“You are the baby,” Syrus teased, earning him a beleaguered sigh.
“Only compared to you. I’m twenty now. You’re just old.”
“I’ll make sure to let Ashana know you think thirty-five is old at breakfast tomorrow.” Their oldest sister was two years from turning forty and had grown increasingly sensitive about her age, especially once she’d spotted her first gray hair. Syrus attributed those to her children more than her age, though. Her three girls were all nearing adulthood now, but for a while there, he’d wondered if they’d survive that long, with some of the wild shenanigans they’d pulled.
“Are you trying to get me killed?” Ellis grumbled. “I was serious, by the way. I think this has probably been pretty hard on Eiri. He’s doing a lot better than most would have in his place.”
Syrus glanced around again, but they were still alone, the corridor leading to the royal family’s rooms deserted save for them. “Just between you and me? I agree,” he murmured. “That’s why I took him into the city today. I’d hoped to get to know him a bit better.”
“Did it work?”
“A little, but there’s still a long way to go before he feels comfortable joining us for family dinners.”
“I don’t blame him. Sometimes they’re okay, but when mother is in a mood…” Ellis shook his head. “Maybe I could officially meet him soon? I’d like to get to know him, maybe even be friends someday.”
“I’ll let him know. He might like that,” Syrus agreed. From what he recalled, Eiri was twenty-eight. Seven years younger than him, but hopefully not too old to befriend Ellis.
They came to a stop in front of Ellis’ door and he surprised his younger brother by pulling him into a quick, one-armed hug. “Thank you for the advice. I appreciate it.”
“I’m glad you’re finally noticing that I’m smarter than you all think,” Ellis teased, but he returned the brief embrace. “Let me know what Eiri says. I’m free a lot when I’m not in the library.”
“I will. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yeah, I’ll… I-I’ll see you in the morning.”
Syrus didn’t have to look to know Xan was coming down the hallway. His brother’s blush said it all. Shaking his head, he rubbed Ellis’ hair again, leaving him muttering under his breath to go join his cousin.
“Does this mean you’ve pulled your head out of your ass after all?” Xan asked when Syrus joined him.
“I’ll grovel in private, I promise.” Syrus opened the door to the room he’d been staying in, locking it behind him. It wasn’t warded to the same level as his personal suite, but it would do until he settled back into his own rooms. With any luck, that would happen sooner rather than later.
Only after he’d checked the room to make sure it hadn’t been disturbed in his absence did he turn his attention back to Xan. For his part, his cousin just appeared amused, leaning on the back of a plush chair and watching Syrus.
“Well?” he prompted.
“I don’t even know where to start.” Syrus crossed to the chair beside the one Xan was leaning on and collapsed into it, sighing heavily.
Xan rolled his eyes, settling into the other chair. “Why don’t you start with whatever prompted this change of heart you seem to be having?”
“Of course you’d want to start with the part where I beg for your forgiveness and tell you that you were right all along.”
“Naturally.” Xan tossed his curls over his shoulder, giving Syrus an expectant look. He should have known his cousin would actually want to hear the words.
“Fine. I thought about what you said last night, and you were right. The idea of spending the rest of my life watching my back, wondering if Eiri is going to stick a knife in it, sounds horrible. I also realized that he would never make the first overture for peace, not when he thinks he’s surrounded by enemies.”
“So you took him into Lodie? To what end?”
“I actually didn’t plan on heading into the city. I just thought he’d relax more if we were near the water, so I took him to the beach. Then our driver was being rude to him, so I sent her home.”
“You stood up for him against one of your own people?” Xan said, surprised, which just irritated Syrus all over again.
“Is it that shocking to believe that I’d defend him when someone is being openly rude and insulting him?”
“Honestly? Yes.” Xan held up a hand to stop his immediate protest. “It’s just that it’s no secret you two don’t get along. Not to mention that you’ve been enemies for years. I know you, and I know that you’re a good person, but he’s Canjiri.”
“Maybe I judged him too harshly and I’m trying to make up for it. Did you ever consider that?”
“I’m really glad to hear that,” Xan smiled, which didn’t answer the question, but since Syrus hadn’t meant to actually ask it, he didn’t press the matter.
