CHAPTER 203: _ UNITY... OR NOT

Before Darien can spiral further, the sound of laughter echoes from the hall. It’s that of two voices belonging to his sisters, Daphne and Isolde.

They sweep in together, Daphne talking at light speed about something involving her date with Nash, while Isolde looks like she hasn’t slept in three days.

"... and then he said, ’You smell like cinnamon,’ and I said, ’That’s my perfume, you idiot!’ Isn’t that hilarious?" Daphne chirps.

Isolde groans. "I need coffee."

"Ladies," Ines says sharply, eyes flicking toward them like daggers. "Etiquette."

The girls know better than to act impulsively where their mother’s presence lurks. To the woman, etiquette and appearances are the base of a powerful leader, and she wouldn’t have her kids any less than that.

They both freeze. Daphne drops into a curtsy; Isolde mutters a half-hearted "Good morning" and collapses into her chair.

The servants rush in, refilling cups and setting new plates. The silver clinks. The air buzzes again with half-suppressed irritation. Darien’s just thinking maybe he’ll survive this meal without bloodshed when the door opens again.

And silence sweeps the room. Clarissa and Amias stand at the entrance. For a heartbeat, no one moves. Here comes the black sheep of the family—that is a thought Darien is sure runs through the minds of everyone present.

The way the rooms quieten in the house each time Clarissa and her son steps into the room is enough embarrassment for a lifetime if Darien were to be asked.

Everytime, he wonders how his older brother still manages to hold himself together despite all the humiliation and ostracization.

"Indeed, he is the strongest of you all." Kairos chirps in and Darien forces him down.

On another note, Clarissa is radiant. In fact, too radiant. Still dressed in a soft lilac silk robe that catches the light like she’s made of glass. Her silver hair which Amias had inherited from her flows down her shoulders, her diamonds glittering with every step. She’s smiling, beaming, as she holds her son’s arm like he’s made of porcelain.

Amias, by contrast, looks hollow. His eyes are distant, his face pale but calm. The usual sharpness in him is dulled. He looks... tranquil. That’s wrong. Amias is never tranquil.

Or wait... Maybe he always is? It’s just this time, it’s much deeper and seems to hold a meaning. Darien squints, wondering what the new drama Clarissa has managed to wriggle her son into this time.

"Good morning, everyone!" Clarissa trills, her voice high and musical. "What a lovely family gathering!"

Darien almost drops his fork. Lovely what? Coming from Clarissa?!

His mother’s eyebrow arches in slow disbelief. Rayne blinks. Even Tobias falters mid-chew.

Clarissa greets each of them as though this is a garden party. "Luna Ines! Glorious as ever. Luna Rayne, still glowing! Tobias, my Alpha — looking powerful, as always!"

Ines murmurs, "Powerful delusion."

Clarissa either doesn’t hear or pretends not to. She squeezes Amias’s arm affectionately. "Isn’t it a beautiful morning, my darling?"

Amias gives a faint nod, almost dazed. "It is, Mother."

The room freezes again. He called her Mother. Darien’s mind blanks for the second time this morning.

Amias hasn’t willingly spoken to his mother since the scandal, since the day she nearly destroyed their family’s standing. Everyone knows how much he resents her. How often he’s said he’d rather chew glass than stand in the same room with her.

And now? He’s letting her cling to him like he’s her pride and joy.

Kairos breathes out in Darien’s head. "What in the Moon’s name is happening?"

"I have no idea," Darien murmurs back.

Tobias clears his throat, clearly thrown off balance. "Clarissa. Amias. Good morning."

"Good morning indeed!" Clarissa sings, gliding forward. "I thought I’d join breakfast. It’s been far too long since I shared a meal with the family. Don’t you agree, darling?"

Amias nods again, robotic. "Far too long."

If anyone else notices how flat his tone is, they’re too shocked to comment.

Clarissa sits beside him, arranging her napkin with delicate grace. "I must say, the house feels lighter today! Almost... peaceful."

Ines’s voice drips frost. "Peaceful isn’t the word I’d use."

Clarissa laughs and it’s the strangest sound in the world. "Still so sharp, Ines! I’ve missed your tongue."

Rayne leans forward, eyes bright with mischief. "You seem in good spirits, Clarissa. New perfume? Or new purpose?"

Clarissa just smiles serenely. "Both, perhaps. Life is short, dear Rayne. One must find joy wherever it hides."

The subtext hums like static. Tobias shifts uncomfortably. Morgan exchanges a look with Grayson; both are clearly itching to gossip the moment breakfast ends.

Darien, meanwhile, watches Clarissa carefully. She’s glowing, yes, but beneath it — there’s something else. Her pupils are dilated. Her breathing a touch too shallow. And there’s a faint tremor in her fingers when she lifts her cup.

He knows the look of someone hiding pain. He’s seen it in mirrors.

Clarissa catches his gaze then and smiles. "Darien, darling! You look well. How wonderful to see all the young Alphas thriving!"

He inclines his head politely, wondering if she’s forgotten their encounter barely an hour ago, but because Ines has raised him to be nothing short of a gentleman, "Luna Clarissa," he greets yet again.

She winks. "Don’t be so serious, love. You’ll wrinkle that handsome face before your coronation."

Kairos snorts. "She’s either high on joy or plotting our deaths."

Darien’s lips twitch. "Probably both."

Tobias clears his throat, eager to reclaim the attention. "Well, this is truly a blessed morning. All my sons, my Lunas — a full table at last. The Goddess smiles upon us."

Ines hums in faint agreement, though her gaze is still cutting daggers at Clarissa.

Darien looks around the table — at his feuding mothers, at his brothers, at the cracks in the golden façade of their family — and feels the weight of what’s coming. The laughter, the clinking of silverware, the smell of roasted venison... it all feels like the calm before a bloody, magnificent storm.

He knows, with chilling certainty, that before this is over, the truth about Heidi will tear this house apart.

Kairos’s voice drops low. "You wanted unity, didn’t you?"

Darien’s lips curl in a humorless smile. Yeah. This is what unity looks like.

He takes a sip of coffee. The dark and bitter taste fills his mouth as he steels himself for the next move. Because the battle for Heidi’s life isn’t waiting outside this mansion — it’s starting right here, at this table.