The Countess of Moores is rather peculiar within Noble Society.
Approximately sixteen years ago, she came to the Moores Manor holding a newborn son, claiming that his father was the well-known war hero, Earl Leroy Moores.
The news shook the entirety of the upper class, and there are many reasons for this.
First, Alicia Castas had no background.
She was the daughter of a humble seamstress from a rural village in the deserts. Her father was a lowly merchant trading between the village and the capital.
She had no backing, no standing, and no particular talent other than being beautiful.
The only thing that made her stand out was her strange beauty and unusual way of speaking.
Enticing, whimsical, many have fallen for her looks, but looks alone are just not enough to get leverage into Noble Society.
Many were still cautious of her, however, and observed this mysterious woman and the baby she held.
A visit to the Magic Tower later and as it turned out, the baby indeed belonged to Earl Moores.
A week later, Earl Moores married Alicia Castas and no one has seen him since.
Not that he's dead, of course.
Close friends of his visit the manor to see him. It is said that he continues to grieve for his late-wife, preferring to sit in their bedroom day and night, refusing to leave.
He was swallowed by his grief and ignored the present, forgetting he still has a sickly son from his first marriage and a newborn son from Alicia.
Whispers floated around in banquets and balls.
If one traces the timeline between the death of Countess Lydia and the period of pregnancy that is common for women, some noticed that the timeline didn't add up.
Countess Lydia has just passed fairly recently, and everyone knows Earl Moores is extremely loyal to his wife, even daring to defy the late Earl and Countess to wed the then-servant, Lydia.
A conspiracy began to emerge.
What happened between the Earl and Alicia Castas?
The suspicious passing of Lydia Moores, the arrival of Alicia Castas, and the sudden seclusion of Earl Moores after the wedding.
Indeed, the mystery continues to baffle the rest of Noble Society.
---
In the Moores Family Manor, a servant rushed toward the manor garden.
Dressed in the uniform of a Capable Servant, he had soot-like hair and slight wrinkles that lined the eyes. Paired with a large chunk of horrifically scarred tissue on the side of his face, one can presume so much of the life he led.
He moved quickly and swiftly through the manor ground, expertly maneuvering himself past what is considered the 'forbidden area.'
The garden, a poisonous thing that grew when the Countess first married Earl Moores, was located in a section of the Manor grounds placed away from prying eyes.
Few people can enter, as it is fortified by stone gates and protective talismans, hidden away by trees and situated across the 'hunting grounds.'
The telltale signs that he is close to the garden are the hummingbirds that start appearing in the treelines.
The garden had attracted hummingbirds that shined like jewels once the flowers bloomed. They became a common sight in the Moores Manor after sixteen years.
The servant made his way past the gates and entered, heading straight toward the heart of the garden.
Under the bright summer sky, a figure sat beneath a stone pavilion, admiring her lovely garden with a warm gaze.
"My Lady, it has started." The servant arrived and delivered the news, taking a knee in front of the steps of the pavilion.
The woman--the Countess of Moores--a beautiful lady with a slim and pale frame, narrowed her eyes, gaze turning frosty at the servant's appearance.
Being interrupted from admiring her work, she grew displeased.
His anxious and mousy appearance has ruined her view as well.
Honestly, she doesn't even know why she keeps this servant around. Other than being a Capable Servant, he is always so jumpy and underwhelming.
The cobalt blue of her iris shined darkly, pinning the servant in place.
The Emerald Hummingbirds roaming about flew this way and that. Some even daring to tease the servant, pecking his face and leaving bloody dots all over.
The servant quivers but can do nothing but take the teasing with a neutral face.
Seeing her pets toying with the servant, the Countess smiles, her good mood regained.
The hummingbirds feasted on the nectars of the flowers she bred, and in return, they did her bidding.
The garden is the fruit of her labor. Grown from her flesh and blood, and sowed with the seeds of death.
The hummingbirds are loyal to her, and her alone.
The Countess ordered her hummingbird to leave the servant alone.
After all, he has brought good news. She knows to show mercy to those who are loyal and do their jobs well.
"Very good, Reese. Tell Miss Thomas that she has done well. Her reward will be sent in due time."
A drawled and seductive voice rang out from a pair of petaled lips. It was a delicate voice, a contrast to her intimidating presence.
The servant trembled under the power of this voice, nervously nodding his head at the order.
As a Capable Servant, he is more sensitive to the orders of the nobility, and the Countess is no different. He feels like he walked into a snakepit every time he's within the presence of the Countess.
Alicia checks the sand clock on the pavilion table and notices that it was mealtime.
"Don't forget to send food to my husband and have someone go and check to see if Leotine is feeling better. Make sure the two of them are taking their medicine."
The servant bowed. "Yes, my lady." And then, just to make sure, he asked, "And what of Young Master Elliot?"
The Countess raised a well-groom brow. "He can handle himself just fine. You're dismissed."
As the cold words fell, the servant leaves in a hurry, not willing to stay with the Countess any longer than he would prefer.
Alicia stands from her chair, the movement elegant and enchantingly beautiful. Her hips swayed with a purpose that is unlike the natural sway of prostitutes in the Red Light District.
She didn't walk like a lady of a house, nor did she move like a courtesan.
The sway was uniformed and timed. Technical and robotic. Unnatural and artificial. A serpent gleefully hunting prey whilst performing a dance around it.
Those who were foolish enough to get close to this viper, unknowingly fascinated by its colorful scales; all forget the venom of its fangs.
As the rumors say, Earl Moores was no exception--though his situation is rather different.
The Countess sneered at the thought. How stupid he is, choosing to hide away from reality.
"My lovelies," She called.
A swarm of hummingbirds flew toward her with vigor.
Alicia smiled at the sight, opening a drawer under the stone table of the pavilion.
Bringing out a bottle of Bellodon wine, she pours it into a wine glass.
"Go on. Feed."
The hummingbirds surrounded the cup.
There was one particular hummingbird that stayed behind the swarm, flying closer to the Countess instead.
Alicia beams, appearing almost gentle as she offered her hand.
The hummingbird nestles into her palm.
She strokes its head. "You know what to do, lovely."
The hummingbird, as if understanding the Countess, raised its wings and took off towards the opened window, leaving a trail of fragrance that can only be sensed from a poison garden.
Alicia watched it go, a cold smile plastered against her pale face.
Yes, things are going splendidly.
---
"Master Nazareth, pardon the intrusion."
Ethel entered Master Nazareth's bedroom quietly.
The Capable Servants in the manor have been on rotation these past few days when serving the eldest Odum child.
Rainier has practically disappeared from the Manor. Ever since Master Nazareth took ill, no one has seen him.
The Duke and Duchess made no mention of the valet after the poisoning incident, so the rest of the staff dared not ask about him.
There are rumors of Rainier being fired or demoted or even imprisoned by the Duke and Duchess. It is likely that they suspect that he is the perpetrator.
After all, the servant had been standing closest to Master Nazareth when he collapsed.
Ethel is a smart girl. She stayed quiet as the rumors ran rampant.
There is no way she wants to get involved with drama so soon after being employed by the Odum Manor.
It is better to keep her head down and keep quiet for now.
This "duck and cover" tactic came to bite her in the back when she was put on the rotation roster. She will be serving Master Nazareth since it's been deemed that she's one of the quieter servants.
Ethel heard about Master Nazareth being a crazy person. She isn't sure how true those claims are, but someone once told her how he was the one who branded Rainier's face.
She remembered seeing Rainier walking around in the Servant Academy back when they were in school together. Some people tended to avoid him since they assumed he was a former slave.
Ethel had thought the same until she started working in the Odum Manor.
Rainier wasn't a slave at all!
And the rest of the staff mentioned it so casually!
Ethel shivered.
Master Nazareth is just so scary...
Seeing him smiling and walking around with a carefree-look all the time while the servants talked about what he does behind the scene, the maid wonders if he simply hides that part of himself behind the gentle facade.
It makes her even more fearful and intimidated since two-faced people are the worst.
You can never tell with people like them.
Master Nazareth opened his eyes slightly, shooting a piercing vermillion gaze right at the timid maid.
He cracks a weak smile, before once again falling into unconsciousness.
The room was dark. The air--suffocating.
The scent of bitter medicine and blood filled the senses.
This was an environment for someone about to die.
And that won't do.
Ethel had brought in a cart filled with three buckets of water.
The first thing she does is wipe down Master Nazareth and change him into fresh clothes.
He sometimes wakes up, but it's very brief.
Ethel wonders just how conscious he is during those times.
"Master Nazareth, your medicine..."
When she set Master Nazareth back on the bed, she pulls out the potion that the healers had given and patiently coaxes the eldest Odum child to drink it down.
Thankfully, he remained conscious enough to swallow.
"Thank... you..."
Ethel hears the weak voice and turns to the pale eldest Master.
Her gaze is perplexed as she helps pull the blanket back to his chin.
He is, once again, unconscious.
"Rest well, Master Nazareth."
Ethel quietly cleaned up Master Nazareth's bedroom, ridding it of dust.
During this time, another servant came in with some roses from the garden.
When seeing the confusion on Ethel's face, they explained it was to replace the wilted flowers in the Young Master's bedroom.
Apparently, Rainier used to bring in flowers all the time to brighten the room.
But since he's currently gone...
Ethel grabbed the flower vase from Master Nazareth's table.
"What's this..."
She paused, noticing the wilted flowers happen to be...
"Dandelions?"
Her brow scrunched with a hint of skepticism.
How... ordinary.
She had not expected Master Nazareth to like flowers like these.
They're practically weeds, after all.
Frowning in bemusement, Ethel silently threw the flowers out and refilled the vase with clean water.
After placing the roses inside, she went to the window and opened it.
Tying the curtains together, the dark and gloomy bedroom was filled with light, and a fresh breeze of summer drifted inside.
Ethel placed the vase near the window and smiled.
Hopefully, Master Nazareth will feel a bit more comfortable with the room warmed by the sun.
"Please excuse me, Master Nazareth."
Ethel bowed near the foot of the bed and left the room.
---
Vermillion eyes cracked open delicately, minutes after the maid left.
This is one of the few moments that he can awaken with clear clarity.
Neo hasn't been able to hear much.
He felt trapped in a never-ending dream, full of delirious visions and unspeakable memories.
It felt like he was submerged in water, barely able to breathe and slowly drowning.
Sometimes, he's able to hear voices, but they sound so far away.
The healers have stabilized the poison in his body from wreaking havoc and helped him flush out most of it.
Thankfully, the incident had happened in the Sanctuary.
The healers used some of his Scarlet Fever to combat the poison and stabilize it, keeping it from spreading.
The plant is growing abundantly at the back of the Sanctuary, so the healers could easily pick a few.
Scarlet Fever is a universal poison stabilizer for many poisons. They looked like red cabbages and grew in warm soil. Neo bought seeds and grew them in case of emergencies, though it was rather hard as he needed to put fire talismans under the soil bed to keep them warm.
During the tea party, he had recognized the sweet taste of Wolfshade on his tongue and knew he was too late.
Wolfshade is fast-acting the moment it's ingested.
He should know, as he became immune to it during his Third Year.
Currently, he is not immune to it, so he knew he was fucked.
He doesn't remember what happened after telling the healers about the Scarlet Fever, but he felt himself being jostled around after swallowing the plant, so they most likely brought him to his bedroom for further treatment.
The poison is vicious, Neo knows, but it won't affect his health.
He remembered using it during his time as Nazareth on people who displeased him.
Its intent isn't to kill as long as a healer is available with the antidote, but it will certainly ruin your entire week.
Not to mention the anemia that follows.
Ethel had changed out the bucket beside him, but he's going to be stuck vomiting his own blood for a few more days.
He's going to have to eat a lot of iron to recover what he's lost.
Neo could feel the familiar pull in his mind after a few minutes of thinking. The poison's effect is once again dragging him down into his nightmares.
He sighs. The breath was drawn out weakly.
He shut his eyes and falls unconscious.
---
"Master Julius, we have arrived."
The carriage stopped in front of the Moores Family Manor.
The guards at the gate recognized the crest of the Elysium Ducal and bowed nervously.
With the help of his servant, Thomas, Julius stepped out of the carriage and looked regally at the guards.
"Send for your second Young Master. Tell him that Julius Elysium has come to see him.
A guard quickly ran off toward the manor.
Julius stood, waiting.
After a few minutes, the figure of a boy with ash-grey hair came to the gate.
He presented a cold look to the Elysium Heir.
"Elysium. How... kind of you to visit."
Julius shoots an equally frosty look back, raising an elegant brow.
"Elliot, I'd hope that my visit would be for better reasons, but I found I needed to see you. Come."
Julius turned and re-entered his carriage, all polite pretense dropped at seeing the boy he held ties with.
Sitting inside, the blonde gave a pointed look at Elliot.
Elliot knew he had no choice but to go.
Turning to the guards, the boy gave an order. "Tell Mother I will be back by dinner."
"Yes, Young Master Elliot."
With a stone-face, Elliot entered Julius' carriage.
---
Elliot watched as the carriage pulled into town.
He sat across from Julius, shoulders tensed, as he wondered why the other came to visit.
"You have been avoiding us,"
The blonde tells him, vermillion eyes scanning him from head to toe.
Elliot looks away. "I've been busy." He says shortly.
Julius gives him an unreadable look.
After a while, Elliot watches as he looks out the window with a dazed expression.
"Three days ago, Nazareth was poisoned."
It took a long moment for Elliot to process those words.
Nazareth?
His mind scrambled.
Of all people, Nazareth?
This is the same guy who poisons people for a hobby.
At least, it was a hobby a few months ago.
The look of bewilderment must have been obvious on Elliot's face because Julius turned to him with a grim expression.
"They found the poison in his drink. It was during the tea party we were all invited to."
There was a certain tone that Julius took when he said 'we', and Elliot couldn't help but feel guilty.
"I... didn't mean to ignore all of you..." Elliot saw the way Julius continued to stare at him. He felt small under that gaze. "Mother wanted me to stay at home. She says it's time to learn more about the family since Leotine's illness is getting worse..."
His mother pulled him out of school for some tutoring. He's supposed to return for the autumn quarter to attend classes with the rest of his peers, but since he needed to learn more about the heirship, he ended up being homeschooled temporarily.
"You know my mother spends more time with Leotine. This is the first time she's ever wanted to focus on me. Not my brother." Elliot stared firmly into Julius' eyes. "You know my wish, Julius. I don't want to be invisible. This might be the only time she's ever going to see me as her child."
Elliot knows Leotine gets more of his mother's attention because he's sick.
He knows that.
Which is why he never complains.
But...
It doesn't hurt any less to be so unnoticed.
Julius crossed his arms.
"Elliot, your mother is a bitch, and I mean that in the nicest way."
Elliot could barely compute what the other just said.
"What? Why would you say that?!"
"Are you serious?"
For the rest of the carriage ride, they bickered.
---
As the eldest Odum child slept fitfully into the evening, a green little bird entered the open window.
The Emerald Hummingbird darted around, its eyes looking far too intelligent for a mere animal as it took in the view of the room.
It found its target lying on the bed and flew down.
It pecked at the prone figure roughly and saw no movement.
Good.
A small tongue slithers out of the hummingbird's mouth, taking a small lick at the youth's neck. It marked the neck with a vicious purple liquid, which dripped out from the beak.
A drop lands on the bed, staining it a strange purple.
The hummingbird, seemingly satisfied by the mark on the neck, insert its thin, needle-like beak into the pale skin.
The youth on the bed doesn't stir, but his face stiffens in pain.
The hummingbird slowly takes out his beak and seals the small wound with a lick.
Its mission is complete.
It flies out of the window, discreet and silent.
---
That night, a team of healers was once again called to the Odum Manor.
The servants had found Young Master Nazareth with his eyes, nose, and ears bleeding rapidly.
The bucket of blood on the bedside was practically filled to the brim as everyone tried to stop the bleeding.
The room was stained in red.
It took from evening to dawn before the healers could stabilize the Young Master.
They had required a magic transfusion to make up for the loss of blood.
Nobody knew what had happened to make the Young Master's conditions even worse. The healers couldn't find the answer, no matter how much they tried.
The Duke issued an order for all non-Capable Servants to stay in their rooms while the Duchess left for the Royal Palace on horseback.
Young Master Nazareth fell into a coma.
The chances of him waking up are slim.
It is a dark time for the Odum Family.
---
In the depths of his delusions, Neo stood on a platform and watched as the research institution found his dead body.
Clark was already calling the higher-ups to notify them that there's been a donation.
His Ma and Pa died of grief when they realized he had died.
They, too, donated their body to science.
It is just a dream, but seeing it all so clearly makes him uncomfortable.
Sighing, Neo tries to turn away from the sight, a fruitless endeavor, but it doesn't turn to try.
The mild discomfort of the Wolfshade and the dreams are only mildly painful-
Until he felt unbearable pain in his neck.
As if someone had cracked it.
He is immediately flung from his nightmares into a world of hurt.
He sucks in a breath, his consciousness coming to the forefront as he realizes he's awake.
The pain hits ten times worse now that he's in the world of waking.
What is this?!
The pressure on his eyes, his ears, his nose!
He became conscious enough to feel himself hackling out mouthfuls of blood.
Robaottically, he gets up and hurried gets to the bucket beside him.
There was screaming and yelling, followed by rapid footsteps and more yelling.
Someone grabbed him by the shoulder-
He passes out.
---
As the Manor fell into chaos, Guinivere and Aurelion sat quietly in Aurelion's room.
The two siblings shared the same cold, glacial expression on their faces, fists tightened into stone, bodies tensed and stiff.
"Young Master Aurelion, Lady Guinivere, pardon the intrusion."
Rainier stepped into the room with a smile that wasn't a smile.
His cornflower eyes seemed muted while dark shadows lined them.
Aurelion nodded, gesturing for the servant to join them.
"How is my brother?"
Rainier stood with his back straight, looking as professional as he can.
"He is still bleeding. The healers have started the transfusion spell and Master Gareth is the donor."
"I see."
Rainier swallowed, the words in his throat feeling dry and uncomfortable. "They don't know if he'll wake up..."
The room fell into a tense silence.
---
As evening drew near, a hummingbird flew into the window of its master and landed daintily onto an elegantly stretched-out finger.
"You did very well, my pet. Go join the rest of your sisters."
The hummingbird preened at the praise and darted toward the nesting trees growing at the corner of the room, once again rejoining her hive.
Alicia smiled beautifully as she watched the moon rise outside her window, full and round, shining in the night sky.
What a beautiful night it is.