The pop music that came from the radio was a stark contrast with the stillness outside the car. It was now fully dark, streetlights illuminating the sidewalk with office workers heading home and students refusing to go home. V had been one of those students once, except instead of refusing to go home, he was being dragged by one or two of his brothers to play hooky. They’d always get caught—sometimes by their father, sometimes by their eldest brother—and all V had to do was look a bit pitiful and complain that he was cold and hungry to escape punishment. Of course, this meant his brothers were scolded more harshly by their mother for not taking care of him, the most spoiled member of the family. He felt no guilt at all.
If they were at the city V lived at, the road would’ve been congested at this time of the day, yet here the drivers could cruise along with no worries. The city was relatively empty for a famous tourist location since it was outside of peak season.
They’ve been on the road for 45 minutes, heading out of the city proper. V thought that they would go to the restaurant closer to the station, but from the direction they’re headed, Arwan was taking them to the sea. V had no complaints, out of all the branches their family opened, it was his favorite location, though he had only been there a few times since it was officially open for business.
He turned to his brother who was softly humming along to the music and asked, “Is everyone there?”
“Everyone.” Arwan kept his eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel. He didn’t need to look to know what kind of expression V had. A grimace in annoyance, no doubt.
“Including Two, Three, and Four?” He called them by their nicknames, not believing that all of them found time to come home so quickly. His brothers led busy lives.
“Yeah. Three has been here 2 days now, Two came by car in the morning, and Four arrived on the earliest train.” Arwan, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised at how fast his brothers moved; he would’ve done the same if he didn’t live in their hometown to manage the family business.
“I’m the last one again.” V pouted, somewhat irked though he didn’t know why.
Arwan chuckled. “Maybe if you didn’t move so far away, you wouldn’t be pouting right now.”
The Omega glared at him, a little mad but not really. “Don’t give me that! Condes moved farther than I did.”
“Two moves a lot. He’s a human rights lawyer. He even goes abroad more than Four does.” He only came to see you, he wanted to add.
“I’m not hearing it!” V made a big show of turning away from the driver’s seat, glaring and pouting at his brother’s reflection on the window.
Arwan chuckled again, thinking, Ah, how I missed this brat. “Okay, okay, don’t be mad. We’re almost there.”
The hotel - if it can be called that - slowly came into view. It was more of a mini castle, standing tall and proud atop the cliffside, the sea rampaging below it. Huge stones dyed red from time kept the exterior intact, preserving its medieval ambiance. Honeysuckle vines crawled around almost symmetrical windows which were situated on round towers that pointed high towards the sky. Even the original brick walls, overgrown with moss, surrounding the stone castle couldn’t hide its magnificence.
V had fond memories of this place. The stone castle had memories of his youth - his naivety, his ignorance, his unbridled passion.
Two days after his 9th birthday, his second brother snuck with him to this place. As they watched the sunset in the distance, he was told of stories about a faraway time, when secondary genders didn’t exist and the world was ruled by kings and queens. The younger one asked the older one if dragons and witches were real, only to be told that anything is real as long as he wanted it to be.
On the afternoon of his 14th birthday, the castle bore witness as he went for his first jump over the cliff. The taste of momentary flight on his skin was exhilarating, the freedom was addictive. As his feet touched the water, he was first met with resistance, and then a loud splash as the cold water bit into his core. Head above water, the sunset over the horizon was almost blinding. Still, he continued to do it over the years, sometimes with his friends, often with his brothers. To feel truly alive was a chase he knew would never come to an end.
A week before his 16th birthday, the results of the school-wide secondary gender examination came back. V cut classes and found his way inside the abandoned abode. Its walls shielded him from the truth he was not ready to face yet, the desolation providing him space where he didn’t need to be anything - no omega, no expectation, no stereotypes. It was just him, Vivien of the Mu Hen family, youngest of five. That night, he came back right on time for dinner, his father’s cooking warming the cold that seeped underneath his clothes, underneath his heart.
The elders in their city used to tell bedtime stories about the castle, tales of ghosts and corrupt (and later, beheaded) aristocrats meant to scare children into obedience. He knew none of those stories were true because if it was, the castle would’ve been deemed a historical building a long time ago. It would’ve had value aside from serving as a hideout for teenagers sneaking alcohol from the adults.
When his eldest brother asked for a new branch recommendation, he didn’t hesitate to propose the abandoned castle. After doing proper research, it was then he discovered that the castle was a forgotten project by some rich guy who had too much money but not enough ambition. He was right, old people were liars.
“The possible gain does not offset the cost of renovating a place with negligible traffic volume, the drive alone is almost an hour outside of city proper,” his eldest brother told him after looking at some numbers V couldn’t understand.
“I’m sure the place would be a hit. Think of the appeal of a cliffside castle - the proposals, weddings, artists trying to find inspiration.” V knew he should be taking the family business more seriously, but the thought of possibly losing the castle to some other buyer threw his rationality out the window. “Please, Arwan, just think of it as a gift.”
The eldest stared at him for a long time; he stared right back. “Fine, but you’re not getting anything for the next ten years.” His brother conceded defeat with his eyes closed, a hand holding his head as he sighed.
V hugged his brother in joy. “Eldest brother is the best!” He was way too old to be saying such things, but he didn’t care as long as it got him what he wanted.
To this day, Arwan still lords over the other three the fact that V told him he was the best, earning him envious glances every time.
Looking at it now, it was proven that his judgment was correct. The castle-turned-hotel was a hit, especially for couples on a romantic getaway. It was featured on several magazines and TV shows as a must-visit place for locals and foreigners alike. The hotel was often fully-booked, the restaurant inside even more so. If they didn’t own the place, he doubted if they could find a table on such short notice.
Of course, V knew that its success was due to Arwan’s brilliant head for business. He transformed the place into something straight out of a fairytale book - a whimsical wonder, yet the staff’s impeccable service maintained a sense of elegance that was neither childish nor extravagant. The opulence was just right, a perfect combination of charming and relaxing.
As they pulled to the castle’s entrance, V wondered if the property was under his name. A gift, like he was promised.
He wanted to ask but before he could, V realized that he didn’t care. There was nothing his family wouldn’t give if he asked. Plus, he had no use for a hotel. He doesn’t even know where to start if he was told that it would be his to manage.
“It’s been a long time since I came here,” he said to his brother, glancing at the carnations that weren’t there before.
“Has it been a year?” Arwan asked as they got off the car, passing the keys to the valet.
V thought for a moment, counting back on the months, knowing it’s been too long. “Yeah, I guess so. It was around this time last year too.”
“Do you want to stay for a night? You know there’s always a room available for you.” Under the lighting of the hotel lobby, the black circle under V’s eyes became more visible.
V had a private suite, its construction personally supervised by Arwan during the hotel’s renovation. Although it was the least frequently occupied room in the whole hotel, Arwan instructed the staff to never let anyone else inside aside from the cleaning staff no matter how much money was offered. Even if the president of the country came, the room shall remain exclusive only to their youngest.
“Mom will be sad if I don’t go home.” It was true, the eldest knew how much their mom missed her children. He often saw her looking through their family photo album.
“It’s just one night and you traveled for so long. I’ll take care of mom.” As much as Arwan hated to see their mother sad, he hated to see his brother worn out more. He had an inkling suspicion that V came home for a reason. A brother’s intuition, if it may be called.
The hotel’s general manager came running towards them just as V nodded his head. She took one glance at the Omega and quickly deduced that he held a high position in the family. He was the only one to be personally escorted by their boss, after all. Neither their parents nor their other siblings received such treatment, leaving the escorting duties to her.
Before she could introduce herself, Arwan already gave her instructions. “Prepare the Moonlight Suite.”
She was shocked but remained silent. It was the first time that the suite shall be inhabited since the year she was promoted. She almost thought the room was haunted.
After a moment to compose herself, she nodded.
Arwan saw her respectful attitude and was satisfied. He was ready to fire her if she acted like the last manager did.
With a smile, he gestured towards their youngest, “The owner has returned.”
