The sharp buzz of the vibrating phone rattled across the polished table, its sound slicing through the tense silence between Arthur and Lucian.
Zrrrr. Zrrrr. Zrrrr.
Both men froze mid-conversation, their focus snapping to the phone as it trembled violently against the smooth surface. Arthur leaned forward, his movements unhurried but deliberate, and plucked the device from the table. Settling back into the plush sofa, he glanced at the caller ID.
For a moment, his expression was unreadable, but then a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. The grin wasn’t warm it was sharp, tinged with something closer to mockery. As he turned slightly, giving Lucian a sideward glance, his smirk deepened.
Raising the phone to his ear, Arthur’s tone shifted, a mocking sweetness coloring his words. “Oh, big sis,” he drawled, his voice light but cutting. “What a miracle it is that you’ve remembered your dear little brother. Could it be that you missed me?”
From the other end, a playful laugh rang out, soft but brimming with sharp undertones. “Arthur, darling, don’t tell me you missed me so much you were waiting for my call. If you did, you know, you could’ve reached out first,” Celestia replied, her voice honeyed but with an unmistakable edge.
Arthur’s smirk widened, though his grip on the phone tightened slightly. “Why is it,” he said, his tone feigning sweetness, “that I’m always the one being summoned, hmm? What is it you want now, Sisy?”
Lucian, still seated across from him, watched the exchange silently, his brows furrowing at the sudden shift in Arthur’s demeanor. He didn’t need to hear both sides of the conversation to recognize the unmistakable tension between the siblings.
Arthur’s gaze flicked toward Lucian for a moment before returning to the phone. “No guests here,” he replied curtly, though his glance betrayed the obvious presence of the man sitting opposite him.
Celestia’s chuckle crackled through the speaker, light but razor-sharp. “Oh, Arthur,” she cooed, her voice dripping with mock affection. “Don’t be so modest. I wasn’t calling for you. I wanted to speak to your guest.”
Arthur froze, his eyes narrowing sharply. “What do you mean?” he asked, his tone sharper now, probing. “How would you even”
Celestia cut him off with a lilting laugh. “Just do it, little brother,” she said, her words carrying a casual, effortless authority. “No matter how much you puff your chest out and act the prince, you’ll always be my little brother.” Her confidence, laced with a kind of unintentional condescension, made Arthur’s jaw tighten.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed further, his irritation clear, but he clicked the speaker button with a curt motion, placing the phone on the table between them.
Lucian raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued as Arthur leaned back, visibly annoyed. The phone, resting in the center of the table, felt like the centerpiece of a strange, unspoken tension. Lucian didn’t need to ask who was on the other end Arthur’s strained responses had already given it away.
A bad feeling settled in Lucian’s chest as he stared at the phone. Something about the situation felt off, as though Celestia had orchestrated this moment with a purpose only she understood.
Arthur folded his arms, his gaze fixed on the device as though daring it to reveal its secrets. Then, the voice came again, but this time, it was different.
“Darrrrling,” Celestia purred, her tone so sweet and affectionate it felt almost saccharine. “Did your brother-in-law treat you well?”
The words lingered in the air like a thunderclap.
Lucian’s reaction was immediate. His eyes lowered with exhaustion as he instinctively brought a hand to his face, dragging it down slowly in disbelief. His palm pressed against his forehead, and he exhaled deeply through his nose, muttering under his breath. “This is so embarrassing.”
Arthur’s response was nothing short of chaotic. His mouth fell open, his lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out. His mind struggled to process what he had just heard, leaving him frozen in an uncharacteristic display of utter shock and indignation.
“Wait… what?” he finally blurted out, his voice cracking as his wide eyes darted to the phone. “Darling? Brother-in-law? What the hell when, how, why?” His words came out in a rushed jumble, the confusion etched into every syllable.
His hand gripped the edge of the table tightly, his knuckles turning white. He stared at the phone as if it had just sprouted wings and started mocking him. Then, as if the weight of the situation suddenly dropped on him like a boulder, he leaned back in his chair, his face pale with disbelief.
“This… this can’t be my sister,” Arthur stammered, shaking his head furiously. His voice, usually sharp and composed, now carried a strange mix of denial and bewilderment. “No. It’s someone else. Someone pretending to be her. Celestia would never she can’t”
Arthur’s hands trembled slightly as he gestured helplessly toward the phone. “What… what is with that cheesy tone? Darling? Darling?” He shivered involuntarily, a full-body cringe overtaking him. “My sister, calling someone ‘darling’? No. Absolutely not. She’s… she’s Celestia. She’s cold, dark, manipulative. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day she said she wanted to marry a stone, but love? Loving a human? No! That’s impossible!”
His voice rose slightly as his disbelief escalated, and for a moment, he looked like a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown. His mind went utterly blank, the image of Celestia speaking those words replaying in his head like a taunting echo.
Lucian, watching the scene unfold, couldn’t help but sigh, though there was a faint twitch at the corner of his lips. He turned his gaze to the side, trying to suppress the urge to smile. So, he’s just as bad at handling her as I am, Lucian thought, feeling a rare sense of camaraderie with Arthur.
Arthur pointed a trembling finger at Lucian, his eyes wide with accusation. “You… you… you!” he stammered, his finger shaking as much as his voice. The words seemed to catch in his throat, his mind still grappling with the absurdity of the situation. Find your next adventure on empire
—
Shameless author back…guys send powerstones,tickets and ofcourse love popularity to characters we almost at rankings
thanks for reading