Interlude

Under the illumination of the afternoon glow, as the gradually chilling and howling winds cascaded through the open windows, where the coexisting lives of down below continued to thrive through one's exhaustion and entertainment, Isanna's voice of wonder echoed:

"Z–zero? What do you mean, Mother?"

Icaria's back faced her daughter as she cast her gaze into the receding sunlight through the horizon, welcoming the arrival of the expansive, starry night sky.

"Take a seat first, my daughter." Icaria's voice was low; her back eventually found rest as she sat on the usual refined wooden table as if it were a memoir of sorts.

Isanna sat across from her angelic-faced mother as she couldn't help but take a deep breath of anxiousness. Two seconds later, Icaria's words rang in her daughter's ears, "Your half-brother, Zero, has woken up from his slumber."

Hearing her mother, whose gaze seemed to avoid her for a reason yet to be known, Isanna's expression remained frozen still, unable to find the right choice of words in the whirl of her tumultuous thoughts.

There was a bit of puzzlement in her countenance since it had been so long since Isanna heard about Zero, her half-brother's name. But as she pondered, the desired reality struck her:

'Wh–what does that have to do with me?'

Such a right question of hers contained several indications, deviating from the reality that this matter should not be her concern one way or another. In this conspicuously amiss circumstance, Isanna queried as a sense of deep anxiety coagulating in her heart as it seemed to thump a beat faster and a skip slower:

"M–mother, there's no way I would doubt your words about my half-brother waking up, but... what does it mean for me? I–I haven't even seen him in years."

As Isanna asked, her limited memories of Zero flashed in her mind. It was a sight of a confused, pitiful boy when he was introduced by the Patriarch of Ariad when his concubine had been permitted to live in the Main House. He knew nothing of life in the noble world, comprehending none of the ridicule he harshly received that seemed to scar his questioning heart.

— "Father, who's that person beside you?"

Isanna recalled her curiosity, seeing the out-of-place six-year-old child, who was a year or less away from reaching the "Calling" eligibility of seven years old.

During the years that Zero had been deemed to be abandoned by the Seven Deities, before the promotion of the Patriarch of Ariad to the Marquis position, and before the boy's slumbering body was discreetly relocated in the middle of the night, Isanna had barely visited him in the Main House.

If Icaria hadn't muttered his name, it could be said that Isanna must have completely buried Zero's existence at the back of her head, unable to find itself to flow among the important memories that needed to be remembered.

Such a nostalgia made her think, that such a existence of the young man had barely anything to do with her.

'In the eyes of the Seven Churches, Zero's an Irregular but his existence has been hidden throughout these years.

'Sigh. I know we have several enemies but I trust that Father will take care of it. Honestly, what the hell can I even do? As if the competition in the Academia isn't mentally tiring enough.'

The Labyrinthos Academia was a neutral ground for the nobles and commoners, where such status was but a mere illusion. But this sacred ground was a test and confined battlefield by those who abhor each other outside such premises. Specifically, the nobles whose bloodline aligned with those that were hostile to the Ariad Household.

In other words, if the adults could take out the fight anywhere and anytime outside with the right spark called 'justification' or the wrong spark named 'desperation', Isanna and her other three siblings were competing within the confines of Academia, where the influence of either a Patriarch or Matriarch of a noble family had little to no impact.

But in reality, the enmity between the Ariad Household and several certain noble bloodlines was similar to a cloud of fine dust in a boundless desert. After all, the Labyrinthos Academia was a house for the other six races, where existences higher than the Ariad Household were openly or discreetly battling in the shadows, making the vast and prestigious place a vast ground of interlude of the future of one's household.

After what felt like an eternity, as Icaria listened to her daughter's remarks, the former avoided her gaze as she said, "Zero's awakening has nothing to do with you. But... I hope you forgive your mother just this once due to the mistake I have made."

"Wh–what are you saying, Mother?!" Isanna's lips quivered as her heart pounded, sensing that something had gone awry.

Holding back a stream of crystalline tears, Icaria finally cast her gaze on her lovely daughter, "It was a punishment from your Father."

From that moment, Icaria, the one responsible for what had transpired in the Villa of Ariad, with a grave heart, explained the circumstances to her confused, innocent daughter.

***

"N–no, no! Mother! Why?! I–I can't accept this! I am not going to take responsibility for your sin!"

Isanna's golden brown eyes started to tear up, her lips quivered and her hands trembled as she processed everything that came out of her mother's mouth, causing her to instinctively reject the punishment for breaking the Ariad's long-standing tradition of Axan Duel through an unjustifiable order behind the Patriarch's back to eliminate everyone peacefully residing in the Villa of Ariad.

Isanna quickly raised her body, her hands supported by the refined wooden chair's armrest. Turning around, unable to stand her mother, Icaria shouted:

"ISANNA! P–please, it is just one year!"

Standing a meter or two away, Isanna shifted her gaze to her mother; the former's eyes dilated due to the situation's incredulity, finding it unfair for her to be subjected to such a punishment.

"M–mother! Do you have any idea what you're saying?! I will be in my third year this upcoming academic year! Yet, because of what you did fueled by your undying enviousness, I am the one to get punished by stopping my admission from attending the Academia?!"

Even though what Icaria did was unjustifiable, borne from great hatred and envy, her maternal love for her five children was sincere. It was the reason why the Patriarch of Ariad, even though this decision was difficult for him, meted out the punishment to one of their daughters instead of his first wife.

After all, if the punishment was to be directed to the Matriarch of Ariad, whatever it may be, there was a high probability that it would only provide a superficial, temporary discipline.

"Isanna... It is your Father's will. I cannot do anything about it since I am the one on the wrong side of things."

Hearing Icaria's sound yet illogical reasoning, Isanna clenched her fists. If it was the Patriarch's will, then it would prevail one way or another. As her breath got rough, Isanna listened to her mother's quivering voice:

"I–it's because of that bastard, your half-brother, Zero! I–if he did not wake up, I would not have laid a hand on them!" Being overwhelmed by emotions, Icaria raised her body, and with heavy footsteps, meandered toward her daughter, whose gaze focused on the floor.

Isanna, with her tears clouding her vision, subconsciously caught a deep breath; her voice solemn:

"Mother... when are you going to learn to take responsibility?"

Such words left her mother's auricular sense, as though it was blocked by illusory fog. "Isanna, my daughter. You and your siblings have been my responsibility since you were born. Please, just this once... be responsible for me, too."

Isanna's expression darkened, her head eventually raised as her unwavering gaze focused on her mother, who at this moment was standing less than a meter from her.

She then shouted, "Mother!" Her brown golden eyes subconsciously closed for a second. Her loud voice was something that Icaria didn't expect, sending her expression into puzzlement.

"I–I will talk to Father! It seems discussing this matter further will lead to nowhere."

Isanna turned her back, but before her hand reached for the door, a knock was heard.

"Matriarch, and Young Miss Isanna, the Patriarch wishes to speak to both of you." Butler Daradnon's voice echoed. He then later opened the door, witnessing the miserable state of mother and daughter, whose gazes avoided him.

"Pardon my intrusion, Matriarch and Young Mistress. But the Patriarch says it is urgent." Butler Daradnon added; that he lowered his head as he put the Orb of Communication on the refined, intricate marble table before exiting the Matriarch's luxurious room.

***

"F–father! E–explain to me why have you come up with such an unfair decision! I have nothing to do with what happened!" Isanna pleaded for an explanation, seeing her father's projection emitted by the Orb of Communication.

Icaria was silent. She felt like there was no convincing the Patriarch because she was aware of his intention by redirecting such a punishment meant for her. After all, if there was a sole weakness of the Matriarch of Ariad, it would be her children's existence.

"Isanna, it seems you've already heard from your mother. Anyway, I've called regarding your punishment." Aladan paused, letting out an expressive sigh as he continued, "Don't worry about it anymore. Just focus on your studies in the Labyrinthos Academia. I apologize for worrying and causing you to cry, okay?"

At that moment, as if everything that had transpired was just a cruel joke, Isanna and Icaria looked at him with incredulous expressions.

"Huh–?"

"F–father?"

"You heard it right. Don't concern yourselves anymore about the punishment. But Icaria, my wife, I'm warning you to stop being reckless with your actions." Aladan provided a stern warning; his gaze focused on his first wife.

"Y–yes." That's all Icaria could mutter. It seemed as though the sudden retraction of the punishment was a complete shock to her. But no matter how she thought about it, Icaria couldn't come up with a reason for Aladan's decision.

Aladan then addressed his daughter, disregarding for a moment his first wife's turmoil, "Isanna..."

"Y–yes, Father?" Isanna, too, was in shock. Her argument with her mother flashed in her mind. But all in all, if the Patriarch retracted the punishment she did not even deserve, then it was for the best.

"In less than two months, the Labyrinthos Academia will resume its class. I want you to be your half-brother's guide." Knowing that Isanna had already heard about Zero's circumstances, Aladan made an abrupt request, catching Icaria and his fourth child off-guard.

"W–what do you mean, Father? Zero's guide?"

"I see. It seems your mother has yet to tell you everything. But I'll do it in her stead, so listen carefully." Aladan paused, his gaze landing on somewhere that was not projected by the artifact for a moment before continuing, "Zero has been banished from the family and he will be admitted to the Labyrinthos Academia with his own identity. That being said, I want you to be his temporary guide.

"You know, he's been asleep in more or so ten years. I'm afraid he'll have a hard time finding his way."

Isanna's eyes widened, prompting her to ask, "Father, w–why has he been banished?"

The Patriarch of Ariad then reiterated everything — conditions and the reasoning behind it — to his curious daughter with the exception of the justification for Zero's banishment.

***

Villa of Ariad, South Thread City, South Ariad Marquisate.

The night fell and in front of the villa's main gate, under the illumination of the bluish moon emanating its serenity, the Mistress of the Branch House, Elizabeth, held her son's hand.

"Take care on your journey, okay!? If you die, I'll kill you myself!" Elizabeth said, letting out a chuckle. She then addressed the two maids, "Olivia... Azel, keep an eye on my son, okay? Sigh. Just why did my son want an out-of-town short vacation and to leave at night?"

After some time, a carriage with Zero and the two above-mentioned maids left the villa, seeing the waving hands of his mother, several maids, and the butler.

Inside the carriage without the Ariad's crest, the carriage driver asked:

"Young Master Zero, where's the destination?"

Without hesitation, with Olivia and Azel sitting across him, Zero replied:

"Port Acana."