Prelude to Chaos: Part IV — Royalty and Religion

Steady steps echoed in the isolated house of nobility where hollow candles lit up the mansion of the Valentinos. Aureli’s fingers fiddled with the buttons of his sleeve to undo them, the golden beads shimmering under the candle’s hue.

The hair he had always slicked back to perfection was dishevelled with the grease of sweat, his usual smile and gentleness lost in the fog of night. He ran a hand through his pitch black hair, pushing them back from his eyes.

“Margaret.” he commanded, his voice the very essence of ice as she hurried over from the servant quarters, her maid uniform crinkled from what looked like a momentary sleep. Her face flushed with a dust rose as she ran over to his side, nearly stumbling over her own feet in the process.

She stopped right in front of him, kneeling in respect as his cold eyes sent a chill down her spine, bowing her head to greet him.

“My lord, I hope your day has been good to you. How may I be of service?”

Aureli scoffed, fully aware of the secret feelings she harboured, much to his distaste.

Women were lovely beings but they were also vicious, always out with a purpose in mind, only ever approaching him for his very obvious beauty and wealth.

Margaret was no different.

However, she was someone Aureli had the right to be cruel to. Having raised him, she had seen him through all phases of his life, her love a dangerous poison, sickening in its scope. But he dared not kick her out, for she was the only person he ever saw as his mother.

The irony is lost on me. This is not even funny.

He reached out, holding her chin under his thumb, lifting it up to meet her eyes. Aureli didn't smile, she was someone who didn't deserve his respect and love. “You dare make me wait? Your wretched self is growing more and more audacious by the day, I see.”

Margaret enjoyed the disrespect, causing Aureli to let out a chortle of disbelief, noticing the shiver on her skin as she pressed her thighs together.

Disgusting…

He thought, pulling his hand away from her chin.

“No matter what I do, it only delivers shocks of pleasure to you. Were you like this even when I was a child?”

Margaret fell to her knees, no longer being able to keep her composure.

“My lord, you are the only one whom I've given my heart to. Since the day I laid my eyes on you, I cannot stop thinking about you, shining like the blinding white light of the moon amongst the pitch black darkness of the night sky. You may not wish to look my way but I…. my lord, even when you abuse me.. it is like a symbol of your affection.”

Aureli's nose scrunched up with repulsion as Margaret smiled like a madwoman, her arms hugging her frame. Aureli had always thought of Margaret as a beautiful woman, always wished that she would find a man and make her own family, only for him to grow up and realise how twisted her psyche really was.

How naive of me. I wished for her happiness as a kid while she was moaning to the sound of my name…

Memories of dreadful nights flashed before his eyes as Aureli unbuttoned his shirt, undoing the beads of gold one by one, walking towards the archives of Valentinos. He threw his shirt behind him as Margaret gratefully picked it up, resisting the urge to bury her face in it to inhale his scent as he grabbed a flask of vintage whisky, pouring himself a glass 

“Now then, where should I begin…”

“Why not begin with me, my lord?" 

Aureli snapped at her in disbelief

"What are you waiting for? Some pain to jolt you awake? Get out of my sights!”

“I wish for a reward for helping you, my lord.. all I ever receive is harsh words or lashes of pain.. just once my lord..” Aureli's eyes widened as Margaret took another step forward, settling between his legs and pressing her chest against his lean body.

“I don't ask for a lot, my lord. Just a kiss like we used to do when you were a child.”

Aureli clenched his jaw tight, seeing red for a second. His feet grew cold and the light in his eyes died. His fingers slid under the mess of her hair, grabbing a handful as Aureli yanked her off his body with much harshness. “Looks like I've been too lenient with you, Margaret. You are a servant after all, my property, and I have the right to use any means necessary to discipline you.”

Tears formed at the corner of her eyes. “I never ask anything of you, my lord!” she cried, her hand coming up to clutch her own collar, tearing it slightly. Her voice raised, screeching but no servant came out to see what was happening. “You can kill me if you wish, but I wouldn't tell you where I've kept the records. I am your loyal servant and I deserve to be rewarded for my loyalty, for all the sacrifices I've made!”

Aureli continued to pull her by the hair, clasped in the cage of her arms, he finally gave in, pressing his lips against hers, devouring the spilled moans in his mouth. She was not allowed to touch him, both hands held behind her back.

This bitch

Margaret forced her tongue against his, a flush of pink covering her skin, while Aureli grew paler and colder by the second, the disgust settling at the bottom of his stomach, his anger flaring with intensity as he yanked her back by her hair again.

His eyes glared down at her face with contempt, her chest heaving up and down from being short of breath. She was old after all, a pleased smile on her lips.

“Speak woman!” Aureli screamed, letting her hands loose as he threw her on the floor, taking a step away from her. Margaret trembled with pleasure, her index finger pointed at the storage door beside the bookshelf. “There's a key inside on the left shelf, use that to open the drawer beside it...” Aureli followed her instructions and soon enough, he was back with the key. His fingers itched for blood as he grabbed Margaret by her hair again, dragging her outside of the archive and throwing her across the floor. He didn't scream, he didn't cry. All he did was glare at her with his chilling cold eyes, eyes that didn't just excite Margaret but also terrified her.

“Do not come near me again. From this day forth, send Steven in your stead. You are relieved of your position. Enjoy your retirement.” and with this last command, Aureli shut the wooden door in her face.

He rubbed the back of his hand against his wet lips until they were bruised and swollen, wanting to throw up, to scream, but Aureli knew more than anyone, it wouldn't solve a damn thing. Right now, his own trauma was the last thing on his mind. A student was dead and…

Shit..

The hand that held the key trembled slightly, moisture pooling in his eyes, his body screaming to recoil. Aureli shook his head, taking in a deep breath as his senses numbed and his racing heartbeat calmed down.

“Don’t you find you were a bit too harsh with her?”

Arachna spoke from deeper in the room.

“Heh, I didn’t peg you to be the one to care about such things.”

Aureli replied as Arachna appeared from behind a bookshelf, her crimson hair tied in a high pony tail and her weapon no longer on her person. She saw Aureli's eyes soften as hers widened when she realised he was shirtless, his body glistening like a gold sculpture under the candle light.

Arachna however did not comment, keeping up formal ethics. What Aureli did in his free time and with his servants was none of her business. In other words, it was a boundary she never dared cross. For once, Aureli felt awkward, averting his eyes from her and running a nervous hand through his hair.

“Do you need me to leave?” Arachna cautiously asked, waiting for Aureli’s response. His eyes glinted with a spark unknown to Arachna. Aureli didn't answer for a while, walking towards the drawer Margaret had instructed him towards earlier, retrieving a tattered old spiral book as he smiled at Arachna. 

“Two heads are better than one.” he said, opening the old text to uncover the secrets of the past.

“Roman Valentino…” Aureli mumbled the name, his brows scrunched together into a frown as he read the logs.

The 1st winter

I, Roman Valentino, the 3rd lord of the Dukedom, write this account as the proof of our own foolish needs manifesting into reality, for future generations to read.

This is the first winter since the passing of our mother Solace. To the future generations, I'm certain these cold blooded royals would not have blinked before burning down the history of mother Solace and her dearest friend… Malevolent.

Solace was the mother of all that is to be born on this land. She was the epitome of life, she was the sun to everyone's morning. All of us knew she was the incarnation of the omnipotence from above, one does not need eyes to feel the presence of thee.

Sorrows to the reality of life, mother did not make this happy land alone. Where there is light, there is darkness. Malevolent appeared one day, charming mother into this illusion he called friendship. If mother was life, Malevolent was.. death. He helped nurture this land, we all were but subjects of her choices, reveling in the protection of her arms. However it didn't last…

Malevolent betrayed mother, took what was important to her. The jester, mother's —----, he fought the —----, the calamity caused by —-----.

Aureli felt frustrated. The documents were old but it was as if someone had messed with the important sections of it on purpose. 

“It's as if they don't want us to know…” Arachna mumbled out loud, her arms crossed across her chest, finger tapping as she thought long and hard about it.

A place where the strong gather to become stronger, to protect the weak. Rising up like the sun that our mother was. This time, the calamity won't defeat —- Malevolent will co—- the Jester—- Calamity—-

The candles flickered in the Valentino Archive as Arachna approached, casting long shadows over the table where Aureli sat. Aureli hissed in pain as purple sparks danced across his palm as a result of trying to decipher the magically redacted text.

"Let me," Arachna said softly, taking his hand. Her fingers were cool, contrasting with his burning skin as she murmured a healing spell, knitting the torn flesh back together. Aureli watched her, shirtless, vulnerable, stripped of his usual flamboyance, her breathing steady as he stared down at her face near his chest.

"You have gentle hands for a woman who carries a sword," Aureli murmured.

"And you have a reckless heart for a man who carries a book," Arachna replied, not looking up, busy in her work.

It was a sight Aureli had never expected to see. When was the last time someone had worried for him? When was the last time someone's touch didn't feel disgusting to him? He felt warmth spread across his chest, tension released from shoulders just by watching Arachna as his fingers reached out to tuck away the crimson locket that was troubling her.

She looked up at him, for once showing her humane self, confusion in her eyes. "Aureli?"

The noble laughed, gently taking his hand out of her grip. “I see, I have to get hurt in order for you to speak my name.”

His playful self was back as the air between them shifted from camaraderie to intimacy.

"We are playing a dangerous game, Crimson," Aureli said, his voice dropping. "Investigating the Queen. Hiding Vanessa's secret. If we get caught..."

"We die," Arachna finished."But I would rather die seeking the truth than live serving a lie. From how the story goes, Solace is not confirmed to be a goddess but rather someone who possessed great ability to help the people.” she stated, doodling down the story for better visual representation with a feather pen. It was something she had always done to understand things better.

Aureli dipped his head in agreement, showing Arachna the pointers he had written down with his uninjured hand. “Here are a few things that made sense to me. 1. The goddess was killed. 2. She was betrayed by Malevolent. Here are things that do not have any clarification. 1. Did Malevolent kill her? It says here he betrayed her but did he kill her? 2. He took something from her. What it was, we don't know. 3. The existence of a jester and a calamity. The most puzzling is these two. The jester was mentioned in the letter from the archives as well but his relationship with Solace remains unknown.”

“You missed the part where Roman Valentino mentioned the royal family in a negative manner. I'm also guessing, that is how the Academy came to be. If Vanessa is the goddess’s daughter, it would make sense why the carvings on the academy walls look like her. There are still too many questions, lord Valentino. But one thing is certain, this information cannot be shared with the royals….”

Arachna replied , shifting her focus back to the redacted document. "The Queen wants a 'necessary sacrifice' to ascend a new 33rd Degree Mage. The last ones... Musashi and Ophelia... do you know who they sacrificed?"

Aureli went pale. "From what I heard... their lovers."

They stared at each other. The realization hung in the air like poison.

If they continued down this path... if they grew closer... one of them would be the cost.