Chapter 48: Butterflies
In his private study, all he could do was sigh...
Not only his wife didn’t give him any attention, but the pressure from her glowing butterflies was one thing in Gabriel’s mind...
They seemed to embody Lirian’s mana.
Pedro perched on the back of his chair, occasionally letting out sharp, nonsensical squeaks as if to punctuate Gabriel’s thoughts.
"Pedro," Gabriel muttered, rubbing his temples, "either say something useful or shut up."
Pedro squeaked louder, hopping closer to Gabriel’s shoulder. "Squeak! Bad! Bad!"
Gabriel sighed one more time, leaning back in his chair.
He wandered to the man he had executed earlier—Hendrick.
The man’s family was still in the castle’s territory, living in a small estate on the outskirts of the kingdom.
Gabriel had sent a trusted spy to observe them, needing to know if Hendrick had passed on any information about the North or the strange monsters.
The spy’s report would come soon, but Gabriel couldn’t shake the guilt.
Pedro flapped his wings noisily, jolting Gabriel out of his thoughts.
"Pedro, enough!" Gabriel snapped.
Pedro tilted his head, his bright eyes shone in the firelight. "Squeak... traitor?"
Gabriel groaned. "No, not you too. I already killed the man, Pedro. You can let it go."
Pedro fluffed his feathers one more time. "Squeak! Squeak!"
Ignoring the bird’s antics, Gabriel stood and crossed the room to where the book on forbidden mana was laying open on a small table.
He flipped through the pages, his brow furrowed as he stopped on an illustration of glowing creatures—golden moths, eerily similar to the butterflies that came from Lirian.
"They’re tied to her emotions," he muttered to himself, his fingers trailed over the text. "But why do they feel... familiar?"
He then drifted back to his sister and mother, both lost years ago in a tragic accident that he didn’t exactly cause but was blamed for.
There had been whispers—superstitions about glowing butterflies spotted near the scene.
He had dismissed them as nonsense, he thought he was imagining things then...but now, with Lirian, he wasn’t so sure.
Pedro squeaked again, hopping onto the table and pecking at the book.
"Don’t ruin that," Gabriel said, swatting him away.
Pedro squeaked louder, his beak tapping the illustration of the moths.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "What? Do you know something, or are you just being annoying?"
Pedro flapped his wings and hopped in circles. "Squeak! Squeak!"
Gabriel rubbed his temples again. "Why am I taking advice from a bird?"
Still, the thought nagged at him.
He needed answers, and the only person who might have them was Lirian.
Later that evening, Gabriel entered Lirian’s chamber cautiously.
She was awake, sitting by the window with her legs tucked beneath her.
The pale moonlight showed her face, making her look ethereal and fragile.
"Lirian," he said softly, stepping into the room.
She turned her head slightly but didn’t speak, turning back to the window.
Gabriel hesitated, then moved closer, taking a seat in the chair near her.
"I’m glad you’re awake," he began. "How are you feeling?"
"Why do you care?" she asked flatly.
Gabriel flinched but recovered quickly. "Because I do. I’ve... I’ve been trying to make things right."
She let out a bitter laugh. "Make things right? You sent me away, Gabriel. You left me to face all of this alone."
"I thought I was protecting you," he replied in a hushed voice.
"Protecting me?" she repeated in a cautiously sharp voice. "You don’t protect someone by abandoning them."
Gabriel ran a hand through his hair, frustrated but unable to argue with her.
"I made a mistake," he admitted. "A terrible one. But I’m here now, Lirian. I’m trying."
She turned to face him fully, her eyes seemed to hold no sympathy.
"Trying isn’t enough. Do you have any idea what they did to me? How they..." Her voice broke, and she shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes.
"You’ll never understand."
Gabriel’s chest ached at her words, but he reached out, his hand hovering near hers.
"I want to understand," he said softly. "Lirian, your magic... the butterflies. They’re extraordinary. But they’re dangerous too. I need to know more about them."
Her brow furrowed. "Why? So you can use me like everyone else?"
"No!" Gabriel said quickly, raising his voice.
He leaned closer, his golden eyes earnest.
"I would never use you. I just..." He hesitated, his throat tightened. "They remind me of something. Something I lost. My mother. My sister."
Lirian’s expression softened slightly, though her wariness remained. "What do you mean?"
Gabriel hesitated, then spoke quietly.
"When they died, people talked about glowing butterflies. I thought it was just my own imagination. But now, seeing yours, I can’t help but wonder if it’s connected."
Lirian’s gaze searched his face.
"I don’t know," she admitted after a long pause. "They come from me, but I don’t control them. They just... happen."
Gabriel nodded slowly. "Then let me help you. Let me bring the best magicians to teach you how to control them. So you won’t be at the mercy of anyone ever again."
Lirian’s lips pressed into a thin line. "And what if I don’t want your help? What if I just want you to leave me alone?"
Gabriel’s shoulders sagged.
"Then I’ll give you space," he said quietly. "But I’ll never stop caring about you, Lirian. That’s something you’ll have to live with."
Pedro, who had been perched silently on the windowsill, suddenly squeaked and flapped his wings.
"Ha-ah! Sad boy!"
Both Gabriel and Lirian turned to look at the bird, and despite the weird tension, Lirian let out a small laugh.
Gabriel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Not now, Pedro."
"Squeak!" Pedro replied, hopping in place. "Sad! Sad!"
Gabriel shook his head, but a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
He looked back at Lirian, who was still watching him cautiously.
"Rest," he said gently, standing. "We can talk more when you’re ready."
As he left the room, Pedro perched on his shoulder, squeaking nonsense.
Gabriel ignored him, once again consumed by the mysteries surrounding Lirian—and the butterflies that might hold the key to everything.
"Oh, Gabriel...if only you knew, you would plan to kill me in the near future..." Lirian shook her head.