Chapter 39: Draped in Rumors (1)

A sharp knock on the door jolted Gabriel out of his sleep. His body resisted, unwilling to leave the rare warmth of rest, but the knock came again, more insistent this time.

"My lord," a voice called. "Lady Alexandra is waiting."

Gabriel exhaled slowly and forced himself to stand up. He had not slept this deeply in a long time, so waking up felt like breaking through the surface of a heavy tide. His limbs bore the weight of rest, strange but familiar. He ran a hand through his hair, gathering his thoughts as the last traces of dreams faded.

For one brief moment, he entertained the thought of simply falling back into the pillows and letting Alexandra storm in, consequences be damned.

The thought amused him, but only briefly. His sister was not a woman to be tested before noon.

Alexandra was already waiting by the door, arms crossed, her expression somewhere between impatience and impending violence. Her dark, straight hair fell like silk over her shoulders, smooth and immaculate, unaffected by the gusting wind outside. Pale green eyes met his gaze intently. Gabriel started to ask himself how he was still alive. 

"You're late." Her voice cut mercilessly into his quiet bedroom. 

Gabriel blinked at her, unimpressed, and without a word, walked straight into his bathroom. the server that woke him up had already prepared his bath and clothes for the day, waiting for any sign for him to help. 

Gabriel began to undress, hoping that this would be a better day than the last. Twenty minutes later, dressed and slightly more awake, he returned, running his hand through his damp hair. "Am I?"

"You are," she said, turning on her heel. 

He glanced at the clock; it was nine thirty and shrugged. "Debatable. From what I remember, you said midmorning." He returned to the room and let the attendant dry and style his hair.

Alexandra ignored him, already calculating how much time they had left. She knew her brother and the designer did not get along, despite being old colleagues at the royal academy. They needed time to try on the outfits they had chosen up to this point, as well as time to banter. 

"The car is waiting." Her tone left no room for protests, but Gabriel was obviously ignoring her red flags. 

"Where is my breakfast?" Gabriel asked while yawning. Alexandra did not bother to respond; they had to be at the Gloria in half an hour. 

"Or at least a coffee?" Gabriel tried in a pitiful tone. Her sister's sigh let him know she still had a soft spot for him. He smirked. 

She gestured toward the door, exasperated. "You will get coffee in the car. Now get moving." She gestured to one of the servers that followed them to bring her little brother a coffee as she promised. 

"You do love me, after all."

Normally, arriving a little later wouldn't be an issue, but with the ball looming, Alexandra had abandoned any hope of leniency. Their siblings had conveniently left her to deal with him alone, which, to her credit, she was handling with remarkable patience.

Gabriel followed her, still stretching off the last remnants of sleep. True to her word, the moment he slid into the luxurious vehicle, a fresh cup of coffee awaited him, its aroma rich and inviting. He took a slow sip, sighing in quiet satisfaction.

"If this is the quality of service I receive, I should make you wait more frequently."

Alexandra scoffed. "If you make me wait again, I will make your next coffee cold and bitter, with an aftertaste of regret. Like your personality. "

Gabriel smirked, swirling the cup in his hands. "A tragic fate." He was still mentally in bed, but there was hope that nothing was planned for the following mornings. After all,, no one hated mornings more than the Capital's nobles. 

"You wouldn't dare," he added after a pause, shooting her a sideways glance. 

Alexandra tapped a perfectly manicured nail against the armrest. "Wouldn't I? You seem to forget that I hold great power over you."

Gabriel snorted. "You hold great irritation over me."

She smiled at him with mocking sweetness. "And yet, you still followed me like a good little brother."

He leaned back against the seat and stretched his legs as far as the space allowed.

"Let's not exaggerate. I followed because I had no other choice. You would've dragged me out by the collar otherwise. Or asked for help from the others. "Five versus one is not really a fight I can win."

Alexandra's smirk widened. "Correct."

Gabriel shook his head before taking another sip of coffee. "So? So, tell me, what fresh hell has Gloria prepared for me today?" In his free time over the last week, he dug into his old life and discovered conversations with various people, which allowed him to better understand some of his old relationships. 

"She is getting you ready for war."

"I thought this was a ball."

"Same thing," Alexandra replied, waving her hand dismissively. "A battlefield where silk and etiquette have replaced swords."

Gabriel sighed. "I hate everything about that sentence."

"I know," she said cheerfully.

He sighed dramatically. "I guess I should write my last will and testament before we arrive."

Alexandra arched her brow. "Should I inform the family that you died tragically in the line of duty, overcome by brocade and crushed under the weight of too many embroidery options?"

"Please. Make sure it sounds heroic. Tell them that I went down fighting a pair of cuffs."

"I will make sure it is on the official record," she said dryly.

The car arrived in front of a lavish atelier, the golden lettering above the entrance gleaming in the morning light. Alexandra placed her hand on Gabriel's arm before he could take a full step out.

"One last thing," she said, her expression mockingly serious. "Try not to be your typical difficult self."

Gabriel smirked. "No promises."

She groaned. "Of course not."

They stepped inside, ready to confront Gloria Ohara.