As Duke Sable gazed out of the window, his mind drifted back to his own childhood—a time of cruelty and brutality, where the sins of his ancestors cast a long shadow over his upbringing. He remembered the stories passed down through generations, tales of power and privilege tainted by a legacy of violence and oppression.
In his family line, mistresses were a common occurrence, their beds shared with countless men who sought to satisfy their lust and greed. For the women who bore their children, life was a constant struggle for survival, their worth measured solely by their ability to produce heirs for their masters.
But for the female children born into this world, there was no mercy. Before they could even open their eyes to behold the world around them, they were condemned to a fate worse than death—a fate that awaited them at the hands of their own kin.
Duke Sable shuddered at the memory of the atrocities committed against his sisters, their innocent lives snuffed out before they had a chance to draw breath. It was a practice as old as time itself, rooted in a twisted belief that only the strongest and most ruthless could claim their place at the top of the family hierarchy.
For the male children who survived infancy, life was no less brutal. From a young age, they were thrust into a world of cutthroat competition, forced to fight tooth and nail for even the slightest scrap of approval from their fathers. And in a family where power was the ultimate currency, no sacrifice was too great to secure one's place in the pecking order.
Duke Sable himself had endured countless trials and tribulations in his quest to prove himself worthy of his father's legacy. He had fought and killed his own siblings without a second thought, each victory staining his soul with the blood of those who had dared to challenge his claim to power.
But as he stood at the window, the weight of his past bearing down upon him like a suffocating blanket, Duke Sable couldn't help but wonder if it had all been worth it. Had the countless sacrifices he had made brought him any closer to the happiness and fulfillment he so desperately sought?
With a heavy heart, Duke Sable turned away from the window, his thoughts consumed by the ghosts of his past. For in the dark recesses of his mind, he knew that no amount of power or prestige could ever fill the void left by the love and acceptance he had been denied since childhood. And until he could find a way to break free from the chains of his family's legacy, he would remain trapped in a cycle of violence and despair, doomed to repeat the sins of his forefathers for eternity.
As the Duke of Sable settled into his chair to resume his work, the butler's unexpected audience brought with it an air of tension that hung heavy in the room. The Duke's cold gaze bore into the butler, his expression unreadable as he awaited the reason for this interruption.
"What is it?" the Duke inquired, his voice devoid of warmth or patience.
The butler's face was etched with concern, his words measured as he struggled to convey his fears to his lord. "My Lord… why are you doing this?" he implored, his voice tinged with desperation.
The Duke's brow furrowed in confusion, his gaze piercing as he sought to understand the butler's meaning. "What do you mean?" he demanded, his tone sharp and commanding.
"You are still young, my Lord," the butler continued, his voice trembling slightly. "You can easily have a male heir even now. Why risk everything by tormenting your wife and daughter in this way?"
A flicker of irritation crossed the Duke's features at the butler's persistence. "Enough," he snapped, cutting off the butler's words with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Keep your mouth shut and tend to your duties."
But the butler refused to be silenced, his concern for the future of the Sable family outweighing his fear of the Duke's wrath. "But my Lord," he persisted, his voice pleading, "you know very well about the old prophecy that your ancestors received. If a woman were to take over the throne, it would mean ruin for the Sable family."
A smirk played at the corners of the Duke's lips, a dark gleam entering his eyes as he contemplated the butler's words. "Ah, that prophecy," he mused, his voice laced with a hint of malice. "I know all about it. But why do you think I want my daughter to become the heir so badly?"
The butler hesitated, his eyes widening in alarm at the Duke's chilling revelation. "Please, my Lord," he pleaded, his voice trembling with fear. "Stop this madness before it's too late. The shadows will have no choice but to intervene if you continue down this path. Nothing can harm the Dukedom, not even you."
With a dismissive wave of his hand, the Duke brushed off the butler's warning, his smirk widening into a sinister grin. "We shall see," he replied cryptically, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous intensity. "But for now, I have work to attend to. Leave me."
As the butler bowed and withdrew from the room, a sense of unease settled over him, his mind troubled by the dark revelations he had witnessed. For in that moment, he knew that the fate of the Sable family hung in the balance, teetering on the edge of destruction at the hands of its own lord.
To be continued....