"Where have you been all these years?" Lilith's voice trembled slightly, her frustration spilling out as she stepped closer to him. "You left me alone with that prototype of a father."
Gabriel flinched at her words, but there was a faint, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I see your tongue has only gotten sharper," he said, his tone light, though his eyes softened as he looked at her.
"I'm serious!" she snapped, though her voice lacked the full force of her anger. "You just... vanished. Do you have any idea what it was like being stuck there with him after you left?"
His expression turned somber, the smirk fading as he let out a slow breath. "I know," Gabriel said quietly, his gaze briefly dropping to the ground. "Believe me, I thought about you. Every day."
Lilith crossed her arms, her emotions swirling between anger and relief. She had dreamed of this reunion for so long, imagining how she would lash out at him for abandoning her. Yet now that he was here, she couldn't deny the flicker of happiness warming her chest.
"You should have taken me with you," she muttered, her tone softer now.
Gabriel sighed and looked up, meeting her eyes again. "I couldn't, Lilith. When I left... it wasn't just about me and Azareon. Things were complicated. I didn't want to drag you into it."
"Complicated?" Lilith repeated, her brow furrowing. "How could it be more complicated than losing Mom and having to deal with him?"
"I know it sounds selfish," Gabriel admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "But back then, I didn't know what to do. I was angry, lost... I thought leaving would solve everything. But it didn't. It just made me realize how much I left behind."
Lilith studied him for a long moment, her arms loosening slightly. She still wanted answers, still wanted to understand why he had stayed away for so long. But a part of her was just glad to see him again.
Lilith wasn't the sentimental type. She had spent years holding her emotions tightly in check, navigating life with a composed and unyielding demeanor. But now—after the fight with Azareon and the shock of seeing Gabriel again—something inside her broke.
Tears welled up in her eyes, unexpected and uninvited, blurring her vision as she looked at her brother. Before Gabriel could say another word, Lilith stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a firm, trembling hug.
Gabriel stiffened slightly at first, clearly startled by the gesture. He had never seen his sister like this—vulnerable, emotional, raw. But as the seconds passed, he relaxed and hugged her back, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder.
"It's okay," he murmured quietly, his voice soft.
Lilith didn't reply. She closed her eyes and let herself feel the moment—the warmth of her brother's presence, the bittersweet relief of knowing she wasn't completely alone. For the first time in years, the weight she carried felt just a little lighter.
"I just had a fight with him," Lilith said after releasing Gabriel, her voice sharp with lingering frustration. "He wants me to marry Lucio and says he'll force me, but I won't accept it." Her words hung in the air for a moment, defiant and resolute.
She took a breath, calming herself slightly, then gestured toward the mountain path behind her. "I'm going for a walk up the mountain. Wanna join me? You can tell me how your life has been while we climb."
Gabriel's smile widened, soft but genuine. "Sure," he said, nodding. "I actually came here looking for you. I've seen you passing through sometimes, so I've been coming back here every day at the same time, hoping we'd run into each other."
Lilith raised a brow, surprised. "Every day?"
"Every day," Gabriel affirmed, chuckling softly. "Guess it finally worked."
As they began climbing the mountain, Gabriel walked with a relaxed stride, his gaze wandering over the lush path and the shimmering light of the distant mushroom forest behind them. "So," he said, his tone casual but warm, "I'm living a happy life with my family at the edge of the Sky."
Lilith glanced at him, curious but guarded. "Family?" she asked.
Gabriel nodded, his expression softening. "Yeah. My partner and our little ones. It's quiet, peaceful... exactly what I needed after everything. You'd like it there. I could take you sometime."
Lilith gave a faint smile but said nothing, her eyes focused on the path ahead. Gabriel, undeterred, continued with a teasing grin. "Who knows, maybe you'll find a lover, settle down, and have kids of your own. Live a happy life. You need it, Lilith." He glanced at her with a wide smile, clearly amused by his own suggestion.
Lilith shot him a sharp look, though there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Oh, don't start with that," she said dryly. "You sound like one of those court advisors trying to 'fix' me."
Gabriel laughed, his voice echoing lightly in the crisp air. "Hey, I'm just saying. You've got this whole princess thing going on—power, beauty, brains. Someone out there's bound to fall for you."
"Right," she said with a snort. "Because that's exactly what I need right now—a husband and a palace full of screaming kids."
"You'd handle it better than you think," Gabriel said with a grin, nudging her lightly. "But fine, fine, I'll drop it. For now."
He chuckled, but Lilith's thoughts drifted elsewhere. She knew Azareon hadn't spared a second thought for Gabriel after he was expelled. Her father had never truly valued relationships—not as a husband, and certainly not as a father. To him, Gabriel's accusations had been a stain on his pride, a challenge to his authority. Dismissing him was simply an act of removing an inconvenience, as though Gabriel had been a mere thorn rather than his son.
Lilith often wondered if Azareon even considered Gabriel part of the family. She hated that thought—but after everything she had seen, she couldn't dismiss it entirely. And now Gabriel was here, standing next to her, the very reminder of how fractured their family had always been.
Lilith's voice cut through her thoughts, sharp but steady. "That thing won't work for me, you know," she said, her tone half-joking but resolute. "I already have a peaceful life, and it's boring. Just now that that dumb king came up with his idiot ideas, but before that, I was just living a peaceful and boring life."
Gabriel raised a brow and chuckled again. "Boring, huh? I guess peace isn't all it's cracked up to be when you've got royalty running through your veins."