A deep atmosphere of expectation and insecurity flooded the great hall of the Lombardi family, all the servants had gathered in the great hall including three of the four sons of Duke Lombardi.
The great hall was an incredibly spacious room capable of accommodating a hundred people with ease, there were several decorative statues on the sides and a small box that was used so that the host of an important meeting could interact with the guests without losing the focus of attention.
All sorts of incessant whispers flooded the room as those present speculated about the Duke's impending announcement. The Duke's three sons were standing on the sides of the small box seat of the room in complete silence as they waited for the Duke's announcement.
After a considerable waiting time, the doors of the great hall finally opened giving way to Duke Lombardi and his wife, escorted by six trusted guards who looked after their safety. All those present in the great hall bowed their heads in greeting the Lords of the Lombardi house.
The duke wore an elegant black suit with a characteristic scarf decorating his neck, while his wife wore an ostentatious one-piece red dress, settling her beautiful golden hair and brown eyes. For his part, the Duke walked as would a retired soldier, his back straight and a firm, sonorous and harmonious step.
After taking a quick look around, the Duke helped his wife up the steps to the box seat from which the announcement would be made. After confirming that all the preparations were ready, he cleared his voice and began to speak, confirming that the room had fallen into silence.
—"First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to you for attending this meeting without inconvenience." He greeted the people gathered, as the label dictated. "Now, about the reason, I have gathered them in this place. I'm afraid terrible news has recently come to me." The room became noisy at the assertion, so he raised his hand to indicate that those present should remain silent. "Someone here has been poisoning the food of one of my beloved children."
The reaction of the people gathered there was quite varied, from maids who covered their mouths with surprise, to people who accommodated their clothes slightly, all of them hope not to be suspected of such despicable acts.
—"That this is happening inside my home is something I cannot allow and I look forward to your full cooperation in finding the perpetrator of such cowardly acts." After a pause, he continued. "In addition, I would like to talk to my children about..." The Duke's words were interrupted by one of his sons, Augusto had climbed into the box seat without permission. "What does this mean, Augustus?"
—"Father, it has come to my attention that you will finally name the heir to your title and I thought it would be relevant that I was at your side when you make the announcement." Without waiting for a positive response, Augusto simply positioned himself with his father.
At first, the Duke was genuinely surprised by his son's sudden action, until some discomfort in the room environment made him change his mind. It was not planned to make such an announcement. However, it seemed like a good opportunity to make such an announcement and to avoid once and for all that her youngest daughter would be in danger for a senseless struggle.
—"I see. I don't know where you got that information from, but it certainly is a good opportunity to make the official announcement." The duke watched his son. "I trust you would not object to my judgment."
—"How could I object to being named as your heir, father?" He said with absolute confidence as he stood disrespectfully in front of his parents.
—"What are you talking about, Augusto?" He asked with a stern and annoying tone.
—"It is public knowledge that you have prepared me for this day since you adopted me and I would love to take responsibility for finding the culprit of such despicable acts, there is no need for the master of the house to worry about these trifles."
Before the Duke could deny such absurd claims, the doors behind the box seat opened to two soldiers dressed as royal knights, who calmly approached the Duke and his wife Mirelia.
—"I have prepared a suitable escort to take you inside the house while I take this dangerous responsibility, Father."
Duke Lombardi was extremely upset and would not leave things as they were under any circumstances. He was about to order his guards to apprehend his son when he noticed that one of the soldiers allegedly escorting them was holding a dagger in his wife's back.
—"Augusto, you..." he said as he stabbed his son with his eyes.
—"I trust you will have made the right decision, Father."
He wanted to give the order, he wanted to shout to stop that brazen traitor, but with his beloved Mirelia in such danger could not do it. The Duke probably thought that a day like this would never come, at least not from the hand of one of the people he had graciously welcomed into his home. At that time, he could not risk, he had to prioritize the safety of his wife and his daughter Priscilla.
—"I understand, in that case, I entrust you, son." His fists closed with great force because of his anger. "However, Priscilla will accompany us."
At first, Augusto was surprised, did not think that his father would take Priscilla with him, but now that he had accepted, his plan had succeeded, and keeping up appearances before the assembled people were his top priority. For it was of the utmost importance to make the people gathered accept what was happening without suspicion or in the blink of an eye he would have his father's entire guard behind his head.
—"I see no problem." Augusto approached the edge of the small box seat and said. "Priscilla, accompany our parents to their chambers."
Priscilla was somewhat confused by the strange order in which recent events were taking place, so she could only follow her brother's instructions.
—"I understand, Brother Augustus." Priscilla bowed before approaching her parents.
After a short walk, he stood in a place near his mother, only to discover that the soldiers who had suddenly appeared were wielding swords on their parents' backs.
Unfortunately, before she could react in any way, her mother pinched her arm tightly to keep it calm. She instantly understood the situation in which they were and followed the course of events without causing suspicion.
—"I apologize to you, but you will have to let me check your respective rooms or workstations so we can find the culprit," he brazenly announced, while his minions took their parents and sister through the gates that connected to the inside of the mansion.
Augustus continued with his senseless theater, while Priscilla and company were taken inside the mansion. The first thing they noticed was that a corridor that was supposed to be overflowing with guards was completely unoccupied and the men threatening them were still on their backs.
—"I don't think it is necessary to pretend anymore. The answer, Who are you?" One of the guards, the tallest of them was the one who answered his question ironically.
—"It sounds annoying, Your Excellency Lombardi, is something wrong?"
—"Stop pretending, you bastard!" The gigantic guard shrugged and pressed his sword against the Duke's back.
—"We have orders to take them to their quarters, at least for now." He said as he smiled in an unpleasant manner. "But since he is so curious." The soldier began to remove his helmet so that his face was clearly visible.
—"This cannot be..." Duke Brohm was speechless to discover the identity of the man who threatened him. "You are... Astor Preya, how is this possible?"
Astor Preya, a man just over two meters tall, with scars all over his face and with some sections missing in his black hair due to injuries he suffered during his life. He was a dangerous mercenary who was supposedly sentenced to death, but there he was, right in front of his eyes.
—"Your son was kind enough to save me from the executioner and accordingly, I now serve him." He affirmed as he pushed the family down the aisle.
Upon seeing that man, the Duke realized too late that his son was planning to kill them all, the option of reuniting the soldiers in the future seemed too improbable and to deny his son's words even more.
Brohm made the only possible decision for a former soldier, he would not allow his loved ones to be taken from him without being able to do anything about it. After moving a few meters, he pretended to have twisted his foot due to nervousness and fell to the ground as a result.
—"Stop wasting time and walk."
—"It is difficult to walk if you are constantly pushing me."
—"Shut up! Just walk and..."
—"He's not in good health, don't you see?" Priscilla stood in front of the alleged soldier to defend her father even at the cost of her own safety.
—In response, the man gnashed his teeth with discomfort and struck Priscilla on a whim. "Don't meddle, woman."
Priscilla fell to the side of the room as a result of the heavy blow, but that gave her father the opportunity to react. Brohm pushed his wife hard who seemed to want to react and lunged at the larger soldier preventing him from using his sword freely.
—"Ahhh!" he shouted as he held the soldier's gigantic body in front of him. "Mirelia, take Priscilla and escape!"
—"No, my darling!"
—"We will not leave you, Father!"
Unfortunately, it was not possible for Brohm to stop a man of Astor's stature, so the difference in strength between the two men was immediately noticed. Astor kicked the Duke hard and tried to subdue Mirelia so that the Duke would lose the will to fight. However, Mirelia was not a docile lamb in distress, she took one of the numerous vases that decorated the hallway and threw it at the soldier without hesitation.
—"Get away from me!"
With discomfort, Astor observed his partner who did not seem to mock him for letting helpless people give him trouble.
—"Stop acting like a fool and help me, Siro."
The man named Siro seemed reluctant at the request of his companion, but simply joined the fight with the laziness that characterized him. The Duke Brohm was in trouble, now that they were two attackers, their options narrowed, as he had failed to neutralize any of the people who threatened his family's lives.
—"Run, I'll buy some time!"
—"We will not leave you, Father." Priscilla, finding herself in a desperate situation, released her magic.
Unfortunately, Priscilla's magic was not attacked magic she was what could be called a prodigy using magic. However, he knew little or nothing about magic, without mentioning that his affinity was healing magic, so even if he could use some offensive spell it would be nothing remarkable. In a situation where he had little or no time to think, he recited the only high-level spell he knew.
—"[Clypeus]" Usually, more experienced magicians can suppress an entire chant by reducing spells to just their activation word. Of course, as a heroine, Priscilla knew and possessed that ability.
In response to his spell, a blue barrier was deployed between the attackers and his family, he quickly took his mother's hand, and the instant he was to call his father, he discovered his mistake.
—"So, you really had an affinity with magic after all." affirm her father with pride in his voice. "Good work, daughter. Now go away!"
Her father had ended up on the other side of the barrier, perhaps her inexperience or the chaotic situation had led her to make such a disastrous mistake.
—"Noooo! Dad!"
—"Go away, Priscilla, don't look back."
His father skillfully snatched the sword from one of the people attacking him, allowing him to fight back freely. Priscilla refused to leave her father's side until her mother pulled her arm.
—"Let's go, Priscilla."
—"No, we cannot abandon my father! I will undo the spell and..." Priscilla was slapped by her mother.
—"We have to go."
—"How can you leave him without...?!" Seeing the tears falling from her mother's face, Priscilla could only close her mouth and let herself be dragged by her mother.
They began to move down the aisle and before entering another aisle, Priscilla took one last look at her father's valiant figure, to at least tell him with her gaze that she would come back for him. However, she only saw the terrible image of her father being stabbed on repeated occasions by the men he was fighting.
-"Noooooo! Let go of me mother! My father needs help!" Mirelia ignored her daughter's pleas and continued her escape to a safe place.