"If you haven't, Mister Cavanaugh," Galad cocked his head, not one to so easily give in to authority without adding his own mocking tone, "then I could try to explain how I arrived at my conclusion until Ragnarök, and still you wouldn't understand."
Restless and no longer able to contain his twitchy limbs, Galad moved nimbly to his feet and circled his chair. "I put everything on the table for him. Offered him everything he wanted. Everything." Spinning around, Galad seized the back of his chair and squeezed until his slender fingers turned white at the knuckles. "And he turned it down to pursue his own interests. Separate from me. Turned me down."
Amethyst fire burned in his eyes as his glamour slipped. Galad's shoulders were tense, as though he may spring for a kill any moment. Checking himself, Galadari breathed out slowly and straightened up, letting his hands fall to his sides, relaxed.
"How did he let go so easily? I asked myself this for days, unable to sleep, until I finally arrived at the answer. He was able to turn me down with no remorse because he never felt anything, any loyalty or love towards me all this time. And I know why. I was First Born. I would become Baron of Bymarka. He would only hold the name in title, not position, and he resented me for it. He'd make the far better Baron. I knew it. He knew it. Our parents knew it. But the law is the law."
Galad sighed. "I was blind and stupid, but now I see. And I've learned. I have no brother."