Royal Palace, Queza, Viscarria...
After the prophetess departed, Elijah and Kyle were left alone together in what used to be Ezekiel's study.
Elijah was nonchalantly seated behind the desk while Kyle was on the sofa across from him. Glancing at his younger brother, a hint of amusement played on his lips as he broke the silence. "So? Why are you still here, my younger brother?" he inquired.
Kyle lifted his gaze towards Elijah, his expression showed nothing but nonchalance. "Are you tired of your brother's face already?" he retorted casually.
Elijah smirked. "You know you won't be able to fool me, Vincent Kyle," he remarked knowingly.
"Fool you?" Kyle echoed, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "When did I even start trying to do something like that?"
Elijah tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharpening as he studied his brother intently. After a few moments of silence passed, Elijah spoke. "It appears that you have grown wiser, Kyle. I can't help but wonder what thoughts occupy your mind in this moment. So far, it seems you have done absolutely nothing since all of this began."
Kyle let out a sigh, throwing his head back and directing his gaze towards the ceiling. "It seems like you've been waiting for me to take action. But brother, I hate to disappoint you, but I currently have no plans to do anything at all. That's why I find myself just hanging out in here."
"Because you refused to go to the Black Forest?"
"Not really," Kyle shrugged, a nonchalant expression on his face. "I just believe that even if I were in the Black Forest right now, I would still be doing the exact same thing as I am here."
Elijah arched an eyebrow. "You're starting to irk me, Kyle. When did you learn to be someone annoying?"
"Now that's news to me," Kyle replied, a small smile playing at his lips. "You, getting annoyed by anyone who isn't causing harm to a dog or cat."
Elijah tapped his fingers against his temple, his eyes glinting with a dangerous intensity. "There are only three beings I despise to the core, Kyle," he began, his voice tinged with quiet menace. "First, those who abuse and harm animals. Second, Sebastian. And last but not least... Ezekiel. And now I'm starting to really see Ezekiel's influence on you."
"I thought it was only Sebastian that you hated. When did you start hating Zeke as well? I recall you used to look up to him, or so it seemed."
Elijah chuckled darkly. "When? I always despised him. I could never fathom why all of you became his puppets. Well, now I've stopped trying to make sense of it. I simply concluded that all of you were fools, willingly allowing one man to control and manipulate your lives. And I can't hardly believe that even after he's gone, you all remain under his spell, as if he's your god. The level of idiocy is truly astounding that it's almost comical. Yet none of you seem to wake up from it or ever want to. Such fools," he scoffed.
Kyle's voice turned quiet as he responded yet his face still didn't betray any emotion. "It's true... even I can call Zeke a master of manipulation. But I don't believe that any of us are his puppets. If we were, my brother Kai would have never..." Kyle's voice trailed off, his eyes closing momentarily.
Elijah's smirk widened. "What if that's exactly why Kai met his fate? Because Ezekiel orchestrated it all to reach that point?"
Kyle's gaze flew opened and locked with Elijah's. "I don't see any reason why Zeke would do something like that."
"The reason is simple," Elijah stated. "He wanted to eliminate Kai all along. One reason could be because Kai showed greater obedience to Alexander than to him. Ezekiel has a tendency to rid himself of those who refuse to bend to his will, after all."
Kyle still showed no visible reaction on his face. No one would be able to tell if he believed or even considered Elijah's reasoning. "Is that really the only reason why you despise him? I wonder what he did to you to have such deep-seated hatred against him."
Elijah smirked, but too soon, before he could even respond, his smirk faded into an expression of wary caution.
A mysterious woman then suddenly appeared. Clad in a dark crimson cloak that billowed around her, the woman's face was concealed by a large hood.
The dark red cloak... Kyle instantly remembered the red cloak that Sebastian had mentioned to him before. He was told that the witch who was said to be behind Elijah was wearing a dark red cloak. This woman definitely gives off an unnatural air around her. Her presence wasn't really the kind that awakens someone's flight or fight instinct. Kyle himself couldn't quite sense how strong or how dangerous she might be and yet… he felt like she was someone he must immediately kill without mercy and without hesitation. This was such a strange feeling that Kyle had never felt before. Just who was this woman?
Interrupting the silent atmosphere, the woman's voice slithered through the air, her tone needlessly seductive. "Did I interrupt an important private brotherly meeting?" she inquired, her words dripping with unneeded delight.
Elijah's gaze locked with the woman's, his features suddenly blank. "Nothing of great importance that you don't already know," he replied.
With calculated grace, the woman approached Elijah's desk, positioning herself between the two brothers. Then, with a deliberate movement, she turned her back to Elijah and fixed her gaze upon Kyle.
"So it's the youngest prince of the Reigns," she mused, her voice carrying some kind of over the top seductiveness it was disgusting. Slowly, she lifted her hand and raised her hood ever so slightly, revealing the lower half of her face. A sinister smile played upon her lips, stained with a crimson hue.
Her tongue traced her blood-red lips and then, her chilling whisper echoed through the room "I have been eagerly awaiting our meeting, Prince Vincent Kyle."
"Who are you?" Kyle asked.
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