Caelia didn't seem pleased with his words. She bit her lip, her eyes clearly showing her displeasure, and climbed off Cassian, standing beside him.
He sighed as he looked at her, but his attention was fixed on the man who had given him a very unpleasant surprise months earlier, the memory of his sister in prison flashing through his mind… His eyes darkened even further.
He rose from where he was sitting with exaggerated slowness and elegance, gradually approaching the man who stood frozen in front of them.
The man heard the intimate moment between his mother and the stranger come to a halt. His eyes looked confused; the voice didn't sound familiar, and he couldn't understand how his mother could do something like that with some random man. When he saw who it was, he understood even less. He frowned and realized he could move again.
He reached his right hand toward a hidden weapon behind him and asked:
"Who are you?"
"Cassian Varkas, from the county of the same name."
"Huh?" —The crown prince's eyes tried to recall something, but nothing came up; no impression of him in his memories. "Are you telling me my mother is fucking the son of some random count? One I don't even have any significant memory of?"
"But you should remember Rosalind Varkas."
The prince frowned again, confused.
"I have no idea who you're talking about."
"She's a minister. One of the many you imprisoned, some even executed by your order."
"Oh, so this is about that?" —He turned his face toward his mother. "You're betraying me for him? For the little thing I did to his sister?" Leonardo shook his head and glanced toward the bedroom door as if expecting someone to enter, but when no one did, he focused again on the two people in the room with him.
"You didn't make it very difficult for me, Leonardo. Just like your father, you always forget what truly matters."
He let out a snort.
"And what is that?" —he asked, biting his lip harder with every passing second, until it began to bleed.
"My pleasure. You never asked what I wanted, but my new son knows very well how to give it to me." A proud smile rose to her face as she cast loving glances at Cassian.
"Whore. Just you wait. The Vitalis family will make me Emperor today, and after that I'll make sure the two of you suffer for the rest of your lives."
At that moment, the bedroom door opened.
The "informant" of the Vitalis family, who had spoken with Leonardo ten days earlier, entered with a flat, disinterested expression.
"Everything is ready," he announced, standing still with a straight, professional posture.
A mad laugh rang out.
"Did you hear that? Whatever you wanted to do to me and plotted with Elara didn't work." His eyes darkened. He turned his gaze to the man who had just entered and ordered, "Arrest this man and my mother for treason against the emperor."
Silence.
The informant smiled and turned his eyes toward Cassian.
"My lord," he said, offering a respectful bow, deep and formal. Once he finished, he continued: "It is an honor to meet you. Princess Elara is currently with Cassandra Demor, fleeing from two attackers who surpass Transcendence. The shadows we sent should be able to keep them safe. On the other hand, those we infiltrated among the Vitalis and Valois families are awaiting your command, my lord."
"Hmmm, I know," Cassian replied, his eyes gazing into the distance as he toyed with a ring on his hand, thinking.
…
Meanwhile, at the Valois mansion, Cordelia looked out her window toward the center of Demor, where chaos was unfolding and part of the palace was in flames, the smoke visible from afar.
She calmly stirred the tea in her cup. It seems it has begun. Caelia, I really hope nothing happens to you… Then her mind drifted to her daughter's fiancé. I suppose you've already realized how wrong you were…
She shook her head with an ironic smile.
The door creaked then, and a figure entered the room.
"Mother…"
Cordelia's eyes softened as she looked at her daughter.
"What's wrong?"
But Morgana avoided her gaze.
"We're not on Leonardo's side, are we?"
The duchess's eyebrows furrowed.
"Morgana," she called in an angry voice, "I raised you to always pursue benefit and power. I believe you're not in the dark about what's happening, or am I wrong?"
But the younger woman shook her head.
"I should have told you… This is going to cost us dearly, Mother."
And as if in response to that statement, chaos erupted inside the Valois mansion. Screams from servants and family members began to echo.
Both women looked at each other in confusion.
They went out to see what was happening, and what greeted them was the image of countless figures of terrifying power massacring the guards and those with important roles in the duchy.
But the strange thing was that some of the lesser servants and they themselves were ignored—or rather, one of the figures approached them, and both understood they were going to be captured.
It seems Cassian showed mercy…
Victorio Valois came running, looking for his sister and mother, only to suffer the same fate. Meanwhile, the duke was busy with one of his wives and would not receive much better treatment than Morgana and Cordelia.
At the Vitalis family's properties and main mansion, something very similar was happening, although the outcome was far more unpleasant. It didn't seem like anyone would make it out alive; only perhaps some innocent servants or civilians who had nothing to do with it were left unharmed, but the shock of the situation left them in poor shape as well.
Lisbeth Vitalis was dressed in her official robes as the Saint of the Church.
With a cold expression and upright posture, she walked calmly through the hallways that were being purged.
She made her way all the way to her father's room.
Once inside, she saw him looking tensely toward the door, holding a sword that trembled in his hands.
When he saw his daughter, he sighed in relief.
But he quickly began to notice the strangeness in her.
Lisbeth, with her impeccable appearance, slowly approached him, her face revealing nothing of what she was thinking.
"You were wrong," she said apathetically. "What we did in Beaumont, what we did here…" Lisbeth's eyes turned red as she mentioned this, gripping her shoulder tightly. "None of that was holy. None of that was kind." She raised her gaze to meet her father's, who looked at her in confusion.
"Lisbeth, stop talking nonsense. We need to figure out how to get out of here."
She shook her head.
"There is no way out. I already made a deal for myself. I'm going to start living my life, Father—one I thank you for giving me and for all this time."
She drew a dagger from her side.
Her father stepped back, analyzing her, trying to understand what she intended to do.
But the weapon wasn't pointed at him. Holding his gaze with her own, she raised the dagger and pressed it against her own stomach.
Blood began to fill the room, and a twisted smile spread across the woman's face.
The duke approached, confused, but Lisbeth took advantage of that to release the light mana she had been gathering behind her the entire time.
A hole pierced the man's heart. He touched the missing spot in disbelief, let out a choked sound, and fell to his knees, dying on them.
The woman stood up, trying to hold her wound to keep from losing more blood, and walked back the way she had come.
The people who knew her and were still alive looked at her in horror.
Lisbeth went to the main entrance, where the largest number of people were gathered. She raised the scepter that characterized her and, dragging her words but with a firmness that a figure as vulnerable as hers shouldn't have at that moment, declared:
"My father is dead. The mastermind behind this disaster died by my own hands. The impure ones who infiltrated the very core of my church have been purged or are being purged. Demor is free…"
The frightened civilians, some wounded and weary, looked toward the woman who seemed to shine in that moment. Their eyes began to cloud with her brilliance, a blind faith emerging.
And the first cry of joy rang out.
"The Saint! Our Saint of Crimson Purity!"
Cheers and praises followed.
Lisbeth's eyes looked on helplessly as she gripped the object she held high with all her strength.
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Author's Note:
Hello everyone!
With her holy saint look, who would have guessed...
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