Climax

The glass he threw shattered into pieces, turning into stars, flickering away.

"You are telling me to leave?"

"Not another word from you, spawn of devil," he shouted, "I do not wish to talk. There is no point in teaching you! Since you still bear the blood of my brother, I was planning to have mercy, only have you isolated, but you— there's no saving you anymore. You are banished from this family, banished to bear our name, and banished from stepping a single foot inside this mansion. Do not ever call yourself under the D'Anelé name again!"

"Alright, but-"

"I said not a word!" He screamed and everyone in the hall twitched, "Luzius, get that girl out of here. I am tired of seeing her face."

"It is my pleasure," Luzius said determined, and wiped his cheeks with his sleeves. He came to me and with unnecessary strength, grabbed me under my armpit, "I will take you outside."

He dragged me across the hall, and even though I hit him, he didn't let go, "hey I still got things to say, don't pull so hard," I told him.

"I think you have said enough," Luzius replied. Ah, well, maybe he was right.

Rayas father, before I knew it, got another glass and filled it with wine. The splashing made a nostalgic sound. He took one sip and washed down his spit with the alcohol. He watched my back as I was pulled away.

We passed Raya while Luzius was dragging me of like a prisoner and I said to her, "how long you gonna lie there?" And then we continued walking, his grip tightened.

On our way the eyes of the crowd fell on us once again, but there was no gossip anymore. Their eyes minced at me, and when I looked at them, they rapidly turned their heads.

We took another few steps, when he ran into a servant holding a light, she almost let the candle fall, burning the whole place down, but she managed to catch it with her hands, even if it stung a little. Luckily, I still had my own candle so the lights did not go out. He did not apologize.

Right before the big, bulky door, Agnes asked me panicky, "ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɴᴏᴡ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɴᴏᴡ? ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴋɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴘʟᴀɴ ᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ? ɪ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ? ᴇxᴄᴜsᴇ ᴍᴇ, ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ?"

I swear, her voice would one day be the death of me. I rolled my eyes.

Luzius fumbled for the knob and then yanked the door open. There was no blinding light that greeted us as one might suspect. Only hazy darkness, just like in the hall. Someone else was willing to pay a visit, though.

Just right in front of us, Vera stood, her hand all stretched out, as if ready to give me a handshake. Her eyes were opened wide and she mumbled, "the door opened on its own."

"No you just happened to grab it at the same time." I laughed.

Luzius stopped in his tracks. The lock on me loosened. His mouth hung low and he muttered only a single word, "grandfather?"

ɪ sᴀᴡ, ʀɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɪᴅ ᴠᴇʀᴀ ᴀɴ ᴏʟᴅ ғᴀᴄᴇ— ᴏʟᴅ, ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ʟɪᴠᴇᴅ ʟᴏɴɢ, ʏᴇᴛ ᴀʟsᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴏᴛ sᴇᴇɴ ʜɪᴍ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ʀᴇsᴘᴇᴄᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ᴀᴍᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.

ɪ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴍᴇᴛ ʜɪᴍ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ, ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ, ᴏʀ ʙᴇ ᴄʀᴜᴍʙʟᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴜsᴛ ᴍɪɴɢʟɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜʟʏ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀɴ ᴀɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛ ʜᴇʀᴏ, ᴡʜᴏ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʙʀᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴡᴀᴠᴇs ᴏғ ғᴏʀᴇɪɢɴ ʟᴀɴᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀʟғ ᴀ ᴄᴇɴᴛᴜʀʏ ᴏғ ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴇsᴛᴜᴏᴜs ʟɪғᴇ, ᴛᴏssᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀɴᴇʀ, ʀᴇᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɢᴇ-ᴡᴇᴀʀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪsᴛᴜʀʙ ʜɪᴍ.

sᴇᴇɪɴɢ ʜɪᴍ ʜᴇʀᴇ, ɪ ᴅɪᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴏᴜʙᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ sɪᴢᴀʙʟᴇ ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɢᴏᴛ ʜɪᴍ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ʜɪs ʀᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴡᴏᴏᴅᴄʜᴀɪʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴʟʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏsᴘᴇᴄᴛs ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴏɴ ᴏᴜʀ sɪᴅᴇ. ᴡᴀs ʜᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴘᴇʀʜᴀᴘs ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪɴᴀʟ ʙʟᴏᴡ?

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," I whispered.

Vera walked to me, "I am sorry for being late."

"No, right on time," I smiled. "Couldn't wake him up, and the dim lights made it hard to navigate, I presume?"

"How do you know?" She crooked her head.

"Well, I needed to get the timing right," I caugh the whole hall in my sight, "although there have been some hiccups, the time's not bad. Still, I could have said more, if that boy here didn't interrupt me." I nudged Luzius.

He on the other hand was not reacting, as he was to preoccupied with another person. "Grandfather, how come you are awake? You didn't have to wake up for small business like this."

The grandfather opened his mouth, he grumbled, and then with a low voice said, "is this why no one told me about it?"

"Certainly," Luzius subconsciously lowered his head, "we thought you would not mind if we did so."

Grandfather did not answer. Instead he looked around, "you are awfully quiet today." It was hard to read his emotions from his expressionless face.

Like a knee jerk reaction, the crowd buzzed out their stupor and promptly rushed to him: "Father, I greet you." "Grandfather, we greet you." "Father what brings you here?" "Father, have a seat." "Grandfather." Father." Father." The hall turned lively again, or rather it was never this lively at all; they came and fawned over him, showering him with the respect he deserved.

Grandfather raised his hand, and immediately, the chatter subsided. Calmly, he raised his head towards Rayas father and asked, "Fergus, what is the meaning behind all this."

Really? His name was Fergus?

"Father, I am glad you paid us a visit," he replied with a smile (but hidden within was some nervousness) and hastily made his way down the seat, "I was only doing the role you had delegated me. See, I am not sure if you know, but this girl over there," he stared fiercely at me, "calling her your granddaughter would be a disgrace for you, so I shall refer to her as simply Agnes, she had her engagement annulled. I was planning to punish her, but I realized that her evil is rooted deep within her."

"Yes, I do know," grandfather nodded much to Fergus's glee, "why did you not inform me on this?"

"I believed there was no need to get father involved."

"Nah, he just wanted to hold his little grudge match, after what happened two days ago." I said suddenly.

"You show some respect!" He shouted at me, "see, father! Do you understand what I have to deal with," he shook his head in disappointment, "but fear not, I have handled it already. You did not have to come here, I have banished her from this household." He struck his chest out with pride.

"Y, you did what?" For the first time the grandfather reacted and his eyebrows rapidly shot up.

"Yes not only that, I have stripped her off the D'Anelé name." His fathers reaction puzzled him, so he began to narrate more hastily, "from now on she will never be able to call herself one of our family, there won't be a single thing she can do to subvert it, so our shame has been cleans- father?"

Fergus stopped because he saw his father shaking and staggering uncontrollably, as if he was having a stroke. His face however indicated otherwise; It was bright red and his wrinkles deepened like black lines while his beard rose and fell due his heavy breathing. The sight made Rayas father subconsciously take a step back.

"You... You unfilial beast! Damnit!" Grandfather howled angrily and chopped his heavy fist down Fergus's round face.

There was no time for him to react, he drew a beautiful arc in the air, with a confused smile still on his face, until he crashed to the ground and slid a few feet.

The crowd followed his flight with their sight as if he was a tennisball in a court. They were frozen from sheer shock and their eyes seemed to almost roll out of their sockets. Someone choked on their saliva, while another person bit his tongue, as everyone struggled to cope with the newly added development.

Surely, some expected him to punish me personally, some that he would take the higher ground and simply leave, maybe a daring one even imagined him taking my side— But no sane person could have seen this coming.

Rayas father touched his face, of which a small tear of blood rained down, and then the pain seemed to burst as he cocked his head back and screamed, "father? Why? I only did what was right-"

He was punched again.

"Don't you even dare say so", grandfather shouted full of anger, "you have doomed us all!"

"Like father, like daughter," I chuckled at the sight of his red cheeks.

Rayas father fiercely glared at me but his wounds made him look less intimidating, "don't think you have gotten away. Your crime still stands and you better show me some respect!"

Another hit connected with his face, even though he tried blocking it, there was nothing he could do, "it is you that should show some respect," the grandfather growled, who then took off his shoe to continue beating him with it. The soles resounded like heavy peals.

Anyone staring at him was unable to form any coherent thoughts: Not Raya whose mouth hung low enough to touch the floor, not the servants who didn't realize the candles are melting down on their hands, not the family that watched the scene unfolding with big eyes, and also not Agnes who was frozen in time. Only Vera sighed as if she had known the whole time.

"Father," Fergus's eyebrows drooped, "I, I am afraid I don't follow." He said while desperately shielding himself.

However, his father paid him no attention anymore, instead he came to me and said, "Archduke Agnes, would you find it in yourself to forgive his words?" He then bowed down.

Ah, he went and said it.

Even though the king told us specifically not to. Wait, now that I thought about it, why did the king do that?

The thought made me smile. Did he perhaps know everyone would attack me if they didn't know? Then did he also know that I would use it to my advantage and gave it to me as a trial? If so, he was quite the jokester.

Everyone died a little from the scene unfolding before them. Especially Luzius who was still holding me; he looked like he was about to faint.

"Hmm, but you heard him," I pointed at the Rayas father, "his decision is final after all." I tilted my head.

The grandfather balled his fist and he kicked his son Fergus, "now, don't be like that. It was only from his own will, and he will face due consequences," he smiled stiffly.

"Reverent grandfather," Luzius suddenly interrupted, "with utmost respect, you called her Archduke? Surely you must be joking?"

"Does this look like a time for jokes," grandfather replied and his face darkened.

"No, no certainly not," he licked the sweat of his lips, "but— and I really say that with all respect— I have known her for a while know, and the only thing special about her is her venomous tongue, other aspects are abysmal. Maybe, yes maybe she had tricked you?"

The crowd nodded, to indicate that they agree with his deduction.

However, grandfather only humphed, "how about you get your dirty paws off my granddaughter before I make you? You want proof, here you go," he reached into his robes and then took out a piece of yellowish paper. He unfolded it carefully and held it for anyone to see, "here is my proof."

The paper had some cryptic runes —at least from my perspective— and on the bottom left corner was a seal, made out of red wax.

"The royal seal!" Someone within the crowd shouted, and everyone sucked in their breath.

"Yes, after Agnes had come to me about her title, I immediately send out an envoy to verify these claims. What I received was this letter from the king in which he personally stated how he granted the title. Now, do you also dare question his royal majesty himself?" He stared down on Luzius.

I got rid of his grip on me but he didn't mind. He was to busy falling to his knees.

"This has to be a dream," he muttered, "somebody wake me up."