There was no question that Luke was odd from birth. a lesser blood from her flesh. a disgrace to the noble family he was born in. looking at him throughout his life, Nova, his mother, had convinced herself to know everything about him.
She knew what to expect from him in different situations when he was thrown into sudden obstacles. That's why she wasn't surprised when the bandits attacked; he was saved because of his fiance.
Despite his shortcomings, there was one redeeming feature on him. His mental fortitude far surpassed his physical capabilities. In that way Luke was smarter than most of his peers.
his mind can be an asset to the next duke in her family--her eldest son. That was the only reason his father did not oust him from the house, striping his title and position.
That's how the Sterlings, no, the entire society operated in the wake of war.
Nova wanted her second son to be groomed as a future strategist in Empire's command, a political tool that worked in the duke's favor.
That was it. Luke was supposed to walk in a path that she laid out for him. act under her expectation and obey his house willingly.
and well, it worked quite good all these years; at least, until last night.
After the incident with the bandits, Nova saw Luke acting differently than usual. Ordinarily, she would see him blending into the background, without causing troubles while staying within her sight.
but that night was different. It was when Natalie's father struck up a conversation with her.
"The food is quite delicious, isn't it. I must say, Hidan has outdone himself with this one."
"Yes, lacking security aside, it's been good, I suppose."
she would never let go of that taunt. as if she would ever miss an opportunity to talk down theAurelcrests. It's rare to see a high gathering ruined by bandits, might as well rub the wound while it's fresh.
"Haha, yes."
Randal played it down after that. Sure, he wants to stay on the good side of nova but he wasn't ready to ruin his relationship with Hidan.
The party returned to normalcy after that. She hung out with her business partners with small talk, making connections with other families, gossiping about the capital, and exchanging wines. She even met some of her academy classmates. She was making the most of that dinner party.
"?"
probably, that was the reason she forgot something. She didn't see Luke for some time.
'Where is he?'
Natalie was the next to notice. It's like he vanished without a trace.
'I keep forgetting his disappearing skills. Luke, you can't run away like this all the time. Don't you think about how you make others look?'
Just as she finished that thought, she saw someone approaching Nova. It was the butler of Aurelcrest house---Aegar.
"Lady, I apologise for intruding, but master Hidan wants to have a word with you?"
what does he want, was her first thought, but then she noticed fear in this old servant's voice.
'whatever it is, it must be something grave.'
"Follow me please."
***
A few moments ago.
"Is it done?"
Hidan asked the servants if the mess on the ground floor was cleared. Behind the scenes he did everything he could to make it appear as if the incident never happened, or tried to, at least.
"Yes, sire. We cleaned it for the most part and brought additional guards from the estate."
Aegar was the head servant of Hidan. He took care of pretty much everything that belonged to the Aurelcrests. That day, things did not go the way his master intended so he was more under pressure to get this right.
"There is one last aspect I forgot to mention."
"and that is?"
"a good thing, master. you were worried we will have no one to blame since all five of the bandits possibly died. It seems one of them was still breathing."
Hidan's face turned neutral, removed from all the disgust he felt at the time. Finally, some good news. He can find out who was behind this, how they planned this attack, and how they acquired those bloody damn pistols and rifles. stupid as it is, no mere bandit can get those things without help from someone superior.
If it was those Thyse bastards like he thought, he can get back at them later, he needed to repair this scenario before the next official summons to the capital.
"Where?"
"In the cellar, master. it was one of the underlings. we have treated his injuries so he can respond to the questions."
Aegar knew exactly what needed to be done. He's been cleaning after Hidan's slop for a long time now. He took to the basement after Hidan spent some time greeting to the guests.
"Let's get this over with."
That was when it happened. An event completely unplanned that night, an encounter, a brutal start of Luke's new life, everything was witnessed by Aegar.
It was when Aegar led his master to the cellar. to see how the surviving bandit was doing. But what they were was something else.
"Master Luke, what are you doing here?"
Luke was on the other side of the prison. Suspicious. Aegar was sure he was the only one with the keys and, from what he could see, it was still locked.
'How did he get inside?' he thought, narrowing his eyes.
"Huh? what? Why is he inside?"
Hidan was perplexed as well. but his concern fell somewhere else. But it was too late when both of them realised what happened.
While Luke stood, his back facing them, they noticed his fine clothes were bloodied by his victim. At his feet, Aegar, the last captured bandit lay dead, along with several other bodies.
"are they...?"
Hidan was terrified to finish that thought.
'Did he kill them all?'
there could be no mistake. Among those corpses there were some he recognised. They were the soldiers guarding these cellars and some knights with torn armors and broken swords.
there were no visible weapons at Luke's hands but his fists told them all they needed to know. His hands were dripping in blood.
"Hm?"
It seems he noticed them. There was a smile when he turned around to greet them.
"Hello, Lord Hidan. you came sooner than expected."
***
The moment Nova saw her son in the cellar, that night, the image of Luke that she knew shattered into pieces. she began to question everything she knew about him. it was either a bad dream or different world, things would not make sense any other way.
Her stoic face showed hints of fear and shock but she was calm enough to evaluate the situation.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"you tell me."
Hidan slapped Nova's question down. Both of them were startled and angered at the same time. They needed answers but no one there had any.
They looked at Luke, the culprit in question, who sat on the stone recliner inside the cellar. He was relaxed, removing the blood stained coat and dropping it on the floor.
"He was like this when we came here. I did not know what to make of this situation so I immediately told Aegar to bring you here."
"What are you plotting?"
"I should be the one asking you—"
"Please stop. both of you."
They were about to start an argument like they always do so Luke stepped in. He sighed. There are better ways to handle this situation but they let personal feelings get in the way.
"There's nothing to talk about here. You guys know what to do."
Nova noticed the difference in speech from Luke. He was acting strangely. This is not how he would always act.
"Stop with that attitude, you brat."
Hidan didn't feel the need to hold back. This spoiled child has been the pain in his back throughout this night. on top of being the son of the person he hates, how much more insufferable he be?
"Talk...! Now! How did you even get in? better yet, tell me how you killed them, and why? you better make some bloody sense. I know you, there is no way I can imagine you doing this."
"Luke, who is behind this?"
He took a moment of silence before answering.
First, he took out the key from his pocket–a very small master key shaped like a skeletal hand that he used to get inside.
"A friend gave me this," he answered, coming outside of the cell, dropping the key inside."
he confessed, gesturing his hand toward the bodies.
"And he told me to do this. It was a simple task, so I did as he was told."
there wasn't a shred of guilt in his voice. Nova can hardly imagine him as the same person she saw before.
"You?" Hidan was still perplexed at Luke's answer. "What do you mean? Who is it?"
"I can't tell you that. I wouldn't be much of a friend then, now, would I?"
Now he was getting on Hidan's last nerves.
"I can't rat him out. And I see, you still have more questions," he looked at his mother, unfazed and indifferent.
Surprisingly, this time, it was Nova who broke eye contact, shifting from his attitude to his outrageous acts. The blood was still fresh on the ground.
Cheerfully, he continued.
"Clearly, We all had a long night. I'm sure none of us sympathize with these dead people, they're lowborn. so, Mother, Lord Hidan and... Mr. Servant, why don't we take a step back, leave things here for now and go home?"
Suddenly, his last words sounded severely cold. Almost like he was whispering orders to their ears.
The anger Hidan felt was replaced by a sudden chill on his spine. Nova glared at Luke while Aegar, as experienced he was dealing with dangerous men, took a step back.
"Luke..."
He walked past her before she could talk.
"Let's leave, mother. Lord Hidan can take things from here. We'll talk tomorrow."
Nova followed him soon after.
"I will contact you later, Hidan. keep this a secret for now."
Hidan sighed.
They could use some fresh air, right about now. They couldn't deny the whole thing left them exhausted. But he was left with more questions than answers.
'Damn it. How am I supposed to explain this? What did I miss? was this brat always like this?'
That time, he felt outplayed, overwhelmed by superior man. The last time he felt like this was many years ago by the man he knew quite well—a rival he wished to surpass, Duke Barion Sterling.
=====