Chapter 459
Gabriel carefully set the massive encyclopedia onto the heavy oak table in his study. He stood back, dusting his hands off with a sharp clap. “I wonder if it contains anything at all related to Aurevalis,” he murmured.
He knew he would have to dedicate significant time to reading the book, but checking on Amelie and Noah was his immediate priority.
Locking the double doors of the study, he secured the key deep in his trouser pocket and headed toward the royal chambers. To his surprise, they were empty.
“Your Highness, little prince is with the Alpha King and Queen. While Lady Amelie has gone to drop Miss Flora to the guest room,” Ashna informed him.
“Alright.” Gabriel quickly changed course and headed for Raidan and Mabel’s manor.
He found them both in the comfortable, sunlit sitting room, happily enjoying the early evening. Noah was perched between them on the sofa, babbling happily.
“Look who’s here!” Raidan said warmly, glancing at Gabriel, who quickly crossed the room to greet both his parents with respect.
“Pa!” Noah’s eyes instantly lit up. He began excitedly kicking his little arms and legs while still nestled between his grandfather.
“Did he sleep well?” Gabriel asked, his gaze fixed on his son.
“He slept for a good hour,” Mabel answered, her expression soft. “And Gabriel, your in-laws have arrived too p>
“Yes, I found out,” Gabriel confirmed, extending his arms for his son.
“Go to your father,” Mabel said warmly, carefully transferring Noah into Gabriel’s strong, familiar embrace.
“I’ll take my leave then,” Gabriel said, offering a grateful nod to his parents before walking out of the manor and into the connecting corridor. Noah’s little hands instantly explored Gabriel’s face, one tiny palm resting against his cheek, while Gabriel supported his small back.
“Pa,” Noah called out again, a soft, happy sound.
“Yes, boy?” Gabriel asked, his voice tender.
Noah answered with a bright smile, promptly bringing his thumb up to his mouth and beginning to suck on it contentedly.
As Gabriel walked down the long corridor, he unexpectedly encountered Katelyn.
“Noah!” Katelyn exclaimed in genuine delight, her face lighting up. The boy simply looked at her with calm, curious eyes, not reacting much to her outburst.
“Don’t suck your thumb, little prince,” she whispered playfully, gently guiding Noah’s tiny hand away from his mouth. She then leaned in and lightly pinched his cheek, smiling brightly.
The pinch, however, was enough to startle him, and Noah immediately began to cry.
“Why did he suddenly start crying?” Katelyn panicked, her eyes wide with fear that Gabriel would scold her.
“Look at your nails. They are too long,” Gabriel said simply, his focus entirely on soothing his distressed son. He began patting Noah’s back in a slow, steady rhythm. “No, baby! Stop crying. Aunt Kate was only trying to show you love,” he whispered to the infant.
“Noah, calm down. Please,” Katelyn pleaded, her earlier joy replaced by a genuinely worried expression.
After almost fifteen minutes, Noah’s wails finally subsided to hiccuping breaths and then turned silent. Large, fresh tears were still visible on his tiny, flushed face, which Gabriel gently wiped away with his thumb.
Katelyn breathed a sigh of immense relief when she saw Noah had stopped crying.
“You need to be more mindful with kids, Kate,” Gabriel instructed gently, rocking the now-calm baby. “Infants are so soft and sensitive. You have to keep every small detail in mind when you’re interacting with them p>
“I understand,” Katelyn murmured, pouting slightly as she looked at her hands. “I’ll go cut my nails immediately p>
“You don’t have to do that,” Gabriel replied. Noah had grown completely still; his face moved into the warmth of his father’s shoulder, and he quickly drifted back to sleep.
As Gabriel started walking again, he noticed the troubled look on her face. “What happened? Why do you look so tense?” he inquired.
“A lot is happening these days,” Katelyn whispered, glancing around the empty corridor instinctively. “Everyone is tense. I heard about Brother Casaio and Nick, apparently, they’ve come to very odd terms over something p>
“Life happens,” Gabriel replied with a heavy sigh, accepting the familiar truth of royal conflict.
“Brother Gabriel, can I share something with you?” Katelyn asked tentatively.
Gabriel shifted Noah’s weight slightly, his patience wearing thin. “If it’s again about your indecisiveness regarding a courtship, then no, please don’t,” he pronounced. “I simply can’t keep giving you the same advice p>
Katelyn’s lower lip trembled in a pout. “Why can’t you just act like a protective brother to me?” she muttered, frustrated. “I would have gone to Brother Casaio or Nick with my worry, but they are both stressed with their own messy lives right now. I felt like I could open up to you.” Her expression then shifted to a slight frown. “Come to think of it, you’re the main reason I’ve always kept myself away from most male Alphas p>
Gabriel paused in his steps, a frown deepening on his face. “What do you mean by that, Kate p>
“You always act so arrogant and authoritative, Brother,” she complained, finally letting her frustration show. “And now, because of that, I’m completely unable to make a clear decision about keeping Sage in my life or letting him go p>
“Hah!” Gabriel scoffed, the sound sharp in the quiet corridor. “You should blame your own mind for being unable to think clearly, not me p>
“What?” Katelyn’s mouth dropped open in shock and indignation.
“Don’t raise your voice. Noah is sleeping,” Gabriel warned, his purple eyes flashing instantly, a subtle but potent display of his Alpha authority.
“Ugh! This is exactly why I feel most Alphas are all the same!” Katelyn hissed, gritting her teeth and leaning closer to whisper angrily. “You all try to control me p>
“I never tried to control you. You are the annoying one here,” Gabriel countered without missing a beat. “You constantly cry about your problems instead of solving them. Just find a solution on your own. Don’t ask for my advice because I won’t give you any.” He paused, then offered a final, definitive thought. “However, I do have one thing to say: follow what your heart says, not your head p>
With that, Gabriel turned his back on his fuming sister and walked away, leaving Katelyn alone in the corridor.