Royce was silently listening to their conversation.
Out of nowhere, he finally chimed in, "Ehm... I know that this conversation is important. It decides Urias's life for a while, but neither of you can say no to Consalvo. You need me to say no for you, and by all means, I will. But, I saw your face when you sat down. You only found out about this now, so I take it this isn't what you wanted to talk about yesterday."
Reid was so focused on the situation with Urias that he forgot that his uncle was in the room with them as well. Reid slowly turned his head to look at his uncle and finally registered what he had said.
Reid spoke in a concerned tone while having a completely still expression playing on his features, displaying no emotion in the slightest, "Who was it that you executed for the murder of my mother? And your little sister?"
Both Urias and Royce were stunned because of Reid bringing up his late mother so suddenly, and seemingly for no reason, but seeing Reid's deathly serious expression, the both of them tried to reclaim their composures.
Royce was still quite taken aback by the sudden question. He answered in as serious of a tone he could muster, "I've told you his name before, haven't I? So, why?"
Reid looked furious by the end of that answer.
Reid spoke again, this time in a slightly menacing tone, "I'll tell you what this is about when you tell me who got executed for killing my mother."
Royce was genuinely concerned by how mad Reid seemed to be. Royce's lips formed a concerned frown, stretching from cheek to cheek as he said reluctantly, hoping to not escalate the matter further, "His name was Henry Stiling. He was a retainer for the family. Now, tell me why you're so mad all of a sudden."
Reid cheered up after hearing the name, returning to his regular facial expression for a moment, before his lips curled up in a creepy wide smile that reached his dazzling neon-yellow eyes.
"Well, I have reason to believe that this man, Henry Stiling, didn't kill my mother, " Reid said in a light-hearted tone.
Urias couldn't keep up with Reid's constantly changing expressions.
In a confused voice, he questioned, "So, you think that the person that had already been proven didn't do it?"
Urias was silent after. He looked at Royce, asking, without uttering a word, if there really was proof.
Royce understood Urias's questioning look despite Urias not saying anything directly. Royce nodded to signify that there was indeed proof.
Urias continued in a reinvigorated tone, "Okay. Proven to have killed your mother, but he didn't actually kill her. I'm confused."
"That is a wild claim, Reid. There's not only proof about his quilt, but the perpetrator himself confessed to the crime in front of the past Nine Great family heads. Are you suggesting that the decision was botched? And what's your so called 'reason' for this suggestion?" Royce chimed in seriously.
Reid, still smiling in the same creepy way, replied enthusiasticly, "I'm not suggesting something as serious as that, but I am suggesting that the person who actually did kill my mother may have intervened before the trial even started. Someone like the Lawless Queen, for example."
After referring to the Lawless Queen, the ruler of the Lawless region, Reid let out a crazy chuckle, while his creepy smile continued to grow.
Royce shot up at the mention of the Lawless Queen. He shot up off of the leather couch and firmly stood on the hard wooden floor. He roared in a mad and worried voice, "Do not speak of that witch in front of me! Ever!"
After 5 long minutes, Reid's facial expression finally altered from his creepy smile to a cheeky, mischievous one.
"Why not? Is it because of your history with her?" Reid said playfully, but sarcastically.
Royce grabbed Reid sharply by his collar and shook him vigorously.
In a loud voice, Royce asked, "What business do you have bringing that woman up?"
Still in the embrace of Royce's chokehold, Reid replied, still playfully, but a little more seriously, "Well, she does have a lot of Alterer Lakeys that are rumoured to posses mental affinities. I wasn't trying to rile you up, even if it was quite fun to do so."
Royce calmed down slightly. He let go of Reid and sat back down on the leather couch. Urias had seen such a scene many times before, so he wasn not worried during the confrontation.
Both Royce and Urias were used to Reid acting out like this. Reid always acted deranged any time he talked about what happened with his mother and brother. It was as if he had a second personality, though he actually didn't. Royce calmed down a considerable amount.
He placed his hand on his knee and asked in a tone that clearly represented suppressed anger, "So, will you finally tell us why you think that man, Stiling, was innocent?"
Reid took a calm breath while lighly rubbing his sour neck and responded in a serious tone, replacing his previous playful one, "I saw something. Something strange. It could've been a dream, or maybe even a vision. I'm not too sure, but it felt strangely familiar. I saw a man with blue eyes right after seeing what I assume to be both my mother and brother, dying in that damned fire. But, that man, Stiling, didn't have blue eyes, did he?"
Royce replied in an unconvinced tone, "Correct. He had brown eyes. But if that is the only thing that's leading you to believe that he didn't kill my sister, then that is not enough."
"Oh, I know, but I will prove it. Just watch me. And, when I find that bastard, I'm gonna slit his throat as he's kneeling down in front of me," replied Reid light heartedly, with a hint of malice.
After Reid's bold declaration of avenging the death of his mother, despite every other person on the plant thinking that the avenging was already over, Royce was trying to bring up more pressing and cheerful matters than his sister's death.
"Well then, down to business. You two both had a reason for me to be here, and as it happens, so do I for you. You two will be turning seventeen in two months. In July. And you'll both have to think really hard if you want to take on your 0th Limit Break or not. I know Reid is already going to challenge it, but what about you, Urias?"
Urias's gaze subtly switched from looking out the window at the lush, green grass, the large swaying trees and the pristine white marble pavement in silence, to looking at a man with slicked-back raven black hair.
Urias said in a tired voice, and while yawning, "Well, me, I'm going to do it if Reid is, so no worries from me."
Royce clasped his hands together, making a noise that could be heard from the other side of the corridor. He stood up once again and he made his way towards the heavy door. Before opening it and leaving, he responded in an understanding tone, "Grand, then. I won't worry."
Mere seconds after Royce's departure, seeing as Urias was unjustly woken up at an early hour, he shouted in a tired voice while laying his head on the soft armrest of the leather couch, "I'm going to go back to bed. Wake me up in three hours. No... four."
Reid just looked at Urias with a neutral expression as he nodded in understanding. He got up off the couch and moved at a measured pace towards a door. When he opened the door, a large silver shower gleamed as the light hit its surface. He closed the door to take a shower, because he wasnt going back to his comfy bed. Urias, on the other hand, went back to sleep in a fraction of a second, snoring as loudly as ever.