A couple of nobles exchanged looks. They obviously didn't believe him, hell he didn't even explain anything.
They looked uncertain as if they understood his intent to keep his secrets to himself. Still they were not satisfied.And Arion knew that among these idiots, there would be one idiot who would press for answers.
And in this moment, something more dangerous than an idiot was an idiot who was oblivious.
Serina leaned forward slightly, clearly entertained. Serene remained still. Focused and composed, she was curious too, but showed none of it on her face.
Arion once again felt envious of her. How is it fair that she inherited their father's ability to keep a composed and expressionless face.
But again, he was always envious and jealous of her ever since they were kids.
His eyes darkened at the memories where Arion and Serene would fight each other for trivial matters.
Darius did not react immediately. His fingers tapped once against the table. Then he looked at the two nobles who immediately sat down leaving him the only one standing.
"Your Soul Rune." He started, his gaze resting on his son.
"Show it." Arion's smile didn't disappear but it thinned slightly.
Clara's gaze flickered toward him. She was suddenly very interested, more interested than his father, but again reading his father's expression was almost impossible so he wouldn't really compare.
"But hey! How can I show you my runes? Aren't I the only one who can see it?" He said in an innocent tone though he already knew the answer. Still, who was he to not postpone the inevitable and possibly outright deny it.
"Good effort, but if one wills it, he can make his Soul Rune visible to others too." His sister said, a stupid grin on her face she had only when talking to her family.
"Ah, how unfortunate, I certainly don't know how to "will" it, how can you say someone who has unlocked his Soul Rune a week ago to do something like that?" He said with a stupid grin of his own though all he received were multiple dead pan expressions.
Even serene shifted slightly, while his mother looked at him with a mix of proudness and embarrassment.
"So you can fight with people out of your league but can't do a simple thing all novices are able to do?" The same noble who asked him about Voidflare questioned him.
Cursing the guy's bloodline internally he turned to him and gave him a...friendly smile.
"Well I can't be a prodigy at everything can I? Not especially while being isolated from my hometown for six years." He said the last part with a little sadness hoping to catch his father off-guard and force him to help his son.
'Well that didn't go as planned.' He thought looking at his father whose face didn't even move an inch, remaining as stoic and still as ever.
He sighed turning to Clara and giving her a bright smile.
The ice-cold princess blinked and simply gave him a nod and turned front. Arion turned his gaze to his father once again, and then it landed on Serene.
His smile widened, as did Serene's pupils.
"How are you anyway sister? Did you miss me?" He asked Serene and looking at Serina's pout he understood that his plan was going well.
A dark, dangerous look crossed Serene's eyes as she looked at him.
'Good, she still hates me.'
"Hey! You didn't ask me." Serina said glaring at him. Arion faked a flinch and gave a nervous laugh.
"Ah, my bad." He turned towards his mother. "How have you been mother?" He asked and almost laughed at Serina's increasing pout.
It felt wrong to use his sister as a distraction but well, she could blame their dad later.
His mother gave a short glance towards Serina and looked back at him and gave him a gentle smile. "I am good Arion, its really nice to see you well and strong, even after such a battle." The last part was said with concern in her tone.
No sane mother would want their children to fight against such gruesome beings, and his mother was the literal embodiment of sane unlike his father who for some reason was seen as someone insane.
"Hey, I'm alive too you know?" Serina said, this time her voice louder but before things could escalate further, his father quickly looked at her and she immediately sighed and went silent.
'Well, well would you look at that?'
"Well father, would you like to hear my macabre adventures in the academy?" He asked receiving a few weird glances.
"You can save it for later." His father replied, this time his voice was accompanied by a glare. The meaning was clear.
Whatever game you're playing, stop it or you'll be punished.
He shrugged, and then looked at his father.
"Is there any way to change the things others see about the runes." His father nodded.
"Yes there is, what do you wanna hide from others?"
Suddenly the smile vanished from his face as Arion stood up and glared back at his father with the same intensity as Darius's own and followed by glaring at the rest present in the room as well except his mother.
"Everything." He said simply and coldly. An uncomfortable silence followed, as Arion stood under his father's increasingly intense glare.
His spine stiffened but his expression didn't change.
He returned his father's glare by increasing his own glare.
"So you don't want to share it with us?" A noble asked somehow finding it appropriate talking while father and son were glaring at each other.
The noble man shivered when Arion's intense glare were set on him.
"Yes." He said simply, with the same cold tone in which he answered his father.
"Do you have a proper reason to hide it from others?" His father asked. Looking back at his father, he mustered up his courage and smiled. A mad smile that seemed to even make the maids who were practically in love with him minutes ago shiver.
"I guess privacy is one enough reason for it, and maybe another would be the simple fact of trust."
His father nodded sitting down as he sat down and closed his eyes, but then another noble stood up pointing a shaky finger at him.
"Privacy is somewhat fine but what do you mean trust, do you not trust us?"
Arion's glare disappeared replaced by a bright and friendly smile as he answered back with a bright voice. "No I don't."
The hall went back to looking at him with dead pan expressions, Arion even heard a few maids trying to suppress their laughter.
"How can you not trust us?" The same noble said not willing to back down.
"Ah well I don't even know your name." Arion answered to which the man turned more angrier for some reason.
"How can you not know me? I am the ambassador of the Thorn Blade noble family." He said puffing his chest out as if showing something, and that was when Arion noticed a small symbol of a sword… wrapped in thorns, the metal seemingly pierced from within.
Pausing for a second, he looked at the man and smiled again.
"Well, I don't remember being an ambassador, so I wouldn't know that."
A deafening silence followed as Arion sat back down with a triumphant smile, from the corner of his eye he even noticed Clara's pupils widening for a second before her expression went back to normal,
"That was good." She whispered.
'Yeah yeah, I know it. It's my plan after all.'
Soon his mother stood up again and gave everyone a diplomatic smile.
"Well the food looks tasty, why not eat it before it turns cold?" She suggested, and everyone nodded reluctantly. No one could dare defy her.
They were here for a meeting and not to disclose her son's secrets after all.
Two maids appeared behind Arion and bent down to his ear to whisper something.
"That was so cool, Young Master." They whispered in unison before standing up and walking away with the same serious expression they came.
"What did they say?" A noble asked out of curiosity.
"Ah! They said it was so cool." He answered with a smile. The man clearly didn't believe but chose not to press the silence as the entire hall went silent again as they ate their food.
Arion looked down at his food, and a hungry smile appeared on his face.
Finally something normal.
He picked up his fork and took a bite and suddenly nothing else mattered.
"…You're quite relaxed." The voice came from his right. "And your food is different." Clara continued. With raised eyebrows, he looked at his food and that of Clara's and the rest.
Everyone had the same, except his.
Gods the maids really loved him.
Arion glanced down again, this time actually paying attention.
His plate stood out immediately.
At the centre lay slices of tender, roasted meat—perfectly cooked, lightly glazed, the surface catching the warm light with a soft sheen. The aroma was rich but refined, not overpowering. Beside it, a smaller portion of spiced fish rested neatly, its surface crisp, the seasoning subtle but fragrant, as if prepared with extra care rather than excess.
But it wasn't just meat.
Alongside it was a carefully arranged selection of vegetables—lightly sautéed greens, butter-coated roots, and a small serving of delicately spiced lentils. Nothing was heavy, nothing crude. Each element was balanced, placed with intention. A thin layer of sauce tied everything together, enhancing rather than drowning the flavours.
Even the smallest details gave it away.
Fresh, warm bread sat to the side, softer than the rest. A small bowl of richer curry—slightly thicker, more aromatic—had been added just for him. It wasn't obvious at first glance.
It was impossible to ignore.
While his plate was rich and carefully prepared—layers of meat, vegetables, and warm bread arranged with quiet intention—the others were noticeably simpler. Their servings were refined but restrained, smaller portions laid out with precision rather than indulgence. No extra sides, no lingering aroma of butter or spice—just balanced, measured dishes meant for decorum, not comfort.
Hell even his father and mother got the same as others, only he got some sort of special treatment.
And from the look Serina was throwing at him, this was not planned by his family.
After a few moments of eating his food and reluctantly giving some to Clara to maintain their "friendship", the dinner was finally over.
Soon the actual meeting started but not before he was bombarded by another round of questions.
"And what about the sword?" The Thorn Blade ambassador asked to Arion's frustration.
"Uh, yeah its a special sword and its indeed mine. Fortunately I can't say you anything more."
After answering to some more questions in this manner, he was finally free of the damned questions. As if he didn't ask himself enough questions already.
"Now, we are here to discuss of our alliances. As this is a private meeting, I would want my children to go back." Darius said before looking at him.
"Other children of your age from other noble clans have come too, you can meet them or do whatever you like but don't try to listen or disturb the meeting."
Arion stood up and bowed. "Yes, father. I'll take my leave."
"Let's go..." He whispered to Clara as they stood up and left as they followed his sisters.
"You have an interesting family." Clara said after a while of silence.
"Why, is that why you came here?" He asked with a smile. Clara shook her head and looked front.
"I'm here to clear some things, though now I have one more goal."
Arion glanced at her. "Dangerous words," he said lightly. "Should I be worried?"
Clara didn't answer immediately.
Her steps remained even, unhurried, as they moved through the long corridor. The faint echoes of the hall faded behind them, replaced by a quieter stillness.
"Yes."
Arion blinked a couple of times before staring at the princess beside him. Then he chuckled under his breath.
"Good to know."
Serina, who had been walking just ahead, slowed down and turned halfway toward them, walking backwards with an exaggerated look of curiosity.
"You two are being awfully secretive," she said, eyes flicking between them. "Should I be concerned or entertained?"
"Both," Arion replied without missing a beat.
Serina grinned. "Nice. I like this version of you."
Arion's expression then dimmed just slightly as he remembered how his life was before six years.
Serene still walked ahead of them, turned back slightly her gaze calm and observant, flickering from him to Clara before she finally spoke.
"You've changed." She said calmly, no emotion backing the statement.
Arion glanced at her. "Six years tends to do that." He said with a smile.
"A week," she corrected. Arion blinked dumbfounded before shaking his head and chuckling.
"Fair, I guess."
They reached the end of the corridor, where the space opened into a wider hall—less formal, but no less refined. Large windows let in muted light, and distant voices hinted at other young nobles scattered throughout the estate.
"So," he said, his tone losing its casual edge, "you came to 'clear things.'" He said taking a step closer to her.
"Start talking."
Clara met his gaze without hesitation.
"I wanted to confirm things about..." She lingered for a while before looking back at her.
"About you."
Serina leaned in slightly.
"Okay, now I'm definitely staying."
"Serina, it's not good to spy on others' conversations." He said stopping as Clara and Serina did too, and ahead of them Serene too stopped.
Serina opened her mouth to say something but was stopped by her sister's voice.
"Serina..." Serene looked at her and turned back and walked away, prompting Serina to run after her too.
Left alone, he turned to Clara. "Repeat, my lady?"
"I came here to confirm things about your clan, your father and...you."
Arion's gaze didn't leave her. "…My clan?" he repeated softly.
Clara nodded once.
"Brook is… unusual." she began then paused briefly before continuing. "Rising too fast. Too quiet. Too controlled."
Arion let out a faint breath.
"Careful," he said lightly. "That almost sounded like praise."
"It wasn't."
"And my father?" he asked.
Finally, he saw a hint of hesitation in her eyes, as she waited for a second and looked at him and shrugged.
"Darius Brook is not what he appears to be."
Arion smiled.
"That makes two of us."
Clara ignored that. "Men like him don't allow uncertainty and yet—you exist."
That made his smile falter.
"…I'm touched," he said dryly. "Didn't know I was such a mystery." She looked at him with a simple dead pan expression and spoke again.
"You are" She said and then continued. "No records. No presence. No influence for six years…"
Her gaze sharpened.
"…and then you return and do that."
Arion met her gaze with an equally appealing smile of his own. "That was me today, what about me was interesting before I unlocked my Soul Rune?"
"What exactly are you trying to confirm?" This time, Arion's voice was colder, calmer and lower.
"Whether you're a threat…or an asset" A smile adored his lips once again as he looked at the beautiful princess in front of him.
"And which one would you prefer?" He asked with the same smile, which made him look...cute?
Clara shook her head and looked back at him with the same expressionless face.
'I definitely need to attend that class.'
Her answer came without delay. "Whichever benefits me more."
Arion looked at her and shrugged turning front. "Well then," he said, turning slightly as if to move again, "you'll have to work harder than that."
Clara's face didn't betray any emotion as she watched him. "Why?" She asked. Arion looked back at her and sighed simply.
"Because," he said, a faint glint in his eyes, "I haven't decided what you are either."
Clara stayed silent for a while then a short smile appeared on her face immediately masked by her usual indifference. "Then maybe I will start by saying you stink of blood. Really you ate without even bathing and cleaning yourself of the blood?"
"Well, oh I had to look scary you see..."