-UndoubtedlyYours-

-Chapter♕♚Seventeen-

✧THE START TO A BETTER YEAR✧

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***

Rhea could hardly believe it, her good mood was growing rapidly with each passing moment in Alphard's company. He expressed how worried he was when reading the previous letters and she apologized, though he claimed that it wasn't necessary.

Truth be told, Alphard knew that it wouldn't be as heartbreaking to her parents to disown her as what she'll have to face. Orion told him Rhea hardly was allowed outside the manor and no part of her wanted to invite guests.

The only time she had caught a glimpse of them was during these celebrations, and it pained him to see that she was so isolated. It couldn't be all of Cygnus' teachings.

No, this behavior was unacceptable.

Upon returning back to the party at hand, Orion had leveled a smirk that widened bit by bit. "Ah, curious to when you were going to return."
"Shove it. Anything interesting happen?"
"Not from my view, Sirius has taken to staking out Rabastan—The bloke was too invested with his mates to care about his sister. And the others have just returned just after the mark of the new year. Overall a swell party." Alphard nodded along, though took the offered glass of fire whiskey and shoved it down.

"Trouble in paradise?" He dwelled and Alphard simply looked into his glass, hoping there would be an answer in the abury color. But nothing he could interperate at the very least.

"I told her my age."
"And?"
"Didn't care in the least bit."
"That's grand, isn't it?" Alphard had wanted to tell her this evening of who he was. It was the new year after all, shouldn't they relish in the stake of their plan.

"I failed to tell her the rest." He shoved the rest back and Orion groaned. "Clearly, you need someone else to do the job. Sirius? Or perhaps Regulus will be much kinder about it, or how about—"
"I need to be the one to tell her. There isn't any way around it." His brother could agree on that at the very least, but as his eyes connected to Dolohov—Who was boasting about how he celebrated in tonight's raid with another band of Death Eaters.

Alphard noticed that Rodolphous was not amongst that crowd.

"That's not a good look."
"Where's Rhea's brother—Not Rabastan, where's—"
"He was with Dolohov before..." Orion had relied his brother's panic, but that only settled his heart to stop a search.

Something felt wrong, and it was indeed a possibility.

Rhea had allowed another two songs on the record player to pass before sliding through the study's doors. It hadn't taken long to fix her appearance, Alphard had managed to keep her eyes intact—Though their snogging always involved smeared lipstick on the upper part of her lip.

Granted the mirror worked wonders, as she needed to mask the small love marks he had left behind as well.

The countdown had run out and she found herself presentable enough to return to the public eye, a lie already at the tip of her tongue. What she was not prepared for, however, was the sudden act of being slammed against the wall with much more force than Atlas would ever give.

This part of the manor was unopened to the party's guest, meaning that it was left unlit. Though it was easy to see the embedded frown of her eldest brother holding her against the wall tightly.

Not minding the fact that she had banged her head against the wood.

"Rolf what on earth—"
"Who was it, Rhea." He spoke between his teeth, and she frowned.
"What are you talking about—Who is—?"
"That bastard that you were snogging with, you'll tell me now and this—" Complete and utter fear had wrapped her face.