Tasting

445–Confronting Me

Nora:

“We came here to celebrate our brother’s finding of a chosen mate,” Ryker announced, wrapping his arm around Silas, who gave him a strained smile.

Their eyes were all bloodshot, and their smiles felt forced, but Brody seemed to buy it. He kept flashing me a smug grin, silently boasting that he was right about the brothers showing up solely for the celebration.

“I’ve asked the maids to prepare rooms for everyone,” Clara said, arriving with Rollo, who had left halfway through dinner, apparently displeased with something.

“Your Highness,” Rollo bowed to the brothers, who gave him only a half–hearted nod before exchanging glances and then looking at me. I frowned subtly, wondering what was on their minds.

“Nora-” Cain uttered my name, and suddenly the room fell silent. It was eerie how even Brody and Janet stopped their conversation to pay attention.

“Do you still enjoy a walk under the night sky after dinner?” he asked, causing me to shift my gaze to the brothers without obviously glancing around.

“Yeah, I do,” I lied. I had no idea what he was talking about. A year ago, I was so lazy that I’d head straight to bed after dinner. Not exactly a healthy routine, but it was what it was. Or what it used to be.

“Then let’s go. Let’s take a walk,” he stood up, followed by Nash and Ryker.

Before Brody could object, Silas chimed in, “Clara, why don’t you join us?”

I understood their plan immediately. Brody shot a quick glance at Clara, who nodded subtly. Now that Silas himself had invited the spy among us, Brody had no reason to protest.

We all left the mansion, taking a stroll down the empty road, leaving Janet, Rollo, and Brody behind. Clara made sure to stay close to me.

“It seems like my mate doesn’t want to walk too close to me,” Silas teased, keeping a slight distance from the brothers and me.

“Oh no, why wouldn’t I want to be near you? Come here,” Clara sounded flustered, clearly rattled by Silas’s teasing about her supposed lack of affection.

“Why don’t you come here?” Silas insisted, playing along with the fact that she was supposed to stay us.

“I don’t feel comfortable discussing things in front of my brothers,” Silas tilted his head, flashing a charming smile that probably made her heart skip a beat.

I knew this because my own heart skipped a beat. I quickly looked away.

Even though it was all an act, I didn’t like it. Jealousy gnawed at me.

“Okay,” Clara responded, clearly not struggling with the choice. She eagerly moved closer to Silas, likely pleased by his sudden romantic gesture.

I turned my head and rolled my eyes at Silas, who gave me a sympathetic smile in return.

However, instead of walking alongside us, Silas began moving ahead briskly, forcing Clara to chase after him. Within five minutes, they were so far down the road that they looked like tiny figures in the distance.

But I noticed something curious–Silas kept his distance. Every time Clara tried to move closer, he subtly stepped away.

“Okay, let’s talk now,” Ryker muttered, once he deemed it safe.

“I know the truth, Nora,” Cain interjected, making my heart twist painfully in my chest.

“What truth?” I immediately assumed Silas must have told him about Roman, but I was wrong. The way he turned to me, stopping me in my tracks, was enough to make me gasp.

“You gave birth to my children,” the moment those words left his mouth, I yelped, covering my mouth with my hands.

“Cain-,” I stammered in shock. How did he find out?

Children?

“We saw the children. You told Silas about just one baby, but later, we saw them all together,” Nash added, clarifying what had happened in the mansion while we were at dinner.

So, after we left, Brody must have put all the babies together?

“But how can you say I gave birth to your child?” I asked, facing Cain, who wore a confident smile.

“Nora, I am a very powerful being–and also cursed. I can sense my curse in my child. Even if it’s only one, that’s enough for me to know these babies are mine,” he declared with certainty, but I realized he had misunderstood some things.

Not entirely wrong, but parts of his assumption were incorrect.

“Say it, please. We want to hear it from you,” Nash stepped forward, locking eyes with me, filled with anticipation.

“It’s true,” I admitted. The moment I said it, Nash shook his head. Cain’s happiness was cut short when Nash interrupted.

“There’s no way those are Cain’s children. How could I sense my curse in the baby then?” Nash argued, challenging the claim.