Chapter 7: Servants and Imperial Shennanigans

“Anayla, are you sure you want to do this? It’s only been a few days since you were-”

 

“Yes, I am absolutely sure. I am strong enough to order around a few servants.”

 

“And if you feel ill?” Anayla wanted to let out a sigh. 

 

“Then I promise I’ll take a rest immediately.” 

 

“Good.” Raven took a step back leaving the ‘stage’ to Anayla. 

 

She stood on the steps leading up to the Lupierze manor. Although she was surrounded by decay and wear, Anayla carried herself with the grace of a Duchess. She gazed down at them, evaluating. Not a single one of them flinched as they kneeled in the sweltering sun. The black cloth that they donned gave them a dignified and calm appearance. It’s a shame I have to change it to brown. Black represented the Blackheart Duchy, and as much as she enjoyed the refined and elegant feel, the Lupierze Duchy was represented by a deep shade of brown. 

 

She would have to find a tailor to make the uniforms later. It would be quite a chore to deal with for such a large number of servants without a butler. Orienting such a large number of people to a foreign environment would no doubt be a significant tax on her time and energy. 

 

Anayla cleared her wayward thoughts and quickly gazed over herself again. The new dress she had received from Raven worked wonders for her image. The luxurious fabric projected an elegant and refined aura without appearing gaudy or over the top. The way it hung down also hid the current frailty of her body, something to be thankful for especially considering the value of a first impression. 

 

Elegance, grace, and dignity. She tightly gripped the piece of paper she had written on for moral support. “You may raise your heads. I bid you welcome to the Lupierze Duchy.” She watched the expressions of the servants carefully. As they laid eyes upon her, their expressions broke slightly. There was some surprise and some fear, but for the most part, they remained completely calm. It seemed they really were well trained. “As you can see, there is much work to do, so pardon the brief introduction.”

 

She gave them a polite smile, taking care to keep her expression from appearing cold or too warm. She raised one of her hands and lightly gestured at herself. “I am Anayla Lupierze, the Duchess of the Lupierze manor.”

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“Here is the kitchen. Feel free to familiarize yourself with your surroundings and take care not to get lost.”

 

“Here are the gardens. Feel free to familiarize yourself with your surroundings and take care not to get lost.”

 

“Here are the stables. Feel free to familiarize yourself…” I can’t remember what I was supposed to say. She leaned against a wall, waving off the servants' concern. She quickly pulled out a piece of paper and glanced down at it. “Here are the stables. Feel free to familiarize yourself with your surroundings and take care not to get lost.” She staggered back to her feet and left without glancing back. 

 

She had been walking all over the estate, directing all the new servants for several hours now and fatigue had begun to set in. A fog had descended over her mind, and she couldn’t properly recall the directions back to the servants’ quarters. Her ears perked up as she heard the sound of crisp footsteps approaching from around the corner. She shook herself and straightened up. She lightly slapped herself on the cheeks and pinched her arm hard enough to turn it purple. She began walking with a purpose in the same direction. Just pretend like you belong here. 

 

A group of 4 servants rounded the corner, walking in near sync, their backs ramrod straight. Have they ever stopped standing up straight? Anayla bit her tongue as the vestiges of jealousy burned in her chest. I’m so pathetic. They walked past her, stopping to turn and bow. I should ask for directions. Yet the stubborn voice in her head refused. Grace, elegance, and dignity… What Duchess would ask for directions in her own manor? She ignored them and continued walking. As soon as they were out of sight, she collapsed against a wall. The hallway spun wildly, shadows dancing across her vision, as her legs quivered like jelly.

 

The acrid burn of stomach acid crawled up her throat and into her mouth, stopping only due to the tightly clenched teeth. She took a few deep breaths and quietly staggered back to her feet. Her eyes stayed narrowed as even the dim light from the setting sun was powerful enough to send a piercing pain into the back of her skull. I should ask for help. __________________________________________________________________________

 

Raven’s POV:

 

Raven walked alone as he made his way back towards the servant’s quarters. Light puffs of dust accompanied the fall of his feet and his damp shirt clung uncomfortably to his back. He stopped by a large window and gazed outside. The moon was high in the sky, and the stars twinkled like jewels. His gaze fell on the garden outside, and a grimace spread across his face. Mother Nature’s unrelenting desire to retake what was hers was obvious. The gazebos, once decorated with beautiful orchids, had been overrun by them. Stray leaf litter from seasons ago still lay unbothered. The shrubs that were once trimmed into wonderful shapes had morphed into distorted static, and everywhere you looked, grass that came up to at least Raven’s knees covered the ground, leaning over old stone pathways and suffocating the smaller decorative flowers that once lined the courtyard. 

 

It was quite frankly a disaster. This alone could take at least a year's worth of work simply to clean up. To restore it to its former glory… Raven shuddered. It would be a nightmare. That wasn’t even mentioning the fact that they still needed to find a way to turn the Duchy profitable. Siphoning funds from the Blackheart Duchy was simply not viable long term. And this wasn’t even considering the current turmoil the Imperial Family was involved with, which basically guaranteed that, regardless of how much money either Duchy had, they would find it a strain. Ugh. He really didn’t want to deal with all of that, but unfortunately now that he had accepted the engagement the entirety of the Lupierze Duchy had become partly his responsibility. Even with Anayla’s help, he doubted they could manage for long. 

 

The core issue right now was that taxes were too low, but the Lupierze Duchy had no way of implementing higher taxes if the population refused to pay it. Of course, they could threaten the population with “punishment” but there were only so many people you could punish with a derelict army before that wouldn’t work. So naturally, his only option was to create a chain of businesses large enough to sustain the Duchy long enough to allow it to implement higher taxes. 

 

I need a product or some lacking industry to bolster… I should ask Anayla. Wait… Raven paused in the middle of the hallway. Where the hell is Anayla? 

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Second Prince Rinumbra POV:

 

Elegant laughs filtered through the window as Rinumbra looked around the banquet hall. Nobles in all their gaudy dresses and expensive jewelry danced across the hall as they celebrated his birthday. Really, nobody actually cared that it was his birthday. It was merely an excuse.

  

Indeed, it was all an excuse, because the star of any imperial celebration would always be his older brother. Rheagar was quite the paragon. He watched as Rheagar socialized away, praising noble men for their wealth and style, and the women for their beauty and grace. The golden eyes of the imperial family truly suited nobody other than Crown Prince Rheagar. Indeed, even the Blackheart brothers had no choice but to bow their heads before him. Rinumbra chuckled. His Brothers and Sisters and Dukes and Marquises and Viscounts and Barons. Nobody had the right to look Rheagar in the eye. With their father on the sick bed, he was already the defacto Emperor, so it was only natural. 

 

Of course, like most people, there was more to Rheagar that met the eye. Ha…hahahahha… how can they not see under his mask… His grip on the railing tightened. As Rheagar drifted away from the party, Rinumbra’s eyes followed until his brother exited through a side door. Hmph, he really is quite stealthy at times. But of course, what could be the reason for a man obsessed with glory to depart from a ball with stealth?

 

He scanned the banquet hall looking for a lady that seemed to be a bit more flustered than usual. Ah! Found her. There was a lady dressed in pink, with beautiful curly hair. She had a blush over her face and was standing off in the corner near the door that Rheagar had exited. Her hands seemed restless as they flitted across her dress, smoothing down wrinkles and brushing her hair. Her breathing seemed to be heavy as well. The daughter of Rasiez? Shame, she was quite pretty, though he had heard from sources that her face was far better than her personality. 

 

Is it karma? Rinumbra chuckled, yet the chattering of his teeth seemed to give way to a different emotion. Another one had fallen. After a few seconds, the girl dashed through the same door, her dress flailing behind her. A loud thud as the door she had blitzed through slammed against the wall from the force. Quite the conspicuous exit, but it was fine. The nobles were far too busy socializing with each other to pay attention to the daughter of some country noble. 

 

I should probably get going. He wrenched his hand from the railing, which had turned white from how hard he had been gripping it. The fall of his foot coincided with his heartbeat. Thump Thump Thump Thump. He felt cold. Why was it so cold? It shouldn’t be this cold. He could feel his teeth chattering despite the intense flames burning in the fireplaces and the heat of the summer night. I don’t want to go I don’t want to go I don’t want to go. He clenched his teeth in order to calm himself, but it did nothing. Thump… run, just run away… Thump… run… don’t stay here…Thump… Thump… THUMP… THUMP… THUMP… He was breathing too fast I can’t breathe he was breathing too fast. He flew down the spiral stairs, faster and faster, run away, run away, run away-

 

“Ah Prince Rinumbral, a pleasure to wish you a wonderful birthday.” 

 

Rinumbral stopped dead in his tracks. Confusion, fear, what kind of feelings coursed through him?

 

He gave a bright, pleasant smile. “Ah Baron Hearth, thank you so much for attending.”

 

The round man gave a hearty laugh, his cheeks and stomach jiggling in tandem. “Please, your Highness! Thanking a mere baron! Your humility knows no bounds.”

 

“And you, your joviality. Forgive me Baron, I’m in a hurry. I would spare you more time but something urgent has come up.”

 

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Another hearty laugh. “No need to regret, Prince Rinumbral. But truly, working during your own celebration?” The man shook his head with exaggerated empathy. “My heart goes out to you.”

 

“Of course. I hope to see you again Baron.” Rinumbral gave a smile and continued on his way. 

 

Thank you Baron. 

 

He left through the same exit his brother and Lady Rasiez had left through. Footprints and parted bushes. It seemed that the lady was in more of a rush than his brother as the neatly trimmed bushes of the courtyard had been bent slightly to the side. He followed along as he hummed a lullaby from his childhood, but it did little to ease his shaking legs. 

 

The moon shone above like a giant pearl in the sky. What a beautiful night. Regret and bitterness. He should have been inside gouging himself on meats and wine. He should be dressed in luxurious and gaudy silks. Yet here he stood before a corpse. Mutilated beyond recognition. He was really angry today wasn't he… 

 

“Hmmm, brother, you couldn’t have controlled yourself a bit more?”

 

It gazed up at him, the glove it was wearing now a vibrant blood red. “Rinumbra… tsk.” 

 

“What a response to your brother don’t you think?” Rinumbra said with a sarcastic tone as he desperately tried to hide his shaking voice.

 

“Don’t test me.” Eek! No… if I back down now… Rinumbra averted his eyes from his brother, seeming to make himself busy taking in the beautiful courtyard. “I was wondering if you had taken a fancy to her or if she was one of your tools. It seems that it was the latter. Do tell brother, how exactly do you plan on cleaning this up?”

 

A smile split the monster’s face as he gazed back at Rinumbra. “I don’t need to plan, do I?” It let out a high-pitched giggle. It let out a refreshed sigh. “This was really eating at me for the last few days.”

 

Rinumbra gave a weak smile as he felt cold sweat trickle down his back. Run away, run away runaway runaway runawayrunawayrunaway. Another giggle pierced through the cold night air. Rinumbra grit his teeth as a wave of fear washed over him. I don’t want to die Idonwannadieidonwannadie. His head bowed from the tension.

 

Was he watching? Was he not? Will he kill me if I look? The sounds of his hyperventilating crashed into his ears, drowning out the cicadas so typical of a night like this. Why why why why does this monster exist?

 

Seconds ticked by, minutes dragged their nails through his skin, how many hours had passed? How long has it been? Was it still there? 

 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Rinumbra gazed up. An empty courtyard and a corpse. He collapsed to his knees, his sweaty clothes gripping to his skin. 

 

“Ha…” A weak laugh. “Ha…ha. I… I should get this cleaned up.”

 

And so Rinumbra called over his servants, his most trusted and loyal followers. He watched them clean it up. “Give her a proper burial.”

 

“RASMALI!”

 

“RASMALI!”

 

PLEASE! RASMALI PLEASE RESPOND!”

 

“MY DAUGHTER, MY DAUGHTER WHERE ARE YOU? PLEASE…” The viscount’s… no, the father’s sobs grated against Rinumbra’s ears. 

 

A Few Hours Later:

 

The rays of a fresh sun began to break over the horizon. The vestiges of another pink summer sun rise had leaked into the gray sky. Rinumbra sat at his desk in a third pair of clothes. The smell of bile hung heavy in the air. 

 

Rinumbra’s disheveled state was a sharp contrast to the rest of the room. The thick carpets gave off the scent of roses. Nearby, on his desk, a diffuser with a lilac scent steamed away. The fire crackled happily in the corner of the room, yet he still felt a shiver crawl up his spine from time to time. 

 

“Master, will you take a bath?”

 

“No, no I think I might be able to sleep now.”

 

“Send a message to the Lupierze Duchy.” Rinumbra pressed a hand to his temple in an effort to calm the raging headache. “Tell them the Crown Prince is after their throats.”

 

“As you wish, Master.” Rinumbra looked down at his bed as the servant left. There was too much happening and not enough that he knew. It had gotten past his spies. How did it get past my spies? 

 

“FUCK!” He picked up a vase and threw it at the floor. 

 

Vases embedded with jewels, mirrors worth thousands of gold, dresses worth more than most homes, everything save for his bed and the heavy black curtains lay in waste. 

 

Slowly, that was how it played with its victims. No, it was a personal way to play with Rinumbra. Monster, fucking monster. 

 

He didn’t even know why he sent the letter. It was the 5th of its kind and the second one sent to the Lupierze Duchy. After that thing had laid its eyes on someone, well they were as good as dead weren’t they?

 

He drew the curtains allowing darkness to overtake the room. He felt a sharp pain from his foot as he collapsed into his bed. A shard of glass had dug into his foot. 

 

He looked at it with disinterest. Red beads of blood had formed a ring around it. I couldn’t care less. 

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