My favorite alpha [chanlix]

6. Just a cold

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　☆　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"Where's father? I thought that he had something important to announce? Is Changbin with him?" Felix asked as he slowly sipped on his wine, letting the terse taste linger on his tongue before carefully placing the heavy goblet back on the table and picking up his cutlery instead.

Their father was a busy man and family meals were rare and far in between, so when he did gather all of them it was usually to discuss clan business, or as in Felix's particular case, to get directives thrown at him. Thus, all of the princes had been called to the private dining hall at the head Alpha's quarters for a luncheon, but so far only Felix and Minho had been the ones to actually show up. They had not even been seated for a particularly long while before Felix's empty stomach made itself known, and very loudly at that. Minho had chuckled, eyes morphing into crescents, as he with a flick of his wrist ordered for the food to be served right away. The servants had flooded the room then, quickly setting the table with dishes full of still sizzling meat and roasted, seasonal vegetables.

Now, in reference to Felix's question, Minho cocked his head to the side as he gazed thoughtfully at his younger brother in the flickering light of the candelabras. As the oldest alpha present, Minho was seated regally at the far end of the table, the intricate backrest of his grand chair curving menacingly behind him. He was wholly dressed in dark velvet in an attempt to dispel the penetrating autumn cold. A doublet jacket with puffy shoulders accentuated his noble waist-to-shoulders-ratio and a thick, golden pendant with the clan crest was nestled between the folds of the soft fabric, resting heavily against his slowly rising and falling chest.

The omega was sitting a couple of seats down from Minho, head lowered meekly and soft bangs spilling over his eyes as he morosely dragged a fork through the food on his plate. The chunky knife in his other hand glinted sharply, sending a ripple of light rushing across the polished tableware laid out on the dinning table. Minho could not help but to notice the bluish shadows under Felix's eyes and a light sheen clouding his golden gaze. He looked worn out.

"Hm. Well, I had to leave earlier to attend to some other state affairs, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're still stuck in the meeting with the northerners," Minho replied and despite the intensity in his gaze, his voice came out rather bored and uninterested, one hand playing absently with the stem of his bejeweled wine goblet.

The omega nodded mutedly, soft strands of hair flopping about his face and the ornate earrings fastened along the outer shell of his delicate ears tinkled faintly, twisted strings of gold hitting gently against the sides of his long neck. Felix spun the cutlery feebly between his fingers as silence stretched between them, before ferociously piercing a piece of steak on the tips of his fork. Pink juice oozed out of the meat and Felix grimaced, his stomach twisting into knots. He dropped the fork promptly onto his plate, letting it clatter noisily, in an instant losing all appetite.

Minho's gaze followed his brother's ministrations with great interest, inky eyes sparkling, waiting for Felix to just spit out whatever that was weighing on his mind.

"Um..." Felix leaned back against the padded backrest of his chair, a puff of air dispelling from his cream-colored shirt and with it, the sweet scent of vanilla. A tiny pinch formed between his brows as he played aimlessly with the cloth napkin in his lap, pulling at the loose threads along the lining. The bedazzled bracelets sparkled around his wrists as he fidgeted. Felix glanced then hesitantly at Minho, unsure of how to breach the topic. "H-how are the northerners?"

Minho narrowed his eyes, sensing that Felix was approaching whichever issue that was on the front of his mind from a great distance. Interesting. The corners of Minho's devious mouth quirked upwards, nimble fingers tapping lazily against the coarse, clothed tabletop.