Opting for political neutrality was initially the most prudent decision to shield my duchy from the unnecessary dramas stirred up by other regions of the empire. However, I have come to realize that I cannot remain neutral for the sake of my people indefinitely.
Having the responsibility of keeping the unconscious crown prince and princess in my palace is bad enough, but now …
“Ral, what’s going on? I’ve been calling your name for a couple of minutes now, but you’re lost in your thoughts. What is the letter about?” I looked up at Louvienne, and her eyes were filled with sincere concern about my well-being. I want to avoid seeing her worried, but now that she's the grand duchess, she deserves to know.
“By any chance … do you want to meet your in-laws?” she only blinked after hearing my question, her expression confused.
“You mean, your biological family? Why, did the letter come from them? Are they aware that you’re already the grand duke?”
I crumpled the letter in my hand, tightly containing my anger. If Louvienne were not present, I would seek out something to vent my frustration on.
Unfortunately, the vase on my desk contained flowers she had personally picked from our palace's garden and arranged.
"This letter is from the Eurhyian king, Thyra's brother. This letter is a warning that in 30 days, Thyra should be returned to Eurhyia and if I won't cooperate, he'll start a war against Eskal. On behalf of him, he'll be sending Marquess Jarvis Vassezac for us to formally talk with me. Thyra told me before that her brother is obsessed with her because that mad king wanted to keep Thyra by his side. When she was sent off, she mentioned that she'll be here in Eskal and that I'm the one who invited her. Considering that the king didn't hear any word from Thyra for almost four months, it's only natural for him to look for her.”
“Wait. Marquess Vassezac? Isn’t that your father?”
"No, but Jarvis is my brother. He already succeeded in the title," I let out a short sigh. “Who would’ve thought I’ll meet that bastard this way?”
“Are you still angry? It’s been years. I thought you moved on already because I never heard you mention your family since you were adopted.”
What she said is true. It’s been years – 26 years to be precise, since I was kicked out of House Vassezac.
I don't have the vitality to be angry, nor do I wish to. Yet, if Jarvis does decide to march his way on my duchy, I should give him a piece of my mind.
I’ve held myself back from discussing it for many years, and now is the right time.
Having left everything behind me since my adoption, this recent development has brought to light that I have yet to forgive Jarvis. I seem to have forgotten about it without truly forgiving him.
Although the pain may have subsided, the spontaneous negative remarks I made earlier clearly indicate that I am still unsettled by the thought of him.
Louvienne held my cheek like some precious glass. Her eyes were filled with warmth, yet I can feel that she feels bad about me. I removed her hand that was on my cheek and I closed my eyes as I kissed it. "I'm sorry, I'll be watchful with my words. I got carried away with my emotions. I cannot escape my past. Maybe this will happen so that we can have closure. I’m sure he’s not aware that the person he’ll be meeting is his long, lost brother.”
──•~❉᯽❉~•──
The day of Jarvis’ arrival came faster than I anticipated. He arrived the next day after the letter was received. I thought of how things will be like if our paths will cross again one day, and even though I’m mentally prepared, the thought of facing him still makes my skin crawl.
The pain I endured no longer troubles me, yet there remains a longing for justice for the young boy I once was, who endured suffering at a tender age.
Though he is my brother, do I still harbor resentment towards him? I find myself uncertain about how to feel regarding this matter.
"Your Grace, the Marquess of House Vassezac has arrived. Should I let him in? He's in the lobby." Viscount Philippe informed. He’s one of those who knows my thoughts about the matter – someone who knows what my past was like. After all, he’s been serving the late king and queen even before I was here. That would be at least 35 years ago.
“I don't have the slightest interest in welcoming him, so you can lead him here. I'd appreciate some refreshments for us."
“Forgive me for intruding but … you don’t seem upset about meeting him. Your Grace, I’ve known you since you were a child. You express your negative emotions such as anger. Seeing you this composed feels like a calm before the storm.”
“Who knows? I’m not sure if this is how I’ll react when I see him in person. Just to be sure, I'll put away my gun out of my reach to avoid bloodshed," I walked to my desk and pulled the drawer, removed the gun attached to my belt, and placed my gun inside. "This should be enough." The viscount bowed as he stepped out of the room.
The longer the silence, the more restless I feel. I no longer want to be angry. What would Louvienne say if she were here? She sure will give comforting words and give me a warm embrace of reassurance that everything will be fine. She may not be doing a lot, but her presence or thought of her alone puts me at ease.
As the door to the drawing room swung open, the viscount remained silent, refraining from announcing his identity. Jarvis strode in with confidence, exuding a sense of superiority that contradicted my expectations.
His sharp, purple eyes revealed a steely resolve, devoid of any hint of intimidation. Nonetheless, I harbored doubts whether he could recognize me at all.
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“Greetings, Your Grace. I –”
“Let’s drop the formalities for now. It’s been a while since we last met … brother.” I gave him a wry smile, and he lost the confidence he showed on the surface the moment I call him brother. His eyes went wide, and his platinum earring adorned with tanzanite gems dangled as he raised his head. “I see you’re wearing the emblem of House Vassezac’s heir. Congratulations on inheriting his title.”
Jarvis gritted his teeth as he avoided my eyes. I can’t help but feel amused, seeing the guilt written on his face.
“Have a seat, Lord Vassezac. I believe we have a lot to discuss. But before I speak my mind, it would be better if your concern should be addressed first.” He sat on the couch across from me, a table separating us. The butler arranged the tea and filled our cups before she left.
“At first, I thought you only have the same first name by coincidence, but I never imagined seeing you as a grand duke. I wasn't expecting my brother, Raleigh Vassezac became Raleigh Von Laszlo. You do have a knack for social climbing." He took a sip of the tea after saying those, his eyes closed as if to enjoy the tea.
I find it hard to believe that he would have the audacity to label me as a social climber. Is he purposefully trying to provoke me? His words made me regret concealing my gun, as it's the first thing I wish I had in my grasp right now.
Maybe he is unaware that this location isn’t that different to a cemetery; for this room has witnessed the presence of numerous deceased individuals throughout the years.
"I'll be more careful with my words if I were you. As you can see, you're in my dominion, and I can do whatever I want because I have everything under control here. It won’t be hard for me to order someone to take you out of my sight and have you impaled and burn your body in public after.”
I rested against the couch with my arms crossed, feeling the urge in my hands to grip something hard. I sensed a growing impulse in my hands to seize something firm, and this act was the only method I could think of to restrain myself for a while.
He has no idea how grateful he should be, for I’m doing my best to be at my best behavior.
“I was abducted while I was asleep, knocked out and I just found myself in the middle of the forest. I wandered aimlessly in the darkness, with only the moon partially obscured by clouds providing illumination. When it began to rain, I had no option but to drink rainwater since there were no rivers nearby. After approximately three days, I stumbled upon a nearby town previously unfamiliar to me, where the residents spoke a language I couldn’t understand. Have you ever had the experience of consuming half-eaten, cold leftovers? It made me realize how people take their food for granted.”
Jarvis’ lip twitched, and still, he couldn’t look at me directly. His gestures alone are enough for me to confirm that now that he’s hearing all these, guilt will devour him in his seat, little by little. Good. This is the least I could do.
“I couldn’t stand sleeping by the street, getting kicked by store owners when I sleep next to their store and begging for money. So, I thought of looking for an orphanage that can take me in. I thought that would be better because I can eat decent food than garbage. They didn’t have foams on our wooden beds but it’s better than sleeping on the cold street.”
Memories started flooding my mind, reminding me of the kid I once was. At that time, I kept questioning why a noble like me would end up having that kind of life. What did I do to have that kind of fate, and what else should I do to get out of the situation and live with comfort? But due to God's mercy, Louvienne's adoptive father adopted me with her and the late king adopted me because he saw my potential at a young age.
“… you orchestrated those, haven't you? How can a child be abducted from his home? The mansion is big, there were guards in different places. I assume that the ones you hired went through the secret passages that only the family knows about. You were threatened that even if you're the heir, Father favored me better because I was more competitive than you."
“Enough." He finally spoke. "There's no point hiding it now, correct? Even as a 10-year-old boy, I managed to do that and made it appear like it was real abduction. Father was devastated, and even if he didn't realize that it was caused by me, he expressed his wrath to me and Zenobia. Both of us were beaten and half-dead. Zenobia was only four back then, she didn't deserve such harsh treatment. He won't even look at me for about five months since the day you were gone because he was out of his mind. When he managed to gather himself together, he always looked at me with piercing eyes, and always warned me that if I won't show him that I'm worthy enough to inherit his title, he'll prefer to kill me then watch House Vassezac fall. Did you expect that we had an easy life after you left? We suffered the aftermath immediately!”
"Whose fault do you think was it? Why are you acting like a victim now? If you didn't throw me out, you wouldn't experience those. I don't care about what you felt. You deserved it. It's not like I had an easy life on the streets either. If anything, I'm grateful that I was lucky enough to be bought by a noble and had the king adopt me because he knew that being a child of a noble, he saw my etiquette and how knowledgeable I was in politics at a young age. The late king and queen loved me as if I were their real son, and at that moment I realized that I no longer need to be upset about being kicked out by my brother. After all, I had a better life thanks to you."
Silence followed after we shared our past experiences, and his reaction reminds me of the boy who was emotionally tortured back then because his father used to compare him to me, saying that he was a disgrace in the family and that he was the heir, but I deserved it better.
My father never raised a hand or raised his voice at me because I was his favored child. He viewed me as a trophy, someone to boast about.
However, unlike my adoptive parents, I recognized that his preference for me stemmed from personal motives, not genuine parental love.
The supportive words that implied favoritism were merely empty praises A normal six-year-old boy like I was won’t realize that, but even at that age, I understood it.
"Let's end personal matters here. It's all in the past. And –" Long before Jarvis finishes his words, I retorted.
“As far as I know, I wasn’t the only person you abandoned. You abandoned Thyra too even if you’re the only person she used to trust. Now you're marching here in a lion's den to find her. I'll keep this brief, so you better listen. She's alive, and we're friends. She's under my protection, but for the past four months, she's been unconscious and nobody knows when she'll wake up."
He rose to his feet in a rush and crawled over the table to grab my collar towards him. The vase that included Ipronna, Rezzianna, Axire flowers crashed on the floor as he reached for me. The teacups and teapots had the same fate.
Jarvis’ eyes were filled with rage, piercing through my soul. He won’t think twice about wringing my neck given the chance.
If looks could kill, I would’ve been dead by now.
“Where is she? Where did you keep Thyra?!” he roared, but I kept my calm as I stare at him straight in the eyes.
"If you want to get out of this place alive, unhand me, and let's keep this civil. If you can’t do that for me, then I’ll have to act with violence as you do. Don’t make me do it.” I warned, and he withdrew himself, letting go of my collar. “I see you easily get worked up when it comes to her. No wonder why Thyra said that she’s your fatal flaw.” He’s too easy to read and manipulate. I wasn’t expecting that he has a bad temper – at least when it comes to me.
"She became unconscious after using up too much power to defeat the aquamarine Izavenes. She was pulled underwater and defended herself, but she couldn't make it back to the surface on her own. I was the one who rescued her."
Now that I think about it, things would be problematic if I’ll delve into all the details. There are certain aspects that he should not be revealed, particularly how the Rhinecrest works. It is best to keep Azriel undisclosed as well, as there is no necessity for him to be informed.
I may be responsible for taking care of Thyra, I must also be mindful of the impact it will have on Eskal.
Despite being my brother, I cannot place my trust in him.