Chapter 945: Newer Questions
Inside the carriage now moving away from the St. Claire mansion, a brief moment of silence prevailed.
Topher, at first, had a sulking expression for having been dragged into the carriage against his wishes but soon regained his composure.
He had planned to stick around and watch more of the entertaining show taking place in the St. Claire mansion but his intentions were seen through by not only his best friend but also his younger brother.
Hence he was brought away even though he had been quite reluctant to leave.
Right now, however, Topher’s eyes glinted with excitement as there was something else that had caught his interest.
“Who would have thought that the Prince would make an appearance here~?” He dragged his words while sneaking peeks at his best friend who was seated opposite him in this carriage.
After dropping Taylor and Howard off at the St. Claire estate, the carriage was spacious once again, allowing Topher to stretch his arms out as he reclined in his seat.
.....
Damien simply glanced at his actions before looking out of the window as he had a lot on his mind and did not wish to engage in a conversation right now.
Of course, being his best friend, Topher grasped what he was up to yet had no intention of letting him think in silence.
“Did you notice that earlier?” He continued speaking as though his friend’s indifference did not affect him in the least bit.
Since Damien was already used to this behavior, he did not pay any attention to the ramblings but he was bound to fail thanks to what Topher had to say next.
“She’s a brave one... Even revealing her secret to the Prince like that.”
“And here I thought that we were the only ones.”
“The exceptions to the rule she had made.”
“But I guess we aren’t as special as I thought we were...”
“After all, she let the Prince in on her secret as well.”
Topher sighed as he kept murmuring to himself, pretending to be unaware of the stern gaze fixed on him ever since he had uttered the very first sentence.
Damien had been trying to focus on the thoughts swirling in his head but was unable to do so as he had been successfully distracted by his best friend.
Topher’s nagging voice kept ringing in his ears, making it impossible for him to focus elsewhere.
Not to mention that everything he had uttered was the truth.
Until now, they thought that they were the only ones aware of the young girl’s secret.
Taylor, Topher, and Damien were the three outsiders who were let in on the secret that the St. Claire’s family was keeping.
This was what they had believed in the past but today, they had learned that it wasn’t so.
There was someone else who had also been let in on her secret and the Prince was the one Topher was referring to.
Earlier when they were in the St. Claire mansion, the little girl’s arrival with the Prince of this Kingdom had sparked their interest and curiosity.
They wished to know why he was there and how he had managed to get so close to the child that he was even free to escort her outside by holding her hand.
In the midst of their questioning thoughts, the four boys who had returned from the Royal Academy had noticed something startling happening right before their eyes.
When most of them were leering at the younger children holding hands, their attention had been diverted to another aspect in no time.
A brief exchange of aura that took place between them was the cause of this distraction.
Having been studying at the academy and being acquainted with the topic of auras, it was easy for them to decipher what had just taken place.
It was without a doubt that the Young Miss of the St. Claire family and the Prince of the Kingdom had just communicated using their mental link.
Therefore, newer questions had risen in their minds at that very instant.
How often did the two of them meet that Yvonne had willingly shared her most well-kept secret with the Prince?
How did the two etchers meet for the children to be able to form a mental link?
What was the Earl thinking when he permitted such a thing to take place?
To form a mental link, the main criteria to be fulfilled was the meeting of the two etcheds along with their etchers.
Only when they all had met each other in person would they be able to form this connection which would later assist them in communicating with each other regardless of where they were.
Therefore, they were wondering what exactly had taken place during the time that they were away from the Capital.
Too many things had changed in the months that they had been away and it seemed that they had a lot of catching up to do.
“If only you had let me stay there for longer!” Topher’s grumbling voice once again reached Damien, making him scowl in return.
“You can just extract whatever you want to know from your brother when he gets back.” The other young man retorted in a casual tone as though this was nothing new.
After all, Topher was extremely talented in the art of obtaining what he wished through various methods.
Therefore, he could easily think of one which he could use on his younger brother to gain what he desired, which in this case was more information about what had happened after they had left the St. Claire mansion.
Since a solution to the current issue was present right away, it helped dissipate some of Topher’s displeasure.
Right then the carriage began slowing down, indicating that they had arrived at the Tanner estate so their heated discussion also came to an end.
As the two young men who had graduated from the Academy stepped out of the carriage, they knew that they had to part ways now.
“I will get to see you again, right?” Topher questioned with a slight longing in his voice.
Now that their time at the academy had ended successfully, they would soon be busy with their new lives as adults in the noble society.
This would mean that their chances of spending leisure time together as they had been doing all these years would become a matter of luxury from now onwards.
Therefore, Topher had questioned his friend as soon as it was time for them to part ways.
“Of course, you will.” Damien rolled his eyes, without an ounce of empathy evident in his tone and expression.
This made the heir of the Tanner family grumble inwardly but he did not voice out his thoughts as that would ruin their farewell.
“What do you plan to do next?” He inquired instead, trying to end their conversation on a positive note as he wasn’t truly sure when he would get to see his friend again.
He had heard about Damien’s plans for the future so his reluctant behavior made sense as his friend would soon be moving away from the Capital.
However, this question had been misinterpreted by the other person whose face now had an evil smirk forming, causing even Topher to grimace at its sight.
“I have a lot of questions that need to be answered so I won’t be leaving any time soon.” Damien patted his friend’s shoulder, assuring him while also letting him know what his next actions would entail.
‘A lot of questions.’ He repeated in his mind as that smirk deepened, making anyone around them shudder and take a step away.
Topher was the only one who remained in place and pitied the servants who were nearby for coming in contact with the sinister aura that had just slipped out of his friend’s body.
Thankfully, Damien came back to his senses and withdrew his aura which he had let escape accidentally.
As he had revealed earlier, there was a lot to do so he bid goodbye to Topher before turning around.
“I will stop by in a few days.” He added just as he began walking away from the entrance of the Tanner estate.
Topher watched as his friend boarded a different carriage that had been waiting for him a short distance away and left soon after.
Only when this carriage was nowhere to be seen did he turn around and head into his estate.
Damien’s parting words were easy for Topher to decipher so he snickered inwardly as he continued walking until he entered the mansion.
‘He’s just as curious as I am.’ He clicked his tongue at Damien’s pretense to remain indifferent when all he wanted was to know what had happened in their absence these last few months.
However, Topher would not expose his friend but would gather and keep the information ready for his next visit to the Tanner estate.
___
Damien’s aura shifted as soon as he entered the carriage that had been waiting outside the Tanner estate.
His narrowed eyes stared into the distance as he scoffed when he thought of something.
‘You have a lot of explaining to do.’ He announced in a threatening tone to the one he had reached out to by using a mental link.
In the next second, he heard a voice coming from the other side which indicated that his message had gone across without any interruptions.
‘M-master, you are back...’ A trembling greeting was heard in reply but Damien’s flickering eyes revealed that he had no interest in accepting it.
‘You better be prepared if your answers aren’t satisfactory.’ He added in the same cold tone before cutting off their connection.
He would be reaching home soon so there was no need for him to wait for a reply as he wished to continue this interrogation in person.