Lucien didn't bother knocking. The doors to the duchess's chamber groaned open, and the air inside was thick with the scent of expensive perfume and rotting sweetness.
The two maids turned pale the instant they saw him. They didn't need to be told twice when he said, flatly,
"Leave."
Without a second thought, they both got on their feet and exited the room, Elizabeth was influential, but in the end, she's just another maid with a few bastard children, while Lucien was the only recognised heir to the duchy of Valsyr.
Elizabeth, still seated near the golden bed, didn't rise. Her white hair caught the morning light, making her look almost saintly, if saints reeked of deception and lust.
"Well, if it isn't the young lord himself," she drawled, one hand resting over her small belly. "To what do I owe this rare visit?"
Lucien's gaze swept over her without emotion. "I suddenly felt the urge to see my mother, but the audacity of a maid to position herself, so confidently on her lady's bed, you have guts of steel… Maid".
Elizabeth smiled thinly, hiding the irritation from being repeatedly called a maid by Lucien.
"A woman in my position has to. The Duchess hasn't been well, and someone has to maintain order in this house."
His eyes flicked briefly to the golden bed, where his mother lay unconscious. Her face was pale, her breaths shallow. For a moment, something that almost resembled tenderness, then it was gone as fast as it came.
"Order should be maintained by pious and graceful women, not a dog that thrives on depravity".
Elizabeth tilted her head, the smile never leaving her lips. "And what of you, young lord? Do you thrive on cruelty… or does it simply come naturally?".
Elizabeth wasn't about to be outdone by Lucien, she wasn't sure why he was suddenly talkative, so she attributed it to a confidence boost from awakening.
Lucien gave a cold humorless laugh. "We all play the roles we're given. Some of us just play them better."
Lucien's gaze lingered on her hand resting protectively over her stomach. "A hundred sheep can never kill a lion, in the same breath, a couple dozen bastard children can never replace a true noble born".
She stiffened, her smile faltering, but only for a heartbeat.
Lucien turned toward the sleeping woman on the bed. His mother. His voice dropped, barely audible.
"She dreams of peace," he said quietly. "Even in this pit."
Lucien lingered a little longer, the silence stretching thin as wire. Then he spoke without turning.
"Take care of your children, Elizabeth. It's a cruel world for bastards."
Before Elizabeth could respond, Lucien retreated from the duchess's chambers, leaving behind an ugly faced Elizabeth.
She wasn't sure what he meant by a cruel world for bastards, but it was clear as day that Lucien was somehow aware of her scandalous relationship with his father.
… …
Later that afternoon, the garden of the western quarters was quiet except for the clash of steel and the grunt of men training. Awakened warriors moved like wolves in the sunlight, their bodies shimmering faintly with energy.
Lucien sat alone beneath an apple tree, the softness of the shade making his grey eyes dull , a book unopened in his lap. His eyes weren't on the book's intricate cover, but on the training field beyond.
Lily approached quietly, her steps soft but deliberate. Even without turning, Lucien felt her presence.
"My lord," she said, kneeling beside him, "I found the man you asked about."
Lucien shifted his gaze to her.
"Lily, you don't have to kneel each time you see me, I for one find it quite tedious".
Lily was stunned, for a second time since meeting the newly awakened Lucien, she almost felt comfortable being close to this man that has a strange fetish for making his maids crawl on all fours and bark like dogs.
Lily shook her head to get the horrifying thought out of her mind, she maintained her kneeling posture and said plainly.
"The servant you asked me to find works here in the western quarters… assigned to cleaning the tower chambers, although he usually sneaks in a friend to help him with cleaning, apart from that, I haven't found anything unusual about him"..
Lucien's fingers drummed once against the book's cover. "Nicholas doesn't have any friends". Lucien said plainly.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Good. You've done well."
Her heart thudded as his gaze met hers. For an instant, she swore the air around him rippled.
"Tell no one," he said simply.
"Yes, my lord."
… …
The evening sun quickly began to fall, a red shade settled over the great duchy.
Lucien unceremoniously rose, Lily attempted to follow, but he said coolly. "Wait here, they might need a helping hand".
Lily was perplexed, but did not defy her master's orders.
Lucien walked towards the tower and pushed open the wooden door, the stairs were greasy and smelled of wet sand, each step he took reminded him of a world where he lost everything he held dear.
His unborn child, the woman he loved, his legacy and his birthright, in this world he wasn't really an idiot, but he did not fight for what was his, he lavished unnecessarily on what was given to him without trying to earn any of his own.
In this world he stood aside and allowed those who desired what he had to take, and take, until they took everything, by the time he realised he wanted to keep what was his, it was too late.
Lucien paused at the top of the tower, his hand gently touching the wooden door, inside he could hear heated pants and grunts of two men.
The evil young lord's face went cold, he pushed open the door and walked straight in, the two men paused, frozen in a disgraceful posture.
"Young lord". Nicholas said unevenly, his face flushed red.
Lucien reached for the wooden stick next to him, and without hesitation, he swung at his half brother.