Earlier than the sunset, a commotion was stirred in the prestigious residential mansion of the Cushings, one of the honorable families in Spain. Tantamount to the irrevocable pieces of knights on a chessboard, the mansion shared a lining of stretched oak trees towering above at the top of the tall hills in the inmost, and tawny constituent of the country.
'Villarreal'
The castle was where a few, if not most of the egoistic individuals dwelled, and two of them included the enthusiastic baron, Hatter Cushings, and his insufferable brother, Leander Cushings.
Hatter Cushings was the eldest son of the esteemed family who stood as the head by all means, not just because it was rightfully, but due to the title he held. He is known to be a kind-hearted, selfless gentleman and primarily, every lady's dream husband. In contrast to the latter, Leander Cushings was the opposite. He was a selfish, despicable man with no ounce of shame inside his bones. Through his immoral behavior, he conceived the name 'Lawless Lord' which relatively changed after taking the previous position of his elder brother.
About five years ago, there was a system of government wherein in each household, a male son with the highest ratio of intelligence quotients was recruited for the general service of the army force. For as many as may regret the policy of their laws, more than a hundred men were enlisted, and Hatter Cushings was among them. He took his immature brother's place and passed the title of baron unto him.
"How come I have no memory of my acceptance to this alliance and tonight being the engagement!" the deep, monotoned questioning voice of a man deadpanned inside the room which intimidated the rest in his presence.
"Will you lower the tone of your voice and listen to Mother? You could at least make yourself useful tonight, brother." cried a young girl, who was not more than sixteen. She was the baby of the house.
"Shut it, Matilda." Aunt Indiana reprimanded the girl. "Hurry up and leave for the institution. Your opinion is not needed right now, so go." she concluded.
"But Indiana... Argh, whatever." Matilda grunted in frustration and rummaged through the large chair for her belongings. Although her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, a few strands of her front hair could not help getting into her eyes which triggered her depressed emotion. She creased the line of her brows subconsciously as the commotion recommenced. Pouting her lips as no one paid her any attention, she harrumphed and exited the room.
"Do not associate me with the likes of those inadequate imbeciles. Do you want to entitle a murderer as your daughter-in-law, Mother? Or haven't you been updated on the information regarding that family's eldest daughter? She had a child dismissed, one that mysteriously appeared from who knows where." the man's complaint persisted. He was already on the edge as his eyes narrowed in reluctance to the engagement plan over his head.
A middle-aged woman with dark chocolate hair and eyes that were darker than the heart of the devil rose to her feet. She was none other than the owner of the Cushings conglomerate. A company in the making of different types of machinery and guns. Others called her 'The Devil's Feet' but she was known as 'The Devil's Soulmate' by her family.
"Moreover, how come I am a candidate for this charade? Last I remember, we had two more unmarried men. Hatter recently finished his term and had been discharged. There's also, Leander. But why me? Because of my taste in a dancer? I'd rather take a dancer as a wife than get into a marriage of convenience between your desire for the ambush of power and their desire for a worthy weapon to destroy us." said the man. He said the last word through his gritted teeth, implying the severity of his disapproval.
Aunt Indiana tried to cool off the atmosphere but couldn't and pressed her lips together. This situation was intense considering the plans for better communication between the two families and her sister was not one to back down from it. If a collaboration through marriage was the deal, then so be it. However, the problem was that none of the sons agreed with her.
What would happen when the engagement was tonight?
"The alliance has been finalized already, so your side of the story doesn't count. You will obey me and get married to Sirena Calantha. It's not a choice, but a necessity, Cain." Mrs. Laura Cushings, the woman of the house, spoke. She gazed into her third son's eyes which had the same burning intensity as hers. Cain clenched his jaws in rage while he fisted his hands to a ball. He was about to turn away and leave when he caught sight of a shadow beside the wall to the exit. Once they met eyes, he felt angered again.
"Let me take the burden off the shoulder of our dear Cain and take his place, shall I? I'll marry Miss Calantha in his stead. It's what I should have done, anyways." the shadow migrated into the room with his lips pulled in a self-satisfied grin. "The deal stays."
---
"My Lord, the dancer you ordered for will be waiting by the platform by the instruction of your command. Also, Lady Laura asked for your presence in the hall." the manservant reported. He lowered his head up to his waist and waited for the Lord's response.
Just like the eerie night, Baron Leander took a deep breath. The strong burning scent of tobacco infiltrated and polluted the air, gasping for the resolution of life. The manservant remained in the same place for a long time even though he was fighting for decent air to breathe, away from the inviolable smell of the tobacco. He resisted the urge to cough in fear of the Lord's rapidly fluctuating mood swings.
"Do you believe in love?"
The manservant blinked severally thinking he heard wrong, but when the Baron repeated the question the second time, he cleared his throat and gave a simple reply.
"I do not, my Lord."
Baron Leander chuckled in understanding. Right there, his emotions were all over the place due to the heavy contents of the smoke. He tsked.
"I heard love is nonsensical, is that why my chest is in pain, and why I am unable to breathe and sleep peacefully? Tell me, Hatter is a better Baron than I, You were his servant. Say at once!"
The manservant became conflicted. He could hear the sound of his heart thundering against his chest from anxiety. If he were to be honest about the question, the previous lord, Hatter Cushings was a better gentleman than his brother, yet he dared not speak a word about that. Lord Leander can be judgmental sometimes.
"My Lord is a good man..."
"Forget it and take me to the dancer. Tell mother to wait, I don't care." Baron Leander pulled the tobacco away from his lips. He pinched the bottom with his fingers and tossed the piece into the ocean ahead. He felt his head wiggled but dealt with the pain. "Gossip to Cain about his lover being a gold digger."
The manservant narrowed his eyes in surprise by the last statement. The two brothers were at each other's neck for all he knew.
"Yes, my Lord." he resigned.
Baron Leander took yet another deep breath when he saw the servant in the same position. He cried. "Get up and take me to her."
"Ah, yes. My Lord. This way..."