A quiet stroll through the empty mansion followed. The whole way, Lex's eyes were firmly focused on the alluring woman in front of him as if hypnotized.
His whole life, he'd heard rumours about this formidable woman. He'd heard how her voice could entrance even the firmest men and women, how her whispers could lead anyone down a dark path, and how all that was simply a lead-up to the devastating power simmering on her fingertips.
Meeting her now, he could only imagine everything he'd heard was true.
Yet, with every step through this imposing mansion, his mind started to recover from its confused state. Instead, he began to wonder about exactly what he was doing there.
Not that he dared to ask… Instead, he started to look around and felt intimidated by the combination of impressive, gothic-style styling and advanced technology that filled his Matriarch's mansion.
After a few minutes of quiet, tension-filled walking, they ended up in front of a sliding door. Opening it, Lavinia walked through, and after hesitating for less than a moment, Lex followed.
The door slid closed behind him, increasing Lex's nervousness. Lavinia took a seat behind a massive wooden desk and looked at him with a stern, powerful gaze.
Lex remained standing, his hands wringing in front of his stomach. In his entire life, he'd never felt like this. As a member of the Moroi, even if just a minor branch, he'd had a relatively easy life outside of his intense training. But now, he knew this woman could essentially do with him as she liked, and no one was going to stop her.
Finally, he couldn't stop himself anymore. "L— Lady Matriarch, I—"
But Lavinia interrupted him with a simple yet authoritative wave of her hand. "No need to speak, Lex, just listen. You are here because I need something from you."
A hint of relief seeped into Lex's mind. It was usually better to be needed than unneeded, as the latter kind would often turn into collateral damage.
Lavinia continued: "Before I tell you what I want, however, you need to understand that this is going to happen, no matter your input. All I'm willing to give you in return are some options to make it more bearable for you, assuming you play ball. If you decide to be difficult, you'll get nothing, and I'll make sure your branch of the family is suppressed for the rest of time, understood?"
Lex's eyes widened. He had no idea what this powerful Matriarch could possibly want from him, but… he could imagine it had something to do with the assignment that started tomorrow.
Regardless, there was obviously only one response: "M— My family and I stand ready to serve the Lady Matriarch in whatever way she wishes," he said deferentially, bowing his head.
Lavinia looked satisfied, but before she could explain what she needed, an amused chuckle broke the tension. "Hehehe, look at what you're doing to the poor guy, Mom. He's so nervous, he might just keel over!"
Instantly, Lavinia lost her stern expression and smirked at her son's interruption. "Nervous is good, Dami; you know that."
Startled, Lex turned around and finally noticed the young master of his family, Damian Moroi, casually seated on a couch near the entrance. As someone who'd been at Damian's party recently, Lex had no problem recognizing him. "Y— Young Master! Y— You—!"
"I know, I know," Damian sighed as she stood up and walked closer, waving his hand. "I should be dead, but… well, what can I say? It didn't agree with me."
"Anyway," he continued, turning to Lavinia with a smirk while putting a friendly hand on Lex's shoulder. "Nervous is good when you try to manipulate someone, but we don't need to do that to my friend here!"
Turning slightly, he grinned charmingly at Lex. "Do we…?"
"I— W— What is happening…?" he muttered, feeling confused and overwhelmed by these strong personalities. "I— I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be knowing this…" His eyes started panning between Damian, Lavinia, and the door, but he knew there was no escape.
"Oh?" Lavinia snickered softly. She'd now turned her earlier harsh tone into a more teasing one, keeping Lex on edge and off-balance. "You're clearly a Moroi through and through, boy. No wonder you managed to secure such a prestigious assignment."
"U— Uhm, t— thank y—"
"You are right, though," Damian interrupted him, elegantly hopping on top of his mother's desk with a cheeky grin on his lips. "You now know things you shouldn't, so… that means you have to disappear for a while..."
Lex instantly paled, "That's—"
"Oh, don't worry!" Damian chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. "Not 'that' kind of disappearing! We wouldn't do that to family!"
Lex's eyebrows twitched a little. They were barely giving him a moment to form a coherent thought, but he knew disappearances within the family weren't that strange. Admittedly, though, Lavinia had been cracking down hard on violence within the family.
"Dami is right, we wouldn't do that," Lavinia nodded, though her tone didn't give Lex much relief. "Fortunately, there's a solution here."
She indicated towards her son, sitting in front of her don't he desk. "You see, we don't want the city, or even the cooperative, to find out about Damian's survival." A slight smirk appeared on her lushes lips when she indicated towards Lex. "Which means you're not the only one who needs to disappear for a while."
Finally, Lex had enough and cried out in agony, completely forgetting who he was even in front of. "Please, just tell me what you want! I— I just want to go on the assignment tomorrow! For the sake of my family!"
Damian and his mother looked at each other and grinned then turned to look at Lex with shining eyes.
***
A few minutes later, a moderately happy Lex left the study. Behind him, Lavinia was about to follow when Damian stopped her with a wry grin, unsure how she would react. "By the way, Mom… Luna and I want to form a kinship… can you perform the ceremony?"
Lavinia raised an eyebrow, turning to look at him quietly for a moment. Her expression was one of mild surprise but not disapproval. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Damian smirked and shrugged, his eyes shining with amused joy. "We know there's a lot of differences between us, but… she feels a commitment will smooth it out a little, and when she becomes the same kintype as me…"
Lavinia snorted and shook her head. "I doubt it will be that easy."
Damian parted his lips to react, but Lavinia interrupted him with a small smile. "Oh, don't worry. I'll still do it. The girl carries my first grandchild, and if you think she's good enough for you, then I want her in the family, too. Just… don't assume this will fix everything."
Relieved, Damian nodded. "I'll remember, Mom."
***
After leaving the study, Damian disappeared back into the mansion's bowls, and Lavinia followed Lex back to the front door. Once there, Lex told his parents he'd be staying with the Lady Matriarch until his departure for some extra training.
As soon as they heard that, the parents became overjoyed at the prospect of their son receiving training from the Matriarch of their family. Thus, after thanking Lavinia profusely and hugging their son goodbye, the parents left peacefully. When they were gone, Lex disappeared back into the mansion