From the high arched balcony overlooking the gazebo, Aurelian stood wrapped in the quiet shadows of the morning mist, watching the scene unfold below.
His eyes tracked every movement—the soft way Cassian handed over the velvet pouch, the brilliant blue sapphire gleaming in the sunlight, and the warm, unhesitating embrace Cassian offered to Tristan. He saw the genuine, unbridled joy on Tristan's face, a look his half-brother had rarely worn in all the years they had grown up together.
A sharp, sudden twinge twisted deep in Aurelian's chest.
Jealousy.
It struck him so suddenly that he instinctively drew back into the shadow of the stone pillar. He stared down at his own empty hands resting on the cold balustrade. Tristan had received a gift forged from star-iron, a warm hug, and gentle words of reassurance. Meanwhile, Aurelian had received nothing but quiet, awkward conversations every now and then.
'Why him?' the bitter voice in his mind whispered.
'Why does he get that warmth so easily?'
But as the thought formed, the memory of his own voice from the day before echoed sharply in his mind.
*"You are a terrible father, and to me, you're just a stranger who left us."*
Aurelian winced, the words tasting like ash on his tongue.
He remembered the way Cassian had sat in his room, frail and trembling on exhausted legs, absorbing every drop of Aurelian's bitter venom without flinching or offering a single defensive excuse. Cassian had accepted all the blame, lowered himself completely, and offered nothing but soft, patient understanding in return.
And how had Aurelian responded? He had pushed him away. He had erected a wall of cold, arrogant pride and told the man he was a stranger.
Aurelian closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against the cool stone pillar as a heavy wave of guilt washed over him.
He had no right to feel jealous.
He had practically pushed Cassian into the cold, driving his father away with sharp words and guarded distance.
But Tristan, despite all his fears of being rejected as an unwanted child, had opened his heart the moment Cassian reached out. Tristan had chosen vulnerability over pride.
Down in the garden, a soft burst of laughter carried on the morning breeze as Cassian patted Tristan's back before they turned to walk toward the main estate together.
Aurelian watched them walk side-by-side, the tight knot of bitterness in his chest slowly loosening into a quiet, aching resolve. His father wasn't withholding warmth; Aurelian was the one who had refused to receive it.
He took a deep, steadying breath, pushing away the lingering shadows of his resentment. Cassian had promised him all the time in the world—but maybe, Aurelian realized, it was time he stopped wasting it.
*****