Secrets Within the Estate

4

The next morning after Liam woke up, more people came to poke and prod him, Caspian came by in the early afternoon.

Caspian was still wearing the same clothes as the day before, which made Liam wonder if he ever actually went to bed.

"Your clothes will be delivered later today or tomorrow, aren't you excited?" Caspian sat down on the sofa.
"Y-yes..."
"I'm glad."
"S-sir... did you sleep?"
"Hm? Did I sleep?"
"Yes..."

"Mm, not really,"
"Ah, but-"
"Are you feeling comfortable here? Is there anything you need or want?"
"...I'm fine, th-there's nothing else I could a-ask for..."
"Are you sure?"
Liam nodded.

"Would you like to see your sisters later after your clothes are delivered?"
"Ah... y-yes, I'd like to see Lyra,"
"You don't like the older one much, do you?"
"..."
"It's okay if you don't. I hate all of my siblings, too."
"Ah... I-I don't like her..."
"Is there a reason why?"

"She th-thinks that I'm r-retarded. She said it herself... sh-she th-thinks th-that since I w-was sold off b-before her she was liked b-better, and she th-thinks she's b-better than me because of th-that. She only s-sees me as a dumb b-brother who can't do anything myself b-because I'm too dumb... B-but she hasn't gone th-through half of what I've gone th-through, and she never would've b-been able to take care of Lyra, sh-she's too selfish... she's also a liar,"
"Those are all valid reasons, but what do you mean she's a liar?"
"Wh-when you asked if either of us could read or write... sh-she knows how to read. She's not good at wr-writing, b-but she can read perfectly well..."
"Why would she lie about that?"
"For pity,"
"I see."
Liam looked up as he asked, "W-why do you hate your siblings...?"

"Ah, it's a complicated situation, but to put it in the easiest words, they all think I'm trash because I don't have the same mother, so they treat me like garbage and constantly send people to try and kill me."
"To kill you?! Why-"
"Because I'm the one in line to take control over the Fae family. They want me dead so that they can take the position."

"B-but didn't you say that you'll-"
"That I only have six months to live? I did. And it's true. They'll get what they want."
"I-If I may ask... wh-what's the cause... why will you die?"

Caspian turned away from the window and looked at Liam with a smile. "I was poisoned."
"Poison...?"
"Yes, I was poisoned."
"By who?"
"My father."

"Why would-"
"He also hates me."
"Isn't th-there something th-that can get rid of the poison?"
"Of course, there is."
"Th-then-"
"I'd have to travel all the way to Laiksha to obtain it, and honestly, I'd rather just die. I've had enough of this cruel world, cruel people, and my cruel family."
"..."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you and your two sisters have a home even after I die."
"...What kind of poison is it?"
"Why?"
"Ah- n-nevermind..."
"Don't be so nervous."
"..."
"Do you want to know the side effects, or the actual poison itself?"
"U-um... I-I don't know-"

"It was baked into some food that my father gifted me, delicacies from Laiksha."
"..."
"It's a slow killer. It slowly spreads through your body, at first you'll start to feel tingling and numbness in your body, and those spots will eventually lose feeling, as if nothing is there. It can also make your joints lock up and you'll be unable to move them. It can also cause a low appetite, and insomnia, make it easy to lose focus, and you might even lose sense of taste and smell. It also causes patches of discoloration on your skin."

"..."
"It will also make it hard to breathe and cause you immense pain when you try to. It causes hallucinations and vivid nightmares that can lead to madness; You get painful muscle spasms and shooting pains all the time for no reason, and the poison slowly infects the heart, ultimately causing your heart to stop beating."