In the Arms of Absence

A Nightmare for Both of Us

lennox teiwind (in Raphael Bendyke)

As Jester approached him, lennox was taken aback to the point where words failed him momentarily. Yohn and Ivide eagerly hugged Jester while Blaine stood steadfast beside him. Jester reciprocated the embrace, kissing each twin on the forehead before turning his attention to Lennox, who seemed visibly perplexed.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Jester inquired, noticing lennox hesitation.

"Huh?" lennox stammered, his gaze fixed on Jester. "No... nothing."

Yohn chimed in, eager to share some news. "Brother just scolded Grandma Martha," he announced, almost gleefully.

"What?" Jester's confusion deepened as he glanced at lennox .

Ivide, twirling around Jester's legs, added her own perspective. "She won't let us play in the house."

"But still, you never say a single thing to Martha, no matter how harsh she is with the kids discipline," Jester remarked, still puzzled as he looked at lennox .

"Did I do something strange? What's there to be cautious about?" lennox expression shifted from confusion to concern, then annoyance upon hearing Jester's reaction.

"Remember what Father told us about being obedient when it comes to Nanny. Besides, she practically raised us, siblings," Jester explained.

"Raised us... siblings..." lennox ' s thoughts raced as he processed this new information. He needed to maintain his composure; understanding his situation would come later. "Being obedient to someone doesn't give them the right to issue unnecessary orders. I refuse to believe that Father's instructions to be obedient extend to giving Nanny Martha free rein to dictate what the owner of this house should do," lennox asserted firmly.

"But she's like our mother," Jester countered.

"But she's not," lennox interjected firmly.

"Father's going to be mad," Blaine added, still clinging to lennox 's legs.

lennox sighed, ruffling Blaine's hair affectionately. "Well, then we'll figure it out. But for now, go play, all three of you. Run, laugh, scream, do whatever you want, okay, little one?" He lowered himself to Blaine's eye level, patting his head gently.

"I'm not a baby, I'm eight," Blaine protested, though he couldn't suppress a laugh.

"Sorry," lennox chuckled softly, then turned to Jester, who had been observing silently. After the children dashed off toward the garden, Jester broke the silence.

"What happened to you? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Jester asked, studying his older brother's expression.

"Not the wrong side, but I woke up as the wrong person altogether," lennox stated cryptically, leaving Jester thoroughly confused. "What?" Jester asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Nothing," lennox replied dismissively, his gaze shifting to the cabin framed by a sea of yellow daffodils, and yes, the gravestone nearby. "Hey, Jester, when did we decide to plant those flowers around the cabin?" he inquired, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Jester paused, surprised by lennox 's question. "Those have been here since we were born, I think. They're Father's favorite. He spends a lot of time there, even instructed the gardener to take special care of them. No one goes there except Father and the gardener. The gardener isn't even allowed inside the cabin," Jester explained, sensing Lennok's unfamiliarity with the estate's history.