Chapter 79. A Cowardly Child

Trigger warning! Gore warning at the end!

The afternoon was rather sunny, with a gentle breeze sifting across the velvety flowers and rustling leaves. The sound of a clear bell rung, and a billowing fragrance of sandalwood meadows suffused in the wispy clouds.

Lucilline could not keep his copper bell silent at all.

"Does it bother you that much?" Rachelle asked with a teasing smile.

Lucilline: There's no way she doesn't know it bothers me.

Nevertheless, the young boy shook his head. Gradually, the sound of the copper bell faded from his mind. As the mother and son continued to stroll around the streets, they began discussing their destination.

"Mother's friend is a very lovely lady!" Rachelle smiled. "Miss Bellerose runs a flower shop, and whenever I have a banquet to attend to, the first place I'd head to would be Miss Bellerose's flower shop to pick out a bouquet." The more she talked, the less she was able to stop. "Her flowers are just spectacular. I have never seen a person care for plants like she does. Miss Bellerose has a very high integrity, and–"

"We're here!" Rachelle halted.

They stopped before a small shop, about the size of the Royal family's carriage. Small clay pots were scattered before the building, with beautiful greenery splashed left and right. A puff of clean and fresh air hit Lucilline in the face.

Before they could even get near the shop's vicinity, Lucilline felt a tug on his wrist.

His copper bell rang violently, a sharp noise in contrast to the quiet atmosphere.

"Huh?" His golden eyes dilated.

One of the House Rubius butlers gave him a meaningful look. "What is it?" Lucilline saw the butler clearly in the eye. The butler's eyes resembled blue iris flowers, and his chestnut brown hair flowed in the bidding breeze. "I'm sorry."

All of a sudden, Lucilline felt a fierce pain crash into his head.

He blacked out.

*****

When Lucilline had awoken, he noticed his freezing numb limbs. Chills had seeped into his bones, his veins protruding like bruised purple vines. The floor was like an ice cave, a foreboding winter creeping into his body and freezing him from inside. His head rang loudly, as if a ghoul was trapped within the confines of his mind. His knuckles burned ghastly white, yet his pants were scraped, with residue skin peeled onto the cobblestone ground.

"Where... am I?" Lucilline's sight was hazy, as if a mist deliberately covered over his pair of eyes.

His copper bell rang weakly.

"Lucy, you've woken up!" A hushed cry alerted him. Strands of black hair have been littered across the cold ground. It was then Lucilline realized that those strands of hair were his mother's.

Rachelle's dress was torn, the hem ripped into ragged shapes, and her body beaten bloodied and bruised. The pure and noble appearance she always had had been shattered into a billion shards. A filthy black eye contrasted against her pale skin, and a cut striked down at the corner of her crimson red lips. She appeared more like a dishevelled witch burning on the cross now.

Lucilline could hardly move his fingers. They stiffened like solid ice, his bones chilling to the core. "Mom..." His voice cracked. What happened? Where are we?

Before he could move, Rachelle leaped out.

She embraced him in a tight hug, her cold limbs enveloping his cold ones. "Don't be afraid, Lucy. I'll find us a way out of here." Despite saying that, Lucilline could feel his mother's hands tremble upon his shoulders.

He examined their surroundings.

The ceiling was flat dark, with only a few light bulbs and candles to illuminate the area. Within the enclosed small room, only an iron door blocked the exit. It was locked.

There was no way out.

Lucilline felt his mind go blank.

Are we going to die? What if we're never left out? Will we die? What will happen after we die? Dad... brother... sister... Do they know that we're here? Why are we here? Why did the butlers betray us?

*****

Anderson frowned.

The sun has already set beneath the horizon line, spreading out a igniting warm glow of orange flame across the skies. However, that warm colourful glow felt biting cold. As that last bit of light began to fade away, an unsettling dread stifled in Anderson's spine.

"Scarletta." He deadpanned.

"Father," the fifteen-year-old girl stepped forwards, her cold and chilly silver eyes revealing a hint of panic. "Lucy and mother still haven't come home. Their carriage and the butlers assigned to them haven't come back either."

Scarletta slowly unbuttoned her chest pocket, slipping out an envelope. "However, I did receive this letter." Her mahogany red hair was almost flaring up in anger, "It's from Uncle Orion."

The envelope was flicked open.

Anderson slipped on his white gloves, as if afraid that the letter would dirty his hands. As he unfurled the letter and read the following words one by one, his silver eyes began to cloud over with dark mist. His hands gripped on the paper, his knuckles burning furiously white. The tension in the manor was thick enough to strangle.

A pair of bloodshot silver eyes flashed. Anderson stood up, knocking his heavy throne over in the process. "I'm going out."

Scarletta piped up, "Me too–"

She was interrupted by a glare sharp enough to slit her throat if she pressed too far. Anderson's look was the embodiment of murderous intent. "Don't get involved. I will assemble a few knights to take care of this. No matter what your intentions are, if you dare to disobey my orders, I will disown you on the spot."

Scarletta couldn't breathe.

The air suffocated her, cutting her throat dry. Without sparing her a second glance, Anderson marched off. He was a true ruler, the pinnacle of all nobles in Lydia Kingdom. He has the strength that Scarletta aspired to have. When will she finally be able to catch up?

Perhaps she never will. After all, she didn't even have the right to inherit the title of Grand Duke. She was no more than the daughter of even a commoner family.

Scarletta read the letter silently.

Dear Anderson Rubius, my little foolish brother,

You must be wondering where your wife and son are. It is getting late, and the time is ticking. Where could they possibly be? As a matter of fact, I took them to a fun place, but as to whether I'll tell you where that fun place is... that depends on how much you're willing to give me. Let's start off with the inheritance rights for the Grand Duke title. If you step aside from the right of inheritance, then I will gladly tell you where your loved ones are. But you must be quick. You know that I am an impatient person. If you're too slow... who knows what might happen to them.

How exactly did I track your loved ones down? How did I manage to capture them? Well, Anderson, your wife might be called the most noble noblewoman in Lydia, but she is nothing more than a woman who evolved backwards. I have come to understand that all commoners are as foolish as dogs. You give them a snack and they will follow you like a piece of ensnared bug. I simply needed to give your servants a few ingots higher than their salary, and they'll follow me. Your pet is no longer yours. Who knows how many I got under my control.

Yours Sincerely,

The future successor, Orion Rubius

The letter was crumbled up. Scarletta lit a fire over the fireplace, shredding the letter into pieces then throwing it into the warping flames. Her mahogany red hair flared up higher than an explosion. "I need to find Lucy and mom." She swore beneath her breath. "I will protect them." She needed strength to protect her loved ones.

"I'll help." A snort sounded from outside the office.

Zephyratt's brows were furrowed. "I have more than enough sources to track down who the traitors are."

Within the past two days, both Zephyratt and Scarletta looked into the past locations where Lucy and Rachelle had gone to. It was first a snack stall on the streets selling candy apples. The stall owner contested their purchases. Next, it was the theatre nearby. A rough-looking man had spoken up about how Rachelle helped him fight against the unfair treatment of commoners. He hummed to himself, "I remember seeing them head down the street. I overheard that noble woman talk about a flower shop or something?"

Both Zephyratt and Scarletta shared a common glance.

They investigated the flower shop. It was a normal flower shop, occupying a small size, which was a befitting business run by commoners.

"Huh? You want to know if Rachelle has visited here two days ago?" A short woman tilted her head. She went by the name Brielle Bellerose. Her chestnut brown hair was tied up into a high bun, with flowers tucked in her bangs. "I haven't seen her the past few weeks. That is strange. I also didn't hear anything from her recently. All I remember hearing from her is that she wanted my daughter to become friends with her youngest son. Though that was approximately a month ago."

Zephyratt clicked his tongue at the roof of his mouth. Does that mean mother and Lucy never arrived at the flower shop? Were they intercepted before arriving? His silver eyes examined the short commoner. Brielle did not seem to be lying. Her face expressed concern and nostalgia.

"Did something happen to Rachelle?" Brielle asked, "We used to be best friends, and she was so kind to me."

Scarletta intervened, "No, nothing has happened to her." Her silver eyes were equally as calculating as her sibling's. "She wanted to go outside for a couple of days. She said that it was something to do with work. Next thing I know, I had something I needed to discuss with her, so I'm trying to locate her."

Brielle's concerned expression faded into understanding. "Oh, alright."

"Actually," Zephyratt leaned an elbow on the counter, his mahogany red hair dangling onto the wooden desk. "I came over here for a different matter."

He tapped a few fingers on the counter.

"On his resume, I learned that a servant in our household is actually your husband." Zephyratt's lips tugged up in a smirk. "He is also one of the butlers who accompanied our mother out on this business trip. Do you have any information as to where this business trip will take place? I have something that I need to sort out with him." The more the red-haired teenage boy talked, the more sinister his voice distorted.

Brielle froze in place.

"...I wouldn't know." She shook her head, "My husband has never mentioned a business trip to me."

"Of course he hasn't." Zephyratt shoved his face in front of the woman's. "If anything, I would never disclose any private information regarding my job to family members. It would be unprofessional." Up close, he could see the dilating pupils of the commoner, her iris blue eyes twitching ever so slightly.

Brielle quickly stepped back.

She picked up a flower pot, polishing the clay pot with a handkerchief.

"That is indeed unprofessional." Her throat bobbed up and down. The loud sound of her gulps echoed in the small flower shop.

Zephyratt took a stroll around the shop, his gaze flickering past the pots of flowers. He was unimpressed by the extravagant plants, his silver eyes piercing sharp. It seemed as if he was looking past the plants itself, and seeming something new altogether.

"What nice plants you have." He remarked.

Brielle calmed down upon hearing that. "Yes, I can promise that every flower I put on display was taken care of to the best of my abilities." She placed her clay pot on the counter, "We have even more plants than this actually. The rest are stored elsewhere. If you are interested, I can bring you a few to look at."

"Stored elsewhere?" Zephyratt lazily asked, "Like an underground basement?"

Brielle nodded, "Yes."

Zephyratt hummed to himself, "Huhh... it must be cold underground." His silver eyes pierced into Brielle's soft dewy ones. "I wonder if you've stored any humans down there too."

The air froze.

For a brief second there, the commoner woman's expression had collapsed. Her hands shook uncontrollably. A flash of light blinded her iris blue eyes, and a contorted scream splashed out of her throat. Scarletta acted immediately, her blade pinned against Brielle's throat. A puff of breath hit Scarletta on the face.

"Please... don't kill me...!" The commoner woman begged.

Scarletta was unmoved. "We don't decide the laws. If you're so devastated about keeping your life, then you might as well discuss this with the Royal family. However, I highly doubt that the Royal family would pay attention to a meagre commoner like you." Her blade was steady and clean. If it had wavered ever so slightly, it would have cut straight into the short woman's throat.

A rush of knights bombarded the small flower shop.

"You're here!" Zephyratt greeted the knights.

Leading the knights was Anderson, his face grim and dark. "I can't believe that I depended on two kids for this."

*****

Lucilline could feel the ceiling tremble ever so slightly. His small body had grown haggard, with bones protruding out from his skinny flesh. He had hardly slept ever since being thrown in the underground basement. The dread of death clung in the back of his mind, always shaking him awake with a heightened fear.

The adrenaline made him want to rush at the iron door, hoping to ram it down with his already helplessly small body. It did not matter if his skull broke. After all, they were already doomed.

"Fuck!" A noise sounded from outside the iron door.

Both Rachelle and Lucilline perked up their ears.

"How did those damned nobles find us?" Another swear. "Hurry up and relocate the prisoners. I'm not going to stop until I get the fucking title!"

Rachelle could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Orion." Her gaze turned dreadfully dark. Rachelle's boney fingers scraped at the cobblestone ground, her nails rubbed into a fleshy red. Lucilline could recognize that look in her eyes. It was pure hostility.

His sunken cheekbones and boney figure were all because of Orion.

They have both been starved for two consecutive days.

The numbing cold had frozen their limbs. Warmth was all they desired.

"Get the fuck out." All of a sudden, the iron door swung open! A tall and broad-shouldered man peered down at them, as if they were merely filth stuck on his leather shoes. Orion thinned his silver eyes, sharp like a glaring blade.

Rachelle remained huddled in the corner. She hugged Lucilline, reassuring soft words in his ear.

"I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!" Orion slammed the iron door with the back of his heel. The door ricocheted against the enclosed walls, its hinges almost coming apart. Out of nowhere, the arrogant man drew out a sword. Its silver engravings and elongated blade did not scare Rachelle.

Rather, the expression on her face grew even more grim.

Lucilline felt his arms shake.

Is this where I die? He clutched at his own clothes, which had wrinkles from how many times he clenched at them. I don't want to die. I don't want to get killed. It will hurt. It will hurt so badly.

"Lucy," a cold hand patted him on the shoulder. Rachelle smiled, "Come on, we have to go now."

He was hauled off from the floor. Lucilline could feel his legs weaken, almost collapsing and kneeling on the spot. His sunken cheeks were devoid of any flesh, and his bones poked out of his sullen torso. His limbs were like a deflated balloon, with all the air sucked out over time.

Rachelle helped him walk forwards, one step at a time.

Orion could not have been any more impatient. His face scalded red in fury, as if hot water scorched and cooked his flesh.

"HURRY UP!" The sudden loud shout made Lucilline tremble. He lost control over his legs, and he pathetically fell back on the ground. "YOU FUCKING PRETTY BOY!" Orion roared, throwing a clammy hand and wrenched the boy back on his feet.

Lucilline cried out a strangled sob. He felt his bone pop, a dislocation in his shoulder. It was as if a fire swallowed his arm whole, a swollen bruise imploding out on his skinny surface. He lost control over that arm as well.

"Don't touch him!" Rachelle was infuriated. She shoved Orion, but couldn't move the latter even an inch to the side!

Orion glared at the noblewoman.

"You fucking pig and bitchass!" He threw away his sword, the blade skidding across the cobblestone ground, with sparks flashing violently. The two adults got into a brawl. They fought brutally with their punches and kicks.

Rachelle tore off the hem of her dress, utilizing the fabric to slide across the man's neck. She pulled desperately, her boney fingers trying to strangle the kidnapper.

It did not succeed.

A punch jumbled her guts.

Like a madman, Rachelle gasped and hurled out a mouthful of saliva. She could feel her ribs move from that punch, her intestines joggling as if set on a marathon. "...shit." Rachelle coughed out red liquid, lukewarm like boiled wine. She wiped away that trail, but her lips were only coated in that berry red colour. She acted as if she was merely applying rouge and lipstick.

"...mom." Lucilline hugged himself. His thin shoulders shook up and down. "...mom."

Orion kicked his heel against the noblewoman. She collapsed onto the ground.

To the eight-year-old boy, all he could see was a jumbled mess of darkness. Everything was hazy and a blur. "Mom... come and save me..." Lucilline's hands scratched at his own ears, a futile attempt at trying to block out the punches and thrashes. Despite that, sounds of grunts and flailing gasps leaked in his eardrums. His one arm no longer worked either.

He scratched more desperately.

A trail of blood smeared across his pearly white ears.

"Answer me, mom..." His golden eyes went dull.

Orion lifted the unconscious noblewoman up from the ground. He sneered upon seeing the deranged boy. "Coward."

Lucilline could hear that one word clearly.

It echoed in his brain, then proceeded to repeat itself. It wouldn't stop. "Coward." "Coward." "Coward.""  Coward." "Coward." "Coward." "Coward." "Coward." "Coward." "Coward." "Coward." "Coward." "Coward." "Coward."

"AHHHHHH!!!" All of a sudden, Rachelle thrashed in the man's hold.

Her hands violently clawed at Orion. Blood streaks ran down the man's face, with liquid colouring his world in a dark flesh red. "YOU SNAKE BITCH!" Orion threw the fierce woman against the ground.

The sound of something shattering had popped.

Rachelle no longer moved.

Slowly, a pool of blood seeped out from her long locks of cascading black hair. A low laugh guffawed in the basement. It bounced off the walls, boisterously ramming in Lucilline's ears. The young boy noticed a peripheral sight of red in his vision. The red wouldn't stop nearing him. It climbed closer and closer, then gently drenched his boots in the lukewarm liquid.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU DESERVE!" Orion became mad.

He picked up his sword which he'd thrown away. The sound of squirming flesh squelched, and splashes of blood smeared across the cobblestone ground.

Orion cut his blade deep into the motionless woman. He began at her face, cutting straight into every intricate bone and skeleton. Slowly, he displaced the jaw, cheekbones, and eye sockets. Patterns carved into the disfigured body, and waves of blood splattered on the walls.

A droplet of blood splashed onto Lucilline's face.

Gradually, it trailed down and seeped inside his lips. A metallic taste stung his tongue.

"Mom..." A low sob escaped from his mouth. "...save me. Where are you?" Why won't you answer me?

Orion paid no heed to the boy. Fanatically, he scrawled bloodied handprints across the unmoving body. "DIE! DIE! DIE!" Orion wrote words into the dead woman's abdomen. Those streaks of distorted flesh read out: B I T C H

"You're no longer so beautiful, are you?" Orion laughed lowly. His rumbled laughter growled out from his throat. "As beautiful as a flower... they used to describe you like you're some sort of goddess. They're just as crazy as they used to describe me!!!" His hands shook in a frenzy, as if craving to carve out more words onto the deformed body.

Intestines were thrown against the wall.

He carved a sentence: D I E D   T O   O R I O N

A maniacal howl had torn out of the madman.

Slowly, Lucilline's lifeless eyes trailed up from his hands. He met the grotesque mess of blood on the cobblestone ground.

That's not mom. Where did she go?

A bunch of footsteps rushed into the basement. They came to a sudden halt. Anderson could not believe his eyes.