“Mother, Mother !”

“Go away ! Go away ! You can’t see me like that. You shouldn’t see your mother like that.”

“But Mother I want to help !”

“Varis please ! Go away ! I can’t bare this. Forget what you saw.”

The sound of the doors striking the wall awoke Prince Varis. He stood up, ready to lecture the imprudent soldier while in fact in was his father’s cousin, Aloysius wir Kresnik, mostly known as The Commandante, leader of the imperial royal guard, the responsible of all this noise.

“I was looking for you everywhere.” he lectured Varis with a voice mixed with annoyance and concern.

“What’s the matter Commandante?” Varis mumbled still not completely awoken.

“An assassination attempt on your son.”

“Where is he ? WHERE IS HE ?!”

The prince didn’t even give time to The Commandante to answer his question, he immediately left the throne room to head to Zenos’s chambers. The door was opened. A couple of dead corpses was lying on the floor, tainted of blood mixed with poisoned food. His son, Zenos, sat on his giant bed remained motionless. His eyes were empty, no emotions was perceivable on his face despite the deadly spectacle taking place in his room. Varis slalomed between the dead bodies and reached him.

“Zenos, son are you hurt ? You didn’t eat anything do you ? Zenos ! Talk to me.”

No reaction from Zenos. He took him in his arms. Varis was furious but relieved, he couldn’t have handled losing his son. Children shouldn’t die before their parents. Where was Ornella ?

“Ornella !”

Ornella. Head of the servants of the Imperial castle. She was a gentle and hard-working woman who was working for the Galvus since Varis was a baby. Ornella arrived with all the cleaning supplies. She bowed before Varis uneased. She seemed very shaken because of what happened.

“My deepest apologizes Prince Varis. Servants were tasting Prince Zenos food when they collapsed and started chocking. After that, blood came out from their eyes then their ears and their nose. Fortunately Prince Zenos didn’t eat anything but he seems very shocked. He remains like this ever since. Oh Your Majesty ! This is a tragedy !”

“Who had access to the food ? Aren’t you the one preparing all the meals ?”

“Your Majesty I swear to you. I love Zen… the prince like he is my grand-son. I would never harm him. “

“Who were in the kitchen today ?”

“Myself but I left a moment, a very short moment.” admitted Ornella mortified. 

“Enough for someone to sneak in and poison his food. I will take a sample of it. Agatha must analyze the poison. You can clean everything. As for Zenos, stay by his side.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

***

“I’m on it, don’t worry. I hope Zenos feels better. Both of you are in my thoughts.”

After reading Agatha’s text he threw his phone on his bed. He stared at a very old picture of him with his uncle Titus. Who would believe now they were very close in the past ? They were always together. Titus was only 10 years older than him, they shared sibling relationship more than a formal uncle/nephew one. Varis remembered the many naps he took at his uncle’s chambers when he was little. Titus supported him when Varis lost his father Alvin yae Galvus. Growing up, they started arguing furthermore but there was always love between them. Just two young men teasing each other. Until that infamous night that broke any bond between them. Varis fiercely hated him ever since and always held on the hope to avenge his mother. He never intended to kill his uncle by respect to his grandparents. Losing his father, his grandparents’ eldest son was a tragedy they never recovered. Countless times, Varis witnessed his grandparents tearing up at the only mention of his father’s name. Varis refused to put his grandparents through the grief of another child. He patiently waited until the day nothing and no one would hold him back. The day he will be free to fulfill his revenge.

“Mother...”

Since the death of Solus, Varis was thinking a lot about his mother. Many memories were coming back.Especially this recurring nightmare haunting him every night. Seeing himself at 15 years old, on his way to join his mother in her chambers to play Triple Triad and eat cakes, their little ritual of the night. A normal night before witnessing the horror that happened in front of his eyes when he opened the door.

Full of rage, he tore apart the picture of him and his uncle in multiple pieces. “I will kill you Titus. My mother, now you tried to hurt Zenos. I will kill you, slowly. You need to suffer first, just like I suffered all these years. Just like she suffered. I must feel this pain, his agony. I won’t find peace until I kill him. Forgive me Grandfather, Grandmother, I have to do this. For Mother. “