Chapter 45: Uncomfortable (1)

The steady hum of the car engine filled the quiet between them. Gabriel sat in the back seat, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the city lights flashing past the tinted windows. The world around him was constantly changing, but he felt strangely still, trapped in a moment that had lasted too long.

His return to the social world of the high nobility made him feel suffocated, and his carefully crafted routine vanished upon his return to the Capital. 

'What the fuck is Callahan doing? He and George were on my back all the time. This is not normal. Something is wrong.'

Alexandra sat beside him, keeping an eye on him. He could feel it even without looking: the weight of her amusement combined with curiosity. She was waiting for him to speak, but he was not in the mood to entertain her tonight.

'I should call Anabelle when I arrive at the manor. She should know what is going on.'

"You're awfully quiet," she finally said, breaking the silence. "That's not like you."

Gabriel didn't look at her. Instead, he adjusted the cuff of his sleeve with deliberate precision. "Perhaps I have nothing worth saying." He realized how quickly he had become accustomed to his family's high-end lifestyle. It was frightening to see remnants of his old personality emerge without him being aware of it. 

That was a lie. His mind was full—too full. Threads of thought tangled together, forming something he did not want to untangle. His instincts were screaming at him to stop everything and get back to his office, work, and life as an evaluator. To forget the life of Gabriel von Jaunez, the family's beloved youngest son.

Alexandra let out a quiet laugh. "That's never stopped you before. You usually have a sharp remark ready." She was trying to reach her brother, but every step toward him from the family caused him to retreat even further. Caelan was looking for more information about Gabriel and his whereabouts before Ashmont, and she was hoping that her husband would find something as soon as possible. 

Gabriel's lips curled slightly, but the amusement did not reach his eyes. "Maybe I'm feeling generous tonight."

"Generous?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That's a new one."

He exhaled slowly, his fingers tapping idly on his armrest. She was not wrong: he was not himself tonight. Or, more accurately, he was himself, just not the version that most people saw.

The car made a slow turn, and streetlights cast long shadows across their faces. Alexandra looked at him before tilting her head. "You always do this: pretend you do not care when you clearly do."

Gabriel finally glanced at her, his dark eyes calm but unreadable. "And you always think you understand me."

She shrugged, unfazed. "I'm usually right."

A bitter thought passed through his mind. If she truly understood him, she would realize how exhausting it was—how much effort it took to keep him untouchable. But rather than saying it, he exhaled and leaned back against the seat.

Alexandra smirked. "The fitting went well, didn't it? You looked great in all of the robes."

Gabriel scoffed. "I'm glad my suffering was at least aesthetically pleasing."

"It was," she joked. "And I am sure others will agree when they see you at the event."

Gabriel clicked his tongue, irritation flickering beneath his calm demeanor. "It is just another obligation. The court wasn't exactly suble with it."

"More than that," Alexandra countered smoothly. "And you know it. You should at least pretend to enjoy the attention. Our family will hold a party as well; there is no way that we would not present you officially. "

"Ah, of course. But the party would be in the mansion, and I could leave if I got bored."

"Don't you dare." She warned him with a stern look. 

Gabriel's brow furrowed as the name flickered in his mind. "Anya..." He repeated the name, as if trying to recall it from the depths of his mind. "I feel like I've heard it before. Have I ever met her?

Alexandra gave him a quick, assessing look. "You probably have, though it's been a while. Princess Anya. She was around briefly before the rebellion, but I'm not sure you were close with her." She paused, considering her words. "She was Olivier's fiancée."

"Olivier?" Gabriel's expression darkened slightly at the mention of his former best friend and Crown Prince. 

"Yeah," Alexandra nodded. "The one from the last dynasty, before Damian took the throne. Olivier and you were extremely close. Everyone believed you two were inseparable. At rebellion, though." Her voice trailed off, as though not sure how much she should say.

Gabriel felt a strange tightness in his chest, a mix of grief and confusion. "Olivier... he pretended to be my best friend. I was there when he was killed. But Anya... ?"

Alexandra shrugged, not entirely sure where the lines had been drawn between them. "I don't know. You and Olivier were always close, and Anya was around for a short time before the whole thing fell apart. She didn't stick around after Olivier's death, not publicly anyway." She shot him a teasing glance. "I'm not even sure what the two of you were to each other, to be honest. You never really mentioned her."

Gabriel's lips tightened slightly, his mind racing, trying to piece together fragments of a time he couldn't fully recall. "So, she was just his fiancée. That's all?"

"Well, that's the family impression, yes," she said with a faint smirk. "Though something tells me you'll figure out for yourself whether there's more to her story. I doubt she'll be a stranger at the upcoming events. You'll see her sooner than you think."

Gabriel nodded slowly, his thoughts lingering on the enigma that was Anya. "Maybe I will, but I wanted to know what awaits me."

Alexandra did not respond right away, her gaze flickering to him for a moment before she looked ahead. "What do you mean?"

Gabriel's fingers tightened around the armrest, his mind racing through the fragments of memory that had been evading him. "Olivier... He was not just my friend, right? There's something more."

Alexandra shifted uncomfortably, her previous teasing gone. "Gabriel," she began, her tone more serious, "sometimes it is best not to know everything. Some things are better off buried."