The digital clock on the bedside table glowed 4:00 A.M., its pale blue numbers the brightest thing in the room.
Kael's bedroom lay in near darkness. Clothes were draped carelessly over a chair in one corner, and a half-open textbook rested on his desk beside a cold mug of tea that had been forgotten hours ago. The faint hum of the ceiling fan filled the silence as it turned lazily overhead, stirring the cool air.
"Damn it..."
A groggy groan escaped Kael's lips as his phone vibrated violently against the bedside table. The sharp ringtone sliced through the silence of the room.
The clock beside his bed now read 4:02 A.M.
Half-asleep and thoroughly annoyed, he reached for the phone blindly, nearly knocking over a glass of water in the process.
"Who the hell is calling at this hour...?"
His hair was a mess, and his eyes were barely open. The blanket was tangled around his legs as he finally grabbed the phone.
Unknown Number.
Kael frowned.
"Seriously?"
With a frustrated sigh, he accepted the call and pressed the phone to his ear.
"Hello... who is this?" he snapped. "And why the hell are you calling at this time?"
Only silence greeted him.
Kael sat up slightly.
"Don't you check the time before disturbing someone's sleep?!"
A hesitant voice finally came through the speaker.
"Kael... it's me."
For a moment, Kael blinked in confusion.
"Who—"
Then recognition hit him.
"Ah, Ran!"
His irritation vanished almost instantly.
"Why are you calling me from an unknown number?"
Kael rubbed his eyes and pushed the blanket aside.
"Where's your phone? You haven't picked up any of my calls since yesterday!"
On the other end, Ran fell silent again.
Too silent.
Kael's expression slowly changed.
Eiran wasn't the type to hesitate.
Normally, he'd laugh, tease Kael for missing him too much, or tell him to stop nagging.
But tonight...
"Ran?"
Kael's voice softened.
"What's going on?"
"I..."
Eiran's breath trembled.
"That..."
Kael straightened immediately.
A knot formed in his stomach.
"Hey."
He swung his legs off the bed and sat fully upright.
"What happened?"
Another pause.
Then Eiran spoke in a small voice Kael had never heard before.
"Have you... heard about Valerian?"
Kael frowned.
"Valerian?"
The name immediately woke him up.
"Him? What about him?"
The silence that followed felt endless. His grip tightened around the phone.
"Ran?"
"I—I don't know what to do, Kael."
Eiran's voice cracked.
"I just..."
He took a shaky breath.
"I just don't want to go there."
Confusion and growing anxiety spread across Kael's face.
He stood up immediately.
"Where are you right now?"
No answer.
"Ran."
His voice grew firmer.
"Answer me."
A weak laugh escaped Ran despite himself.
"Idiot."
Kael wasn't sure whether Eiran was calling himself an idiot or calling Kael one. He didn't have time to think about it anyway, as he was already searching for his hoodie.
The sleepiness was completely gone.
Whatever had happened, it was serious.
And if Ran was calling him in the middle of the night from an unknown number, then things were anything but simple.
"Ran."
Kael's voice was calm now.
It was the same voice he always used whenever Eiran was in trouble.
"You don't have to deal with this alone. If something's bothering you, you can tell me. Anything."
Even though he had no idea why Eiran was acting like this, he wasn't going to leave him alone.
The line fell quiet.
Then a shaky exhale came through the line, as though Ran had been holding his breath this entire time.
"Valerian... he's getting engaged."
"...To Elera. On his birthday."
Kael's heart dropped.
His expression shifted from confusion to shock, then disbelief, before hardening into anger.
He was so stunned that he nearly dropped the phone.
For several long seconds, he couldn't force a single word past his lips.
Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke.
"Send me your location."
He paused before adding, "I'll be there as soon as possible."
There were too many questions racing through his mind.
But this wasn't the time to ask them.
He wasn't in the city at the moment, and it would take him a few hours to reach Eiran.
He would get his answers on the way.
~
Knock knock.
Knock knock.
Knock knock...
The boy's sleep was disturbed by the continuous knocking from outside.
He pushed his hair back as he lazily sat up in bed.
"Come in," he said as he glanced thoughtfully at the box beside him.
His voice was slightly hoarse—different from his usual steady tone.
The door was pushed open, and the butler walked in.
"Master asked you to come to his room, sir."
Silence followed.
Valerian gave him a look. The old butler immediately understood, as if he could read his thoughts.
"You're asked to come within ten minutes, or else Master will come here himself."
Valerian once again threw a glance at the box, seemingly casual.
"Fine."
With that, he stood up and didn't even bother to freshen up before leaving hurriedly.
He just wanted to get this done with immediately so that he could finally get to see Eiran's gift.
He didn't even know when he had ended up falling asleep on the bed.
He might have been quite tired...
The mansion had four master bedrooms, all of them quite far from each other and even on different floors.
His father's room was no exception. As he walked towards his destination, he saw the whole house decorated lavishly, but he didn't intend to give it much attention. He really wasn't interested in this banquet; saying that he was disgusted would be much more accurate.
As Valerian walked, the butler from before also followed him closely behind, silently.
Soon enough, they were outside his dad's room. He knocked lightly twice before going straight in.
"Where are your manners, child?"
His father's voice came from inside, carrying a faint trace of amusement.
Valerian paused just inside the doorway and glanced back at the door before looking at his father.
"I knocked."
His tone was flat, as though that alone should have settled the matter.
His father let out a quiet scoff, leaning back in his chair as the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
"Pff, looks like you're still holding grudges."
Valerian's expression remained unchanged.
"Anyways—go get ready. You're going to pick Elera up and spend the day with her."
For a moment, Valerian said nothing.
His gaze drifted away, and his fingers curled slightly at his side before relaxing again.
"Oh, and remember to come back before evening." His father raised a finger as though adding an afterthought. "You wouldn't want to miss the last chance of meeting him before you leave, would you?"
Valerian's eyes flickered for the briefest moment.
He lowered his gaze, hiding whatever crossed his face.
"Alright."
His father watched him for a moment before adding, almost casually,
"And mind your manners when you're with a lady."
Valerian gave him a blank look.
A quiet sigh escaped him as he turned toward the door.
"I know."
He walked out without another word, the door closing softly behind him.
He could clearly hear the subtle warning beneath his father's words.
It was clear enough. If he tried to resist or refused to cooperate, his father wouldn't let him meet Eiran before leaving the country.
And if he did disobey, his father would make sure he never heard anything from Eiran again.
Though, realistically, that was something his father would do regardless of how obedient he was now.
Still...
Valerian was willing to obey.
He just wanted to see Eiran.
Just once.
He wanted to hold him in his arms, even if he couldn't say anything yet. Even if he couldn't explain everything that had happened, he still wanted Eiran to know just how important he was to him.
For now, that was enough.
And if being obedient was the price he had to pay for those few moments with him, then he would gladly pay it.
In the end, he couldn't help but hate his father for forcing him into this.
His grandfather for caring only about his business and reputation.
His mother for abandoning him.
Elera for liking him while remaining ignorant of everything about him.
And her family for seeing nothing but profit and caring nothing about their own flesh and blood.
He hated himself even more for being powerless, for being unable to protect the person he loved—the one he cherished most.
He was truly a coward.
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