researcher, Father. I can heal physical flesh and repair nerve damage, but I cannot cure psychological injuries."

Yuki’s fingers tightened around her teacup. Psychological injuries? What does that even mean? She kept her expression carefully neutral, but her eyes had already fixed on Kieran with an intensity she couldn’t quite hide. Her curiosity was eating her.

"The best a doctor can do for Killian," Kieran continued, his voice cool and distant, "is advise him to stop overthinking every detail of his life. But asking Killian to stop overthinking is like asking the sun to rise in the west."

Killian scoffed softly, setting his coffee cup down with a sharp clink.

"Alright, that’s enough," Alexander called out, his commanding voice cutting through the rising tension at the table. "I have an official announcement to make before we adjourn."

Everyone turned their attention to the Patriarch.

"The High Priestess has consulted the lunar charts and identified an auspicious date for the formal engagement ceremony," Alexander announced smoothly. "The ceremony will take place this Thursday evening. The Velmore family elders have already agreed to the terms. Once the union is finalised, Aevia and I will be departing for our honeymoon in the Southern Territories on Friday morning."

Yuki’s mind stalled. Thursday. That was just two days away. The teacup in her hand felt suddenly heavier than it should have.

Alexander turned his gaze toward his eldest son. "Killian, I am placing you in charge of assisting the Velmore delegation with the arrangement of costumes from our side. Make sure the betrothal gifts are up to standard for a Ravencourt."

Without the slightest hesitation or crack in his expression, Killian nodded smoothly. "Understood, Father. I will coordinate with Xavier today."

Across the table, Kaden’s fork paused halfway to his plate. His jaw flexed once, then he set the utensil down with deliberate care and leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on his father with a look that was far too still to be indifference.

Aevia leaned closer to Yuki, her warm hand gently clasping Yuki’s cold fingers beneath the table. "Yuki, sweetheart... I hope this doesn’t feel too sudden for you?"

Yuki forced a soft, reassuring smile onto her face, shaking her head gently. "No, Aevia. It’s fine."

The words came out steady enough. Inside, something still twisted. There was no need to overthink it, she told herself. This engagement was purely a political shield arranged to keep the High Court from taking an interest in her. It didn’t mean she was actually going to be forced into a permanent marriage with Xavier down the line. It was just a protective measure.

Even so, two days felt very close.

Alexander looked around the table, his commanding tone dropping. "Does anyone have an objection to the timeline?" he asked.

Kaden let out a low, cynical scoff from across the table, his dark brows pulling together. "Is there even any room for opposition in this house?" he sneered, his sarcastic tone making Yuki wonder for a fleeting second if he was actually contemplating standing up against the arrangement.

Alexander merely rolled his eyes at his youngest son’s rebellion, choosing to ignore him entirely.

Kieran then cleared his throat, neatly shifting the subject away from the engagement. "Father, I require official clearance to access the private Ravencourt archives in the Obsidian Palace today."

Alexander raised a brow in mild surprise. "The archives? What for?"

"A personal research project," Kieran replied smoothly, keeping his blue eyes completely unreadable. He had been unable to forget the sketch he stole from Yuki.

Killian’s sharp gaze darted toward his twin brother, his mind instantly racing with suspicion. What in the world is Kieran hunting for in the private archives?

"Very well," Alexander agreed, standing up from his chair. "I will arrange your clearance pass immediately. When do you need it?"

"As soon as possible," Kieran answered, rising from the table.

Following breakfast, Kieran accompanied Alexander out to the private courtyard, where a sleek black royal sedan was waiting to escort them to the Obsidian Palace, the ancient stone fortress that housed the pack’s oldest historical archives.

Father and son sat side by side in the spacious leather rear interior as the car glided through the estate gates. An abnormal, heavy silence stretched between them, thick enough to feel suffocating.

Among the three triplets, Kieran had always been the quietest. While Kaden possessed a sharp, snarky tongue and Killian maintained a cold, composed authority, Kieran was the silent middle child who observed everything from the shadows.

Alexander turned his head, breaking the heavy quiet. "You’re abnormally quiet today, Kieran," he said.

Kieran kept his eyes fixed on the passing scenery outside the tinted window. "I have always been quiet, Father."

Alexander shook his head softly. "It isn’t just your usual nature. I can tell that you and your brothers aren’t particularly happy about this engagement. But whatever possessive resentment you might be feeling right now is simply your Alpha instincts reacting poorly to seeing something you discarded being claimed by another man."

Kieran’s head turned slowly, his piercing blue eyes locking onto his father’s profile. His voice dropped into a smooth, icy register. "Did you feel that exact same possessive resentment when it came to our mother?"

Alexander’s posture went completely rigid, his jaw clenching tightly as silence heavy as lead filled the vehicle.

Kieran let out a humourless, dry scoff. "You don’t need to lecture me, Father. The only reason I am annoyed by this engagement is that Killian and Kaden orchestrated the entire arrangement behind my back without consulting me. I fully understand the political necessity of shielding Yuki."

Alexander let out a weary sigh, resting his elbow on the armrest. "You know that isn’t what I meant, Kieran..."

"Then what exactly did you mean?" Kieran challenged, his tone sharp and unyielding. "Why did you reject our mother, Father?"

Alexander’s jaw tightened even further, a deep shadow crossing his weathered features. It took him a long, agonising moment before he could find his voice. "People... fall out of love, Kieran. It happens."

"Don’t try to offer us relationship advice, Father," Kieran sneered, his voice laced with rare, biting disrespect. "Your own love life is hardly a pristine model for us to follow. If you hadn’t gotten involved with Aevia and created such a chaotic mess in the High Court, my brothers and I wouldn’t currently be trapped between risking our succession rights and proving our filial piety."

Alexander let out another heavy sigh, turning his head to glare sternly at his son. "You cannot blame all of your choices on my past, Kieran. Tell me truthfully. If Aevia had never existed, were you truly prepared to abandon Eloise for Yuki?"

Kieran opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He sat frozen, unable to give his father a single answer.

"You should be grateful I married Aevia," Alexander stated quietly, his tone turning grave and realistic. "If I hadn’t, the High Court elders would never have given you boys the opportunity to prove your loyalty. The only reason the council allowed you three to sever the bond with Yuki in the first place was because of the scandal surrounding her family line, and because the traditionalist faction firmly wants Eloise to sit as Luna."

Kieran remained completely silent, turning his face back toward the dark window as the car pulled up to the imposing iron gates of the Obsidian Palace. His reflection stared back at him in the glass, unreadable, while the question he could not answer followed him out of the vehicle like a second shadow.