365: I can teach you (part 2)

I can teach you (part 2)

Egon and Noctavian stood there, both panting heavily, their hands clenched into tight fists at their sides.0

"You abandoned her!" Noctavian shouted, "You didn't want any lasting connections, so was she supposed to connect a man who did not want her by means of a child? A dignified woman as the Archduchess of Lanark? What a cowardly suggestion!"

Noctavian's words seemed to hit Egon like a slap in the face, causing his bronze complexion to significantly redden.

"...You can't begin to imagine what I was going through back then. Nobody can... And what does pride have to do with raising my son on her own?" His eyes glistened. "Your first word, your first steps, all your growth..." He paused, his emotions getting the better of him, "Every moment when you needed me and I wasn't there for you... She's the one who took away all those moments from me, and she can never repay that debt!"

While the blood in Adela's veins ran cold, Noctavian held his head high.

"If anyone owes anybody anything, it's the one who refused to listen or trust the other's words, the one who walked away without ever looking back. You're the one responsible for the moments we've lost!"

Noctavian's use of the word 'we' sent a poignant pang through Adela's heart. While she had already suspected that her son missed his father as much as she did, hearing it directly from his mouth was a different experience altogether. It was evident that, no matter how well cared for, the absence of a father had taken a toll on the Crown Prince, a burden he concealed well from everyone.

"...You've mentioned so many losses, but you've left out the most significant one, you can't seem to grasp that you've lost the love of a woman as unique and kind as my mother. But then you never appreciated how fortunate you were to be loved by her, did you?"

Egon was left momentarily speechless by Noctavian's words.

"... The two of you are practically strangers now. The fact that you think you have the right to meddle in her affairs defies my sense of logic... Stop hovering around her so shamelessly."

For a brief moment, Egon's eyes brushed over Adela who immediately averted her gaze from him.

"Earlier..." Egon began once more, "You were attempting to manipulate that falcon's thoughts, weren't you?"

Taken aback by the change of subject, Adela refocused her attention on her son. She began studying Noctavian's face carefully, noting his silence and the way he seemed deep in thought.

Could it be true?

How was it that the Crown Prince had never shared something as significant as this with her? Did Noctavian possess the power of mind control? Had she truly not been listening to her son as Egon had implied earlier?

Her head throbbed with the flood of questions.

"Telepathy and mind control, I can teach you that," Egon continued.

Noctavian maintained his stoic expression, neither confirming nor denying Egon's assumption about the Crown Prince's earlier actions.

"There's also the matter of inherited alliances that you need to learn about," Egon added, his words taking on a darker undertone.

"I'll learn about those directly from the source, someone I trust. Unlike you," Noctavian retorted defensively, his hand instinctively covering his wristband and shielding it from Egon's prying eyes.

Egon's face took on a greenish hue, clearly repulsed by the implication that the First Empress held a revered place in the boy's heart with an image that was far from her true character. His eyes shifted to Adela, silently asking for clarification, a question she met with a defying expression.

It was inevitable; Noctavian was bound to shatter one of the most long-standing lies in the history of their world. An inevitability that would require time, the right opportunity, and strategic thinking.

One step at a time. Adela reminded herself, knowing she'd have to remind Noctavian of the same.

"...Your telepathic abilities," Noctavian began, his interest evidently guarded. "Do they work on animals too?"

A smug smile crept onto Egon's face.

"You bet."

Noctavian gritted his teeth so intensely that his cheeks flushed red, as though he were running a fever.

Egon arched a smug eyebrow. "It seems that aspect has piqued your interest, hasn't it? I can teach you."

"If such a thing truly existed, I will figure it out by myself." 

Adela's mind raced as she absorbed the revelation. It was undeniable now; Noctavian, like his father, possessed the talents of the ancient vampire.

Egon appeared pensive, and Adela could tell that his next words were carefully considered.

"True strength lies in knowing your weaknesses. Your mental abilities to manipulate the world around you may be less acute than those of a vampire, but with the right guidance and a great deal of training, you might be able to achieve things we cannot... You are also a Healer which opens up even more possibilities..."

Adela, who had abandoned any pretense of not listening to the conversation, now stared at her son with wide eyes. His big, brown eyes gleamed brightly in the morning light as he contemplated the offer from the father he had rejected.

Would Noctavian accept his father as a teacher, if nothing else?

Egon's hand seemed to hesitate, as if he intended to place it on Noctavian's shoulder but changed his mind, running it through his short hair instead, even though there wasn't much to comb.

She had never seen him so nervous before, and she hadn't even known the typically arrogant man was capable of displaying so much tension.

"I will teach you. Just as Andreas taught me before," Egon said finally. "This isn't knowledge you'll find in books, and it's not a taboo like dark magic. It's in your very nature but it doesn't come naturally. Andreas taught himself over the centuries, but even for him—"

"No," Noctavian interrupted. "I don't need you to bestow any kind of knowledge upon me. So just mind your own business."

Disappointment briefly flashed across Egon's face, and Adela braced herself for his typical response – turning away and walking off to process things in solitude, but to her surprise, Egon's reaction took a different turn, marked by a determined look on his face.

"You have the wrong impression," he reiterated the words of the Crown Prince from the beginning of this conversation, "Adelaide, as well as you, Noctavian, both of you are my prime responsibility."

pqdm.com