Chapter 80 - Somebody Important (2/2)

If they were really going to adopt a child to replace the one they lost, wouldn't they show him more love? Al had been ostracized inside this castle from a young age. He had been isolated most of his life. That wasn't how adoption was supposed to work.

This might be my paranoia talking but it was almost like they wanted to keep him close to watch him and make sure he never accrued any power or support from others. That could only mean that Al was somebody important.

Franz gave his younger brother the oddest look. ”Who have you been talking to from the Kanta region? That clan went extinct over twenty years ago.”

”Because your father killed them,” Al said with clenched fists. ”And for what? Resources? They could have traded for them or come to some other agreement. Nobody had to die.”

I could tell he was on the verge of duking it out with Franz—he had to take his anger at the royal family out on somebody and he happened to be closest—so I wrapped my arms around him from behind to hold him back.

”Al,” I said soothingly. ”We got what we needed. Let's go.”

He shook me off, startling me. He had never refused my touch before. His eyes became molten steel as he stared down his opponent.

”What I gather from this conversation is that either you're more stupid than you look or you really thought it was okay to ignore your actual blood brother because everyone else was doing it. You're pathetic, Franz,” he spat out angrily.

”Accepting everything at face value and never questioning anything. Someone like that doesn't deserve to be king any more than that selfish pig Sigmund. Both of you make me sick. This entire family is rotten to the core! Katie is the only family I need.”

Al turned and stormed out of the room, dragging me along behind him. I shot Mariela an apologetic look as we went and she simply nodded her understanding. That ended up being far more dramatic than I anticipated.