Shelly PoV
Cassian came back to the room. He looked out of it. Almost... downright sad.
"Are you okay?" I asked, putting the bag of garbage.
He looked at me and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got in a little argument with Damien, that's all."
I frowned. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine," he said, sitting down on his bed. "He's just being a jerk, as usual."
I sat down next to him. "You should try to get along with him. He's your cousin, after all."
Cassian shrugged. "Technically, he is my cousin once removed. His dad was my real cousin."
"Your mom and her brother must have a huge age gap, huh?"
"Yeah, Mom is basically the baby of the family while Uncle Jonathan is the oldest of the five legitimate siblings."
I met Frederick and his mom. The man watching the funeral from afar must've been Jonathan. There was also Alexander's mother. Who was the fifth one?
"Say, can you tell me more about the family? I've only met a few members, and I'm curious about the rest."
Cassian sighed and leaned back on his hands. "It's not really a pretty story, Shelly. There's a lot of drama and secrets. Plus, it's a big family. I don't think I could remember them all. I'm not even sure if I've met all my cousins. Uncle Frederick certainly keeps his family far away from us."
I chuckled. "I can imagine. He dislikes this side of the family quite a bit."
He laughed. "That's an understatement. Anyway, I can try to give you a brief overview. It's a long story, though."
I hummed. "It's fine. It'll make cleaning go by faster."
He nodded. "Well, the main family consists of Alastair Vonrey de Luthaine's five legitimate children and their families."
"I see, Damian, Alexander, and you are all considered the main family, right?"
"Correct. But Grandfather's legitimate linage isn't the one one. He had four siblings of his own, each with their own branch. The cadet branch is lead by our grandaunt, Sonia Vonrey of Wallace. She's the second oldest and the most respected of his siblings. It's possible the next family head will be selected from her branch. Especially after the scandal. Damien wasn't the only one happy to have you at the funeral. The Vonrey of Wallace are known for their strict adherence to the rules. For Grandfather to have illegitimate children brings shame to him and the main branch. And you're the physical reminder of that."
"That must be why they looked at me so coldly at the funeral," I said, remembering their gazes. They looked at me like I was an animal that wandered in.
Cassian sighed. "Yeah, that's probably why. They're not exactly the warmest bunch. Anyway, the other three branches are run by our granduncles. Each one has their own... quirks. You'll see what I mean when you meet them. They're not bad people, but they're a little different from the main branch."
"Quirks? Do they have tails or something?" I said, imagining them as catboys.
He laughed. "Nah, nothing like that. They're just eccentric in their own way."
"Like Damien?"
"A bit more normal," he said, snickering. "They're not as bad as him, but they're definitely not as conservative as the Vonrey of Wallace. They're more free-spirited, I guess you could say. Like, one of them is an artist, and another is a musician."
"I see," I said. "So they're more creative than the main family?"
He nodded. "Yeah, you could say that. Damien's support comes from within several of those branches. He spent time with them while growing up. Knowing him, he probably wishes he was born into one of those branches rather than the main branch."
"I can understand that," I said. "I'm still shocked to learn I'm part of this family."
"Neither can we. For the kids of one of Grandpa's bastard daughters to be brought into the family, it's a shock to us all. Especially that the old man went as far as to recognize all of his bastard children and the kids of said bastards."
I sighed. "It was a shock for us, too. We had no idea that we were even related to him. It was a big surprise when we found out he was Mom's dad."
"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" he said, his voice gentle. "We're still trying to wrap our heads around it, too. It's a lot of change to go through in such a short amount of time. And this family isn't fond of change. So, there's bound to be some resistance."
I nodded. "I can imagine. I'm sure there are plenty of people besides your grandmother who don't want us here. We're outsiders, after all."
He turned away and looked at the floor. "Yeah, that's true."
I hummed. "You're one of them, aren't you?"
Cassian sighed and stood up. He walked over to the window and stared out at the garden, his back to me. "I'm sorry, Shelly. But, yeah, I didn't want you here at first. You're an outsider, and you're here to take away what rightfully belongs to us. I wasn't going to just let you come in and take it all away from us."
I sighed and stood up. "I get that, Cassian. You're not the first person to say that. But, I don't want you to think I'm here to steal anything from you. I'm not here to take anything away from you. I'm just here to get what put aside for my mom. I'm sure that if she were alive, she would've used that money to help Toren and me have a better life. That's what I'm going to do with it now."
Cassian snickered. IThere's that feisty personality again. Your mom must have been a pretty strong-willed woman."
"Not really. Mom was soft-spoken, but she was kind and loving. She always put others before herself, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness." I smiled solemnly as I recalled her laughter and hugs. "She was the best mom I could've asked for."
My smile faltered as I remembered the times she came home late and cried in her room. She thought we were asleep, but we knew she was struggling. Thankfully, she had our dad to comfort her. He was the feisty one. The man who stood up to anyone who dared to harm his family. I wanted to be just like him. To be strong and brave and fierce. I wanted to protect my family and keep them safe.
Cassian sighed. "Well, since you're going to be staying here for a while, I'm sure you'll find that this family is not as united as you think. There's a lot of competition and fighting. But, there are a few people who care about each other, too."
I smiled at the thought of some actualy slivers of compassion among this family. "I'm sure there are."
He smiled. "Yeah, you'll see. Now, come on, let's finish cleaning up this mess."
I smiled. "Yeah, let's do this!"