CASEY woke up early. He planned to leave as fast as he could before Nicol woke up. Because if he waited until that nephew of his woke up to leave, he would definitely be forced to have breakfast with the duke.
As he walked out of his room, he contemplated whether to say goodbye to Tommy. In the end, he decided that he should. Because if he did, he could also leave a message for Nicol. But when he went to the other's room, he found out that Tommy was called by the duke to the study.
His first thought when he heard that from the butler was, 'why?'.
Was there a need to call Tommy over this early in the morning?
And then he felt curious. Knowing that the duke, he wouldn't have done this unless there was some serious problem. More likely involving the family. Was that why the other was overly silent during dinner last night?
Casey scoffed. Those two were doing their usual 'partners-in-crime' stint again. Probably making decisions for the sake of 'family'. Just like how they had always done. Thinking of what happened more than 20 years ago, he was filled with indignation. Before the anger could rise, he took a deep breath and calmed himself.
But even if he managed to calm himself, he was still curious about what the two could be discussing. If he didn't know about this 'morning meeting', he probably wouldn't care. But since he already did, his curiosity was just piqued to the extreme.
Ah, whatever. He could just go and ask them whatever this was about. If he's wrong, then good. But if he's right, then he would judge whether this 'family problem' was something he should worry about. He had to know what it was first, though.
Finally decided on what to do first, Casey walked towards the study.
Arriving in front of the door, he noticed that it was slightly ajar. He was about to just walk in when he heard Tommy's voice.
"Knowing that they're Emmaline's children, what do you plan to do now?"
"Father? Ha! Oh please, spare me the bullshit. He has never been a father to us since Mom died. For him, you're just a subordinate. Emmy was just a tool.
And me? Well, let's just say I'm the unwanted baggage," Casey said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "So, don't lecture me. Because I'm not like you. I'm not a robot who only follows orders and do as he was told."
"Enough," the duke finally spoke.
Casey wanted to retort, but when the other turned around and he saw his expression, all the words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat. The duke's brows furrowed deeply. His face dimmed with a trace of sadness and self-blame. His lips were pressed into a thin line, jaw tensing with an underlying frustration. Even the corner of his eyes seemed to be a bit red. As if he had just been crying.
Crying? Yeah, right. Casey almost laughed at his overactive imagination. This man had no tears and blood. How could he cry?
"Then answer my question. Why are you talking about Emmy having children? You wouldn't have been saying that unless--"
"Unless she's alive?" the duke cut off his sentence. The other looked straight into his eyes. "Yes, Cassius, Emmaline is alive."
Casey froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. His breath caught in his throat, and his hands trembled as he struggled to process what he had just heard. A whirlwind of emotions churned within him, leaving him feeling disoriented and overwhelmed. He felt a rush of conflicting feelings — astonishment, confusion, and a flicker of hope — all jumbled together in a chaotic mess.
It was as if the ground had shifted beneath his feet, leaving him unsteady and unsure of how to proceed.
"...What did you just say?"
The duke repeated what he said. "Emmaline is alive. She did not die 21 years ago. We- we helped her faked her death. And, and just now, I discovered that she has children. A pair of twins, to be exact."