On the grand canopy bed with black sheets, Asterion lay gazing up at the oak ceiling intricately carved with the coat of arms of House Black - a raven with outspread wings and red eyes.
Ravens, in many civilizations, were messengers of death, believed to bring bad luck and a looming disaster if one was spotted. A symbol of death that Corvinus Black embraced with the crest of his family, quite fitting if you ask Asterion.
With the sound of the closet door being closed, Asterion snapped out of his reverie. He glanced to the side and found Narcissa, wearing a black lace nightgown. The floral lace on the top didn't conceal her breasts at all, and the transparent bottom also revealed her black lace lingerie.
Narcissa pulled back the comforter and climbed onto the bed, settling comfortably beside Asterion. She lay on her side, propping her elbow on the pillow and resting her head on her hand, looking at the still-awake boy with a serene expression.
"Can't sleep?" she asked, her cool voice bringing an odd comfort to Asterion.
"Not exactly, just thinking about something," he replied, still keeping his gaze on the coat of arms of House Black on the oak ceiling of the canopy bed, looking somewhat puzzled about something.
Narcissa nodded and brought his body closer to hers, placing his head against her chest, trying to provide comfort and help him think in silence.
"What are you thinking?" Narcissa asked softly, stroking his soft, silky hair.
"The plans of my predecessors," Asterion replied, breathing in the gentle scent of roses that Narcissa exuded. For some reason, the smell calmed him almost instantly.
"Is it something very challenging?" Narcissa continued to inquire.
"Difficult is an understatement, it's an insane plan that I've embraced like those before me. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm insane for agreeing to participate in such a plan," Asterion buried his head in the hollow between her breasts, his tone tinged with sarcasm.
Kissing his forehead tenderly, Narcissa spoke in her cool voice, "Sanity is overrated, we're all insane in one way or another, we just hide our ugly side behind a mask we put on for others to see and find beautiful."
"I don't think you have an ugly side, but alright, I suppose I agree with your words," Asterion looked directly into her eyes and said, his gaze gradually becoming sleepy. He wasn't lying; to him, Narcissa or Arcturus had no ugly side. In his eyes, they seemed more genuine than anyone he had ever known in two lifetimes.
"Asty, tomorrow we're going to Gringotts to carry out your inheritance test," she said, stroking his hair, keeping Asterion awake even longer.
"Any problem with that?" Noticing the concern in her tone, Asterion asked, confused.
"You have to prepare yourself for the looks and whispers you'll hear when you show up there," she said, her cold voice carrying a tone of concern.
"I've been used to receiving looks since I was little," Asterion really saw no reason for his cousin's concern. It wasn't normal for him to draw attention?
"I'm not talking about that kind of attention, Asty," she paused for a moment, looked at him, and continued speaking. "Do you know how many Dark Lords have come from our family?"
Asterion shook his head, saying he didn't know. He rarely touched other books besides that insane plan—not that he didn't want to, but the book was so extensive that it made the Bible seem like a ten-page booklet. He estimated he had only read about five percent of the entire content, and often struggled to understand some of the advanced terms in the book.
"Seven, that's the number our house has produced over more than a thousand years. That means seven people who possessed the same technique as you became Dark Lords," she paused to catch her breath and continued. "Because of this, there are many legends about our family in the world. We're called by many names, demons, cold-hearted monsters without emotions, monsters in human skin, those who carry sin, they see us as a family that sold their own souls to Lucifer in exchange for power and forbidden knowledge. When they curse, they don't curse in the name of Morgana, but in the name of our ancestor."
"Asterion listened in silence and understood Narcissa's concern. She was worried that he would suffer from the hurtful words of others. Something he found cute, but completely unnecessary. The hatred of people towards him would only strengthen him even more. But, Asterion presumed that Narcissa had suffered quite a bit from the words of these trash people.
"I'm not made of glass, Cissy." Asterion looked into her cold, blue eyes and spoke with a proud and confident look. "I've learned that what people think of me doesn't affect me at all. They're just minor characters, unimportant in the story I'm creating."
Asterion's words left Narcissa stunned for a moment, his voice still echoing in her mind, shaking her heart. It left her speechless. If she had had this courage since she was young, many things would have been different in her life.
"Sorry, I didn't realize you were already a strong and mature young man for your age." Narcissa sighed helplessly and spoke in a slightly regretful tone.
"That diminutive term isn't very pleasant to describe men; some may be quite offended." Though pleased with her words, Asterion didn't appreciate being called "little."
Narcissa's lips curved into an elegant arc, forming a beautiful smile as she responded by simply playfully stroking his hair.
Asterion rolled his eyes and gradually closed them; Morpheus was calling him to his realm. Although he didn't know if infinity existed in this universe, since Death did, there was no reason for other entities not to exist.
Looking at his beautiful face so comfortable and defenseless, she knew Asterion trusted her to show his most vulnerable side.
Narcissa kissed his forehead and realized she had never had such an intimate relationship with her own children—a sad fact, but not her fault. Lucius didn't let her raise their children, making the relationship between her and her children rigid; it seemed as though they were strangers instead of mother and children.
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Thoughts of the author: We close this short arc, the next one is about Gringotts and the revelation of the Slytherin House lineage in the world once again. What did you think of this arc? Did it turn out well, or did you not like it? Tell me what you think, I read all your comments.
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