Chapter 57
Luca was in for a surprise when his eyes met Yuki’s and she instantly transformed from her sixteen-year-old body back to her ten-year-old appearance. She answered every question he asked about what had happened since they separated—from the beginning of spring when she was nearly burned at the stake till the end of fall when she came to Adolunde.
She filled him in on how she was rescued by the Legendary Witch, met Rifaenotis in Rvydom, and traveled with Selena and Vigo around Rvydom to Adolunde. The state of the war and Rvydom’s plan to regain their independence also found their way into the conversation. However, she couldn’t bear to tell him about the burns on her chest, the torture she went through, or the fact the queen had sacrificed his life to kill Vivi. By the time she finished telling him everything, the orange sky had turned completely dark.
“…I really did sleep for a long time.”
“Yeah. But why…” she trailed off.
Why did this happen? Luca easily guessed her unspoken question and answered as he looked into the distance, “My quarrel with Brother led to me being chained in the dungeon…. Apparently, Mother wanted to use me as a sacrificial pawn in one of her curses.”
“…!”
“…You knew?”
Yuki nodded and suddenly remembered she forgot to tell him.
“…If that child wakes up, can you tell him to do as he pleases?”
She shoved her hand into the dress that shrunk to fit her new size and pulled out the violet and silver Knight’s Token.
“…This is from Orga.”
“From Brother?”
“Yeah. Also, he said to do as you please.”
Luca stared at the Knight’s Token in her tiny hand before taking it.
“…Is that so?” Luca answered expressionlessly. Yuki couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“…Luca.”
“Shall we get going?”
“Going? Where to?
“Rvydom,” he answered, scooting out of bed. Scabs peeled off as he moved, exposing fresh skin on his arms and legs.
“Wh-What?!” Luca boldly walked forward, leaving Yuki alone on the bed. “Why?”
“I promised Lord Galian.”
Luca’s promise to Lord Galian was to assist in Rvydom’s independence war.
“…Luca!” Yuki slipped from the bed and yanked on the back of his shirt. “Why…Why?! Rvydom will start a foolish war for independence while Maruk and Adolunde are already at war! Tell me! Why must we go to war?”
Why did people have to hurt each other? Why couldn’t anything be resolved without shedding blood? Was it such a bad thing to be powerless?
“Who knows for sure? Isn’t it because we have no other choice?” he answered without turning around.
“What kind of answer is that?” she huffed.
“Each nation embraces its own beliefs and sense of justice. You could even say it’s a matter of pride. War takes place to protect those things,” he said, turning toward her. He looked down at Yuki who gripped the clothes soaked with his blood. The blood hadn’t dried yet. “Everyone seeks peace and prosperity for their own people. They go to war to get rid of whatever is in the way of those pursuits.”
“Seriously? I don’t get it…. What the heck kind of reasoning goes into stealing someone else’s peace to live peacefully? It’s not right to start a war for no reason! It doesn’t make sense! This is too messed up!”
“…I agree. That’s exactly why.” Luca’s large hand captured Yuki’s. When she looked up, his handsome, scab covered face was there. If it wasn’t just her imagination, the corners of his cracked lips were turned up. “We’re going to Rvydom. We need to do something about these wars after all.”
The taut cord inside Yuki finally relaxed, releasing the tension building up in her since she found herself alone in the world.
I’m not the only one. Luca is also trying to do something about the wars. Relief came with the knowledge he didn’t want war either. The people of Rvydom seethed with a desire for revenge against Maruk. Fear kept Yuki from admitting her disapproval of them starting a war.
Thank goodness.
She squeezed the large hand encasing hers. Luca’s hand was as chilly as it ever was. Where were they going from here? An unseeable future awaited them. Regardless, baseless reassurance filled her for the first time in months.
✦ ✦ ✦
LUCA scrubbed the scabs off his face, arms, and legs before proceeding out of the room, through the corridor, and down the spiral staircase. Led by the hand, Yuki followed him. A two-word exchange with the guard posted at the entrance of the tower had him rushing off toward the castle.
“Where are we going?”
“To my mansion,” Luca said, walking briskly ahead. His long bangs occasionally flopped in his face, obstructing his vision. Agitated, he pushed them back and tried to loop the locks behind his ear, but they popped back after a few steps.
“Your mansion? You don’t reside in the castle, Luca?”
Luca glanced down at her and unwillingly explained for her sake. From what he said, in Adolunde each heir to the throne was given their own mansion. Whoever was chosen to inherit the crown moved into the palace. The remaining heirs lived out the rest of their lives in their mansions.
Yuki asked if the castle would eventually lose its vast territory by constantly cutting out pieces of its land to hand over to the heirs for their lifetime, but Luca responded by saying it wasn’t a problem. She didn’t quite understand the nitty-gritty details, but the land was taken back once a few generations passed from the current king and given to the next generation of heirs. Moreover, the fight for the throne and the repeated battles resulting from it had never caused a major issue for the castle.
When she complained she still didn’t understand, he stopped walking. Yuki stopped behind him. Their chatting had lasted longer than she thought, because they had arrived at their destination.
“…And I thought Rhad’s manor was huge.”
They weren’t even of comparable size—Luca’s mansion was ginormous. How many rooms were inside? How big was each room? The mansion was so large it was a joke to try to guess how big it really was.
“I bet you have over a hundred servants…” she muttered in awe.
“About a fifth of that,” Luca answered.
“You only have twenty?! Are twenty servants enough for a place this big?” Yuki had to arch her neck back to take in the mansion standing wider and taller than the entire property her high school existed on.
“I normally don’t have them clean any rooms aside from the ones I primarily use and a few guest rooms.”
“I see…is that how it normally works?”
“I can’t say. Brother and my younger siblings hire over a hundred servants to tend their homes.”
There weren’t any soldiers standing guard at the mansion gates or entrance. Very few rooms had the lights on. Luca passed through the gate and put his hand on the grand door leading inside. It rattled when he turned the knob—the door was locked. He clicked his tongue. Stillness permeated the area. The night gradually grew darker and a cool fall wind brushed against them.
“…Luca.”
“Just wait.”
RUSTLE! Several armed soldiers appeared from the tall bushes lining the pathway to the entrance. They surrounded Yuki and Luca. Two burly soldiers stood in the entryway.
“Who are you?” asked a stern voice from the dusky darkness. It was too dark to see who spoke.
Yuki clenched the corner of Luca’s black cloak. The cloak blended with the dark, almost making Luca melt into the darkness if not for his platinum hair. A familiar sigh came from him.
“…Your spirit to protect the mansion is laudable, but mistaking your master is questionable,” Luca said, pulling his Knight’s Token from his pocket. The soldiers immediately snapped to attention.
“Prince Luca!”
“Prince Luca, what a blessing it is to see you well!”
The soldiers dropped to their knee and bowed their heads.
“I don’t need formalities right now. Would you let me inside my mansion first?”
“Yes, sire!” one of the soldiers promptly responded and called to the door, “Annie, it’s me. Prince Lucat has returned. Open the door.”
“What did you just say?!”
CLACK! The bolts and locks were unlatched one by one and the double doors opened from the center. Someone threw the doors open, forcing the soldiers closest to it to leap out of the way before it hit them. A middle-aged woman dressed in a maid’s attire rushed out of the mansion and put her hands on Luca’s cheeks.
“Prince Luca? Aaaah, you are Prince Luca! It has been far too long since these old eyes were last graced by your presence that this old lady believed she had forgotten your face, but apparently it is impossible to forget such a handsome visage.”
“Drop the sarcasm, Annie.”
“Hehe. I will droll on about how good looking and marvelous you are if you stay away from me too long,” Annie teased, smiling at Luca. She dropped her hands and curtsied before Yuki. “This little lady…is one I have had the honor of serving once before.”
“Her name is Yuki. Prepare a room for her. I’m taking a bath,” Luca said, quickly disappearing inside the mansion. Several servants ran after him.
“Lady Yuki, welcome. Please come inside.”
“Ah, okay…” Yuki stepped inside the mansion as ordered.
This is…Luca’s home…
The mansion was luxurious and grand yet tended to by only a handful of servants. Cleaning must have been a nightmare. The grandiose yet functional mansion was amusingly similar to Luca.