Read Novel Full Chapter 517: Brothers
Chapter 517: Brothers
Scarlet stepped out first and closed the door behind her.
The soft click of the lock sounded louder than it should have in the quiet room. For a few seconds, Gabriel stayed where he was near the window, staring at the door she had just shut.
A slow breath left him. He walked back to the bed and sat down heavily before letting the rest of his weight fall onto it. One hand moved up and pushed his hair back from his forehead as his eyes stayed on the ceiling.
Scarlet knew now. Not just that he had been in the castle, but that Darius Aston was dead by his hands. What she planned to do with that knowledge was the next problem, and for once, Gabriel did not have a clean answer ready.
He turned his head slightly and exhaled through his nose.
"She didn’t react the way most people would."
That was what bothered him more than the questioning itself. Scarlet had not threatened him. She had not called guards. She had not even raised her voice.
"Well, let’s see how things unfold from now," he muttered.
Far away in the castle, the mood was much worse.
Inside a private office lined with shelves and thick books, General Aston paced back and forth with a hard expression. The room was warm, but the people inside still felt cold because of the pressure leaking from him.
Each step he took made the others tense. None of them dared move too much, and even their breathing turned shallow as they stood under the glare of one of the kingdom’s strongest men.
Darius’s friends were the ones inside with him.
They were the same young nobles who had been with him in the banquet hall. Now none of them looked proud or arrogant. Sweat had formed near their temples, and their backs remained stiff, the kind of posture people took when they were trying not to make any mistake.
General Aston finally stopped pacing.
He turned toward them slowly, and the men stiffened even more. One of them nearly lowered his head on instinct before stopping himself halfway.
"Where could he have gone?" General Aston asked.
His voice was not loud, but that only made it worse. He looked at them one by one.
"You were his friends," he added. "If my son walked out in the middle of my banquet, you should know why."
The first noble swallowed and looked at the floor for a second before forcing himself to speak.
"General... after the princess rejected him, Darius was in a bad mood."
Another man nodded quickly and continued.
"He kept looking toward the dance floor. At first we thought it was because of Her Highness, but after a while it became obvious he was also watching the man she chose."
General Aston’s eyes narrowed as he listened, his attention fully captured since this was the first real lead he had gotten since the disappearance.
Silence fell in the room. The first noble licked his lips and continued.
"When the dance ended, the man with the hat left the hall quietly. Not long after that, Darius also stepped out. We assumed he just wanted air or intended to confront him, but... he never came back."
The second man nodded again, more stiffly this time.
"That is why we believe his disappearance is tied to that guest."
General Aston kept looking at them.
None of them dared fidget now. The pressure in the office had grown so heavy that one of them felt his knees weaken and had to lock them to stay upright.
He could tell they were telling the truth.
Men at their level could not lie properly under his presence. At most, they might hide a detail out of fear, but the overall situation was already clear.
Aston turned away from them as he spoke.
"You may leave."
They bowed quickly and moved out, each one trying not to rush while still clearly desperate to leave the room. The moment the door shut behind them, the office became quiet again.
General Aston stood still for a while.
His eyes shifted toward a framed portrait on a side shelf. Darius looked younger in it, more upright, still carrying that same stubborn confidence that had often irritated him and made him proud at the same time.
Aston’s jaw tightened. Darius had flaws. Too much pride. Too little patience. A bad habit of taking insults personally. Even so, he had talent, bloodline, and enough standing to inherit more in the future. With proper discipline, he could have become useful to the kingdom.
At that moment, a knock came from the door.
General Aston did not move immediately. After a second, he spoke in a hard voice.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a tall man stepped inside.
General Aston frowned the moment he saw him.
The person who stepped inside was none other than Torin Black Star.
The man carried himself with the same calm air as always, his clothes clean and dark, his expression composed enough that it almost looked disrespectful in a room like this.
"What are you doing here?" Aston asked, his tone clearly displeased.
Torin’s mouth curved slightly into a smirk. "That is no way to greet family... especially not your stepbrother."
General Aston’s expression did not change.
"Do not test my patience tonight, Torin."
"I am not here to test anything," Torin replied calmly as he stepped further inside. "I am here because I may know who is involved in your son’s disappearance."
The moment those words were spoken, Aston’s eyes sharpened, and the air around him grew heavier.
"Speak clearly," he said, clear interest now present in his voice.
Torin stopped a few steps away and folded one hand behind his back.
"I have reason to believe the one you are looking for is the same man who has been causing trouble in the city recently," he said. "A man your banquet happened to host tonight."
General Aston stared at him and instinctively connected the dots.
"The masked one?"
Torin gave a faint nod, a small smile still on his face.
"Yes. White Phantom. If we cooperate, we may be able to get rid of him."