Crimson eyes  

Dinner.

On the third day after the Battle of Redwater Harbour.

In a guest-chamber,

The castle, Greenfields.

…

Josh Hera gazed at the plate of stewed meat and mashed potatoes in front of him in disbelief.

He looked up gazing at his son, wife and daughter sitting at the table with him, his disbelieving eyes glistened with tears.

Gilbert looked up from his meal, a spoonful of potatoes halfway into his mouth. He dropped his utensil and smiled at his father.

"What's wrong father?" The young man asked with a slightly baffled expression, his face looked rosy and his eyes clear.

"I-is this real?" Josh croaked hoarsely.

"Huh? Is what real father?" Gilbert asked looking even more baffled.

"This. All of this? Is it real or am I just dreaming?" The middle-aged man clarified.

Gilbert glanced at his mother and sister, a soft giggle escaping the lips of the two women.

"Stop taunting your father you little scoundrel." Mrs Hera scolded, lightly tapping her son's shoulder.

"Eat your food, honey. Yes, all of this is real so I expect you to know that your food would get cold if you leave it unattended to." The older woman said lathing Josh's potato mash with a bit more sauce.

She glanced at the former duke covered in bandages and her eyes moistened slightly.

"So I am not dead? Neither are any of you?" Josh asked also glancing at the bandages on his body. He looked at the barely healed burns on his palms sighed.

"No, father. We are all in perfect health. Well, if you aren't taken into account that is." Gilbert joked, eliciting another series of giggles from the two women at the table.

"But, Duke Aden, The battle, My men-" Josh stammered. He struggled to accept the truth.

He was still alive, so was his family. But he remembered the battle, the screams of his dying men, the despair coursing through his veins, he remembered it all so vividly.

But again, here he was at a table eating his favourite meal with his family.

If not for the slight pain he still felt throughout his body and the bandages he was wrapped in he would have never believed that battle ever happened.

"Father," Gilbert said interrupting Josh's tirade. His smile disappeared and his expression turned solemn with a hint of self-reproach.

"I am sorry, I kept sending the letters under the young master's coercion. Although I know what I did was wrong I swear on the seven gods that I only did it to protect mother and Friya.

And though this is a lot to ask, I hope you can forgive me for my mistake."

Josh froze for a moment before his expression turned dim.

"It doesn't matter anymore."Josh sighed. "All that matters is that you are all still well and alive."

Turning to his wife who wiped a small tear away from the corner of her eye, Josh said with a small smile. "Remember, only when there is life that hope exists."

"Hehehe, guess you are right, father." With a small chuckle, Gilbert replied with a forlorn smile.

Silence was restored to the table, only the sound of clinking utensils could be heard.

"But why?" Josh asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Why did Aden leave us alive?" The duke asked again breaking the awkward silence. He appeared confused

Gilbert paused then his expression turned a bit weird. Glancing at his blushing sister he hid his nervousness behind a cough.

"Well, It all thanks to Friya here," Gilbert said gesturing to the quiet lady with a now reddened face.

"Huh?" Josh expression was a baffled one.

"Ehm, Although the details were not clear, mother overheard from the maids that were assigned to us that it seems the young master, Levi has taken a keen interest in Friya here hence he spared our lives," Gilbert replied with another cough.

Josh glanced at his daughter in surprise whose face was now beet-red.

"The Levi you mentioned in your letters?"

"Yes, father."

Turning to his wife he asked.

"Are you sure?"

"Hmm." The woman nodded.

"Th-the young master has been treating us qu-quite courteously, kindly in fact." Friya stammered with a blush.

"But that doesn't seem right," Josh said glancing at his still untouched meal.

"I don't see why Aden should care so much about his son's opinion as to leave us alive. Even if I don't know him personally I can vouch that the bastard is not type to leave behind loose ends."

"It doesn't seem to matter what the duke thinks regarding the matter," Gilbert replied in a low tone.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Who do you think defeated you at the harbour, father?" Leaning closer to his father Gilbert whispered.

The duke went silent.

"You mean…"

"Yes, father. The servants couldn't stop talking about how valiant their young master was."

Placing his utensils on his food tray, Gilbert said with a somewhat relieved smile.

"At least it's reassuring to discover that even my great father fell at his hands. That way I am sure that it wasn't that I was just too incompetent."

Josh fell silent again before picking up his utensils to begin eating.

Glancing at his daughter who was still fiddling with her food with a flushed face, Josh fell into contemplation.

'Maybe we can use this to our advantage. Since Friya here has some influence over him, albeit minute, there might still be a chance for our household to be revived' He thought to himself.

The candles on the table in the room illuminated the hope in his eyes.

Placing a morsel of food into his mouth Josh heard the door open.

Glancing to the source of the sound, he saw a lean effeminate young man walk in.

The individual had glossy black hair that grew down to his shoulders, clear limpid brown eyes and almost peachy lips.

Josh thought to himself, If any words should be used to describe this boy about his youngest child's age it most probably should be beautiful.

He watched as the young man walk in and shut the door behind him.

'The duke didn't come as well? I guess Gilbert's assumption should be spot on then.' Josh thought to himself as he observed.

"Welcome, Young master Levi. How was your day?"

He watched with a small frown as Gilbert stood up subconsciously with a warm smile and a slightly subservient expression.

Suppressing his dissent Josh stood up as well with an indifferent look in his eyes.

"Fine, thank you, Gilbert. And yours?"

"Quite splendid, if I may say."

Turning to Mrs Hera, Levi gave a small nod which she replied with a curtsy and to miss Friya he flashed a warm smile.

"How do you do, Friya?" He asked intimately.

"F-fine, young master." She replied her face on the verge of bleeding.

Josh watched as Levi turned his attention to him.

"Sir Josh Hera, we meet at long last. Nice to finally meet you, I have heard quite a lot about you." The young man said extending a handshake to the former duke.

Josh received the handshake with a solemn expression.

"Same here." The former duke replied with a smile, but his expression was somewhat stiff. "I have heard a lot about you too. It good to be able to meet someone of your calibre on the battlefield and survive to tell tales about it."

"I just didn't expect you to be so young," Josh said looking at Levi with a scrutinizing gaze. "That Aden must have been a demon, really lucky or both to sire a valiant gentleman like you."

"Oh, you flatter me, Sir Josh," Levi replied modestly.

"And what do we owe for your august visitation, young lord?" Josh asked letting go of Levi's outstretched hand.

"Oh, don't mind me, this is just one of my causal visits. I do find the sir Gilbert here very appealing to talk with so I have developed quite the bad habit of imposing every now and then."

"May I?" Levi asked gesturing to one of the vacant seats.

"Please do," Gilbert said inviting Levi to the table before his father could respond.

Josh watched as Levi took his seat and the rest of his family sat as well.

Also taking his seat he observed quietly as Levi related with his family in a very friendly manner, much unlike the mortal enemies they truly are.

Josh noticed the nothing on the earlier battle was mentioned neither did anyone ask what was going to happen next. It was as if they had all come to an agreement to avoid anything that might cause friction and just enjoy the moment.

He observed as the young master debated intensely with his son on gentlemanly sports, flirted occasionally with his daughter and told causal jokes that brought a warm smile to his wife's face.

He watched in silence trying to make sense of the scene in front of him.

Everything looked so natural it was somewhat scary.

He felt uneasy.

But then again the middle-aged man glanced at the mild excitement on his son's face as he spoke animatedly, the blush on his beloved daughter's face as she occasionally peeked at Levi's handsome smile and the look of contentment on his wife's face as she gazed at this young man and wondered to himself.

'What if I am just worrying too much? Everything seems alright for now, maybe we truly still have a chance at redemption.'

But the unease in his heart only grew stronger.

"Huh? What's wrong, mother?" Gilbert asked interrupting Josh's train of thoughts. Glancing at his wife, Josh saw her yawning quite heavily.

"it's nothing son, I am just a bit sleepy-" The woman said before suddenly falling unconscious.

"Mother, not yet! Please Mother, not-" Gilbert said reaching out for Mrs Hera but mid-reach he slumped onto the table, spilling food everywhere as he rolled unto the ground with a dull thud.

Josh Hera jumped off his seat at the scene.

He glanced at his daughter realizing she had also fallen unconscious at some point.

"Wh-what is going on?" Josh asked in shock.

He turned to see Levi wiping a few bits of food that splashed unto his leg hoses with a silk handkerchief.

The young master stood up and placed his coat over Friya's shoulders. Crouching he used his index finger to gently brush aside strands of hair that covered her face.

The young man gazed at his youngest child with a somewhat playful but reminiscent gaze.

"What did you do to them!?" Josh asked in a loud voice, his rage rising.

He watched a small smile form at the corner of Levi's mouth

"Poison."

The young master chuckled standing up.

"P-poison?

"Yes, I had the servants mix in a full dose poison from the poison gland of the Deathangel fish into their drinking water this morning," Levi said walking up to the former duke.

"D-deathangel?" Josh asked in a dull tone.

"Yes," Levi said pulling out a vial.

"What do you think this is?" The young master asked.

Looked at the vial with an almost grateful gaze.

"Antidote?" He asked.

Levi smiled but did not respond.

Placing his right hand on Josh's shoulder Levi whispered into his ear.

"I have some questions I must trouble you for answers, please do consider answering honestly for I am offering a very high price for any reliable information you can offer in return."

Stunned, the former duke watched as Levi drop the vial into his pocket and smiled at him.

The two male servants in the room shivered as they glanced at the young master's warm smile.

"Can we talk? You must be aware by now that time is of the essence."

Josh turned to look at the younger man now resting his bottom against the table's edge.

The candlelight reflected off Levi's eyes.

Oddly enough they appeared crimson in the warm light, like fresh blood flowing down a steel blade in a gloomy sunset scene.