The Forgotten Bloodline

Chapter 7

Night slowly descended over Oriville.

In the main dining room of the Brown Mansion, a long table had been set with an assortment of dishes, each still giving off wisps of warm steam.

None of the servants spoke. Once every dish had been arranged, they bowed in unison before leaving the room one by one.

Before long, only Noah and Eric remained.

Noah sat on the left side of the table, with Eric directly beside him. The two seats across from them were still empty.

Neither of them touched the food.

Every so often, Noah glanced at the wall clock, then adjusted the spoon in front of him even though the silverware was already perfectly arranged.

Eric silently observed him. His gaze shifted several times toward the two empty chairs before returning to Noah.

He considered asking who they were waiting for but ultimately decided against it. His fingers merely moved along the armrest as he waited for people he had never even met.

Before long, the sound of a car engine came from the mansion’s courtyard.

Noah’s hand immediately stopped moving.

He turned toward the door.

“It seems they’ve arrived.”

A few moments later, the dining room doors slowly opened.

Two servants entered first, then stepped aside for the guests behind them.

An older man walked into the room with confident strides. He was already sixty-eight years old, yet his back remained straight.

The moment he spotted Noah at the end of the table, a smile appeared on his face. His steps unconsciously quickened.

“Noah…” He slowly shook his head and chuckled. “So you finally remembered you still have a friend.”

Noah slowly rose from his chair.

“Yarta.”

It was only a name, but it was enough to make the decades of distance between them seem to disappear in an instant.

Eric also turned toward the door.

His gaze first settled on Yarta before shifting to the person walking half a step behind him.

He immediately fell silent.

“Xavia?”

Xavia had been watching Noah ever since entering the room, but the moment she heard Eric’s voice, she turned toward him.

Her steps came to an abrupt halt.

Her gaze locked onto Eric, who was seated beside Noah. She stared at him for a long moment, as though trying to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her.

Surprise flashed through her eyes, but she quickly composed herself and approached the table.

“Good evening.”

Noah responded with a slight nod.

Only then did Xavia look at Eric again.

“Eric?” Her voice sounded more like she was seeking confirmation than asking a question.

Eric’s right arm was still encased in a cast and supported by a sling across his chest. Seeing Xavia stop, he slowly rose from his chair, although his movements remained slightly stiff.

Eric first bowed respectfully to Yarta.

“Good evening.”

Yarta returned the greeting with a small nod. His gaze lingered briefly on Eric’s face before returning to Noah.

Eric then turned toward Xavia and gave her a quiet nod.

Xavia still hadn’t looked away. Her eyes dropped to the cast around his right arm before returning to his face.

Only after confirming that Eric was truly standing before her did she pull out a chair and sit down. Even then, her gaze continued drifting back to him.

Yarta pointed at Eric while keeping his eyes on Noah.

“He is…?”

Noah raised a hand.

“Sit down first. I’ll explain later.”

Yarta asked nothing further. He pulled out his chair and sat beside Xavia.

Silence once again filled the room.

Noah placed his teacup on the table. The sound of porcelain touching wood rang clearly through the stillness.

His gaze moved from Yarta to Xavia before finally settling on Eric.

“Allow me to introduce him.”

No one interrupted.

“Eric Brown,” Noah continued after a short pause. “My grandson.”

Yarta’s hand stopped in midair just as he was about to reach for his teacup.

He stared at Noah for several moments before looking at Eric again. His expression gradually changed, as though many pieces of a puzzle had finally fallen into place.

Beside him, Xavia stared at Eric without blinking. She then turned toward Noah, as though trying to confirm that she hadn’t misheard him.

Not a single question left her lips.

Yet the subtle change in her gaze was enough to show that the events she had failed to understand over the past several days were finally beginning to make sense.

Even so, this answer still didn’t explain everything.

Noah allowed the silence to linger for a moment before turning toward Eric.

“Eric, this is Yarta Jones, an old friend of mine.”

Yarta nodded to Eric.

Noah then shifted his attention toward Xavia.

“As for Miss Xavia… I believe the two of you already know each other.”

His tone remained calm, but the faint smile on his face eased some of the stiffness in the room.

Eric and Xavia’s eyes met again without either of them intending to.

They exchanged small nods, silently acknowledging that neither of them had expected to meet here tonight.

Noah looked at Xavia.

“Miss Xavia, I owe you my thanks for helping Eric.”

Xavia hesitated briefly before shaking her head.

“I didn’t do much.”

Noah didn’t argue. He merely nodded once before looking between them.

No one else spoke.

Noah raised his teacup, took a slow sip, then placed it back on the table.

“All right. Let’s set our curiosity aside for now and eat. Afterward, we’ll still have the entire evening to talk.”

Yarta was the first to nod.

Eric sat down again, while Xavia slowly pulled her gaze away from him.

Only after Noah picked up his spoon did everyone else follow.

The silence that had filled the room was gradually replaced by the quiet clinking of silverware against porcelain.

⸻

Dinner ended in a much more relaxed atmosphere.

The servants began clearing the table while Noah placed his napkin beside his plate.

No one stood immediately.

Yarta glanced at Noah several times, seemingly waiting for his old friend to resume their conversation. Instead, Noah turned toward Eric.

“Eric, take Miss Xavia on a tour of the mansion. There are still many places you haven’t seen.”

Eric nodded.

“All right, Grandpa.”

Xavia glanced at her grandfather.

Yarta merely nodded.

“Go ahead. Leave tonight to two old men who have postponed this conversation for far too long.”

Only then did Xavia rise from her chair.

Eric stood as well, and the two of them left the dining room together.

Once the door closed, the room suddenly felt much emptier.

Yarta let out a quiet breath while slowly turning the empty teacup in front of him.

His gaze finally settled on Noah.

“In that case, it’s my turn to ask questions.”

The corner of Noah’s mouth lifted faintly, as though he had been waiting for those words from the beginning.

⸻

Eric and Xavia walked side by side along the path beside the garden.

Neither of them spoke at first.

The garden lights cast long streaks across the grass, while their footsteps echoed softly through the peaceful night.

After a while, Xavia finally broke the silence.

“So I’ve been searching for the wrong person all this time.”

Eric turned toward her.

A faint smile appeared on Xavia’s face.

“It seems Young Master Brown is quite difficult to find.”

Eric let out a quiet breath. “None of this was something I expected either.”

Xavia studied his face for a moment before looking at the cast supporting his right arm.

“For a while, I thought you had truly disappeared.”

Eric gave a small smile. “The truth is, even I didn’t know where they were taking me.”

Their pace slowed slightly.

Xavia looked out over the garden before speaking again.

“You might only have found out later, but Andreas still doesn’t know.” She turned toward him. “At least let him know that you’re safe.”