Chapter 143: Assassination [1]
Alaric just stared down at his sketch in Elina’s hands, then his crimson eyes darted to pale Livia, who looked like she had seen a ghost.
While Elina just blinked, then the mischievous spark in her eyes faltering for once as she stared at the sketch.
Before she could even find words...
"Give it back."
Livia snatched the book back with surprising speed, hugging it close to her chest. Her voice trembled, though she tried to sound stern. Her eyes found Alaric’s, her face turned red and she quickly turned away.
"You should never look into others’ things without permission," she scolded, meeting Elina’s eyes.
She tried to act all cool and normal, but the pink color on her cheeks betrayed her, spreading down to the tips of her ears.
Elina leaned back slowly, lips parting as if to say something, but no words came.
She glanced from her flustered friend... to the man sitting at her side, eyes still half-lidded, expression unreadable.
Alaric hadn’t moved much, but his gaze lingered just a fraction longer on the closed sketchbook in Livia’s hands, before flicking to Elina.
The silence stretched uncomfortably for a beat too long.
Elina forced a nervous laugh and waved her hand dismissively. "O-of course, of course. My mistake." She smiled quickly.
Livia only pressed the book tighter against herself, head bowed as though the ground were far more interesting than anything else around her.
Caleb’s jaw tightened, his glare sharp enough to cut glass.
His arms folded across his chest, knuckles white where his fingers dug into his sleeves.
Elina though tilted her head with feline curiosity.
Her smile returned as she leaned just a little closer to Livia.
"Well, well... what’s my brother’s sketch doing in your book, hmm?" she purred, her golden eyes glinting.
"And why are you hugging it tighter now that I’ve seen it?"
Livia’s breath caught audibly. She shook her head, her fingers gripping the sketchbook so firmly the leather cover creaked.
"I–it’s nothing. Just practice. That’s all," she stammered, cheeks burning brighter. "I draw lots of faces. His just... happened to be one of them."
Elina’s smirk widened, savoring every second of her friend’s fluster.
"Oh, happened, did it?" She tapped her chin playfully. "Funny. I don’t recall you ’happening’ to sketch Caleb or me with that much detail."
At that, Caleb straightened in his seat, the glare he’d been directing at Alaric now cutting toward his sister then at Elina.
"Elina," he warned, his tone low, "enough."
But Elina only leaned back with a laugh, as if his anger were nothing more than background noise.
Meanwhile, Alaric sat almost motionless, watching the exchange with a faintly amused curve at the corner of his lips.
Then Caleb moved, and before anyone could stop him, his hand shot out and he snatched the sketchbook from Livia’s grasp, the pages fluttering as his rough fingers tore through until he found what he was looking for.
"Caleb!" Livia’s voice cracked, but he had already yanked the sheet free.
Her eyes widened in horror as he held the sketch of Alaric, the fine pencil lines still fresh on the page. For a second, his gaze lingered on the drawing, too detailed to be "random practice," His jaw tightened.
Without a word, heat flared in his palm. Flame sparked to life, licking the edge of the paper until it curled and blackened. The air filled with the sharp scent of burning parchment.
"Brother, why are you doing this?" Livia’s voice was small, trembling. She reached out, but he kept the burning page just beyond her reach.
He didn’t look at her. He didn’t look at Alaric either. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on the fire consuming the sketch.
"You don’t need to waste your talent drawing random men," Caleb said flatly, his tone final. "Your practice shouldn’t come from them."
The last of the paper crumbled into ash between his fingers, scattering on the breeze.
Silence pressed in.
Livia’s lips parted, as though she wanted to protest again, but no words came. She clutched her sketchbook to her chest, shoulders curling inward, shame and anger warring in her expression.
Elina’s eyes darted between them, her earlier amusement giving way to stunned disbelief. Even she hadn’t expected Caleb to go that far.
And Alaric... Alaric sat very still, the faintest smirk tugging at his mouth, as though daring Caleb to look his way.
Just as Elina was about to scold Caleb—
BOOM!
The ground shuddered beneath them.
A deafening crack ripped through the air, followed by a plume of smoke and fire shooting skyward from a nearby street.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two more blasts followed in quick succession. The bench rattled under the shockwave, and dust fell from the branches of the trees overhead.
Elina gasped, lurching to her feet. "What the—?"
Alaric was already up, his eyes swept the surroundings, sharp and calculating.
Caleb snapped his head toward the source, his posture coiling with tension.
Livia flinched at the sound, clutching her sketchbook tight against her chest. Her wide grey eyes darted around, panicked, her breath quickening as she tried to make sense of the chaos.
All around them, the park erupted into complete chaos. Families screamed as they scrambled for safety. Mothers scooped children into their arms, merchants overturned their stalls in frantic attempts to flee.
The air filled with the metallic tang of smoke, mingled with the acrid stench of burning wood and stone.
BOOM!
As if this was not enough, another explosion thundered somewhere farther off, collapsing a section of a tiled roof in the distance.
Fire licked up into the sky as embers rained down. The ground trembled again, each blast echoing like the heartbeat of something monstrous.
"What’s happening?" Elina cried out, spinning toward Alaric, her face pale.
More screams echoed, sharper this time, pierced the thickening haze.
The capital—lively and bustling only moments ago—was dissolving into chaos, the cheerful chatter of markets replaced by the guttural roar of destruction.
Caleb clenched his fists. His jaw was tight, eyes darting around the chaos.