Chapter 1: Heartless
Happiness...
Sadness...
Hate...
Love...
What were they? I will never know. They had forbidden me to feel any kind of sentiment for this will lead me to my self-destruction.
Emotions were venomous to the heart and mind; I should never have them for they will lead me to an insurmountable pain that would taint the pureness instilled in me at birth.
I was the purest among my kind and it must stay that way. My mere purpose was to exist— nothing more and nothing less. Questioning such would only lead to my punishment bestowed by the law of my kind and the law of which I represent— the law of the Ochi sto de Scarlet Austarch (No to the Scarlet Autocrat).
It was a law passed on by the Higher Order of Ancients who survived from the tyranny of The Scarlet Emperor— a ruler almost considered as the perfect sovereign but became a slave to his emotions when he fell in love with a Cysgod (Shadow) Knight.
I ran my gloved fingers against the wooden wall of the hallway as I sauntered towards the dining area. My fingers dipped into the crevices of the intricate swirls of the ivory wall as my feet took gentle steps on the ebony carpet. I made sure that my feet made no sound as I trudged because even the slightest and gentlest sound could be a source of entertainment.
My father and mother were already seated. My father sat at the end of the overly lengthy stygian table with my mother sitting perpendicular to him.
The servant pulled the chair for me at the far end of the table, opposite to my father, and I bowed before them before taking my seat.
“How was your day, Lucian?” Father asked me sternly.
I kept my gaze lowered to the empty space on the table, keeping my hearing alert for their inquiries.
“Good father.”
“Do you feel ill?” Mother asked me next.
The tone of their voices had no hint of compassion or affection of a parent which was suited for this conversation and for my benefit.
“No, I feel nothing,” I answered.
I always had and will always be empty as I should be.
More servants arrived in their black, placing a bowl filled with bread in front of me and a glass of water. They were careful not to touch me for doing such was punishable by the law.
I took a bite of the bland bread; we ate in total silence. No further conversations were exchanged among us and not even the servants dared to utter a noise unless their services were requested by my father or mother.
I slowly drank my water as soon as I finished everything in front of me. I rose from my seat, bowing before returning to my bedroom.
My chamber was located on the left-wing of the castrum (castle). Only a few personnel were allowed inside, specifically the chosen servants and the ippótes.
I walked to my white semi-soft lectus (bed) and sat by the edge. My eyes then focused on my lap and then at my window. The view was blocked by vines purposely raised there to hinder any possible entertainment or distraction that could elicit emotion from me.
As far as I could remember, for the last eighteen blue moons, this had been my quotidian life. It was unchanging, ascetic, and monotonous just as what I had expected.
I lied down on my lectus and shut my eyes. I circled the castrum earlier to waste time but made sure not to push myself to exhaustion.
As I attempted to catch some sleep, my door crept open. The bed sank from the weight of the intruder. A hand brushed on my forehead and a shaky breath was released as the hand stroked my head in a manner that was forbidden by the law.
“Oh, Lucian...my musuko (son)...” she whispered. “Te iubesc (I love you)...”
My mother had always been a lawbreaker. She was the type to let her emotions get the best of her and this was one of those occasions. She should face the consequences, but it was not too late to save her from the poison that lived through her rotting form.
There was still time.
I opened my eyes, turning my head to face her. She was startled and looked ashamed from her actions. I merely bore my eyes at her.
“You are tainting my purity mother. What are you doing here?”
She opened and closed her mouth in obvious edginess. Her blonde hair cascaded down to her waist and framed her small face. Her clemency, though opposed by the law that I was under, was still considered a treasure to the Kingdom of Florencia and to the many who hadn’t deposited themselves under the grasp of the Higher-Order.
The law shall be applied only to those willing and those who had dipped their hands in blood for the kingdom. The Higher-Order was still fighting for its equal application, but the late King Genshi did not allow its mandatory utilization.
“I...” she trailed off, lost on what to say.
She seemed to be holding so many emotions inside of her that it was obvious that she was being destroyed by it. She should have undergone the training with me. This kingdom did not need a fragile queen.
“You should not be here. Please manage your motherly instincts. You are endangering my life and you are violating my rights.”
She closed her mouth, pursing her lips to conceal her shameful acts but was failing miserably.
“Of course... omlouvám se (I’m sorry)," she murmured hurriedly.
She rose, leaving with her head lowered. She closed my door, lightly releasing an audible click, and her footsteps became louder as she evidently departed in an upset sprint.
The night passed. I awakened to perform my daily routine of grooming. After bathing and cleaning my teeth with cloth smeared with a special paste that had no taste, I suited myself up in an ebony blouse with puffy long sleeves. I slipped into the same shade of fitted pants and wore my ivory high boots.
A servant knocked on my door to inform me that breakfast was prepared; I thanked her flatly. The same bread was served to me and while I consumed it in small bites, I noticed that my mother did not have any appetite as she played with her food.
Her emotions must be eating away her manners.
"Okaa? Otou?” a deep and baritone voice resonated from a near distance. Both of my parents looked at each other in shock.
Mother suddenly stood up, causing the chair to fall back down to the floor. She ran towards the source of the voice.
“Lucius!” she yelled out in joy.
"Okaa!" the male replied blissfully.
Father followed suit. I was left alone to continue with my meal.
Three bodies emerged from the tall and wide arched threshold. My parents surfaced with the person they gleefully welcomed. A blonde-haired male who was taller and more built than father frantically looked around. As soon as he spotted me, his already wide smile grew more in width and if possible, his lively aura became livelier.
“Chii!” he addressed, charging up to me with wide arms.
“Lucius, wait!” mother panicked.
The man named Lucius brusquely and unlawfully picked me up from my spot and lifted me up into the air.
“You have grown, chii!” he commented.
Who was this lawbreaker and why was he even allowed in here?
“Guards,” I called out blankly to the ippótes who didn’t know whether to intervene or just stand there and embrace the rock life.
The man before me laughed and stared at me with much adoration.
“I do not know you and if you don’t put me down now, an acquaintance of the royal family or not, you shall be rightfully punished,” I threatened.
This was the first offense and for the king and queen to let this happen to the prince they deposited willingly under the law; this was alarming indeed.
The pain was visibly seen in his eyes. He gently placed me down on my feet.
“Who are you if you don’t mind me asking?” I need to know what name I was going to put in my report.
Lucius placed his hands on my shoulders and smiled sadly. This was the second offense. I would now need to ask the servants for a pen and paper next time to write my letter of report.
I gave one of his hands a look of disapproval and swatted it off me.
“I don’t blame you for forgetting me. I have been gone for so long but still...ouch!” he jokingly laughed.
“I am not amused. Do not touch me; do not even get a foot closer to me the next time. I do not know you and I will never bother to know a criminal,” I stated firmly.
Lucius looked shocked by my blunt statement; nonetheless, he didn’t wipe the smile off his face.
“Woah, you turned out to be a grumpy young man. No need to be cold to your own older brother, Lucian,” he said with a lowered tone and a dying enthusiasm this time.
I scowled at him. “I do not have a brother—”
“Yes, you do!” he cut me off, clearly offended before I could even finish.
I will make sure to add Disrespect to the Monarchy to his list of offenses.
Lucius’ expression showed great distress. Once he had touched my face, that was the last straw for me.
I slapped his hand away with the back of mine causing his eyes to widen.
“De Scarlet Austarch lebt timi bhitra...(The Scarlet Autocrat Lives within you…)" I murmured.
Upon hearing my words, Lucius’ mouth hung open and his face slowly distorted into that of shock and disbelief. He took a step back. His eyes watered and his hand clamped on his lips. He then took a sharp turn to my parents, glaring at them with seething rage.
“You put Lucian in that training, didn’t you?!”
The king and queen looked at each other before mother took the courage to speak. “We have no other choice, Lucius. We must protect him from—”
"Rahat! (Bullshit!)” He cut her off. “You aren’t doing this for him, you’re just being selfish! How can you stand seeing him like this? What have you done to him?!”
So many emotions leeching off from him...
“They are helping preserve my saintliness, would you care to help?” I didn’t want to save a criminal but the Higher-Order was looking for more recruits.
“No, you shouldn’t be like that Lucian! You are not supposed to be a heartless being!” he snapped at me.
“Being heartless saves you from... what you are right now. Do not fret, you still have a chance to change. Would you like to undergo training?”
The man visibly gritted his teeth as anger radiated from him.
“You cannot blame us for wanting him to be safe, Lucius,” father told him calmly.
I sat back down and continued to eat my bread even if there was an obvious rope of tension connecting the three of them.
“You...made him into an empty shell. This isn’t protecting,” he argued back, causing father to sigh.
“Lucian, go to your room,” the king ordered.
“As you wish father,” I replied.
I ignored Lucius’ desperate calls and headed straight to my chamber. The silence healed my ringing ears from the ruckus that that man had caused. Father should know what to do with him. I will see to it that everything will go smoothly with the jail documents.
I laid down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Just as when I was finally regaining control of tranquillity, the door opened, revealing the offender.
This was getting out of hand.
My father was a useless ruler.
“You should not be here.”
“I know...just lend me your time,” he assured with a smile.
He sat at the edge of the bed. I scooted far away from him to show my disapproval of him being in here. Where were the ippótes making rounds?
“Thank you for the generous space,” he chuckled and lied down.
He quickly wrapped his arms around me, pulling my form firmly to his hard body and immediately alarming my principles.
“Let go of me, you are not allowed to touch me, you are destroying my purity!” I shouted at him.
This was the first time that someone had invaded my personal space multiple times a day. How could someone be so persistent in disobedience?
I must push him away.I must get rid of him! He will take away my life; he will ruin everything I worked hard for!
His arms tightened around me; the strangulation of being forced into such a position made me cease my breathing.
“Let go I say!” I wheezed out.
“I will not. Please calm yourself,” he gently spoke, reassuring that he had harmless intentions in which I do not believe even if my own mother was at stake.
“I am calm. Why are you here?” I questioned. My tone was slightly higher than usual.
What?
I froze in place when I felt him place a kiss on my forehead.
“Because onii misses his chii,” he whispered.
I snapped out from my stupefaction, narrowing my gaze at him. “I do not know you,” I deadpanned.
“Yes, you do, they just erased your memories of me,” he pushed on being a lot calmer this time compared to the first time he arrived.
"Relinquo (Leave),” I ordered. “Your visit here is meaningless.”
“You’re meaningful to me. Stop pushing me away.”
“Stop being in my way,” I retorted and continued with my struggle within his steel grip.
“Lucian, this is getting childish. Look at me,” he demanded.
“I refuse.”
His fingers pushed my chin up. I tried to resist the force and back away; however, his arm prevented me from making a distance.
He placed a heavy leg to trap my own two legs and pushed my body further to his own, crushing me in his embrace. I gave up and let him lift my chin only for him to meet closed eyes.
"Otrolig… (Unbelievable…)” he groaned.
For a few seconds, the criminal became silent. He leaned his forehead against mine before sighing in resignation.
“If only I came home sooner...this wouldn’t have happened,” he murmured regretfully. “They must have deprived you of love and affection...”
They did the right thing. They made the right choice.
“It must be done,” I told him. If they showed such weakness to me, I would be fragile.
“It shouldn’t have been done!” he protested, and a wave of silence followed thereafter.
Lucius’ tensed form relaxed moments later while I was devising plans on how to speed up the process of putting him behind bars for one-hundred blue moons. I will also make sure that the ippótes assigned in this wing shall meet consequences for not being in time to arrest this man.
“Have you tasted cocoa seeds?”
“No and never, taste buds retrieve emotions. I advise you to stop piling more offenses to your list but for the sake of speeding up the process of you being tossed to jail, please, go on.”
A second later, something soft pressed against my lips. I had to purse my lips to prevent whatever it was that he was forcing in.
Lucius poked my side and my body reacted negatively to it. My mouth opened; the small and soft object was shoved inside of my mouth. He immediately pushed my chin up and covered my lips with his hand.
“Chew it or else I will never leave you alone,” he threatened.
You shall pay for this, farbrekher (criminal).
I clenched his arm tightly and chewed sluggishly. My strength was drained from dealing with him. The soft seed ruptured and something thick and rich coated my mouth. My eyes opened in wonderment. I met blue eyes that were darker than my own, waiting in anticipation. He let go of my lips; the taste stayed in my tongue as it dried up and thirst spread across my cavern.
“What is it?” I questioned.
It tasted better than the bread I eat every day.
I will have to confess my crimes to the Higher-Order once this man was out of the way. The punishment will be lesser in my condition because I was forced.
“It’s chocolate, what you tasted is sweet,” he explained.
“I shouldn’t have tasted that. It will—”
"Hiberent! (Stop!) They have lied to you. Emotions show the beauty of life. If you lock them away, you learn nothing,” he scolded.
He raised my face further, forcing me to look at his eyes that pinned my attention in place.
“You are beautiful, Lucian, but you are nothing but a monster inside. I will train you on how to use your heart. You will come with me the next time I go out.”
I gave him a defiant expression. I was trained to show expressions of disapproval when it came to unreasonable simpletons.
“It’s better to hurt than to be hurt. You are blind if you think otherwise,” I told him.
Lucius held my face firmly; disappointment was traced from his tone of voice.
“It’s better to not hurt at all. You are a creature of life, not death.”
He pulled my body up with him and went to my closet. Did he really believe I’d come with him? What made him think that the kingdom will allow him to take me?
“Your clothes are all black and white,” he commented as he rummaged through it.
“It must be done,” I stated.
His head popped out from the hanging clothes. He pointed his finger at me with a displeased face.
“No, it shouldn’t. When you were a child, your clothes were colourful. What happened?”
I was enlightened.
“I grew up and... It must be—”
“That’s it, we leave tonight!” He cut me off out of frustration.
He grabbed a bag and began to stuff my clothes inside. I watched him blankly as he caused a rampage. He was too raucous. If I was sensitive like my mother, I could have whacked this man’s head. Once the dullard was finally done packing my things up, I took the chance to speak.
“I refuse to come. Please return my clothes to where they belong. I will add Invasion of territory and Damage to property into the list of your offenses. Aren’t you wealthy with years in jail?”
"Otrod’ye…(Brat...)” he hissed.