Free Web NovelChapter 8: Death Under Disguise
The Five Great Houses of the Dark Empire were the only nobles to hold the status of Archduke, a rank that stood directly below the Empress herself.
They were the true power houses of the empire, each of them were granted vast states in their name, lands so expansive that no single house could govern them alone.
And so, each Archduke parceled out their territory to the lesser nobles beneath them, the marquesses, counts, viscounts, and at times even barons of their choosing, who managed those holdings in the Great House’s stead.
In return, those lesser lords answered to the Great House above them, and not directly to the throne.
The Archdukes set the laws within their domains, and collected the taxes, and ruled over their lands as they saw fit.
It made the Five Great Houses something closer to kings in their own right than nobles.
And perhaps that was precisely why nearly all of them kept their primary residences within the walls of the capital, Garissa.
There, where the Empire’s great castle was stationed over the city, the Archdukes could remain close to the throne, and to one another, allowing the business of the empire to flow smoothly between the Great Houses and the Empress alike.
It was also, few who would dare to say it aloud, how the Empress kept her five most powerful subjects within arm’s reach.
And among those Archdukes, were House Orlok.
Ruled by Archduke Orion leth Orlok, and Archduchess Bianca Orlok.
Bianca reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes first graced Lilly, and then stopped at Rian.
They softened the instant they landed on him.
"Rian, you actually came."
For a moment, Rian wasn’t able to answer.
The last time he had seen her face, it had not been smiling.
It had been pale, cold, and lifeless in his arms, the floor beneath her had turned red and her eternal blonde hair had soaked in her own blood.
No matter how hard he tried, he could never forget that scene.
Rian swallowed, and forced a curve touched to his lips.
"...Yeah, I came."
And as he said it, the thought rose in him again.
How mentally strong must Jeanne have been, to endure this same rattling ache every single time she regressed?
How cruel of a power this was to her.
Beneath his white glove, Rian’s left hand curled slowly into a fist,the same hand which bore the Holy Mark.
Bianca said, her smile widening.
"Well, whatever’s gotten into you, I’m glad to see you both together here. Happy birthday, my dears. Both of you."
Lilly beamed.
"Thank you, Mother."
"...Thank you."
A shadow fell beside her.
Orion stepped down the last stair, and the warmth in the air seemed to cool by a degree round Rian.
Rian’s gaze shifted to his father.
He was the same as ever.
That cold stare that never quite softened, no matter the occasion.
If Rian was honest with himself, he’d likely inherited that very coldness from the man.
He had loved his mother, but his father was... a more complicated matter.
In his past life, Orion had been a wall of expectations, always telling Rian what to do, where to go, what to become.
It was him who had told him to Enroll at Caelistra.
It must have been quite a shock for him today, after learning that Rian had chosen to attend Caelista Academy.
And true to form, Orion’s first words were the same.
"Is it true, then? That you’ve agreed to attend Caelistra."
His eyes moved between his children.
"Did Lilly talk you into it? Or is there something else you’re after?"
Rian had expected the question, and to be fair, he couldn’t even fault the man for asking it.
Given the things he’d pulled in his past life, the suspicion was earned.
But he has all grown up now, and with that, he replied to him with the same manner of haughtiness.
"I’m doing exactly what the great Archduke always wanted. I’d think you should savor the moment, Father, they don’t come often."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Orion’s brow lifted slightly.
It was the closest thing to surprise the man ever allowed himself to show.
Bianca blinked, equally caught off guard. So did Lilly, Mara, and Juliana from behind, all four of them staring at Rian as though he’d grown a second head.
And it wasn’t only them.
The nearby guests had gone quiet too, they too had caught the exchange between them.
Rian could practically feel the whispers gathering at the edges of the hall.
Orion held his son’s gaze a moment longer, his eyes traveling over him once from head to toe.
Then he turned to Lilly.
"Did your brother hit his head in one of his strange experiments?"
"Father, I, well—"
Before Lilly could speak, Orion waved it off.
"Never mind."
He glanced at Bianca, who gave him a small nod.
She stepped forward, presenting herself to the hall, and the murmuring guests fell quiet at once.
"On behalf of House Orlok, I thank you all for joining us tonight. Today, both of my children turn sixteen, and with it, they cross the mark into adulthood."
A polite applause resonated throughout the entire hall.
"They have grown into a fine young man and a fine young woman, and as their mother, I could not be prouder. So please, eat, drink, and enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content. Tonight is for them."
She raised her glass, and everyone else followed.
With that, Bianca turned to her maids.
They bowed as one, then wheeled forward a great trolley bearing a seven-tiered cake, a snow-white cream and topped with bright red cherries.
Rian and Lilly stepped up and cut it together, to another round of applause.
And so the banquet rolled into its final stretch.
The music started up once more.
Some guests drifted back to the dance floor, while others gathered around Archduke Orion and Bianca to exchange quiet words.
Rian watched it all from the sidelines, and more than watched, he actually kept careful track of the time.
’...Thalia must be finished by now.’
He drained half his glass, set it down on a nearby table, and wiped his mouth.
He made his way toward his parents.
Stopping just a short distance away from them, to catch the conversations passing between the gathered nobles.
Most of it was the usual flattery polished smooth to please them. But a few threads caught his own ears, of them discussing the possibility of a Holy Empire spy hidden somewhere within the Empress’s own castle.
Still, the thing he was waiting for had not yet reached any of them.
CLANK!
The doors of the banquet hall swung open.
Three knights strode in, all wearing black armor across their chests, and the royal sigil emblazoned upon it.
Every eye turned to follow them, and as they crossed the floor toward Orion and Bianca, the music thinned then died into nothing.
His father and mother too noticed the change.
The nobles surrounding them stepped aside, parting to clear a path for the Empress’s Knights.
The lead knight bowed his head.
"My Lord, we bring an urgent summons from the Empress. The Archduke of House Orlok is required to present itself at once."
Orion’s eyes narrowed at the abruptness of it.
"What is the matter? And at an hour like this, can’t it be trailed for later hours?"
The three knights exchanged a glance and a nod.
One stepped close to Orion and murmured something low enough that only the Archduke could hear.
Orion went still.
"...What did you say?!"
"...What’s happened?"
Bianca asked, watching her husband’s face with growing unease.
Orion set his glass down with a quiet clink.
"Manage everything here, tell the guards outside to triple the security around our estate. And take Lilly and Rian home."
"Wait—"
But he was already moving.
Sweeping his coat around himself, he strode out alongside the knights.
. . .
The banquet sank into a minute of silence.
The way the Archduke had rushed out meant something devastating had happened. Perhaps a demon attack? Or had the Holy Empire finally launched its war?
A dozen theories rose in everyone’s mind. Not one of them came close to the truth.
Lilly tugged at her mother’s dress.
"Mother... what do we do?"
Their father had told them to return to the Orlok Estate.
Bianca turned to her daughter, the shock on her face fading the moment she met Lilly’s eyes.
"It sounds urgent. We should do as he says."
She instructed the guards to see the remaining guests off with her apologies, and to escort Lilly’s friends safely on their way. Then she gathered the maids and butlers and ordered the carriages made ready.
Ushering both Lilly and Rian along, she climbed into the same carriage as them.
Inside, she watched her children. Lilly sat tense, wringing her hands, while Rian...
Rian was simply staring out the window, his eyes fixed on something far in the distance.
Bianca followed his gaze.
"...What is that?"
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Far away, beyond the rooftops of the capital, blue flames were rising into the night sky.
It was a surreal sight, unnatural, almost otherworldly, the kind of fire that should not exist. That such a thing could burn so high, with such force, sent a chill through her she couldn’t name.
Lilly pressed close to the window too, pointing.
"...That’s where Archduke Morgrath’s estate is."
. . .
As the carriage rolled out, they saw it everywhere they looked, that the entire street of Garissa had been flooded with guards.
They lined the roads, perched on the rooftops, and were posted at every corner.
Several griffins were also seen soaring overhead.
The whole capital had been thrown into a state of emergency.
As the carriage rounded a turn and slowed, Bianca leaned toward the window and called out to a passing knight.
"You there."
The knight paused and turned.
The moment he recognized whose carriage it was, he straightened and bowed.
"Yes, my lady?"
"Tell me what’s happened. Those blue flames rising in the distance, what are they?"
The knight hesitated.
He hadn’t been given clearance to make the matter public yet.
But the woman before him was Lady Bianca Orlok herself, of one of the very Houses the Empress had summoned.
He was in no position to refuse her orders.
He swallowed, and lowered his voice.
"...House Morgrath has fallen, my lady."
Rian should have felt something, watching it, after hearing the guard saying it, after seeing the shock on his mother and sister’s faces.
A whole bloodline had gone by his hand in a single night.
’A threat dealt with early is no threat at all.’
He had ended the danger long before it could ever reach him.
Why wait for House Morgrath to rise and slaughter more in the years to come, when he could erase them tonight?
He had regretted it once and he wouldn’t again.
His eyes moved, just briefly, to Lilly beside him.
’Worth it, every last one of them.’
This was all he could think of.
