363: Between knowing and listening

Between knowing and listening

They arrived at their destination as the first hints of morning sunlight brightened the horizon.2

Up until they reached the station, Adela and Noctavian managed to ignore the oppressive aura emanating from behind where Egon followed them on Xavier's back. Their conversation had revolved around the recent attack and the Kolhis ambassador's suggestion to relocate veteran soldiers from the allied forces to Emoria, offering them incentives to settle down in Lanark given their experience in direct combat with warlocks.

Noctavian was dissatisfied, continually emphasizing the need to address the root causes of the problem rather than just its branches. He despised constantly being on the defensive side, particularly now that the warlocks had no Kingdom and could attack Emoria with impunity, evading capture.

"I'm sorry if I've disappointed you, Noctavian, but my primary concern is to fortify our defenses," Adela explained as they dismounted their horses. She added, "I believe reinforcing the shield on the two estates is the best approach; we only need to develop one that can withstand these attacks."

"I would like to discuss this matter further once we return," Noctavian stated with a dry tone, clearly displeased with the idea of not bringing the falcons back to their rightful place.

Adela observed as he took disgruntled steps toward the falcons. The falconers saluted him and promptly initiated the process of reporting on the previous day's battle to the Crown Prince, the damage the land sustained, and the remarkable collaboration between the falcons and Commander Gustav in defeating the warlock.

As Egon's oppressive aura drew nearer, it became increasingly difficult for Adela to ignore his presence. Still, he had to click his tongue disapprovingly several times before Adela finally glanced up at him.

"...What are you doing here?"

"Are you feeling better?" he replied, his gaze fixed on their son.

"Do not evade my question with a question, My Lord," she retorted, her tone laced with acidity.

"Fair enough," Egon responded, finally directing his gaze toward her. "I am here to look for Kannen."

Adela raised an incredulous eyebrow. "As you can see," she gestured with her gloved finger, "he's located in the far end over there."

Kannen, with his sharp eyes, noticed Egon and promptly reacted, nearly stumbling from his perch and flying toward Adela at great speed. She had to extend her arm quickly to catch him, and he landed while letting out a menacing shriek at Egon.

She tried to suppress a smile but was unable to.

Egon crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you laughing at me?" 

She ran her gloved hand through Kannen's long, black feathers to calm him down and remained silent, not dignifying Egon's question with a response.

"...I hate that you have to wear gloves now," he remarked darkly.

She shot him a cold look. "I like my gloves."

"Do you like everything I hate?"

He seemed unusually chatty today, not to mention as arrogant and self-centered as ever.

"...You are so full of yourself, My Lord."

He stared at her for an extended moment before giving his response.

"You weren't this spiteful back then."

Adela felt a mix of irritation and confusion at that comment. "...I have changed for the better."

"You have changed a lot," he observed.

"..."

Why was she entangled in this pointless conversation with him, anyway? Egon's sole purpose for being here was Noctavian, leaving her perplexed as to why he seemed so fixated on her.

"I told you, I will be the one to do the persuading," he uttered the cryptic statement out of nowhere.

What is he talking about!

"Speaking of change, you haven't changed a bit!" She immediately regretted her words as they left her lips, for Egon had indeed changed, and not for the better.

Her eyes counted the beads of sweat forming on his forehead even in the chill of the air, a physical manifestation of the pain he was trying to hide. She studied his eyes next, hers filled with questions. Why had their mate bond been severed? Why didn't her presence naturally ease his suffering anymore?

No. She had promised herself not to dwell on it.

Adela redirected her attention to her son, doing her best to disregard Egon who appeared to be imitating her gestures, adding to his strange behavior today.

Noctavian was paying extra attention to a particular falcon, one that Adela knew her son had taken a special interest in but couldn't quite understand why.

"This is the same falcon I saw him with the other day when we returned." Egon informed her.

Recognition lit up Adela's face as she realized that the brown falcon was the one Noctavian believed had sensed inhuman vibes, prompting it to follow and alert the Crown Prince about Andreas and Egon's presence.

"Is that falcon his?" Egon suddenly inquired with interest.

Her eyes rested on her son, her thoughts running deep. "...He would say it belongs to His Majesty."

"Did he tell you we already had this conversation?" He asked with a fascinated tone.

Her confusion deepened. "What do you mean?"

"You know him well," Egon added after a pause, his tone sincere. "But are you truly listening to him?"

His question startled her, and her heart began to pound with fear as she looked up at Egon. His brown eyes held no trace of sarcasm or bitterness, only genuine interest, as if he were still waiting for an answer to the question he had posed.

His eyes returned to Noctavian when she didn't answer him. "I want to get to know him too."

As Egon spoke, Noctavian, who had been pretending not to eavesdrop on their conversation looked sharply at Egon. He released the falcon from his arm and strode over to where his parents were.

"Mother, I will be taking a short walk with him."

She nodded, her eyes on Egon who appeared ecstatic but was likely to be disappointed by the outcome of this conversation.

As Adela followed them discreetly from a distance, her gaze lingered on the burned patches of grass and shattered trees, clear remnants of the previous day's battle.

Yet, what truly captured her attention was the way Noctavian moved. His footsteps were unusually quiet, nearly as silent as Egon's who glided effortlessly over the terrain without making a sound. It was a subtle but remarkable change that couldn't escape Adela's keen observation. It appeared as though Noctavian had absorbed some of his father's innate grace and stealth, an unexpected development that ignited her curiosity.

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