Chapter 12: His Half-brothers

After an hour of bathing, Lilith dressed in a simple off-white, high-neck gown made of delicate

laces. The intricately woven red belt cinched her slender waist, emphasizing her feminine figure.

Her gaze landed on the pendant that Apollyon had gifted her, but she decided not to wear it.

Zoey watched Lilith fiddling with the pendant. Lilith opened the first drawer of the dresser,

placed the pendant inside, and closed it.

"His Majesty is waiting for Miss Lilith in the dining hall," Zoey informed her. "Miss Lilith should

wear the pendant if she doesn't want His Majesty to be upset in the morning," she suggested.

Lilith didn't reply to her and stood up from the chair in front of the dresser. She asked Zoey to

show her where the dining hall was.

Zoey led Lilith's way to the dining hall, which was not far from her chamber. As Lilith entered the

hall, she was welcomed with the bows of some palace servants, which she found awkward.

Lilith found the table had four chairs around it, making her a puzzle. She knitted her brows,

wondering if two more people would accompany Apollyon.

"Have a seat, Lilith!" she heard an unfamiliar voice. As she turned to look, she found two men

before her. One had a stoic expression on his face while the other wore a mischievous grin. The

one who had pulled out a chair for her was Ragnar while the other one was Jareth.

"Who are you?" asked Lilith.

"We are Apollyon's brothers," Ragnar replied.

"Half-brothers," Apollyon's voice resonated in their ears as he entered the hall. He stood in front

of Lilith and noticed the pendant was missing from her neck.

Jareth walked past them and settled on one of the three chairs ahead. Ragnar followed Jareth

and sat across from him.

"Did you sleep well?" was Apollyon's first question from Lilith.

She nodded in an affirmation and glanced at Jareth, who seemed infuriated. "I thought you

didn't have a family," Lilith said, taking a seat on the chair which had already been pulled out for

her.

She grabbed the fork and knife, prepared to begin her breakfast. Apollyon was happy since

Lilith didn't object not to have breakfast.

"Fearless," Jareth remarked, gazing at Apollyon.

Lilith lifted her head from the plate before her to look at Jareth.

"Did you give her that mark?" inquired Jareth.

"Jareth, if you're going to interrupt us during our meal, you may leave. I allowed you and Ragnar

to sit here because I want to show you both that I will marry this woman only," Apollyon stated,

his tone firm yet his gentleness was nil toward Jareth.

Lilith sensed a deep tension between the two brothers. Apollyon signaled for the servers to

serve them the meals.

"Yes, Apollyon gave me the mark, which acted like a curse for me," Lilith said after a while,

making the three of the brothers glance at her.

"She considers your protection as a curse," Jareth said, his voice tinged with mockery. "Apollyon

is the King of Azuria. He is soft toward you, but I am not. I hope you will show respect toward

him, Lilith," he stated with a stern tone. Jareth took the steak in his mouth and began chewing it.

"Jareth, you should leave," Apollyon said. He could sense that Lilith got scared because of

Jareth.

"Mother's approval is necessary for your bride. I can convince her better than you. So, let me

have breakfast peacefully," Jareth said after he swallowed the food.

Lilith felt strange hearing that. She looked at the food before her, but her hands trembled. Jareth

seemed more dangerous than Apollyon to Lilith.

"Apollyon is more ruthless than me, Lilith," Jareth pronounced, "he is only soft for you. Better

don't look for his worst side," he advised her.

Lilith was stunned to find Jareth also read her mind. She decided not to think about anything

and quickly finished the breakfast.

After they all finished the breakfast, Lilith was the first one to stand up to leave the hall.

However, Apollyon stopped her and said he would go along with her.

As Apollyon approached Lilith, Jareth spoke, "You should not marry a human, Brother." His

voice was clear and firm. He was aware of their mother's wrath, who might punish Lilith instead

of Apollyon.

Lilith pondered what Jareth meant by that. She gazed at Apollyon, who was unaffected by

Jareth's statement.

Before she could ask Jareth, Apollyon held her hand and dragged her out of the dining hall.

"Why did you have to speak that way in front of Lilith? Let Apollyon handle his own life," Ragnar

proclaimed and slid his hands into the pockets of his black trousers.

"I don't want to lose Apollyon. He considers us his half-brothers, but for me, we are blood

brothers," Jareth stated. "Also, Lilith wants to kill him. She has a grudge against Apollyon," he

muttered, frowning his brows together.

"A grudge? Why? You should not read her thoughts," Ragnar stated.

"Lilith thinks Apollyon killed her father," Jareth replied and began walking. Ragnar followed him

and keenly listened to his brother.

"Hate turned to love. I have heard about such folklore among the humans,"Ragnar remarked, a

smile tugging across his lips.

"That's why they are folklore. Foolish humans!" Jareth muttered.

"So, do you want to stop their marriage? Call Mother. She will do it in an easier way," Ragnar

affirmed.

Jareth shook his head. "Everything will turn messy," he said and reached the corridor which led

to the main hall.

"Then, let Apollyon handle it. You warned him, but he didn't listen to you," Ragnar stated.

"Earlier, I talked with Karin. A group of four unknown men appeared last night," he diverted the

conversation to another topic.

Jareth scrunched his brows and asked for clarification. When Ragnar explained about the

matter, Jareth said, "I would like to keep an eye on Lilith. Don't tell Apollyon about it."

Ragnar asked Jareth what he had in his mind.