Blessing In Disguise.

Two long days passed under a shroud of impatient silence. Lord Velmore barely left his study, his nerves coiled tighter with each passing hour. Even Caldaria was not back. She had sent a message that she would return soon. Velmore had hoped that his daughter would bring good news for him. But the wait had panicked him and made him uneasy.

Even a single mistake from his staff burns him inside and increases the desire to shed blood. The fire had been lit in the old grove as the informant had requested. Now all that remained was for the evidence to arrive. But he was at the end of his patience.

"My lord.." when the door knocked, Velmore glared at it as if he wanted to skin the person alive. The steward entered with careful, reverent steps, holding a small blackened wooden box sealed with wax and bound with iron wire. "I have brought what you were waiting for."

Velmore finally stood up from his seat. He stared at the small box with eyes melting into golden fire. He took it with trembling fingers and sliced through the seal.

Inside, cushioned in folds of cloth laid a small piece of burnt parchment with a sigil inked in deep crimson. The symbol was strange, shifting under the eye as if it was something alive, ancient, and wrong. The edges of the paper were frayed and scorched, but the mark remained whole.

Velmore's lips curled into a smirk. "This! This is what will bury him."

Without wasting another moment, he stood, dressed, and mounted his carriage. He left the estate behind in the hands of the steward.

"When Cladria returns, inform her that I will bring the good news." 

It took him a long day to ride the horse to the royal palace. He did not bring the carriage or a fancy amount of knights as it would slow down his speed. And no matter how many men he had collected, he could not compete with the grandiose of the royal palace.

But he would leave a mark. Though he was nobody here, if he helped in finding the witches and warlocks, he would leave an impression. Now, he only saw Elias as a blessing in disguise. If not for him, he would have never dared to meet the royal prince. He entered the large palace with trembling feet. but..

At the palace, his request for an audience was denied. The crown would not meet him. Instead, he was ushered into a stone chamber where a representative of the crown was waiting for him. He was a tall man with narrow eyes and silver chains on his robe. He looked at Velmore as if he was sure he had wasted his time, waiting for him.

Velmore tried to look unbothered as he stepped forward and bowed curtly. "My lord refuses to listen, but you will. I have proof. Elias Crestford, the one who ruined House Velmore, is using forbidden arts. He had dipped his hands into dark magic and I have proof of it."

The representative arched a brow but gestured for him to continue. Velmore laid the sigil on the table with calculated reverence.

"I have witnesses. I have the sigil itself. It was found by a loyal informant in Elias's quarters. The man is willing to testify, at the risk of his life."

The room was silent for a long time. The representative leaned closer to the sigil, studying it with sharp, trained eyes. A flicker of unease passed through him.

"This is not common forgery," he muttered. "Still, accusations like these require evidence beyond mere relics. If what you say is true, Lord Velmore, then we must bring Elias for questioning."

He stood. "I will send two royal officials and a squad of knights with you. We will see if Lord Elias can explain himself."

Velmore bowed again, his eyes gleaming. "He will try but I am sure my lord that he will fail."

His eyes burnt with the confidence that made the representative frown. He looked at Velmore with narrowed eyes.

"If you proved it, I will make sure that you earn a good reward." That is what Velmore was waiting for. His eyes gleamed with joy but he unhurriedly accepted and bowed to leave.

They rode fast and without rest, the royal banners fluttering behind them. Velmore sat tall in the saddle, wearing a cloak of triumph. He rehearsed the words he would say when Elias knelt. When those smug eyes would widen in fear.

But the moment they reached the Crestford estate, something felt wrong.

It wasn't the estate itself. It was the people.

Slaves once under his command looked so different as if he had seen them for the first time. Men who had trembled at the sound of his cane were working the fields and gardens. They stood straighter now and their eyes looked calm and steady.

He could not bear it when they did not open the door for him. Him! Their master!?

Velmore narrowed his gaze and sneered. "You pieces of filth had started to live like humans. Have you forgotten that you belong to me?" he spat at a familiar face. "Get on your knees before you are reminded of your place. And open this damn door for me now!"

The man, once thin and hunched, stared back blankly. "I don't serve you anymore, Lord Velmore," he said evenly. "I serve Lord Elias."

Several others turned at the commotion, and none flinched. They all stared at Velmore as if he was an uninvited guest.

Their eyes did not flinch when they noticed royal banner behind him. For them, only Elias was the rule and the ruler. 

Velmore's face flushed dark red with embarrassment when he felt the eyes of the officials on him. How dare they insult him? He roared loudly, "You dare speak to me like that? Do you know why I have come?"

He turned toward the officials and knights with his voice booming, "We are here to arrest your master for treason. He is using forbidden witchcraft!"

The slaves looked at Velmore with shock and gasps rippled across the courtyard. Several of the staff stepped forward instinctively, blocking the path.

"No!" one shouted. "Lord Elias would never—!"

"Move!" barked one of the knights.

But before things could escalate, a calm voice cut through the chaos.

"That's enough."

Everyone instinctively turned to the loud voice. At the top of the stairs, framed in sunlight and shadow, stood Elias Crestford.

He wore a deep navy cloak embroidered with silver, and his hands rested lightly on the banister. There was no fear in his eyes. He looked at all of them with cold amusement.

"Lord Velmore," Elias said, descending slowly. "You have come a long way. Please come in."

Velmore took a step forward. "You are finished, Crestford."