14 A Duke's Grand Entrance

My father Emmanuel Miles said to me to never talk to the Grand Duke for he is a cursed child. One infected by the Lonmephis Mardin used to create the Enjalsa, those who no one respects for their lack of emotions and their rigid militaristic mentalities. They say that the Grand Duke cares not of his status, that he would murder another royal in front of everyone if he had to make a point and he's allowed to do so since he is the king's brother. They are close, closer than any of us know and I figured this out by meeting the king. The King, Orlanis Gregorio Marlekees. When asked about his brother Faust, Orlanis goes onto long tangents relating to him.

Orlanis speaks of Faust's accomplishments, how they go ignored by the other nobles, how no women seem to be interested in his kind brother but when I met Faust myself, I felt... distress. My fight or flight instincts kicked in and I wanted to get away from Faust as much as possible. I can't believe a man like him could've caused me to react that way though but the king insists that his brother would be an even better king than he is but decided to become one to remove Faust's burdens. I have no clue what to feel.

A bit off-topic, though we have the system of royalty similar to the Cakas-mirilin or the Nekrotis-Mae, it does not mean that we have a strict social class or sexist systems that force their women to be in relationships that desire not to be in. We have a free system and we have multiple branches of our government used as a failsafe if one branch goes wrong.

Commentaries from the Abyss, Carmen Miles, General of Fornestis Malors

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A duke with long braided hair sits at a long table in a massive ballroom, other tables laid about with others walking around them and gathering in massive groups. Those of higher ranks sit at the table while merchants and other nobles not involved directly in governmental affairs chat amongst each other, making deals and the like. Duke Leon Ross, the man with braided hair and dark skin. His jet-black braids fade into a bright red as it makes its way to the tips of his hair, a cold black-eyed glance scanning the other dukes around him. Another duke approaches Leon, grabbing onto his shoulder with a coy expression. Blond hair and blue in blue eyes, the smug duke Inphis Barston.

"Hello, Leon..." He says in almost a sigh as he sits beside Leon in an empty seat, Leon taking a sip of crimson red wine. "Still have that harem of men?" Inphis says it almost as if he were sneering at Leon, showing his gums.

"Harem of men, fuck off."

"Is it not truth?"

"They are but servants, not a harem."

"Well... I'd assume harem if I didn't know better, especially since the maid found you fucking i-"

Leon cuts Inphis off, "Is it your business Inphis? Where I put my cock isn't up to you." Leon sighs, "I have more years collected you know, so should you be talking to your elders as if they were lower?"

"I'm just commenting on how unusual it is!"

"Yeah, and when you hear a pope fuck a boy you don't bat an eye - Is it because of the Enjalsa that the pope got away with that do tell?"

Inphis screws up his face, glaring at Leon, "Your pride will end you one day."

"My pride is why I am strong. Is it not? I wouldn't be able to control my Jorlmir if it wasn't for my pride."

"The Knights..." Inphis sighs, "Fruitless endeavor this was."

"Truly, most dukes and nobles seem to like doing such things do they not?"

"You are a duke as well Leon, do not forget."

'That had more than one meaning.' Leon thinks to himself, "I care not of how I act in front of others, the grand duke is the same."

"That's why you serve him." Inphis shakes his head and takes his leave.

Leon shakes his head as well, taking another sip of wine, grabbing food off the table, and placing it on his plate with a fork. He carefully cuts into the meat, staring deeply at the burnt veins inside. 'It is so curious that when we cook we burn not the meat we eat but the vessels that carry blood.' He thinks to himself, cutting through the meat with his fork, slides it across multiple times. Conversation begins to get louder throughout the room, some looking to where the commotion is. The Grand Duke... Faust Marlekees, long obsidian colored hair reaching his shoulders, most of it put onto one side showing his left ear, a large earring hanging from it with another at the top of his ear, painting in black but engraved in gold. A scar runs across the duke's right eye, his pupil clouded in grey while the other is the blue in blue that Inphis has.

Faust adjusts a black coat wrapped around him, a symbol sitting on the breast of the coat, another symbol sitting on the forearm of the shorter sleeve while the other sleeve is long, encasing his entire arm in black covering the prosthetic robotic limb placed upon where his would-be missing forearm is. Faust whips his robotic arm, hand, forearm, the bicep is fine, only his arm. Cybernetics, no one else in the royal, or those in any sort of nobility had any, Faust was the only one, seen as disgusting and poisoned. Though they saw him as disgusting, they also considered him abnormally normal. Those normally injected with the Lonmephis Mardin become massive brutes the size of bears but Faust was different, only tall, his face destitute of emotion.

People distance themselves from the grand duke as he walks by, sitting in the chair nearest to Leon, glancing across the table to see disgusted expressions come across the other duke's faces. Faust shakes his head, looking upon the food. "How is the food?" Faust asks, picking at one with a fork, using his right mechanical hand. He places some of it onto his plate, cutting it with ease and using very little strength and taking a bite.

"Is it good?"

"It's fine."

"You only say things are fine, you never say if something is good."

"Not true, I prefer to keep the other nobles and dukes guessing how I really am around others that aren't related to war. They are fools and it's fun watching them struggle to understand why I am the way I am."

"Orlanis doesn't like that."

"I care not of what he feels, just as long as we can keep friendly relations with one another I'm as chipper as a whore who got her money's worth."

"Jesus, Faust, your analogies."

"Who cares, the ladies love it."

"You mean the Ddjöfulls?"

"Yeah, they love it."

"It's because they love you."

"Don't be a fool," Faust scoffs, "Who's placing the Memn?"

"Look," Leon points to a band. "The small girl below your sister."

Faust looks to see a young girl with silver hair playing a Herieam above a smaller black-haired girl, her hair barely reaching her shoulders. "Mary..." Faust looks to the silver-haired girl. "Forgot she could play the Herieam." Faust looks to the short-haired girl. "She an Arasian?"

"Rare, isn't it?"

"Most of them moved to Al'abu-re one hundred years ago so I'd assume so, why is there one here?"

"Riches maybe."

"Maybe..." Faust stares for a little longer, "See her hands?"

"Yes?"

"They are as hard as rocks, look at her calves-"

"She's not cattle Faust."

"I know, that's why I'm examining. She could be useful for the Ddjöfulls. An opportunity Leon, opportunity!"

"You're lucky they like you, but you can't just recruit someone at random, they have to choose. You weren't even the Ddjöfull's commander when they first came around after all."

"You're right... she doesn't belong as a soldier but as a secretary."

"Do you find her that attractive?"

"What are you talking about Leon?"

Leon stays stunned, "Those who go for secretary normally want them as a concubine, you know this don't you?"

Faust shivers at the thought, "No, I don't want a concubine nor do I want a partner."

"The girls will be disappointed."

"Why?"

"Jesus, man... you're so dense."

Faust, annoyed, smacks Leon over the head. "Whatever, let's move on. I want to discuss with you about the Carrions."

"Are they a threat?"

"Not yet but they've made their move."

"How large is the cluster?"

"About the size of a solar system but the Gords are holding them off."

"If they can't?"

"We'll be fine, but there will be... let's just say that there will be a lot of people dead if that did happen."

"We'd have to ask the help of the worm people and those fucking slavers."

"They aren't the only ones in the faction, don't forget that."

"Who'd be our first option?"

"The Cùis Neònach."

"That's an amazing choice. Weaponizing them would help us greatly especially with the Carrions."

Faust takes a deep breath and exhales, "Do you know where that boy is?"

"He won't be here I believe, if he is, he'll be with the king."

Faust lets out a deep sigh, "What do you reckon the party is for? He didn't say."

"His daughter is becoming of age, she'll be able to travel across space today."

"It felt like it was only a year..."

"It was for us. The chemical and all."

"Seems so."

"The third princess of Cakas'mirilin got ex-communicated, did you hear?"

"Why?"

"Went off with a human by the likes of it."

"Prideful bunch aren't they, won't even let humans in when interspecies marriage has been legal for years."

"They don't care about stuff like that, they never liked her anyway."

"You mean the third princess?"

"Yes, they call her brutish purely because she was able to see how outdated their beliefs were, they are naive."

"Their definition of brutish isn't like ours."

'Yes... you are quite the brute."

"Why am I a brute?"

Leon sighs, shaking his head. "Only those who haven't seen you cut off the head of a Taniquix should be able to say it, not the arrogant nobles who know no better."

Faust makes an uncomfortable expression, "Am I really that brutish?"

"You would fit right in with the Vikings."

"I suppose so."

The King and his daughter walk into the room, Orlanis's short blond hair in contrast to his daughter's chestnut brown hair that reaches the arch in her back.

"She's a full-grown woman now."

"Nineteen years old, she is."

Orlanis crosses the room to Leon and Faust, his daughter following behind him. They are both wearing military uniforms, dark blue in color, a symbol sewed onto the breast pocket of their suits, Orlanis having a coat go over his shoulders as it drags lazily across the ground. His daughter in a military uniform with a skirt, beautiful embroidery placed on the side, and black tights cupping her legs, boots reaching her knees. Orlanis speaks, "It is great to see you again brother. I was worried you would have died on the battlefield since you haven't contacted me in so, so long."

"You are a clingy brother." Faust sighs, looking to the princess, keeping to Orlanis's side. "Happy birthday, Velonica."

Velonica's cheeks turn red and she looks away. "That's not good, you have to greet your uncle."

She looks back at Faust and nods, "Hello, uncle."

"You know, she wants to join the Ddjöfulls, it's why she wore the uniform rather than a dress."

Faust looks her up and down, "That's fine in all but you don't have to do that. Impressing me will get you nowhere, please do what you want."

"Uncle is too kind," She says, nodding to Faust.

Orlanis speaks, "She likes you quite a bit but you're family so she'll have to avoid such things."

She glares at the king and sighs, "Do not misconstrue my feelings father."

"I know, I know." Orlanis chuckles, "How have you been then, brother?"

"I have been well."

Orlanis nods, looking to the crowd behind him, "I should greet the nobles and merchants," Orlanis pauses, looking to Velonica, "Wait here with Faust, he'll bring you to the front is he wants you to be apart of the Ddjöfulls."

She nods as Orlanis leaves, immediately forcing herself onto Faust's lap. Faust shakes his head, petting her head. "Why do you do such a thing child, what if they think lesser of you?"

"It doesn't matter to me, I honestly find you to be more of a father than father ever would be."

Faust sighs, "Is it because he wasn't there for when you were younger?"

"And you were! Unlike him!"

"He had things to do."

"At least you left when I needed you least..." Velonica makes a sour expression, looking over at her father.

"You have a point."

"I missed you."

"Thank you for doing so."

Velonica sighs, resting on Faust's shoulder, looking to Leon. "How are you, Leon?"

Leon nods quietly.

Velonica smiles, "Good, have the nobles addressed 'that'?"

"Yes, they have. They were turned down though, I only have one heart and I can't keep giving it away after all."

"Is that a jab to those fools?"

"Of course."

They both chuckle, Faust, looking exhausted stares at the crowd, "Do you really want to become a Ddjöfull girl?"

Velonica gets off of Faust's lap, staring him dead in the eyes, "I do!"

Faust gives her a solemn nod, "Then I will announce it when the time comes."

Velonica smiles.

"It doesn't mean you'll be accepted, but we will help you go through the examination process."

"Yes!"

Duke Ophran and Duchess Elaniel walk up to the group, glancing down at Leon. Duke Ophran, an old man with a grey mustache and slicked-back silver hair, and Elaniel, a brunette woman covered in crimson. Ophran talks first, "Are you having fun princess?" Ophran ignores Leon and Faust.

Velonica nods cheerily, "I'm having a lot of fun."

"Good." Ophran hesitates but looks to Faust, "How are you, Faust?"

"I'm well, by the way, I'll be sending Ludis Minor to your designated solar system in a few months, be prepared."

Ophran's facade immediately fades, "Yes."

Elaniel looks to Ophran with a raised eyebrow before speaking, her attention locking onto Leon. "What is that Nathinian man doing here?"

"Sorry ma'am, I'm gay."

Elaniel furrows her brow, "Never was interested."

"You questioned why I'm here did you not? Men always assume that a woman is interested romantically after all as you said some months ago."

"Boy..."

Faust cuts in, "Shut up, the both of you," Faust looks to Elaniel, "I don't think you've realized but everyone here is not on your side, even Ophran. What he does is an act, don't fall for it if you can't help it."

Elaniel scoffs before leaving. Ophran laughs softly, "Fuck... what if she tells people about me?"

"You are too cowardly Ophran."

Ophran presses his lips together. "Truth."