image [https://i.imgur.com/slqxFlX.png]
As the days passed by, Zalthia had been trying to find some information regarding Carmen’s upbringing. She had seemingly exhausted all other avenues at this point and eventually found herself going down to the depths of Castle de Belouis once again. Before her stood the large and heavily locked doors of the Royal Belouis Archives.
This chamber held incredibly sensitive information about past Belouis royalty and family related affairs. Only a pure blooded Belouis could enter such a room. Zalthia held up her lantern towards a black slate indented on the adjacent wall. She then placed her palm onto it and after a brief moment, Zalthia felt a sharp prick on her skin.
She removed her hand and saw a few blood droplets tracing out a symbol on the slate. It eventually glowed a dull green color and the locks on the door vanished in thin air. Zalthia pushed the heavy door open and made her way inside.
After traversing the dusty and empty hallways, she ended up at a fairly large room filled with long bookshelves and boxes lining the walls. With the amount of dust and cobwebs everywhere, it was clear that this room rarely got accessed.
Zalthia sat down her lantern and began to do a thorough search of the room, looking for anything related to Carmen. While going through some of the shelves, she found a section that held records of the past. Zalthia located the record for the year of Carmen’s birth and quickly opened it.
She flipped through the thick, spiral journal and started to feel a bit uneasy. Zalthia didn’t see a single article or mention of Carmen at all.
“What the hell?” Zalthia muttered, finding this to be quite peculiar.
She noticed a few pages that were missing, clearly torn out. Zalthia became very suspicious of this and frantically continued her search, eager to get to the bottom of this.
After many hours of going through multiple records for the umpteenth time, she ultimately found nothing to help answer her questions. She took a seat in frustration and stared at the ceiling, slightly defeated by her lack of success.
‘This doesn’t make any sense… Every single one of us is mentioned in some capacity, except for Carmen. Why?’
Zalthia casually turned her attention towards the furthest wall and noticed something strange. The light from her lantern wasn’t illuminating a small group of bricks above one of the bookshelves.
Intrigued, Zalthia got up and rushed over to investigate. She slowly placed her hand on the top brick and surprisingly, her hand phased through it. Zalthia moved her hand around inside the wall and felt a few items brush against her palm. She grabbed the items and pulled them out.
In her hand was a small notebook, some loose papers, and an intricately designed silver pendant. Zalthia brought the items over to the table and began to examine everything closely. One of the papers was Carmen’s birth certificate and another was an agreement signed by multiple people. The rest of the papers were profiles related to Carmen, their frayed edges proving that they were ripped out of a book.
Zalthia looked over the birth certificate first and it listed Carmen’s weight, measurements, and the like. However, it also listed the names of the parents.
Father: Allen J. Belouis
Mother: Cecilia Rhodes
“What!?” Zalthia exclaimed, shocked by what she had just read.
She then grabbed the agreement and scanned its contents thoroughly. Her eyes went wide once she realized it was for the approval of using an ability seal. Curiously, It was signed by Allen Belouis, Omar Tiege, and Dr. Melbourne Drayfus.
“An ability seal!? So they’re the ones that sealed away her second affinity. But why? None of this is making sense.” Zalthia added, trying to wrap her brain around all of this new information. She sat the papers down and picked up the notebook, slowly flipping through the many worn pages.
The journal had multiple entries from an unknown person. These entries ranged from innocent complaints about the weather, health updates, concerns for the future, and other random observations they had made. Zalthia got to the second to last page and found a fairly long, personal letter.
Dear my beautiful daughter,
I hate that I won’t be able to see your face when you enter this world. I won’t be able to admire the little expressions you make when you’re held for the first time. I so wish I could watch you grow into the wonderful girl I know you’ll be, but my body can’t withstand your energy anymore. The thing that I love and cherish most is the one thing killing me. Ironic isn’t it?
Well, enough of the sad comments and sorrow filled wishes. I don’t want you to think I’m some kind of crybaby or something! Anyways, if this letter ever finds you, please don’t feel saddened by my absence. I want you to keep holding your head up high and continue to be the strong girl I know you are. Can you do that for me?
Love you always,
-Cecilia
As Zalthia read through this thoughtful letter, a small picture fell out from the last page. She picked it up and saw a fairly young female with long black hair, gray eyes, and pale skin. The woman also had thin lines racing down her cheeks, stopping just before her chin.
Upon further inspection, Zalthia could see sharper than normal teeth through her smile. Her face had an uncanny resemblance to Carmen, only she was much older and more physically developed. Despite the resemblance, this woman was a Boundless, through and through. Zalthia flipped the picture over and noticed some familiar handwriting.
“My beloved Cecilia - Allen.”
Zalthia, not quite able to process everything, quickly gathered the items together and rushed out of the room. She ran up the steps and swiftly made it to Azhane’s office. Without even knocking, she burst through the door and startled her.
Solana, who was reading a novel on Azhane’s couch, looked up in great confusion. Azhane also had a perplexed expression on her face, finding her sister’s actions very uncharacteristic.
“What’s wrong Zalthia? You look like you just saw a ghost.” She asked with concern.
Zalthia walked over to the desk and plopped down the contents she found in the archives. Azhane’s eyebrow raised as she picked up the papers, going through everything slowly. After a few silent minutes, Azhane’s eyes went wide with shock.
“There’s… No way… How were we never told any of this??” She was at an absolute loss for words. Azhane scanned over the seal agreement once again, looking more irritated with each line read.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Nadine!” She yelled. Nadine quickly stepped into the room and bowed her head.
“Yes, My Lady?”
“Bring Councilman Omar here, now.”
Nadine agreed and rushed out of the room. Moments later, she returned with Omar Tiege, long standing member of the Volaire council.
“Yes, Your Majesty. You called for me?” He softly said as he bowed his head respectfully.
Azhane held up the papers and glared at him with her fiery red eyes, clearly not in a good mood.
“Explain…” She demanded, her tone cutting through the air.
Omar’s face immediately went white as he saw the document, wondering how she got a hold of such information.
“Um, Your Majesty, I’m not sure what that is-”
“You know damn well what this is. Your signature is right here. Councilman Omar, you better tell me every detail!”
Azhane quickly interjected as she exerted her immense pressure, showing that she had no more patience. Omar looked terrified to speak, but after a brief contemplation, he began to compose himself.
“As you wish, Your Majesty. Ahem… Well, you see, this is from when Lady Carmen was first born…”
Omar began to tell the entire story from the very beginning, not missing a single detail.
~17 YEARS AGO
A few years after Nyanza was born, King Allen Belouis grew bitter and out of love for his wife Janelle. He was frustrated with her inability to provide him a son. Even though he cared for his four daughters, his one wish was to have a son.
After many arguments and deliberation, Janelle Belouis reluctantly agreed to him laying with a concubine to see if he could get a son that way. The logic behind the decision wasn’t sound, but if anything, it would quell his unrelenting hunger.
King Belouis was brought many women from all over in secret, hoping to win his favor and become the mother of his child. Even though this moment would never be made public, it was still an opportunity of a lifetime for these concubines, especially since this situation had rarely occurred within the highly regarded Belouis family. However, despite their unending beauty, none of the options were to his liking.
Ultimately, he and some of his subordinates traveled to a few towns within Volaire, visiting many brothels along the way. After many months of searching, they ended up at a little brothel known as “Autumn’s Rain”, located in Herin Town, east of the capital.
The hostess graciously accepted the task of showing off the women within her establishment. It seemed to be another miss, but shockingly, the last girl she showed piqued King Allen’s interest.
Her unique features and womanly charm bewitched the King. He had never seen a woman look like her and as soon as their eyes met, he immediately knew that she would be the one to bear his child.
Cecilia Rhodes was her name and she hailed from the Lumen Theocracy. Three months prior to this meeting, on a late stormy night, a group of suspicious characters wearing black robes with a multi-line insignia on their chests entered the brothel. For some reason, they seemed eager to get rid of the woman and were even willing to part ways with her for free.
When the hostess asked why, the men vaguely said she was a failed revival and that she wasn’t the one they wanted to bring back. She was confused by their strange statement, but before she could pry further, they simply exited the building in a rush and left the pale skinned woman behind.
The hostess put Cecila to work, but unsurprisingly, no man wanted to lay with a woman that had such strange features. Her sharp teeth, gray eyes, and ghoulishly pale skin turned off every man that looked her way.
Out of every prostitute within this brothel, she didn’t have a single client. However, this all changed once King Allen laid eyes upon her.
Once she gathered her things, Cecilia joined the King on their trip back to Ariana City. As they arrived, he instructed the guards to take her to a nearby house just outside of Castle de Belouis. He didn’t want anyone to know of what he was doing, fearing a potential public outcry or family feud.
As Cecilia got fully settled in, she was made aware of how everything would play out. However, before they laid with one another, Cecilia made a very important declaration to the King.
“My King, I cannot guarantee you a son. But what I can guarantee you is that this child will change your bloodline forever.” She said, insinuating that something special would come from this baby. Disappointment immediately crossed his face, but after a brief thought, he agreed and said that he understood. Deep down he was curious to know what she meant.
They slept with one another multiple times a week until she eventually became pregnant. As the months went by, Allen was finding himself spending more time with Cecilia. He would leave most political affairs to Janelle while he thoroughly enjoyed the company of his concubine in secret.
The day finally came when the child was to be born, however Cecilia was having severe complications and pain from the pregnancy. Her body couldn’t withstand the large amount of Core Energy concentrated in her womb. While impressively high, it was incredibly unstable.
King Allen pleaded with the doctors to do something to help her, but there was nothing they could do for her. The child was born and the burst of energy sapped the last bit of strength out of Cecilia. She died the moment the baby girl entered the world, never laying eyes upon the child.
As they held the child, her Core Energy was completely out of control and even had an eerie, sinister nature to it. The room grew cold and heavy as her power continued to grow. The doctors quickly did a Core Resonance on the crying baby and saw that she had two affinities, Void and Dark. This was an absolute first for the Belouis Family, having never had a dual type within their families ranks.
The advisor on staff, Omar Tiege, happily applauded the King and congratulated him on having such a powerful new asset for the Belouis Family. However, King Allen didn’t accept his words. In a fit of great rage and grief, he immediately ordered for the child’s second affinity to be sealed away.
He felt that this child shouldn’t enjoy the power that killed his beloved Cecilia. The doctor and Omar tried their best to change his mind, knowing how harsh of a punishment this would be. King Allen was unwavering in his decision, shaking his fist in anger. They reluctantly performed the sealing ritual and locked away the child’s Dark affinity, rendering her unable to access it and significantly weakening the baby.
Once everything was said and done, the child remained in the infirmary for multiple weeks without a name while The King dealt with his grief. He eventually decided on the name Carmen, as that was the name Cecilia would always mention in their conversations.
~
“And that is pretty much the whole story. I was sworn to secrecy, but it seems circumstances have changed, Your Majesty.” Omar said with a heavy sigh.
Azhane and Zalthia were speechless at this story, not knowing how to respond.
“Soo… Carmen’s been our half sister this entire time? And her mother was a Boundless whore from some random brothel? My goodness…” Azhane muttered, breaking the silence with a sigh of disbelief. Zalthia leaned back in her chair, until she realized something off about the story.
“But hold on, wasn’t mother pregnant the whole time though? I could’ve swore her belly was large then.” She said with a confused expression.
Nadine cleared her throat and quickly chimed in.
“No, My Lady. King Allen made her wear an illusory charm to fake the appearance of pregnancy. He didn’t want a single soul to know that he laid with another woman.” She nervously added.
“Wait, you knew about this too Nadine??” Azhane was taken aback by this news, feeling slightly betrayed.
“...Yes, My Lady. I was the main one taking care of the little miss while King Allen grieved for Lady Cecilia. I too was sworn to secrecy.”
The room grew quiet, not a single sound could be heard as everyone pondered their thoughts. Solana stared at the ceiling with great intrigue, running Omar’s story back in her mind. Everything he said was infinitely more interesting than the novel she had been reading. The silence was finally broken by Azhane’s soft voice.
“We’re going to have to tell her, right?” She asked, stressfully resting her forehead on her hand.
“We’ll tell her when she comes home for winter break. I’ll get Nyanza and Tieran to come as well…” Zalthia replied, standing from her chair. Everyone nodded and the room went quiet once again.
Omar and Zalthia bowed before exiting the room, leaving just Azhane, Solana, and Nadine inside. Nadine quickly turned to Azhane with a worried expression on her face.
“My Lady, I’m afraid there is more that I must relay to you…” She said with a nervous tone.
Azhane’s eyebrow raised as she granted her permission to speak.
Nadine began to mention that King Allen had strong resentment towards Carmen and even hated her to a degree because she was the reason for Cecilia’s death. King Allen purposely kept her in the castle most of her life, not wanting Carmen to enjoy the life Cecilia could no longer have. An extremely childlike pettiness that never went away over time.
She also mentioned how Janelle Belouis had zero care towards Carmen since she wasn’t her child. Janelle saw no reason to take care of a baby that came into this world against her will. A child born from an affair with a whore. Queen Janelle only kept up appearances of the “loving mother” act to keep citizens on her side. Out of the public eye, she wanted nothing to do with Carmen.
“My goodness…” Azhane muttered as she couldn’t fathom all of this happening.
Nadine bowed her head and excused herself from the room, giving Azhane much needed space.
"Well that was unexpected." Solana said as she rose from the couch, looking at Azhane with a sympathetic expression.
"Unexpected indeed. Carmen is going to be devastated to hear all of this. Should we even tell her?"
"What? Of course you need to tell her. At this point, not saying anything is worse than revealing the truth." Solana quickly replied.
Azhane remained silent for a moment until she gave Solana a nod. Deep down she knew that it wasn't her place to hide this information, but the thought of revealing such a secret made her sick to her stomach.
She eventually reached down and grabbed the papers, thumbing through them again as she tried to come up with the best way to present them.