"Where is the Countess?"
Kilian had pushed a man almost twice his size up against the wall. Dante and other Valen knights were behind him, and the man looked at him terrified.
The ice-blue eyes were staring at the man, demanding an answer, and Kilian could feel the power slowly well up inside him.
He could kill this man in an instant, it would just take one thought.
"She.. She isn't here."
Kilian let go, and the man scurried away.
They had asked several servants, and they had all answered the same way.
"She isn't here."
Kilian hit the wall in frustration, making Dante walk over to take his hand in his, checking it for any bruises.
"They lied to us, she was never here, she must still be in the Heathgrave fief."
Kilian remembered the building where he had met his mother for the first time. They had miscalculated.
He had thought, they would have brought her as a hostage against them, and even the invitation had mentioned her.
"Where are they?"
The voice was shaking in anger, and Cratos Valen was asking his own knights, who were now
shaking for a different reason.
"We have not been able to locate the Heathgraves, they slipped out after dinner."
A knight answered.
The air around them became heavy.
"They won't be able to hide for long."
The words were cold, and Archduke had a calculating smirk.
Cratos Valen walked towards the entrance they had entered from, with him Kilian, Dante and the rest of the Valen knights followed.
It was a cold winter night, but soon the area around them all was getting colder, as the Archduke of the land released his magic, letting it seep onto the ground behind them.
It was beautiful and deadly, and Kilian pretended not to be phased by the sight.
Behind them a layer of ice spread out over the floors, ice that looked almost alive was slowly crawling up the walls, covering furniture and ceilings.
The magic kept moving over every inch of the entire building, creeping into holes and cracks in the walls. Til the entirety of the residence was sparkling under the moon, covered in ice.
They descended the last step of the stairs, and Cratos clenched his hands.
'CRASH!'
The ground under them shook, and Kilian looked back.
Walls crumbled, ceilings fell apart, and the entire estate fell, crushing everything inside the building.
The estate of the Heathgraves in the capital was falling down in front of them. Turned into useless rubble no one could live in anymore.
Kilian did not know if all the servants had fled the building in time, but he no longer cared or had any sympathy for the servants from that house. They had not cared for him, why should he care for them.
Inside him was the same anger that was showing on his grandfather's face.
"We will assemble the Valen knights and leave for the Heathgraves in the morning."
The orders were loud and every knight present bowed, knowing their Lord had just waged war on another fief.
At least the king was on their side.
Kilian checked his jacket, making sure the paper was safe and intact. It was their only excuse to continue with what they were doing.
Even if the king was supporting them, they still had to prove to the other nobles, that their actions were within their rights.
Especially when they were gonna invade another fief under the same crown.
Kilian left the carriage and stepped toward the Valen residence.
The butler stood ready at the door again as if he had never left, only waiting for them to return to greet them properly.
He gave the old man a nervous smile and shook his head without saying a word.
The butler bowed and helped Kilian with his clothes, and Kilian walked up the stairs to his room.
It felt like the distance was longer than normal, and the sound of his cane hitting the wooden floors was heard in the halls.
"Kilian."
The words were behind him, but he didn't turn around. He knew that voice.
"That is Lord Kilian, or Master Kilian to you, Dante."
The words weren't harsh, they instead sounded exhausted, and Kilian could no longer keep up the pretense, as his legs gave in under him, his whole body screaming to sit down and rest.
"Master Kilian!"
Dante ran over picking Kilian up from the floor.
He looked down seeing the pale skin of his Master was flushed, and Kilian was breathing heavily and uneven.
"You are sick! I will call for a healer."
Kilian grabbed Dante's sleeve and looked up with a blaming expression, his blue eyes piercing into Dante's eyes.
"This is your fault, don't call anyone, I will be fine."
Dante hesitated, then realized what Kilian meant.
The things he had done to this body earlier in the day, had been too much, but if they called a healer, the marks on Kilian's body could be discovered.
Dante clicked his tongue, annoyed with his own greedy self. He had been the one pushing it, and he had not been careful enough.
"I am not your toy to play with whenever you want?"
Kilian grumbled, spitting out the words, as Dante carried him the rest of the way to his room.
"Yes, and neither am I." Retorted Dante.
Kilian felt a surge in his stomach, not wanting to admit out loud that he was just as guilty about his weak situation as Dante was.
A clenched hand hit Dante's chest, but there was no strength behind it, and Dante smiled down at Kilian.
"It is ok, Young Master, I wanted it too."
The strong hands holding Kilian placed him down on the bed.
The hands that had held his thighs earlier, were now undressing Kilian again, though this time they were tender and careful.
"You have a fever."
Kilian looked down to see the puppy eyes of Dante staring back up at him.
"I don't think you can join the Archduke tomorrow."
Kilian flinched, he had not thought of it, and he did not want to miss out on the opportunity to screw his family over together with his grandfather.
"I am going."
Kilian sternly said back.
"I don't think…"
"I am going, Dante."
Blue eyes stubbornly stared Dante down, cutting him off before he could continue his sentence.
"Alright. Then let me take care of you tonight."
Dante grabbed the basin with water, that was always ready for Kilian in the evenings.
He then dipped the cloth in the cool water, and moved over next to Kilian in the bed, slowly wiping his arms.
Drops of water ran down the skin, and he noticed the once skinny arms, had become firmer.
Kilian laid in silence, closing his eyes. His head was pounding and his muscles felt weak, but the care from Dante made him relieved.
A memory of the time Kilian had been sick after the fountain incident popped into his head. Back then, the young Kilian had had no one to take care of him.
He turned his head looking over at Dante with hazy eyes, he was tired, but the anger he had felt earlier regarding his mother had dissipated, and he gave in to the soft touch of Dante, who continued to wipe his skin.
The room fell silent, and Dante stayed by Kilian's side, the entire night.
His training had taught him to stay awake when needed, and he made sure too stay awake to keep an eye on his sleeping master.
His Young Master would kick off the blanket when too hot, and he would wipe the sweat, brushing the hair out of his face and wetting his lips.
At times Kilian would shake, and Dante would lay down next to him, holding him in his arms, trying to give his warmth to the young man.
The morning sun was slowly rising, and the light hit Kilian, who opened his eyes.
His limbs were still feeling weak, but the fever was not as strong, and his head felt a bit more clear than the evening before.
"Dante?"
Kilian squinted his eyes in the sun, trying to focus on the man sitting by his bed. They were holding hands, and Kilian wasn't sure if he was flushing or his cheeks still felt hot from the fever.
"Mhm, yes?"
Kind eyes looked back at him, and Kilian could not see the hints of the possessive Dante that had touched him the day before.
"Let's get ready."
Kilian tried to get out of bed, but his legs were still weak, and Dante had to support him, for him to stand and get dressed.
"The trip in the carriage won't be good for you."
Dante was still trying to convince his Master to stay home, but Kilian ignored it, and stepped out of the room, using his cane to support him as he exited the house.
Cratos Valen was sitting on his horse, and the carriage was only occupied by Kilian.
He had yet to learn how to ride, but none of the knights looked down on him for it, in fact, they seemed proud to escort and have Kilian with them.
Kilian Valen, who had saved several of the knights when heading for the capital.
Kilian Valen, who had received the favor of the king.
Kilian Valen who had helped and saved wounded knights, regarded as The Lady.