CHAPTER 41: BLOOD AND BROTHERS

Lucian’s POV

​The harsh burning of unrefined spirits scorched my throat as I slammed another empty glass onto the sticky wooden tavern table.

​I rarely drank. I prided myself on total composure and absolute control. But the ghost of Miss Bella walking through those council doors had shattered my icy exterior into a thousand pieces.

​No one in Valenridge knew what had truly happened during those dark childhood years under her thumb. The horrors, the emotional abuse, and the twisted secrets of my youth were buried so deep that the mere thought of them brought a violent, cold panic to my chest. If those secrets ever surfaced, they would ruin the legacy I had built. They would destroy the image of the stoic, invincible heir to the De Witt Duchy.

​Grip tight on my coat, I stumbled out of the tavern into the crisp night air, heading back toward the carriage waiting near the village square. My head swam with the uncharacteristic fog of alcohol.

​As I passed a narrow, pitch-black alley behind an abandoned stone cottage, muffled screams echoed off the brick walls.

​"Help! Please... somebody help me!"

​I paused, squinting into the gloom. A group of rough, heavily built men were laughing, huddled around a woman shoved against the wall.

​"Hey!" I called out, my voice thick from the liquor as I took an unsteady step forward. "Leave her alone!"

​The three thugs turned, sneering at me. "Mind your own business, high-born," one rasped, drawing a rusty blade.

​Through the haze of my vision, my eyes landed on the woman pinned to the ground. My blood ran completely cold, instantly burning through the fog in my brain.

​It was Eva.

​Her fine silk gown was torn at the shoulder, her hair disheveled, tears streaming down her pale, terrified face. They were seconds away from taking her by force.

​A primal, blinding fury erupted in my chest.

​"I might be drunk," I growled, taking a step forward with a deadly glare, "but if you do not know, that woman there is my wife-to-be. And nobody gets to touch her."

​"There's three of us and one of you, pretty boy," the largest thug spat, stepping up and shoving me hard.

​I swung a wild punch, but the alcohol slowed my reaction. The man ducked, grabbing my collar and slamming my head violently against the stone wall. Blood welled up at my temple, a sharp pain shooting through my skull as I lost my footing and fell to the cobblestones.

​Two of the thugs instantly pinned my arms to the ground, holding me down while the third turned back to Eva, who was sitting bound and weeping in the dirt.

​"Watch close, my lord," the third thug chuckled darkly, reaching out to tear the rest of her bodice.

​"Get off her!" I roared, thrashing wildly against the two men holding me.

​Seeing her tears, a desperate surge of adrenaline hit me. I reached blindly across the dirty alley floor, my fingers locking around a heavy, jagged paving stone. With every ounce of strength I had left, I swung upward, slamming the stone directly into the side of the third thug's head.

​The man let out a wet gasp and collapsed instantly onto the dirt, unmoving.

​The remaining two thugs gasped, tightening their grip on my arms as they drew their knives to plunge them into my chest. "You're dead, lordling—"

​CRACK.

​A second stone flew out from the dark shadows of the alley, striking one of the men squarely in the temple. He dropped like a stone.

​The final thug stumbled back in sheer panic, looking wildly into the darkness.

​Out from the shadows stepped a figure, tossing a heavy stone casually from hand to hand, his face unreadable in the moonlight.

​"If you don't move right now," Leo's cold, dangerous voice echoed through the narrow alley, "I'll stone you to death, too."

​The last thug didn't hesitate. He scrambled over his fallen companions and fled down the lane into the darkness.

​Silence fell over the alley, broken only by Eva's soft, ragged sobbing.

​I lay on the ground, bleeding and breathless, staring up at my brother.

​Leo looked down at me, a bitter, shadowy expression on his face. "Hello, brother."

​Without waiting for a reply, Leo stepped over me, rushing straight to Eva’s side to drop to his knees and untie the rough ropes binding her hands.

Leo’s POV

​The walk back to the estate was suffocating.

​The three of us walked in tense, heavy silence under the moonlight. Ever since mother intervened and separated us during our heated argument days ago, Lucian and I hadn't exchanged a single word. Now, with blood still drying on Lucian's temple and Eva trembling in her torn, dirt-stained gown, the distance between us felt wider than ever.

​It was Eva who finally broke the quiet, her voice frail and trembling. "Are you... are you both well?"

​"Yes," she whispered softly, her eyes fixed on the cobblestones. "Forgive me... forgive me for putting you both in such terrible trouble. I promise I will never walk out alone in the night again. I was just... I was looking to feed my mind, trying to clear my thoughts in the village."

​Lucian scoffed softly, dabbing at the cut on his head with a handkerchief. "Of course you should be sorry, Eva. It was utterly reckless for a lady to wander out at night—let alone a lady of class and standing."

​"Do not mind him, Eva," I interrupted gently, stepping closer to her side. "It is entirely normal to want to clear your head. But next time, please, inform someone in the house—or at least take a guard with you so you are safe."

​Eva looked up at me, offering a faint, grateful smile. "Thank you, Lord Leo."

​We continued down the quiet road, the grand gates of the estate coming into view. But as we neared the entrance, Eva stopped in her tracks, her brow furrowed in deep thought.

​"I... I remembered something back there," she murmured softly. "There was an abandoned stone cottage at the edge of the alley. I went inside... I do not know why, but it felt so strange, so familiar. And then I had a vision—a memory. I saw a man. I think... I think he was my father."

​The moment those words left her mouth, I caught the sudden, sharp shift in Lucian’s posture.

​Lucian stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around slowly, his entire demeanor softening into something dangerously careful, his voice dropping into a gentle, soft-spoken tone that sent a chill down my spine.

​"Your father?" Lucian asked quietly, his eyes searching her face with an intensity he couldn't quite mask. "Eva... what was your father's name?"

​Eva rubbed her temples, looking distressed. "I... I do not remember exactly. I am not sure."

​Lucian let out a smooth, practiced breath, offering her a soothing smile. "That abandoned house belonged to the late Lord Vance, my dear. He passed away decades ago. You see? Your mind is simply playing tricks on you while you heal."

​Eva lowered her head, looking utterly defeated. "Oh. Maybe... maybe it was just a wrong memory, then. It is so very exhausting trying to remember things. My head is feeling quite light... if you will excuse me, my lords, I must go inside."

​She gathered her torn skirts and walked ahead, hurrying through the iron gates toward her private quarters.

​I stood in the driveway, my eyes darting between her retreating figure and Lucian, who was staring after her with a dark, calculating glare.

​Why is Lucian so unnerved by the mention of her father? I thought to myself, my chest tightening with suspicion. What does he know about Eva's real family? Is that the leverage he used against her before the fall—the secret he used to force her into this marriage?

​I turned on my heel, intending to follow Eva to ensure she reached her room safely.

​"Leo," Lucian called out, his voice sharp and demanding. "We need to talk."

​I stopped, turning back to face him with cold disdain. "I do not wish to speak to you, Lucian. I only stepped into that alley tonight because I did not want my brother dead."

​Lucian pulled himself up, adjusting his coat. "We are going to talk sooner or later. We live under the same roof."

​"Not for long," I spat, my jaw clenching. "Once you are married, hopefully father finally grants you your own estate and kicks you out of Valenridge."

​Lucian let out a bitter, mocking chuckle. "Ah. So suddenly you are supportive of my marriage?"

​"Do not speak to me, Lucian," I snapped coldly, turning my back on him and striding up the stone steps into the mansion, leaving him alone in the dark.