22 Chapter 22: Guinivere

Guinivere would be lying if she were to say that she was close to either of her older brothers.

She does not know them very well, but she understood the basics.

Aurelion had always been calm and detached, someone who spoke little and had too little time to spend with her.

And Nazareth… well… Nazareth is crazy. No further explanation needed.

Guinivere likes to tell herself that she's lucky. For one, she's a girl. The youngest child. The only daughter of the Odum Family.

She was the most doted on, the most protected, the most sheltered, and she did not have to worry about issues relating to heirship or conflicts regarding the succession.

She is lucky. Because her older brothers don't see her as obstacles.

To them, she might as well be a pretty vase who will someday either follow her mother's footsteps and enlist, or marry a rich man.

Nazareth isn't out to kill her, Aurelion frets over her in his glacier-like ways, and their parents love her the best they can with… very eccentric parenting methods.

Not to mention, both her brothers are decent with the way they treat her. She isn't bullied, and one barely acknowledges her existence.

However, even despite knowing her brothers to be above the emotional ranges of an average human being, she had always wanted an older brother who was warm and gentle.

Someone to soothe her pains, brush away tears, give her hugs, and be affectionate. Like a normal person.

Instead, she was given a giant, moving block of ice, and a crazy, feral animal!

Anna and Mary have older brothers that dote on them like they're the sun. With smiles and hugs, and head pats.

Guinivere gets… intense stares of love and brief shoulder taps of comfort.

She knows that her family tries in their own way, and she appreciates that.

But deep down in her heart, she is envious of Anna and Mary.

It is selfish to want more, she gets that. An Odum limits how they express their emotions and affections. It is practically genetically ingrained if you were to ask the magicians of the Steine Tower Institute.

But that's beside the point.

No matter how hard she tries to emulate her mother, father, and Aurelion, it was always for naught.

The only one who is even remotely expressive in the family is Nazareth, and that's just because he's a wild animal.

Nazareth is inherently just as much of an ice block as the rest of the family, but with more violent tendencies and craziness to balance it out. A nicer word would be passionate, but Guinivere can see the cold, calculative gaze beneath those mad, vermillion eyes, as she watches her oldest brother play the hateful fool.

And they never failed to make her fear him.

It was the perfect contradiction to Aurelion's cold blizzard.

Nazareth is like a raging fire, eating everything in its path.

So no, Guinivere does not know her brothers very well. She wasn't close to them, nor does she speak to them very often.

It is perhaps due to this reason that she doesn't notice the changes in regards to Nazareth until that particular day.

On an afternoon, she had been walking past her father's studies when she stumbled upon a conversation. The door had been slightly open, as it was a warm day, and she could somewhat make out what was being said.

"-anctuary... Mummy..."

"I see… my permission… do not cause any trouble…"

There was the sound of papers being shifted and chair legs scraping against the ground.

"-yes... thank you, Father!"

So sue her if she hadn't noticed the unusual changes. It's not like she spends much time with the brother she deemed crazy. Even if he did cut his hair and went quiet for a few weeks, she had just assumed he was plotting something again. He's done it before and she wants to avoid him as much as possible in case his newest scheme might result in a phenomenal amount of destruction.

Thus, when she heard the conversation between Nazareth and their father, she grew curious.

From what she could make out, it seems their father has fulfilled something for Nazareth. Something... personal, maybe?

Guinivere had hoped, at first, that it wasn't something that would cause any harm. But their father would never let him obtain anything remotely dangerous, so she resigned herself to their father's judgment.

The sound of footsteps suddenly drew near.

"Guinevere?"

Oops.

She raises her head.

And finds herself staring into a pair of vermillion eyes.

Neo tilted his head curiously at the sight of his younger sister. He had found her hiding in the corner and staring off into space.

Was she… eavesdropping?

He furrowed his brows at the thought.

Guinevere, who always wears a mask of indifference, eavesdropping?

Hmm…

That's so cute!

He couldn't help but smile, which unknowingly made the other party stiffen.

"Brother," Guinivere greets politely, giving a well-executed curtsy like a proper lady.

It was both adorable and stiff. The best combination in Neo's mind, but that might be because this is his sister and he is shamelessly biased in that regard.

She had let down her guard.

Thankfully, she manages to hide her gasp with the curtsy. What reason does her eldest brother have to approach her?

She sees the documents in his hands.

Neo notices Guinivere glancing at his greenhouse proposal and its design layouts.

"Are you curious?" He asked, smiling softly.

A wary glance was all that he received.

"Father has officially given me ownership of something. If you want to know, I can show you." He offers.

He holds out his hand, mocking the fashion of a proper gentleman.

"Why?"

Guinivere asked, her voice, both melodic yet chilly. It was a poor imitation of Vespera, but Neo still gives a full ten points for effort.

"Can't you let me be a brother for once?"

The atmosphere seemingly thickens.

The expression on Neo's face noticeably opens up all the way, to show a trace of longing and sadness.

The little miss of the Odum Family.

Even despite his madness, Nazareth never tried to purposely harm his younger sister. A few times--and he regretted those times the most--she was close to being a casualty, to being hurt by one of his schemes, and put in harm's way. Those were the times when Nazareth grew conflicted with his goals.

Unfortunately, he was too much of a bastard to stop, even despite knowing that he had hurt Guinivere. That was how much of an asshole he was.

He had not been there for Guinivere's birth. She had only been five when he came back to the mansion, but from the information he could gather late on, he learned that she had been a premature baby.

There were a lot of health issues throughout her childhood, up until she was nine, but the damage done to her body has become permanent by that point. Not only was she left with a weak and delicate constitution, but her hair had slowly turned white over the course of three years leading up to her debut into society when she turned twelve.

Many had questioned whether or not she was another bastard child that night.

Neo remembered that both he and Aurelion had made sure those people were taken out of the picture soon enough. Aristocracy has no need for foolish gossipers like those.

Of course, the short alliance did not last long.

After taking out the trash, he was back at it with another scheme the very next day.

As things went, Guinevere was one of the few bright lights that he didn't desire to snuff out.

At least, not purposely.

By the end of that lifetime, she had been too traumatized and scared, too broken.

Sometimes, in that modern world, Neo would often wonder if she ever got married. Whether or not his beloved sister enlisted like their mother, or perhaps did something else with her life. He would like to believe that she got back up and made something of her life, without a terrible and mad older brother to weigh her down. She was strong despite her seeming fragility.

And even now, he still loves her dearly.

Guinevere stares at that hand. Does she want to sate her curiosity and go with this older brother who has a history of attempting murders to some obscure place, or should she be a smart girl and not go?

She looks into his eyes, and for once, notices something.

Her brother wore a smile that had a soft edge. His eyes were kinder than she ever thought they could be. His voice was also gentle, something that is almost a rarity in this manor.

Can she trust him just this once?

To be an older brother?

To place her safety in his hands?

After some time, a small and delicate hand is placed into a pale palm.

"Okay,"

Neo's smile couldn't be any brighter as he encloses his sister's hand into his own.

Nazareth's hands were warm, and his smiles were even warmer.

From a deadly inferno, he turned into a hearth.

She thinks back to Aurelion's strange behavior as of late and connects the two dots.

Perhaps...

"Let us go, then."

"Un."

Perhaps things are changing. Many things are changing, in fact. And she wonders if that's a good thing or not.

She stares at her brother's back and suddenly feels strange. When did he become someone so warm?

They walk through the pathway outside the manor, past the Northern Garden, and then turning right. Nazareth never lets go of her hand once.

Throughout their short walk, he makes it a point to hold her hand, never tightening his grip, but never loosening it either. It was just enough to keep her with him, despite how ridiculous the gesture was.

After all, no need to act as if they were walking through the woods. It's merely the manor ground, isn't it?

Nonetheless, she holds on.

"Here we are."

They arrived at the Western Garden.

Neo had initially received his greenhouse on a Wednesday.

Gareth, being the silently doting and emotionally constipated father that he is, allowed for its construction days before mentioning anything to Neo.

Neo had only submitted his proposal and plan to his father the weekend before, with the designs and technical details regarding the greenhouse.

Now, not only is he the owner of a greenhouse four days later, but he has been given full control of the glass structure.

The sudden interest in growing medicinal herbs might have been suspicious, but Gareth's most major flaw behind his icy appearance is to be unable to say no to any of his children. The only reason Nazareth didn't try to shamelessly abuse this fact was due to his own pride and resentment. If Gareth were to have interfered with his rivalry with Aurelion, it is likely that the Odum Household would self-destruct and cease its existence.

A father's love is truly amazing.

"It's just up ahead. Be careful, the steps are steep."

Neo led Guinivere up the steps of a stone platform.

Within the center of the Western Garden stood the sight of a conservatory. The light of the sun reflected off the structure and what little grew inside each bed of dirt and grass within the unusual-looking construction looked to be a queer sight.

Guinivere's eyes widened.

Was there such a place in the manor?

In truths, she usually avoided the Western Garden, as she knew it was Nazareth's side of the manor. Who knew there was an existence such as this hidden away here?

Neo smiled and opened the glass door. "Guinivere, welcome to Alyoise Sanctuary."

The first thing Guinivere notices is the warmth.

The inside of the glass structure is very warm.

Then she took in the sight of it all.

It was spacious. Very spacious.

But at the same time, it was crowded, with various floras sprouting and flourishing everywhere.

Raised wooden platform boxes lined the walls of the greenhouse, filled with dirt and budding sprouts. Some of these boxes were marked with the names of basic herbal plants, while others were empty of everything.

There was also a medium-size stone watering hole in the center of the large conservatory, filled with cool water and a thermostat. It was the main watering system. Surrounding the entire greenhouse were pipes that occasionally sprinkled water onto the soil. The lined the tops of the raised boxes and could barely be seen.

Some potted plants hung from the ceilings. Those were more for decorative purposes, but nonetheless, they flourished beautifully from their pots.

This greenhouse was everything that Neo could ask for.

"Father had shown it to me a few days ago. We were speaking about the matters of ownership and the use of the new place earlier in his office. After this, when I find the time, I will be heading off to town to get more tools and seeds." He spoke as he brought them inside.

Gareth had been able to obtain basics to start the greenhouse off, but Neo required other plants as well in order to expand his research. He felt that those plants should be bought personally, since they aren't as simple to care for compared to the ones Gareth easily managed to get a hold of, so he never added those particular requests into his proposal.

His father might have the money to give him all his heart's desires, but after three decades of humble independence, Neo is capable of shopping for himself for the little things.

"It's beautiful." Guinivere breathed, her eyes flickering through the beds of soil.

Neo smiles. "There are a few chairs over there by the table. Would you like to sit down? Father had a stove built near my research table so I can heat up a kettle. I hope you don't mind Jasmine." He offers.

Situated behind an unusual looking tree was a small table with four chairs.

"What's this?"

Guinivere looked questionably at the tree, but Neo looked away.

Gareth had gifted him a large bonsai tree that was likely worth a lot of gold but served no practical purpose other than to be old and complicated. When Gareth first showed it to him, a bashful look in his cold gaze, he had told him it was an extra feature because he felt that Neo might appreciate such a grand gesture. Neo was forced to make a mental note to learn how to care for a bonsai after that.

"It's just something from Father. You know how he is."

After quickly dismissing the question, Neo pulled out one of the chairs and had his younger sister sit down before scooting her back.

"Just wait here. I'll go make us tea."

After that, he made his way over to a large shelf that was lined with various experimental tools. On the bottom of the shelf was a can of tea leaves, a kettle, and a simple tea set. As Neo made a grab for it-

"Young Master, I beg that you take your hands off that canister right this moment."

Rainier appears at the door with a tea cart and pushes it inside with the grace of any capable servant.

The man sighs in relief as he sees the lack of smoke coming out of the little brick stove in the corner of the room. Thank the gods that he managed to make it in time.

According to the other servants, they have overheard that his Young Master was taking the Young Miss to his new greenhouse.

Rainier's natural instinct told him that the Young Master was likely going to brew tea with that stove that the Master had built for his son, worried that the Young Master wouldn't be able to make tea within the confines of the greenhouse.

Master, are your children not spoiled enough?! What reason do they have to be sipping tea in a greenhouse?

But he was wrong.

Apparently, the Young Master had decided he was going to brew tea with that asinine invention, which, truly, strikes a crude mark into his heart.

"Rainier, what are you doing here?"

Neo was surprised to see the servant. After all, he had thought the servant had a half-day break today.

Rainier gritted his teeth. "It's a good day to have tea in Young Master's new conservatory. I hope I didn't overstep my bounds?"

"No." Neo shakes his head. "I was going to make some tea anyways, but I'm sure Guinivere prefers something more professionally done. Thank you for your consideration, Rainier." Neo smiled happily, staring into cornflower eyes.

He was also happy that the servant didn't wear his blindfold today. That means he can examine the marks later.

Rainier paused in his actions in bringing everything onto the little tea table and found himself looking at his Young Master for longer than he would like.

But then-

"The pleasure is all mine, Young Master."

He continues his actions, pouring tea into two teacups.

Guinivere, who had been relatively ignored for the past few minutes, raised a brow.

The relationship between her brother and his servant… It's quite close, isn't it?

She shrugs, taking a sip of the tea.

"Brother!"

Aurelion suddenly bursts into the greenhouse.

Neo almost drops his teacup. He looks up.

"Eh? Aurelion, what are you-"

The other boy marches across the room and stands before his older brother.

"I thought you were going to take me here first."

Neo's eyes widen in realization.

"Ah, forgive me. I forgot about that. I'm so sorry, Aurelion, but Guinivere was curious-"

"You said you would take me once all preparations were ready."

"I know, Aurelion. But Guinivere-"

"But you promised!"

The sudden shout reverberated throughout the room. Neo gave pause. He placed down his cup and really looks at the state of his brother.

Aurelion looked... quite hurt beneath his emotionless face, which made Neo immensely guilty.

He sighs.

"I'm sorry, I know I did. It was wrong of me to break my promises. I hope you can forgive me for my unattentiveness. It was unfair for me to promise you one thing and do another." He apologizes sincerely.

Unbeknownst to Neo, Aurelion begins to grow warm in embarrassment.

"Come sit. Have some tea. We're all here now, aren't we? I'll show you around once we finish tea time, alright? I promised you that as well, didn't I?"

After a long silence, the boy finally, begrudgingly, pulls out a chair.

"Nn."

Guinivere watches in near bafflement as her second brother shoves his way into the seat right next to Nazareth.

Nazareth, on the other hand, just laughs and offers him his own cup in apology.

He pats Aurelion's head...

Everything seems to freeze for a moment.

Small and delicate hands gripped the teacup far too tightly.

It was the head pat...

The fucking head pat...

Guinivere stared at the hand that was currently patting her second brother's head.

What. The fuck.

She wants one, too!