Port Royal Two Days After Lucian Was Taken Aboard the Zong.
heavy soft teal drapes, adorned with cream accents and gold trimmings, were pulled open by Hannah's maidservant.
The morning light spilled into the room, illuminating every inch of elegance—the regal hues of teal, cream, and gold blending together was simply mesmerizing. The plush carpet, patterned in intricate waves, had a lighter shade of that complimented the entire room.
"Good morning, Baroness," the maid greeted softly.
Hannah didn't respond. She simply raised her hand and waved the servant away with a dismissive flick of her wrist.
Groggy and annoyed, she reached out to the other side of the bed only to find it cold and empty. Klaus had already left.
"Wait," Hannah called after the maid as she reached the door. "Help me get dressed."
Some time after, Hannah descended the grand staircase. Klaus stood below, his back turned to the staircase as he adjusted his coat. He then caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye... and deliberately turned away, ignoring her presence by walking to the door.
With his hand reaching for the door, Hannah's voice cut through the tension like a sharp blade.
"How long do you plan on sulking like a child? Yes, I could have handled it differently but what's done is done. Are you really going to forsake your own family over a slave?"
Klaus turned, his movements stiff and cranky. His face, normally stern but composed, was now filled with contempt as he stared at Hannah.
Klaus said, his voice low and gravelly.
"He wasn't just a slave, He was family. We raised that boy from a baby. So what gave you the right to treat him like that?"
His words were bitter, there was no longer a need to pretend. Her sweetness, her carefully measured composure had now all vanished.
"Take a good look around you, Every stone in these walls, every servant you command, every piece of bread you eat it's all because of me." She took a step closer, her eyes meeting his with unwavering certainty. "This is my land, this house, my wealth. Even the very air you breathe under this roof is mine. And that, my dear husband," she sneered, "gives me every right to do whatever I damn well please. And to whomever I damn well please."
A fire raged inside Klaus's Stomach. His mouth opened ready to strike back but he hesitated. He bit back his anger and swallowed it like gall.
Deep down, he knew... Hannah was right. In Port Royal, power mattered more than love and Hannah held all of it.
Like a wounded dog, Klaus turned back to the door, the tension between them thick and suffocating. Without another word, he opened it
Standing just outside were two cloaked figures, one towering and massive, the other of average height. Both wore black garments that shrouded their faces beneath hoods.
"Top of the morning to you both," came a voice confident and cheerful.
The smaller of the two stepped forward and removed his hood, revealing a young man most likely in his mid-twenties. His skin was smooth and light, his black hair cut short and neat, and his eyes… a familiar golden brown hue. The larger figure followed suit, unveiling a bald head and a chiseled face. He had the same eyes but a even deeper gold.
"Good morning to you as well, stranger," Klaus replied, his voice cautious.
Hearing unfamiliar voices from inside the house, Hannah approached the door and stopped behind Klaus, curious.
Klaus stepped halfway outside.
"How may I help you?"
"I'm Troy, and this here is my brother Titan," the young man said with a courteous nod. "We've come in search of a man named Klaus Don Der Dunk. We were told he was the baron of this estate."
Klaus furrowed his brows.
"I am the man you're looking for. What business brings you here?"
Troy clasped his hands together and grinned as if they'd just won a game. "Ah, splendid. Then we've found our mark. Seventeen years ago, a bargain was struck between you and our mistress. At that time a babe was entrusted to you for protection. As per that agreement, we've come to retrieve young Lucian."
The name hung in the air like a ghost.
Klaus froze.
His face suddenly turned pale, and for a moment he could do nothing but stare, dumbfounded. How had he forgotten? That night… the deal he had made.
But before Klaus could form a reply, Hannah stepped forward, her tone insincere and annoyed.
"You've wasted your time, That worthless thing ran away two days ago. If you'd arrived earlier, perhaps you could've dragged it off yourself."
Troy tilted his head slightly. Titan remained as still as stone.
Klaus reached for Hannah's sleeve, trying to gently pull her back, but she yanked herself free and continued.
"We treated it like family, gave it a home, food, a family. And this is how we're repaid? With betrayal? With secrets and shame?"
The air around them shifted.
Cold crept in, There was no wind or snow, just something unnatural and dark. It covered the entire estate, thick enough that frost appeared in their breath.
Troy's once-warm and cheerful expression melted away. There was no more smile, His face grew unreadable, his golden eyes dimming to an eerie glow. Titan's broad shoulders tensed.
His gaze alone was enough to make Hannah instinctively take half a step back.
"I'm going to ask you once, what happened to young Lucian?"
Hannah with condescending smile forming on her lips. She still believed nothing would happen to her not with Klaus, a decorated war veteran, standing nearby.
"Is there something wrong with your hearing? I already told you what happened. Or are you just too dense to…."
"Listen, woman," Troy hissed, his voice terrifying. His eyes glowed bright, his mouth twisted revealing long, razor-edged fangs. "If you utter another word, I'll rip your tongue from your mouth and feed it to the dogs."
Hannah's body froze. She found it hard to breathe, and her lips clamped shut. She couldn't move. Her entire being was fight for its survival.
Klaus stepped forward quickly, placing a protective hand in front of Hannah.
"I'll tell you…..I'll tell you everything."
Troy's eyes didn't leave Hannah, but he nodded.
Klaus took a breath, then began recounting the events: how he found Lucian being dragged unconscious in the street after the incident, and how things spiraled quickly toward his public execution.
With each sentence that Klaus spoke, Troy's anger became more intense to the point where the air became even colder to the point that all the water on the estate turned to ice.
"With the crowd demanding blood, they planned to kill him in the town square with other slaves in some type of spectacle."
Klaus said, voice tight. "I couldn't let that happen… so I paid the garrison commander in secret to spare him. Instead of execution, he was sold into slavery aboard a ship. It wasn't much but at least it gave him a chance to live."
Hearing those words Hannah was in disbelief. She hadn't known this. Abigail had left before Klaus arrived. But she had assumed Lucian had been cast away like trash with the others but Klaus had saved him.
The cold that had settled over the estate began to lessen slightly, the air relaxing its grip as Troy's rage subsided.
"What ship?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know," Klaus replied, clearly ashamed. "They kept it a secret. To cover their tracks, I imagine."
Troy exhaled, rubbing the back of his head with a frustrated sigh.
"We're leaving," he said to Titan without looking back.
As he turned to go, he paused, "You have until noon tomorrow to find out which ship he's on and the name of its captain."
Without another word, the two brothers walked away, vanishing down the frosted path.