The announcement of the death of a beloved pet would be received with greater enthusiasm. With the expressions on their faces, one would think she was a ghoul crawled out of the grave.
But the first person to recover from their shock was the elder brother. He clasped his hands together with a false smile, elbowing his brothers out of the way to squeeze her into a bone-crushing hug.
"Sister! It's so good to see you. Do you have any idea how worried we've been? Especially your twin brother, Revian!"
Another stinging headache flashed, unlocking a hazy memory of him–pushing her out of their family carriage into a dark road with an evil smirk on his face and speeding off.
She let go of him with a shudder, shoving him hard.
" Is something the matter?" He raised a brow.
"Lirion, Kael, stop trying to scare your sister!" Their mother scolded.
"It's okay, Lirion, she must be overwhelmed." Kael stepped forward, a warning hand on his elder brother's shoulder.
"I understand. It is as you say, Kael. She would never venture to act so towards her brother."
"I agree. Please summon the butler,r Feli, and show her to her room. We should keep things hush-hush for now. You understand, Adeline?"
His gaze was even colder than the Prince', and his grey eyes were filled with unrestrained malice.
Even without Adeline's memories, she instinctively knew Kael was the one to avoid.
Adeline nodded and turned. Fortunately she didn't need to explain anything, but their gazes were fixed on her, waiting for her to leave.
Her mother, Elowan Corvus, seized her daughter's hand with tenderness.
"Forget Felix. You men round up on your meeting while I take Adeline to rest."
"Yes, mother, that would be best," the twin brother finally spoke up.
There was deafening silence as they walked down the hallway into the living space upstairs and down yet another wide corridor, but Adeline heard the door shut.
They were most like planning what to do with their sister who ruined their plans.
She needed to be on her extreme guard.
"Now, daughter. I have kept this room exactly as you wanted. How was your cousin's?"
Cousin?
Jia slowed. Come to think of it. Adeline's mother has been acting rather…simple.
"Mother?"
"Hmm? Yes, dear?" She responded with a smile.
It was faint, but a dark haze passed over her golden eyes and dulled their shine in her eyes.
[Brain-washing spell detected]
"Oh my God…" Jia whispered in horrified realization.
*************************************************************
As soon as Draven slammed the door, the room erupted into angry arguments and finger-pointing.
Lirion slammed his fist against the table.
"I told you we should have done the act ourselves! And you!" He jabbed an accusing finger into Kael's chest.
" You said your plan was foolproof, she obviously didn't die! Damn it to hell!"
Lirion swore, snatching up the glass of leftover alcohol on the table and emptying it in a gulp before tossing it onto the floor.
The only person who had been silent since the whole ordeal was their father.
His hands trembled in his head, convinced it was the ghost of Adeline come to take revenge against him for allowing his daughter to be killed by his sons to make money off of nobles.
What has his life come to? He wondered. That his sons would openly speak of villainous acts in front of him?
Lirion was the most hot-headed of them all, who was always looking for an opportunity to resort to violence, and his object of interest was now Adeline's twin brother.
"And you! Draven! You picked out the bandits whom we paid a tidy sum!"
He seized Draven by the collar, hoisting him up in the air as his feet dangled beneath him.
"Ack! I didn't pick wrong. Something must have happened!"
"What a brilliant observation! How did we know you didn't split the gold with your ne'er so well friends in a bid to deceive us??"
"Lirion, put Draven down...." Kael's tone was one of disinterest as he went to pour himself a drink.
Lirion spat in Draven's face before letting him go, and he fell onto his bottom with a thud. He got up with a wince to sit beside his father, away from Lirion.
Save for the pouring of ale into another glass by Kael, the room had now fallen into a deathly silence, waiting for him to speak.
Kael was quiet and contemplating. He never agreed to their foolhardy plan before, but this could still be salvaged.
He gulped the bitter ale with a grunt of irritation, watching their dull faces.
Fools. All of them. Were it not that he was the firstborn of the Corvus house, he would have abandoned this family a long time ago and let them fend for themselves.
His gut roiled in irritation watching his timid, drunk father cowering in his chair.
It was only disdain that kept him motivated enough to keep using them as he wanted.
"Cooler heads, brothers."
It appears Adeline managed to escape, nd nobody knows of her existence yet, so we do this…"
From his pocket, he produced a small vial holding bright purple liquid and dropped it on the table.
Their eyes widened in realization.
"Is that…Falconers' poison?"
Their father, Lord Thornevald Corvus, rose to his feet, peaking up for the first time.
Kael's cold eyes met him, and he flinched.
"What…what if we get Adeline to admit she ran away with a boy and faked her own death?"
"Too many inconsistencies. They will order an investigation into us, seeing as we have accepted a huge amount of money from noble families. We may as well be cutting off a source of income and selling our title to survive."
"But son –"
"And don't forget how much of your gambling debts have been covered, father."
"But we already–"
Lord Thornevald resigned and sat back with a weary sigh. Kael was right.
Lirion was deep in contemplative silence, but Draven was tapping the table anxiously.
"What about mother?"
"Easy. I will just use another compliance spell on her," Kael said with a chilling smile.
" Of–of course."
"Do you think she can mentally take more of it–?"
"For heaven's sake, father!" Lirion's fist slammed into the table.
"We're too far into this to back out. I have debts I settled, too! We end this once and for all!"
"I agree with Lirion. Father? Draven?"
Draven's eyes were pinned to the floor as he nodded, his voice filled with shame.
"Maybe we should reconsider–"
"It is agreed then. Draven, you feed this to her. Put it in her food this evening. Will we bury and burn her body once she slumps at the dinner table?"
Lirion nodded and slapped a hand across timid Draven's shoulder and got up quickly, murmuring about needing to visit the closest bar for more drinks.
Draven took the vial and stuffed it into his pockets, planning on how to deliver his poison.
Kael and his father were left alone, but Lord Thornevald refused to even look his son in the eye.
"Coward." Kael spat and walked out of the meeting room.
Lord Thornevald sighed and bowed his head, sobbing bitterly.
It would be hours later in the evening as everyone gathered for a tense dinner before Adeline would be seated with her family again.
Dinner was by candlelight and sparse food. Anyone could see they were going broke, but the food was still rich by modern century standards.
The butler put a plate of well-glazed ham and vegetables in front of Adeline.
"Your favorite," Lirion said with a smile, raising a cup to toast to her.
Jia nodded with an uneasy smile as she looked around the room. They were watching her intently. Even as they tried not to make it obvious.
"Here–here's a toast to Adeline, returning to us I health and safety," Lord Thornevald said.
Everyone raised their glass and clinked, including her.
She picked up her form and cut out a piece of ham, and took a bite.
"This is delicious…." She said with a smile. It was surprising. This was really good ham.
"I'm glad you think so, sister."
Kael smiled at her, watching her take another bite of her ham.
Then another. And another.
Their mother, the happiest and oblivious one in the room, continued to chatter until she started to feel funny.
Her cutlery fell out of her hand, and she tried to pick it up, but her muscles wouldn't cooperate.
" Ah…." Her voice was far too weak to alarm everyone that something was terribly wrong.
She felt cold in her veins, and her limbs were on fire.
The rich brown sauce turned red from the dripping blood from her nose, and curiously enough, no one at the table made a move to help, even as they watched.
The only person talking was her oblivious mother, jabbering on about the price of silk to her
father, who held a look of guilt on his face.
Oh…I've been poisoned.
That was her last thought before Jia collapsed to the floor, body spasming with the aftereffects of fast-acting poison.