“Wait, he admitted he has feelings?” Gideon said with a gasp. “I can’t believe it.”
“Oh, shut up,” Kellan said, shoving Gideon.
“Such a touching moment,” Caspian said with fake emotion in his voice, pressing his hand to his chest. “If only our mother had been here to see it.”
“You tell her and I’ll lop your head off,” Kellan threatened. “I’m doing perfectly well convincing Mother that I’m not ready for a wife, even if I am past the ripe old age of twenty-five. She finds out I admitted to having feelings about my brother coming home and she’ll start sending out the matchmakers.”
“It must be so difficult being the heir,” Gideon said mockingly. “All the glory and honor and the title.”
“All the responsibility, hard work, and heartache,” Kellan said seriously. “I envy you boys sometimes, you know?”
Gideon sobered up. “Yeah, I know. I don’t take for granted the fact that I don’t have that responsibility. Even if it seems like you have it easier than us sorry sods most of the time.”
“Yeah, well, I’m the one trying to build up the estate enough to give you two any sort of land, so you should consider that next time you try to make fun of me.”
Caspian stared at his brother. “You’re trying to give us land?”
Kellan shrugged. “I don’t feel right taking all of it. It depends on who you marry, obviously, but I’d like to be able to give you something if you need it. We’ll see how long Father retains the title and how the next couple of years change the estate, but it’s my goal.”
“That’s awfully nice of you,” Gideon said, elbowing Kellan. “Thanks.”
“Now if you’d just stop disappearing all the time,” Kellan told Gideon pointedly.
“I have my reasons,” Gideon said, meeting his brother’s eyes steadily. “I’ve told you.”
“And yet, we still don’t know what they are,” Kellan said.
“I don’t enjoy keeping secrets,” Gideon said quietly. “If I could tell you, I would.”
“I know,” Kellan said. His voice was heavy. “Which worries me.”
Caspian barely heard any of their discussion, his mind caught up in the fact that Kellan was hoping to give his brothers land. If he got a piece of land, maybe he could marry Sophia and stay here.
It would make his mother happy, Sophia wouldn’t have to go back to Riyel with its painful memories, and he would be with Sophia.
Everyone would be satisfied.
Footsteps hurried down the hall and Liliana ran back into the room in a red dress, her expression growing even happier as she took in the fact that all three of her brothers were standing in her schoolroom. “Are you all coming to my tea party?” she asked.
“Oh, no,” Kellan said. “I just came to see how pretty you looked before you got to spend time with Caspian.”
Smooth, Kellan. Nice job.
He winked at Caspian over Liliana’s head as she gave him a hug.
“You look absolutely beautiful, Lil,” Gideon said.
“I know,” she said, pulling away from Kellan to twirl in a circle. “I thought this dress would be perfect.”
It did look perfect, or at least as perfect as a dress could look when Mollie was involved.
“Are you ready?” Caspian asked, offering his arm to Liliana.
“Not yet,” she said, taking his hand and tugging him toward his brothers. “Group hug first.”
The three men grumbled as their baby sister pulled them all into a group hug, throwing her arms around Caspian and Kellan. But Caspian had to admit, as he put his arm around Gideon’s shoulders and squished his little sister, this wasn’t terrible.
As far as siblings went, he was pretty lucky.
