Regnum Aetern: Dual Rebirth

Elias’ heartbeat quickened the moment he heard that news from their mother.

"Does that mean... Father is coming back?!"

But she lightly shook her head.

"No, he isn’t coming back."

His expression soured, and his quickened heartbeat returned to normal. It felt as though someone had hyped him up only to splash cold water on his face when his excitement reached its peak.

’No, wait a minute. Something doesn’t make sense.’

Sitting on her lap, he looked up and met her eyes.

"Mother, if he isn’t coming back, then why would we suddenly start celebrating now? What changed?"

He didn’t think something good had happened recently, aside from his brother’s engagement. And Elias wasn’t entirely sure how good a thing it was, since his brother didn’t show much reaction to it.

Instead of answering, she turned to his brother.

"Adi, what do you think is the reason? It’s okay even if you aren’t entirely sure, just tell me what you can guess."

His brother stared at her expressionlessly for a brief moment before opening his mouth and answering in his usual dry tone.

"Probably to show other families that House Ravenshade is still strong. Social events are a way to solidify one’s standing in ‌noble society. Since House Ravenshade has been quiet for so many years, strange rumors must be circulating about us. Rumors that our silence may have a different meaning."

Their mother clapped. The sound of that clap echoed slightly in the large room.

"Perfect answer. The Fiducia festival is only about a month away, so I thought it would be a good time to organize something that would shut everyone up."

’Oh, so it’s not a celebration, but a performance?’

Well, it didn’t make much sense to him, but since both his mother and his brother were saying so, it must be correct.

"And this is why I called both of you," she smiled. "The two of you are children of Ravenshade; you will need to play some sort of role. I want you both to be prepared for that."

The way she said that, it felt as though she had something planned for them already. Elias gulped unconsciously. This would be the first gathering or event organized by their family that he would be part of.

Well, there was his brother’s engagement, too, technically. But it was too small in scale and was over as soon as they exchanged rings. It felt too brief, as if it were organized as mere formality.

His chest felt tingly due to excitement.

’This is going to be so much fun!’

But his excitement was interrupted by his brother’s dry voice.

"If it is about being children of Ravenshade, then shouldn’t the sister be the most important since she is the eldest child? We are having this discussion without her."

Elias suddenly looked around the room.

Indeed, now that his brother pointed it out, it seemed strange. Their older sister should also be here for this kind of discussion. Yet unlike how their mother waited for him to arrive, there was no such wait for his sister.

But his doubts were soon clarified by her.

"Aristeia will return to the academy by that time, so she wouldn’t be able to attend. I had asked her about it beforehand, and she was unwilling to take a leave from the academy. So it is only going to be the two of you."

Elias nodded along.

’Makes sense.’

But for some reason, his brother’s gaze seemed to linger on her for a second too long.

This was where the discussion ended, and the two of them left their mother’s chamber. In the large hallway, they walked side by side as the sound of their footsteps was muffled by the red carpet beneath their feet.

Elias glanced at his brother, who walked forward quietly. His expressionless face made it seem as though he had no interest in talking with Elias.

Still, Elias tried.

"Hey, Brother! This whole festival thing sounds like fun, even if it’s just a performance. So, aren’t you excited?!"

As his excited voice echoed in the quiet hallway, his brother slowly turned to him. But after staring at Elias expressionlessly for a bit, he turned his head away without even saying anything.

Well, that action alone seemed enough of an answer.

He decided to ask something else this time.

"What is this Fiducia festival, anyway? I feel like I’ve heard the name before, but I don’t remember anything else about it."

Still walking, his brother opened his mouth without looking at him.

"I don’t really know either. All I am sure of is that it’s some kind of religious festival that was primarily celebrated by the believers of the Lord. But it became widespread, and now everyone celebrates it."

’He doesn’t know? That’s new.’

To Elias, it always felt as though his brother carried some sort of book of wisdom that contained all knowledge. That was simply how much his brother seemed to know about things. Instances where his brother was clueless about something were extremely rare.

After that, they continued walking quietly. But unlike before, Elias wasn’t bothered by the silence.

But as they turned ‌a corner, he suddenly bumped into someone coming from the other side, causing him to be pushed a few steps back.

"Oh! Sorry about that—"

He had thought he had bumped into a servant, but as he looked up, he saw a girl with long, deep, jet black hair standing in front, her grey eyes looking down at him.

A look of displeasure was clear on her face.

"Ah, Sister, it’s you. I’m sorry for bumping into you. I will be more careful next time."

He even bowed lightly to show his respect and sincerity.

But strangely, his actions caused her to frown instead. Glancing at this brother briefly, she turned away and walked off into the distance.

As the two of them began walking once again, Elias slowly turned to his brother and spoke in a whisper.

"Brother, you’ve felt it too, haven’t you? Our sister hates us. I... don’t understand. We never did anything that could’ve deserved that hate, so why?"

It wasn’t about the silent treatment she gave them, nor was it about how she ignored them most of the time. His brother did those same things, too.

But his brother’s attitude felt like a lack of interest. Their sister’s attitude, meanwhile, seemed to be the result of her hatred towards them. Elias also felt that, while she hated both of them, she detested his brother more than him, but she hid it better as well.

He suddenly heard a sigh coming from his brother.

"It’s not really our fault. But in a way, her hatred for us is justified. If we were never born, then she could’ve become the duchess of this family in the future. But our existence erased that possibility for her entirely; it’s no wonder that she hates us."

Elias tilted his head.

"I don’t get it. Why is that?"

"Because of the core principle behind noble families." His brother answered drily. "Noble families strive to continue and maintain their bloodline. So they prefer male heirs instead of female ones, since it’s more practical for a man to have multiple wives than for a woman to have multiple husbands."

He furrowed his brows.

’I still don’t get it.’

Well, it was probably something beyond him, so he stopped trying to understand it. All he needed to understand at this moment was that their sister hated them for a reason that wasn’t their fault.

"Brother, don’t you... hate it?"

"Why would I?" His brother shook his head. "I told you that she has her reasons, and her hate is justified."

His brother’s face was still calm and expressionless, as if there was not even a hint of a line in his words.

’Our sister hates us and that too for something we didn’t do, but you don’t hate that?’

That was something Elias couldn’t understand; it made no sense to him. But maybe that was because he was still young; maybe he would understand it when he was old and wise enough.

Just like his brother.

The two of them soon parted ways. But Elias didn’t return to his room since he was in no mood to read those books. Instead, he walked out of the mansion and arrived at the clearing where he usually saw his brother train.

Picking up the sword lying on the ground, Elias raised it high after adjusting his stance.

’Focus.’

He recalled how he had seen his brother do it, the first level of that Infusion Art. Taking a deep breath, he swung the sword down swiftly while releasing mana from his hands in one large burst.

The wooden blade came down, creating an arc. The sword energy created from the swing shot forward at an incredible speed.

But after traveling a few meters, the sword energy dissipated into wisps of mana.

Elias sighed, throwing the sword back down.

"Looks like I can’t do it after all. Well, there’s no way copying him would be that easy. Brother is special, after all."

Elias was pursuing the path of a caster; he had little to do with Infusion Arts. He just wanted to learn this single move and show it to his mother. If he did, then maybe...

’Maybe she will praise me the same way she always seems to praise Brother.’

"Young Master Elias, you seem to be struggling. Might I offer you some help?"

He got startled as that heavy voice suddenly came from behind him. As he hurriedly turned around, he saw a tall, burly man wearing a military outfit.

Despite possessing such an intimidating figure, the man had a casual smile on his face.

Elias recognized the man instantly. It was the knight he always saw near his brother, teaching him during his training.

Joran Ashfeld.