A/N: The chapter ahead is raw, which means not been proofread yet nor edited.
***
"Brother..." The tiny, soft voice called, getting his brother's attention.
"Oh, my beautiful Valy!" exclaimed the Prince before leaving his father to go to him.1
Before he went inside, he looked back and smiled, "A moment, Daddy. Zoddy will talk to Valy---"
The Fourth and Fifth Prince immediately jumped aside to hide when the Third Prince forcefully pushed the door open. Fortunately, the two Princes pulled the Second Prince with them before their appearances be revealed to the eyes beyond the door. The First Prince, Prince Zodiac Astrophel, fell to the ground. The door hit him when it opened wide.
"Zoddy!" His concerned father with his family called. They were about to go and help him up when they froze on their locations upon seeing the furious child who did it.
He's holding a gun and it seem like a toy to them. His fury, reflected in his crimson eyes, is spreading wildly like flames, scorching them painfully.
"Maxi!" Prince Zodiac gasped and instantly went back to his feet, "Get inside!" He ran to reach the door and close it but the Second Prince followed him just to push him hard.
Prince Maxigaufeas felt cold.
"Hey! How dare you!?" Lady Elektra shouted and picked up the poor Prince.
Prince Maximilien tightened his jaw, grinding his teeth together as his eyes become angrier, then screamed loudly at the top of his lungs in front of her.1
They winced and covered their ears.
"How dare me!? How dare a bitch like you yell at me! I don't care if you don't know me! You should know your place in this world, you peasant!"
He bent over and picked up large rocks and threw them at the lady.
"STOP!" Prince Zodiac roared and faced his brother.
"Get inside while I'm still being nice, Maximilien," he ordered, stern and serious, but his brother did not listen and comb the place with his eyes, looking for a certain person. And when he found him, his crimson eyes glowed brighter.
He dragged his feet forward heavily to where he is.
"You're that son of a bitch," he began, shooting angry glares against Prince Maxigaufeas.
"W-What... What did you just call me?"
Though surprised and perplexed, he couldn't let the absurdity he heard pass.
"Son of a bitch. You're a son of a bitch. Your Mommy is a fucking piggy bitch! And you're her stupid, piggy little bitch!"
Prince Maxigaufeas lost it and clenched his fists.1It's not fair.
"Yeah? Then I double your words and give it back to you. Your Mommy is a lot worse. A breedable bitch!"
Emperor Maxism pulled his son back by the arm and shook his head. He was serious. He's not dumb to not sense the ominous danger coming their way.
Prince Maximilien of Vernignac stopped when they're close enough and smirked.
"I triple it. Your Mommy is much breedable. Not only she fuck a lowlife like your father, she fucked monsters and beasts, too! Yes! You have monsters and beasts as your siblings! Fuck you!"
Their eyes widened.
"What did you say!? I will cut that vulgar tongue of yours, kid! I'll fucking bury you alive!"
Emperor Maxism stopped his son from going to the child and shook him, "Stop! Think, Maxigaufeas! Don't let it get into you! That child is dangerous!"
Prince Maxigaufeas looked at his father. He chased after his breath, then calmed down.
"That ain't my son. This 'me' has nothing to do with that thing. No, I won't take that as mine."
The Prince gave the little one a disapproving stares.
Chills ran down to their spine when they saw how what he said reflected on the little Prince's expression.
"Did you think... I will want a loser like you be my father... AGAIN?"
The vertical slit on his eyes become thinner.
"You fool. Did you think I'm here to be soft and easy? To be lovey-lovey to you like that Zodiac and his stupid, ugly monster Daddy? You think I'm here to cry and seek for love?"
The Prince spit on Prince Maxigaufeas's feet and laughed, insane.
"If only I survived what you did, I'll fucking come out to kill you myself the worst way possible. The bullet you buried in my heart is nothing compared to the pain you inflicted on my Mommy! I will never forgive you and every version of you. Never."
He raised the hand that's holding a gun and pointed it at Prince Maxigaufeas.
They stepped back.
"Maximilien! Stop this madness! What are you doing!?" Prince Zodiac marched angrily to his brother but a barrier forbid him so.
"MAXIMILIEN!"
"Oh, shut up, Zodiac Astrophel! You and your faked and deceitful niceties! You're not that different from me. We're from the same womb and we're protecting the same mother from these---these monsters! I don't even give a fuck about you, so stop going against me! I don't like you! In fact, I never have! And never have I ever respected you or anyone other than Mommy! You can die with your Daddy AGAIN!"
Everyone was astounded, but not as astounded as the hurting Prince Zodiac.
"That's...not true. Y-You don't mean...that."
Prince Maximilien gulped and stood on his ground. He cut their eye contact and glared at his father.
"I have never been truer than now."
Prince Zodiac's eyes welled in tears.
"But that's still so mean to say to me. It's okay if you don't like me. I'm still your big brother. But to say that I could die with my Daddy again? Maximilien, that's just so mean. I can't...believe you went this far."
Lady Elektra wrapped her arms around him.
The Xirquits went to his side.
Heart as hard as stone, he ignored his brother. He will settle the score between him and his father right here, right now.
"You should know how it feels like. I will make you feel what it feels like."
Then, he pulled the trigger. The family stood tall, not bothered for any bullet can't come through the barrier Prince Izaac set up. However, it still made them flinch. But instead of hearing a gunshot, they heard a 'pop!' followed by a series of breathless laughter.
"D-Did you really t-think? HAHAHAHAHA! You flinched!" The Prince tease, bending over with his hands on his stomach. He threw the fake gun to their feet.
A flag popped from its muzzle and there were confettis in the ground.
Until the Prince formed a real gun between his hands and shoot him thrice. The sound it made is as silent as a hush.
Bull's eye.
Three bullets hit the same spot.
Prince Maxigaufeas scoffed and palmed his face.
"That's it? You're here to play? Don't fuck with me!"
The little Prince grinned evilly.
Emperor Maxism placed his hand on his son's shoulder, while the other is touching his head. His vision is blurring and he feel something warm dripping from his head. His knees weakened and lost a footing.
The weakness brought him down to his knees.
That's when everyone looked at him, and no silence was as loud as theirs in that exact moment.
"To give you the most unbearable pain, I must hurt the person you love most. A father for a father, DAD."
Prince Maximilien shoot the Emperor again thrice, aimed at his heart. With his head held high, he walked back to their room with the smile Prince Zodiac has never seen. He was satisfied, elated, but not truly because there's still fury in his eyes. His heart is still burning with the desire of hurting Prince Maxigaufeas more, and he won't stop until everyone he love is down.
"DAD!"
Prince Maxigaufeas broke down as soon as he realized what the child did.
He's not his target. It was his father all this time.
The Empress only stood there, shaking and frozen at the sight of her husband clinging on their son for his dear life.
Emperor Maxism forced a laugh and coughed up blood.
"S-Shit. I'm... I'm going to d-die..." he joked.
Prince Maxigaufeas scooped him to his arms. His tears are falling, distressed and hopelessly screaming, "HEALERS! PRINCESS AURORA---M-MY DAD! DAD!"
The Emperor tried focusing his sight on his beloved son, but everything in his sight is becoming dark. His senses are fading.
He's scared.
"M-Max... My boy... I can't... I can't hear..."
Old, happy memories flashed back before his eyes, the only thing that is clear and vivid in that moment. From the first time he held his first son, Crown Prince Claxiord, how he hosted the longest party for his second, to the times he taught them himself about combat and even sex education.
"I'm a grandpa...to a shady child..."
"Stop! Stop talking! Princess!"
Princess Aurora and Princess Diamanda sat beside them and placed their palms on the Emperor.
Prince Zodiac stopped them.
"What now!?" Prince Maxigaufeas roared. Prince Zodiac wiped his tears and glared at him.
"I will that one pass. I'm just trying to help, stupid! You don't know Maximilien's abilities! The more you heal your Dad, the nearer his death come. You can't remove those bullets either. If you do, he'll die. As long as those bullets are in him, he will live. But at the same time, dead."
The Empress fell down to her knees.
"W-Why... Why are you doing this to us?" she murmured, breathless.
"Revenge. For our Mommy. All of this for our Mommy."
They were dumbfounded.
"BUT SHE'S DEAD!" Prince Maxigaufeas sobbed and hugged his father's body, "What did we ever do to you!? We don't even know whatever the fuck happened before! Why can't you just let it go!? This is a new life! A new life without suffering! Why do we get to suffer!?"
"BECAUSE YOU MADE HER SUFFER!"
Prince Maxigaufeas was taken aback.
The Prince's eyes gleamed brighter. The veins on his neck and veins are popping.
"You will never know that because you have a picture-perfect family. Your generation never get to suffer because they made your lives better! But our mother!? That's right, you don't know the whole story yet! If I were to tell you right now, I bet you would admit that you deserve more than this! SHE WAS A CHILD! A GIRL! NONE OF YOU LOVED MY MOTHER! YOU ONLY KNEW HOW TO HURT HER!"
Prince Maximilien stopped from his tracks on his way back to the door. His brother snapped.
"Our Mommy used to be the kindest. But you made her wicked. You people carved her to become a monster. The only mercy she can give you is death. I have what it takes to kill each of you right now, but I will leave it to her hands. Your pain won't amount to what she went through anyway. At least, you will get to know how it feels like."
Prince Maximilien wiped his tears and dashed to their room.
The Prince composed himself and looked at his father with sad eyes.
"I'm sorry, Daddy, but I won't do anything to save your family."
The Young Lord pulled a shaky gasp.
Prince Zodiac raised his hand then pointed at the direction of the East. He did not say anything, he just stared directly into his father's eyes. When he dropped his hand, he turned around and restored the City into how it was, even the Palaces.
"Only Mommy can destroy this Empire, so don't do it again. It's not your job. I will never forgive you if you destroy our homes again. Mommy lives there."
He looked back one last time.
"Thank you. For being nice to Mommy."
When he turned to King Liorei, he said, "Thank you, too, Grandpa. Tell your Daddy that the farther he goes, the farther he gets. You're the son of the moons' mother, the only light born from darkness."
The door closes when the Prince got in. That's when they could finally breathe and didn't waste more time and helped the Emperor.
"Let's get him to the Tower. Save the questions for later. GO! DOUBLE TIME!" Franchetti Xerene Xirquit lead and clapped her hands.
Paris and Voltage used their strength and brought the Emperor to the Tower. The Impure Nobility followed, leaving the Imperial Family with the Xirquits, Pure Nobility, and King Liorei who were left.
"Dad, change of plans?" Princess Lorreign said.
The King smiled, back to his human form, "Yes. We'll go to an adventure. Want to go? We'll find your Grandpa."
The Princess smiled and rest her head on his chest, relieved that the evil plan he had in mind is trashed. Though she knows he can pick it up again from the ground, she will do anything to burn it before he could.
"That sounds fun. We've never been through an adventure. I'll go with you, Dad."
King Liorei kissed his daughter's head tenderly.
"Thank you, my love."
Franchetti Xerene soon came to realization that she can't change her daughter's mind anymore, and that she shouldn't be selfish. Their daughter doesn't know much about the King yet.
The Princess heard stories about his cruelty and ruthlessness, how he ruined their lives, and how he used to be their fearsome nemesis. But she heard stories about how he was once a good brother to King LIFE, a good son to his second father, and a good husband during his brief marriage with her mother. Truly, there's kindness in evilness.
The devil was kind.
Thus, the Grand Duchess won't meddle anymore. She will let them have their moment, make memories with just the two of them---all while watching from the sidelines.
She's letting her daughter go.