The once vibrant and luxurious Luxenberg palace in Hannover is now a shadow of its former glory.
Colourful and eye-catching drapes and carpets clothed the lavishly decorated rooms in the palace. Tapestries, relics and any form of art were generously spread out and often drew the attention of any visitor.
Now faded colours and empty walls were the sad reality of the once prestigious palace.
As Victor strolled through the halls he ran his thin hand along the cold, chipped stone of a wall, the texture familiar under his fingertips; this was his childhood albeit a cruel childhood. These crumbling stones were Victor's playground. He was acutely aware of his own frailty, a reflection of the decaying grandeur around him.
When life was simpler and he didn't have to worry about his cruel siblings, he could run up and down the halls with Veronica. Now he was alone.
Victor wandered deeper into the palace, past portraits of stern-faced ancestors and into a room he hadn't seen in years – his mother's old sitting room. The once vibrant colours of the furniture were now muted and dull, the fabrics worn and threadbare.
A single, withered rose lay pressed between the pages of a discarded book on a dusty table. The scene was a stark reminder of his mother's passing – another instance of neglect, a loss that had left him even more adrift in his father's grand, yet desolate, home.
Victor picked up the rose, its petals crumbling to dust in his hand. The faint scent of roses, long faded, was almost imperceptible. It felt like a symbol of his own fading presence in his father's life. The weight of his loneliness pressed down on him, as heavy as the oppressive nature of his family.
Although Victor now was possessed by Conrad, the emotions and memories this room sparked were deep-cutting. The maid who had been escorting Victor could only watch from a distance. Knowing she couldn't say anything at the risk of ruining the atmosphere she stood quietly at the door.
Silence haunted the room. Victor could only reminisce. He could barely remember his mother and yet this place was the only room in the palace where he felt his mother.
The hymns and lullabies that Victor's mother sang for him echoed in this room. Even though he couldn't remember the words the melody forever stuck with him.
He picked up the rose, its petals crumbling to dust in his hand. The faint scent of roses, long faded, was almost imperceptible. It felt like a symbol of his own fading presence in his father's life. The weight of his loneliness pressed down on him, as heavy as the oppressive silence of the palace.
Many minutes had passed. Wanting to continue exploring the palace Victor bid farewell to the only place in the palace that brought him some joy.
As Victor and the maid navigated the corridors of the monstrous-sized palace, two figures at the head of a small entourage blocked their path. Two red-headed children approached with twisted smiles and disgusted eyes.
"Look what we have here dear sister," Klaus sneered.
"I know dear brother it seems our older brother has decided to stretch his legs after being cooped in his room for days," giggled Katrina
"My dear siblings, as lovely as it is to see you, I must carry on with my business," Victor said calmly and politely.
Confused by how calm their usually terrified brother is, the twins looked at each other in disbelief. Although Victor was taller than them their bodies were well-fed and not weak.
"I don't know what is so important for you to dismiss us like we are not above you brother," Katrina asserted.
"You forget how father has practically abandoned you. Don't think you can act up and walk around this place as our equal," Klaus added.
Recognising that his actions didn't match those of the previous Victor, he decided to put on some theatrics, hoping that his siblings from hell would leave him alone. With a dejected expression, Victor said "Forgive me for my rudeness my dearest siblings. I haven't been out of my room in days, I only wished for a change of scenery. I never intended to offend or think of myself as your equal. Please forgive me."
Pleased with the blatant arse-kissing the twins chuffed with their show of strength and strutted along with their entourage of servants followed from a small distance. With their smiles ear to ear, they looked at Victor and the maid as if they were vermin.
"Don't forget dear Victor, we may share blood but you are not one of us. Now run along and don't show yourself before us again." Katrina said linking her arms with Klaus as they strolled past them paying them no mind.
'What a bunch of pompous twats,' Victor thought trying to suppress his anger for such appalling treatment.
Trying to put his interaction with his siblings behind him, Victor's thoughts were on his arriving followers.
Integrating his 2 servants into the palace staff would be easy, but he couldn't think of how to deal with his 10 soldiers. It's not like they could be with him in the palace as that would be suspicious. More importantly, his father wouldn't allow him to have personal soldiers.
'I wonder when another quest will arrive?' Victor thought. Earning some store points could help. Whether it was recruiting more followers or learning some skills, anything could help secure a future for Victor.
Like the system was listening to Victor a blue floating screen appeared before him. Worried that the maid would view the screen he stood directly in front of her obscuring her potential view of the screen.
This effort was in vain as the maid couldn't see the screen, in fact, no one could. Unbeknownst to Victor he was the only one who could see it. The message that came up on the screen piqued Victor's interest.
'Confront your father about your inhumane living conditions'
"Time to pay Father a visit," Victor said with a sly grin.