—That's the spirit!—exclaimed Fausto with a grin upon hearing his brother's proposal. Immediately after, Fausto stopped swinging and rose from his seat. Pointing in the direction of the person not having fun, the noble shouted to the world:

—So let my brother's word be fulfilled, bring forth the target!

As if mystically understood, among all the possible people, the servants coordinated to pick a specific person from the pointed direction and led them to a wall where someone had conveniently placed four shackles. The servants pressed the person against the wall and secured each of their limbs with the shackles, preventing their escape from the game.

—Never seen that servant before...—Apolo murmured, somewhat disturbed by his elder brother's idea. The captured girl, like the rest of the servants, was naked. From her appearance, the young woman seemed to be about Apolo's age, though much shorter and malnourished compared to him. Her hair was a bright blonde, and her eyes were as clear as the ocean. Yet, the most striking feature about the girl was not her beauty, but the trinket she wore on her finger: a tarnished bronze ring that immediately caught Apolo's attention.

—You don't know Helena? She's Deo's daughter—Fausto said as he returned to his seat and started rocking, grabbing another bottle from the table for a sip.

—Helena... No, that name doesn't ring a bell...—Apolo replied, trying to recall, but it seemed odd to him to see a new face in the castle. After all, he grew up within these walls, and he more or less knew the faces of everyone who lived here.

—Well, that's normal; after all, you spent more time in the forest than in the castle, right?—Fausto commented with a smile, watching Helena struggle futilely against the shackles that held her—If you had spent more time with us, you'd surely know her. She's a great woman, though unfortunately, she's about to marry Eco.

—With that fool? Poor girl, what a terrible choice of a husband...—Apolo said, looking at the tied woman with a sense of odd acceptance, as if something unusual was happening.

—Helena never got to choose anything in her life...—Fausto commented, looking at the captive girl with an unusual pity, a stark contrast to his attitude a moment ago—Well, there was a day when she did have a choice, but unfortunately, she chose to trust the wrong person.

—I guess you'd have to be an idiot to trust Eco...—Apolo said, observing as Helena stopped struggling and instead began shouting at the two of them. However, the room was large, and the music was too loud for him to hear her words.

—That's life. If she hadn't followed Eco, she wouldn't be pregnant now. But there are mistakes that condemn us all—Fausto said with sadness as he took a sip. The music in the room anomalously matched the emotions of the masked noble, becoming more melancholic—At least she's very happy to have a child with Eco. They've even agreed on a name for their child.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

—Apolo...—Apolo murmured absentmindedly, looking at Helena's bulging belly. Clearly, she was several months pregnant, and it seemed that in a few more months, the baby would be ready to be born.

—Apolo? I'd swear Helena doesn't like you enough to name her child after you...—Fausto replied, taking a deep swig from his drink. He then looked at his brother more seriously than usual, his voice slightly distorted from the strong drink:

—Why do you think the baby would be named Apolo? Can't you think of another lovely name for a baby? If you were the father, what would you name your child?

Apolo pondered the response for nearly a full minute, but truth be told, no other name came to his mind, and naming his child after himself didn't seem like a bad idea. However, just as he was about to repeat his name, another beautiful name popped into his mind, and it seemed like a good idea to name his child that way.

—I'd name him Thais...—Apolo replied. Yet, as he uttered his response, he started to look distressed at all the naked people in the room. He realized that a significant problem had just emerged: he had mentioned the four names that were always present in his dreams, and this couldn't possibly be reality, could it?

—Seems like you did know Helena, and you simply forgot about her...—Fausto commented with a cruel smile as he watched Helena shouting desperately from a distance. It seemed her agony was feeding his pleasure—Or at least, you know the name of her future child.

—Yes, I had forgotten about her...—Apolo murmured, looking at his brother with the silver mask on his face. Everything was perfect, even his grotesque attitude. Yet, Apolo had already realized that everything was also fake—For some reason I can't fathom, it's becoming easier for me to forget about Helena...

—But not about her ring...—Fausto murmured, shifting his gaze from the girl to Apolo's bewildered expression.

—No...—Apolo murmured, looking at his elder brother's face with bewilderment. For some reason, he had felt a few moments ago that this person was not his brother, even though his appearance suggested he was just hallucinating—No, you're mistaken. The significance of the ring has also faded with time.

—And what has replaced it?—Fausto asked with curiosity, staring intently at the young man seated next to him.

—Huh?... I don't know... I've never asked myself that question. I guess the mansion...—Apolo responded reflexively, trying to imagine an answer that would satisfy him as well—The rooms, the furniture, and above all, their stories...

—But you've finished the house, Apolito...—Fausto said, taking a deep swig from his bottle, ignoring the expression on Apolo's face upon hearing that response.

—Yes, it's finished... Everything ends... Time takes everything away...—Apolo answered in a daze, looking at his older brother's half-visible face, trying to comprehend why he had dreamt of the brother with whom he had the worst relationship right at this moment. It couldn't be a coincidence; it must mean something!

—It's finished, but now what comes next?...—Fausto asked, throwing his bottle to the ground, shattering it into a thousand pieces. He then suddenly stood up and shouted energetically with a smile:

—What comes next is to continue our game! Each of us has three tries, and the one who hits the target most wins the bronze ring as a prize!