Chapter 40: Side Story: Marqus Solus

When I was little I always looked up to my father. He climbed his way up to Duke from a viscount all by his own ability. He brought prosperity to our region through the implementation of his policies. The slave trade in our city brought our country tons of gold coins. He was harsh on me, but I could tell that he loved me. I could never meet his expectations though.

I wasn’t talented in anything. Whether it be swords or magic, I was useless in both of them. I never had talent in anything. Despite this, he would always smile at me and tell me that I could become anything I wanted if I tried hard enough. I didn’t have anything though. I didn’t even have the good looks of my mother. She would always comfort me by saying “It matters not what is on the outside. I married your father because I thought he was a great man on the inside.”

Everything changed when I turned 14 years old. My parents went on an excursion to another country to capture some beastkins. While they were away, their carriage was attacked by bandits, and my mother died. The only reason my father had survived the attack was because he was saved by the very beastkin they tried to capture. When he told me about it I was shocked about my mothers passing. I hated that I could never do anything for her before she died.

After that day my father changed to. He became extremely depressed. He started to regret every decision he had ever made. He locked himself into his study, and he wouldn’t come out to even look at me anymore. I think it wasn’t only the passing of my mother that left a hole in his heart. He also regretted what the kingdom had done. What he himself had done. The day before he took his own life he spoke to me.

“You must listen, Marqus. Everything I have ever lived for, everything I have ever protected, this kingdom, we were all wrong. What we really should have been trying to protect was everyone. Those beastkin that our people call ‘filth’, should be protected. If you learn anything from your old man. Learn from my failures as a leader. Learn from me, as your father. You must never discriminate against those below you. You must help as many of those people find a place they can call home. You must save this kingdom. I ask a lot from you, but that is because I believe in you. You have always been a kind and caring person.”

The next day the butler found my father in his room, dead. That day I lost everything. My father was wrong about one thing though. I never hated beastkin, and the fact that they saved my father made it even more so. I developed an admiration for them, but I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. Both of my parents died, and I inherited the territory at 14 years old.

It took years for me to get over the anguish of losing my parents. While I was in my state of depression the butler mostly handled the territory for me until he passed on due to old age. By that time I was already 20 years old. I never went out, and since I didn’t do anything I put on a lot of weight. I remembered the words of my father the day before he died, and I resolved myself to save as many beastkin as I could.

The first one that I saved was Aria. She had talent as a maid, so she ended up being my head maid, and afterwards I tried to save as many as I could. I took them in as my servants. Currently my mansion has 12 beastkin residents from different tribes. I learned quite a bit about beastkin through my time spent talking with them. Not all of them would open up to me, but that was fine. As long as they were healthy, I told myself.

In reality though I had done nothing. I hadn’t changed any policies within the kingdom, and I felt pathetic. I couldn’t feel good about myself if I only saved a few beastkin, and I was aware that my territory was on the decline. I was just one man though. “How am I supposed to change an entire country?” 

Aria would tell me that I was doing enough by saving the few that I could, but to me, it was never enough. How I am now, I bet my father is turning in his grave. People send me requests, but I just deny most of them because the requests are often greedy. People try to take advantage of me and my position. Sometimes I think about giving up, but Aria won’t allow it. She will scold me everytime.

From what the beastkin tells me about their kingdoms is that they value strength above all else. I don’t know why Aria even sticks by me. I am the weakest as they come. If it wasn’t for my father I wouldn’t even have this position in this kingdom. I told Aria many times that if she wants I could send her back to her kingdom, but she tells me she enjoys working under me.

“I can’t bear to watch you suffer over the deeds of your predecessors.”  That’s what she would tell me when I was feeling down about the state of the kingdom. She would also force me to do my work when I wasn’t feeling up to it. She is truly a wonderful person, and now my life may as well be over. I have to meet up with that person. “Eliah the immortal”.

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