Chapter 161 - 160: The Departure

The train station was loud in that particular way they always were — a hundred conversations layered over the constant drone of announcements nobody actually listened to. Eleanore stood near the departure gate, arms crossed loosely, watching her brother wrestle with the bags they had brought. The amount was almost unimaginable and the weight was beyond the limit.

Eleanore watched her brother arguing with the station master. Stella tries to stop him, before Eleanore steps between the station master and him.

"You’re going to miss the train arguing with that bag," she said.

"I’m not arguing. I’m negotiating." Hael finally shoved it into place and turned to face her, grinning the way he always did right before he said something he knew would annoy her. "You could try smiling, you know. It’s my honeymoon, not a funeral."

"I am smiling."

"That’s your tired face. I know the difference."

Beside him, Stella, still glowing faintly with the particular happiness of someone barely a month into marriage. She rolled her eyes fondly and looped her arm through his. "Leave your sister alone. She came all the way here just to see us off."

"I came because I didn’t want him complaining about it for the entire month," Eleanore said, but there was no real bite in it.

Hael laughed, pulling her into a quick, tight hug before she could protest. "A month," he said into her shoulder. "Tryto give me some good news about your marriage while I’m gone."

"Brother, nothing is going to go the way you want."

"Unbelievable."

"Unbelievable."

He pulled back, studying her for a moment with an expression that softened into something more sincere. "I mean it, Ellie. If things become too difficult, your brother will always be standing next to you. Leave the Lancaster immediately and go back to Sinclair mansion, if things go the way I want."

"They won’t."

"You always say that."

"Because it’s the truth," she said, though she could even hear how unusual it sounded. Hael didn’t push it further, he knew better than most that pushing Eleanore only made her dig her heels in harder but the look he gave her lingered a second too long before the final whistle rang and gave them both an excuse to let the moment pass.

She watched them disappear in the train, waited until she couldn’t see them anymore, and then allowed herself exactly ten seconds of feeling strangely, uncomfortably alone before she straightened her spine and walked back to her carriage.

By the time evening came, she’d almost managed to shake the odd hollow feeling that had settled in her chest at the train station. Almost, until a knock landed on her study door. Chamberlain had come with an invitation from Caelestis for dinner. She nearly declined out of habit. Then, for reasons she didn’t examine too closely, she didn’t.

The dining room hadn’t changed at all, since the last time she entered it. It was still the same way, lighted and quiet. Caelestis was already seated when she arrived, sleeves rolled up, looking more relaxed than she’d seen him in weeks.

"You look like someone dragged you here against your will," he said as she sat down.

"I saw my brother off today. Month-long honeymoon."

"Ah." Something flickered across his face. Understanding, maybe, or he was jealous again that Stella was enjoying her married life. "That explains the face."

"I don’t have a face."

"You have several. That one’s the ’I miss someone but I’ll die before admitting it’ face."

She shot him a flat look, but didn’t argue, mostly because he wasn’t wrong.

Dinner started easily enough. Caelestis was talking about nothing in particular, complaining about a contractor who kept sending the wrong shipment specs, telling some absurd story about Hael getting and his mission across the borders of Seraphine. Eleanore found herself relaxing despite teh tension between them all week, the tension of the day loosening from her shoulders one course at a time.

It was somewhere between the main course and dessert that his tone shifted. It was subtle, but she caught it immediately, the way his fingers stilled against his glass.

"There’s something I need to tell you," he said.

"That’s never a good start to a conversation."

"Adena is coming to live with us."

Eleanore set her fork down very deliberately. "Again?"

"Again."

"She had just come two months ago."

"Three," Caelestis corrected, wincing slightly, like he already knew how this was going to land.

"Three," Eleanore repeated, letting the word sit there with all the exasperation it deserved. "Does she even have her own place anymore, or does she just consider our mansion a very elaborate hotel with room service?"

"She had a falling out with her parents. It won’t be long this time."

"Yeah right."

He had the decency to not argue that point.

Eleanore exhaled slowly, pressing her fingers briefly to her temple. She wasn’t in the mood to fight it, not tonight, not after the day she’d had but that didn’t mean she was going to just roll over on it either. "Fine," she said finally. "She can stay. But I want her kept away from me. I don’t want her wandering into my space, touching my things, or trying to ’bond’ over something ridiculous like she did last time."

"I’ll talk to her."

"You’ll actually enforce it this time."

"I’ll actually enforce it," he agreed, something like relief crossing his face at how easily she’d agreed, all things considered.

There was a brief pause before he added, almost too casually, "You know, if you’re that worried about running into her, you could just move into my room while she’s here. It’d solve the problem entirely."

Eleanore raised an eyebrow at him over the rim of her glass. "Your room."

"It has a lock. A good one."

"Your room," she said again, flatter this time, "is basically a cave. I’ve been in there twice and both times I felt like I needed a torch just to find the door again."

"It’s not that dark."

"Caelestis, you have exactly one window, and you keep the curtains closed even during the day. It’s not a bedroom, it’s a bat sanctuary."

He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again, apparently unable to come up with a counter that didn’t involve admitting she had a point. "Fine," he said instead, a faint, reluctant smile tugging at his mouth. "We’ll figure something else out."

"We will," Eleanore agreed, picking her fork back up like the matter was settled though the small, unfamiliar warmth in her chest told her it wasn’t quite the dinner conversation she’d expected when she’d walked in.