A Fairy's Vanity (1)
Vanity is the mother of all sins. Or atleast that is what Ellendise knows.
Most people would get mad when they are compared to something that is far inferior to their existence. Even the mere idea of being called ugly leaves a bitter taste in someone's mouth.
No one likes to be called ugly.
For fairies who were solitary and cruel creatures, they were hard to please due to their vanity and strict aesthetics.
Ellendise understood that if she was in Cestine's position, she would also get angry if someone called her an insect.
That was not only an insult but a word used to degrade someone's existence to a much lower lifeform.
To a vain being like a fairy, it was the greatest insult.
"You bad, bad mortal! Know your place!"
Cestine grew much, much bigger and larger until she was as tall as the mansion.
The knights were rallying and surrounding the area. The servants were greatly alarmed by the sudden appearance of this unknown monster. They were all screaming and running away like headless chickens.
"Lady Ellen! Please evacuate the mansion!" One of the knights shouted towards her.
"Surround the monster and the intruder! Knights, ready your weapons!"
"Quickly evacuate the residents!"
Ellendise stared stiffly at the sight infront of her.
"My lady! My lady! Please move away from the balcony!" Rachel said when she entered the room.
"Jill has already informed the count and countess. Young master Nitense told me to get you to safety. My lady, please let us leave!"
Ellendise gripped the railings tightly. Cestine's black figure and glowing blue pores during the night were scarily beautiful.
It reminded her of the mascot parade she used to watch when she was Rianne.
The only difference was that Cestine was an enraged fairy and she was powerful enough to get rid of the knights and the Archduke if she wanted to.
Logically speaking, Ellendise should have ran away but this was partly because of her so she needed to take responsibility.
"My lady?" Rachel's vouce echoed through the night along with the knights' loud voice.
Below, she could see Nitense wielding a sword along with the Count.
"Ellen, get away! Run, now!" Nitense shouted when they met gazes.
Cestine shrieked loudly. The ear piercing scream rang against everyone's ears, causing their bodies to go numb for a short period of time.
The mana infused sound caused people to experience being stunned for a few seconds, effectively stopping all who heard the sound except for one.
The Archduke was wielding his own sword against Cestine. His flaming blue sword was bright against the dark night and attracted the attention of many.
He was naturally unaffected by the shriek meant to stun him. He knew how to protect himself with magic. The title of 'genius' wasn't simply a title meant for decoration.
"This is interesting. A beast more ferocious than a drake has appeared before me." The Archduke said with glee. His smile and sensous lips could be seen and was illuminated by the glow coming from his flaming blue sword.
"Who is this man?"
"This intruder must have brought this monster in!"
As the only suspicious person in the scene, the Archduke was naturally implicated as the sole mastermind. They were unaware of his true identity due to his disguise so they didn't put him in their eyes.
"Annoying." Ellendise heard the cool yet emotionless voice.
Cestine swung his arms, breaking the fountain in the process. Her large flower hands that were harmless when they were small became a murder weapon that devastated the surrounding and smashed the ground, creating huge craters.
Ellendise sighed.
The fountain was expensive. She really liked the design. A pity that it was destroyed.
Rachel was trying to convince her to step away and leave while the voices of the knights and Cestine's shrieks were crispy clear in the air.
She could feel a headache forming in her head.
Meanwhile, the Archduke was confident with his disguise and was letting loose freely. He was swinging his sword towards Cestine's flower hands that were harder than steel.
Each swing caused embers and blue sparks. The stray flames fell on the ground and consequently lit the grass, spreading through the garden. In a matter of moments, fire was spreading on the vegetation and eating away all the plants and flowers, reducing them to ashes.
'Fuck.'
"Rachel, get my violin." Ellendise ordered in a cold tone while massaging her temples.
"My lady..!"
Ellendise slowly turned. "Get it now." She raised her voice slightly, forcing Rachel to stiffen. The young lady has never once raised her voice against them. This was the first.
Rachel felt herself tremble at the coldness of the young lady's voice that didn't suit her ten year old appearance.
Rachel handed Ellendise her violin, no longer protesting. In her heart, she still believes in the young lady.
Ellendise inhaled deeply, tuning out the noise from outside before placing the instrument on her shoulder.
The moment she started to play, the music gradually floated in the air. Using her magic, she amplified the sound so that it covered the whole mansion.
The smooth sounding music enveloped the whole area, halting everyone from their actions. The violin was still a powerful magical artifact and with the help of Ellendise's magic, it was working its full power in inducing everyone to a state of calmness and serenity.
Along with her piece of choice, Massenet- Meditation from Thaïs.
Athanaël, a Cenobite monk, asks Thaïs, a beautiful courtesan, to leave her life of luxury and find salvation through God. She ponders it, and in her moment of reflection, the symphonic interlude, the melody rising and falling as she contemplates her fate was being played by the violin.
The Meditation piece is exquisite because it shows the incredible emotional range of the violin. And, somehow, it manages to retain all its melancholy in the cheery key of D major.
This piece was being played in the whole county. It's sudden calming effect left everyone stopping to listen. Their breaths stopped for a moment as if they were in a trance yet they were still very much aware of what was happening around them..Only that they were unable to make any sudden movement.
It was almost similar to a hypnosis.
The Archduke frowned as he heard this music. He could feel the magic working to settle his nerves into a state of calmness, making his control slip. The flaming blue flames of his sword gradually diminished as this happened and even the ferocious beast he was facing was shrinking back to its original size.
Its previous black appearance was nowhere in sight and what appeared to be a green garden fairy with a flower head and flower hands floated in midair.
"Cestine likes this music a lot... This sounds like the lullaby that Cestine's mom would sing."
Even the horrid shrieks of the beast was replaced by a sweet sounding voice similar to that of a child.
His eyes widened slightly as he felt himself descending. He hurriedly landed himself on the ground before he could fully lose his control over his magic.
With strange eyes, he stared at the lone figure in the balcony.
A small figure was playing the violin with intensity, her eyes closed and her whole focus was on the piece she was playing.
His aqua blue eyes memorized the scene and engraved it in his memory.
A silver haired girl in white dress, playing the violin at night without a care in the world. Everything about her seemed surreal...
He was not the only one who was mesmerized by this. All the knights of the county and the rest of the residents who witnessed this were stunned by the beauty of this scene that could only be found in a story or paiting.
With his right hand outstretched forward, the Archduke's lips curled into a mysterious smile.
The supposed rotten apple from the bunch turned out to be a golden apple.
"Interesting. Really interesting." His sudden laughter was drowned out from the loud music and calm inducing sound.
No one paid him any attention when he left nor did he glanced back to relive his humiliation.
This was the first time he felt overcome by the simple desire of coveting something that didn't belong to him.
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