Noticing Kallen's gaze on them, Eliot coughed lightly, as if to break the silence.
"Happy birthday, little brother... I mean, young lord," he corrected himself with an awkward, cheeky smile.
Beside him, Elyon opened his mouth to speak, but the moment his eyes met Kallen's glassy, unreadable gaze, a shiver ran down his spine. That same unsettling look... it reminded him of the day of the simulation. Still, he forced himself to push through.
"Happy birthday to you," he said, though his voice sounded strained, as if he had to force the words out.
The odd tension in his tone didn't go unnoticed. The others exchanged brief glances, their expressions shifting slightly.
Before anyone could comment, a voice rang out behind Kallen.
"Oh! There's the birthday boy."
Kallen turned toward the source, and the others followed suit. Two Crimson-haired youths approached, their presence immediately drawing attention.
The young lady, about thirteen, wore a deep crimson dress that clung to her figure in a way that made her look like a ripe blood-colored fruit. Her long, wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders, adding to her striking appearance.
Beside her, a fourteen-year-old boy dressed in a sharp grey formal attire walked with a confident stride. His crimson hair and eyes stood out against the neutral tones of his outfit, and the early signs of maturity were already evident in his expression.
"I'm Genevieve, your elder sister. Do you remember me?" she asked with a smile. "Well, it has been two years since we last saw each other. And we've only met about three times. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't."
"I guess I don't," Kallen replied evenly.
The young man beside her let out a soft chuckle before extending his hand toward Kallen. "Garth," he introduced himself. "I'm her elder brother."
Then, with a nod toward Atticus, he added, "Nice to see you again, little At."
Atticus flashed a wide, welcoming grin. "Nice to see you again too, big brother Garth. And you as well, Gene. You're looking even more beautiful by the day."
"You! Don't call me that outside," Genevieve hissed, her face flushing slightly. "You and your silver tongue. Haven't you learned to cultivate respect for your elders yet?" she huffed, though the doting look in her eyes completely betrayed her indignation.
Kallen watched their little drama unfold in silence, his expression unreadable as he took Garth's extended hand in a firm shake. He noted, once again, just how exceptional Atticus was. Charismatic, sharp, and adaptable, he had already built connections with nearly every member of their generation. Elyon and Eliot now even followed him around like lackeys.
That was fine. Excellent, even.
The more relationships Atticus cultivated, the easier it would be for Kallen to manipulate the pieces on the board.
_'Garth and Genevieve, the oldest in this generation of the Crimsons, and Karrie's children.'_
Kallen still remembered Genevieve. He wasn't a child, and his memory was anything but weak. Pretending not to remember was simply a tactic to get people to reveal more of themselves. And so far, it was working. Thankfully, Atticus was already doing most of the work.
It made Kallen like him even more.
Karrie... she was the same woman who had found Kallen amusing earlier today, even going as far as to ask him a direct question during the hall meeting.
Garth, still shaking with laughter from watching Genevieve get flustered, finally released Kallen's hand and turned to Atticus, shaking his next. "You still enjoy bullying your elder sister, huh? Little brat."
Atticus feigned innocence. "No, no, not at all!" Then frowning a little, he continued,
"Garth, you're starting to look like an old man yourself. See? You've got that whole 'stern military general' thing going on."
"You brat!" Garth smirked, squeezing Atticus's hand slightly harder in revenge before letting go. "It's easier to get the girls this way."
Atticus delicately nursed his hand as if truly wounded, his eyes filled with mock anger. "As if!" he scoffed.
"Oh, At, who's the pretty—oh my gosh! You two are here?" Genevieve suddenly exclaimed, cutting herself off mid-question. "I'm so sorry, this useless brother of yours is simply too much of a troublemaker—I didn't even notice you two! And you're oddly quiet, too," she laughed before pulling the adorable twins behind Atticus into a warm hug, completely forgetting about Claire, whom she had originally intended to ask about.
Elyon and Eliot exchanged cheeky grins.
"Nice to see you again, big sis," Elyon said, scratching his head.
"We've missed you! How's the academy?" Eliot chimed in eagerly.
"Missed you too!" Genevieve grinned. "Oh, the academy? Well... I won't say a word until you get there yourselves," she teased.
Meanwhile, Garth nudged Atticus, his eyes flicking to Claire with an unmistakable glint of interest. His intent was practically written all over his face.
Atticus, perceptive as always, chuckled inwardly. His senior brother couldn't have been more obvious if he tried.
"Ah, At, who's she?" Genevieve finally asked, picking up where she had left off earlier.
"Meet Claire, my friend," Atticus introduced smoothly.
Taking the opportunity to make her impression, Claire executed a flawless, courteous lady's bow. "Claire Emberblade. I'm a close friend of Atticus. It's an honor to meet his elder siblings."
Kallen's eyes flashed.
'This girl is smart.'
Both he and Atticus had the exact same thought.
The way she had subtly pushed her connection to Atticus, was ingenious. While he had merely called her a 'friend,' she had gone ahead and upgraded it to 'close friend.' Not only that, but the way she framed her words; honoring his elder siblings... it seemed natural, but to those with sharp minds, it was far from casual.
"Claire Emberblade..." Garth mused, his gaze settling on her. "You're the daughter of Thorne Emberblade, the patriarch of the Emberblade family... I see." His lips curled into a wide knowing grin as he turned to Atticus.
Genevieve, standing beside him, smiled as well, they too had already come to the their own conclusions.
Of course, Kallen and Atticus saw through Claire's move differently than Garth and Genevieve did.
To the elder siblings, this looked like a mix of romantic interest and subtle political maneuvering; Claire positioning herself as an independent party with a liking to Atticus, rather than with the backing of the Emberblade family, made it genuine. By omitting the mention of her father, she made it clear that her attachment to Atticus was her own decision, not a calculated family move.
But to minds like Kallen's and Atticus's, sentiment was merely a convenient mask for real agendas.
This was different from her own introduction to Kallen. While introducing herself to Kallen, she had acknowledged his position as the heir to the throne of the Patriarch's position in the Crimson family, and introduced herself by her own position in kind, to show courtesy and respect.