Chapter 290 - Conclave Ⅲ (2/2)
”I don't think any of us were expecting that,” Orion wryly observed. ”Why even father is drooling over the Prince heirlooms. And he hates the old Prince!”
”Yes, well shiny things do tend to have that effect on the Blacks,” Alphard teased, before hunching over in a loud hacking cough.
Orion hurriedly placed his drink down and patted Alphard on the back. Alphard wheezed for what seemed like a long time before the spasm finally dissipated. Orion warily watched his brother-in-law wipe his red mouth clean. ”Walburga had told me you'd begun to cough out blood, but I didn't think it was this bad,” Orion softly said.
”Ah, well, it's no fun when you're dying,” Alphard darkly joked in a hoarse voice.
”That is no laughing matter, cousin!” Orion snapped back as he downed his drink in a single swallow.
”It was not my intention to be flippant about my condition,” Alphard apologized. ”But I suppose, I've been used to the idea ever since I was a child, that it's simply been an event long time in coming. I've already lived well past the age of thirty that the healers that diagnosed me as a child said that it would be a miracle if I lived that long. And yet here I am at forty-two.”
”Yes, well, the St. Mungo's are rather terrible healers,” Orion sniffed as a tired grin appeared on Alphard's face.
”Mm, that's what my sister always says.”
”And Walburga is right. Cock-a-mania, healers who shove every type of potion down one's throat without properly consulting the medical chart!”
”That only happened once.”
”And it should have never happened at all!”
”All it did was turn me spotted for a whole week.”
”Exactly. Charlatans the whole lot of them!”
”I see that the Black family tradition of hating healers is still alive and well.”
”Father never saw a healer in his life and he's still alive and kicking! And healthy might I add.”
”Yes, but I'm fairly certain that's because even death is afraid of him.”
”Pfft,” Orion chokes on his drink almost spitting it out.
Glaring at Alphard, Orion says, ”My father is not that scary!”
Alphard arches his eyebrow at Orion, who at least has the grace to blush. ”Fine, I'll admit that he is a bit hard to deal with at times.”
”Mm, yes, well I would instead use the words stubborn, hardhearted, conniving, malicious, petty-minded, but I suppose that will have to do,” Alphard said earning him a glared from Orion.
The two men continued to chat until they each left to his own devices. But it had been fun to chat as cousins, while it lasted. A rare occurrence since they'd become adults.