*Rudolf's P.O.V.*
Two days passed, since I was humiliated by that bitch of Elaine and that filthy human; somehow, I had managed to escape from that bastard, But the blow I received from that dirty human damaged me much more than I thought, and the pain I felt at that moment was hellish.
The wise thing to do, would have been to stop somewhere, ask these stupid humans for help and rest for a few days; but I had been away for almost 5 days now, and I'm sure that Umarth was waiting for me "patiently", so it was impossible for me to stop now.
So, after i stole a horse, and I rode for day and night without stopping for more than 30 minutes, without closing my eyes; I believed that if I closed my eyes, because of the unbearable pain I felt, I would die. It's a silly thing to think, but I was under so much pressure, upset and in pain, that I didn't want to risk anything.
And at one point, I really believed that I was going to die, as as the hours and days passed, the pain in my chest increased to the point that I felt a tremendous twinge with every breath I took, while my breathing became more and more labored, and a strange iron aftertaste hovered in my breath.
I could feel it; yes, I could feel that now my time was near, I could feel that at any moment I was going to die. I was tired both physically and mentally, and I was really on the verge of collapse. But one thing was still keeping me alive: no, not my "love" for the King, or even my mission; no, what was still keeping me "alive" was the anger I felt for that filthy human and for Elaine; the anger was so much that it acted as an adrenaline, and in the most critical moments, it helped me stay conscious.
"Y'all gonna pay for this...Y'all gonna pay for this..." were the only words I said for days, trying to remember who reduced me to this pathetic state.
So, after interminable days of riding that stupid horse, I finally arrived before the gates of the Kingdom; I was exhausted, now I had no energy left, and the moment I saw the guards approaching me, I let go, unaware if I would wake up alive, or if everything I went through to get here was completely useless.
The only consolation I had at that moment was that at least, I would die in my beloved kingdom.
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A ray of light hit me in the face, waking me up from the deep sleep I had entered; I didn't know what had happened, but the only thing that mattered to me at the moment, was knowing that I was alive; which in itself was good news.
Slightly disoriented, I looked around, noticing that I was in a hospital room. I had a lot of questions that were on my mind: Did Umarth already know about my arrival without Elaine? Would he forgive me? What would have happened to me? The mere thought of having to face Umarth terrified me, because in my mind, i was sure that he would kill me without hesitation.
It was only at that moment, not knowing at all what was going to happen to me shortly thereafter, that I began to wonder why the fuck I had come back here to the Kingdom...
"... What the hell was I thinking? Why the hell did I come back here?" I hissed, beginning to shake like a leaf.
For a moment, I even thought of running away from the hospital and giving myself up dead, but immediately discarded this hypothesis, since, in addition to not being in the best of my form, his "3 sons" would have scouted me out and killed me like a filthy dog; I felt like a poor and naive piglet in a slaughterhouse, that is, I had no chance to fight against my fate, and waited with inexorably for my hour.
While I was immersed in my thoughts though, a strange noise to my left caught my attention: sitting on the edge of the window, I saw a person watching me while peeling an apple. I was so overwhelmed with my problems that I didn't even realize that there was someone near to me!
I tried to figure out who this person was, but the sunlight coming from the window prevented me from seeing his face better; at that moment my body suddenly stiffened, as I believed that the man in front of me was Umarth;
"F...Father? I-Is that you?" I asked in a trembling voice, unable to look away from that figure;
"...."Father?" Hahahah! What the hell are you talking about, Rudolf! Do you think Father can be bothered to come here for a nobody like you?"
As soon as I heard that cheerful but at the same time annoying voice, I perfectly understood who that person was, I didn't even need to see his face;
"Thauron... what the hell are you doing here?!" I asked angry, but at the same time i was kinda relived, since at least for the moment, I would not be dealing with Umarth, thus having time to think about how to resolve this situation
"Eh? Can't I come and visit my beloved brother?" Thauron answered me, looking at me with a smile that I knew was fake.
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If there was anyone I hated among the Darksold, this had to be him, since behind that smile and that cheerful voice, there is in truth the greatest son of a bitch that can exist, a sadistic piece of shit that would have no qualms about even killing a newborn; he is the first of Umarth's "adopted sons", and in some way, he can be considered as the faithful knight of Umarth;
"Well, anyway..." - Thauron said again, while biting the apple and sitting in the chair next to my bed – "How is it possible that you failed AGAIN such a basic mission? It's okay that you're untalented, but that's too much! Do you really want to die? I'm worried about you, seriously...."
Even if he said so, I could read in his eyes the happiness of seeing me in such a complex situation; since I joined the Darksold household, he and I had always hated each other, because of the fact that I, who in his eyes was a useless insect, had been decisive in the destruction of the Blueheaven and the Greenolds household; Thauron did't take this well, and since that day, every situation for him was good to denigrate me or to get me in trouble; if I could, I would have killed him a long time ago, but in addition to the fact that that idiot was a genius, killing him meant to face Umarth, and well, I didn't feel like it in the slightest.
At that moment, his words pissed me quite a lot: if he knew what kind of situation I had come across, he wouldn't be as witty as he is doing now; I would have liked to tell him the worst slures that i had in my mind, but doing it meant playing his game...
"... I have nothing to say to you, Thauron. Thank you for visiting." I said calmly, turning the other way.
"Okay, I get it..." the first of Umarth's sons said in an angry voice, slowly heading towards the exit of the room;
I thought I should finally not have talked to that idiot, but he stopped on the edge of the door, and then turned around and looked at me with a smile that didn't promise anything good;
"Hey, Before I forget... Our father had been patiently waiting for you to wake up for a week now! You know how much dad hates to wait, and most importantly, you know how much he hates the fact that things don't go as planned! So you better get up and go asap to his room, before he comes here, hehe! "
"W-What..."
Without adding more, Thauron left the room, leaving me alone in my problems; I thought I had been in a coma for about 2-3 days, but a week was way too much!
I knew his character, since I had been close to him for a long time now; therefore, I was certain that Umarth was now furious, and that in all probability, I was a goner..
[DAMN!] I thought frustrated, throwing a violent fist on the bed, smashing the axes that made it up: just when I thought I was 'safe', my life was put at risk again.
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A few hours had passed, and though I was terrified about meeting Umarth, I knew that making him wait any longer would be even worse. So, I left the hospital and headed toward the imposing Castle of Darksold. As I walked, I traversed the heart of Eledwen city, the capital, and noticed that the aftermath of the massacre and destruction we had wrought a month ago still lingered. The streets bore witness to the brutality: Umarth’s soldiers had executed anyone even remotely connected to the two obliterated families, leaving their bodies impaled and exposed for all to see. The stench of death hung heavily in the air, so acrid that it brought tears to my eyes. Once pristine and orderly, the streets were now marred by dirt and blood.
In the distance, I glimpsed the spot where Blueheaven Castle once stood. I spared it only a brief glance before turning away. Their demise was their own doing—I harbored no regrets or sympathy. My hatred extended to everyone, from the lowliest Blueheaven member to my biological father. If he hadn’t stubbornly opposed Umarth and his ideals, they would all be alive today, and we would have lived in blissful ignorance.
After several minutes of walking, I arrived at the gates of the grand Darksold mansion. The guards acknowledged me with a swift bow, opening the doors to usher me into the heart of the Umarth estate. As I crossed the garden leading to the front door, I felt the weight of numerous eyes upon me—disappointment, hatred, and contempt converged in their gazes.
Already, discomfort gnawed at me, but I was powerless to change my fate. Failure haunted me relentlessly, regardless of the reasons behind it.
Upon pushing open the massive doors, I was greeted by Umarth’s butler, Klauss. His formal bow belied the frostiness in his eyes and expression. Klauss, not only the castle’s sole butler but also Umarth’s confidant, held secrets even from his own children.
“Hello, sir. I’m pleased to see you in good health,” Klauss intoned, though his demeanor remained as icy as ever.
“Thank you, Klauss,” I replied with equal detachment, masking my fear. “Is my father in his room?”
“Yes, he’s in his room. Please follow me.”
Together, we ascended the grand staircase that separated the ground floor from the rooms above—more than thirty chambers, excluding the bathrooms. Umarth’s quarters lay at the far end, and as we approached the imposing door, my breath grew heavier. I had hoped to maintain composure, but the terror I felt for Umarth ran deeper than I could have imagined.
Arriving before the grand door adorned with precious wood paneling, the butler knocked on it three times to ascertain whether Umarth was occupied or not. For a few seconds, an absolute silence hung in the air, though to me, it felt like an eternity. I could hear my heart racing wildly, to the point where I feared I might suffer a heart attack at any moment. Briefly, I entertained the thought that perhaps my father was asleep or otherwise occupied, creating a false hope that if I faced him later, it would be better for me. But suddenly, that feeble hope was shattered by a cold, raspy voice emanating from behind the door.
"... Let him in."
END OF CHAPTER 14 - HOME SWEET HOME