Hollow

In the high-class district, where the biggest and most expensive houses reside, a party was starting. The halls were filled with nobles and servants, tables full of dishes perfectly cooked. Professional musicians play a melody that fills the mansion. At the entrance, leaving their carriage, two women appeared.

It won't take long looking at them to realize that they are mother and daughter. Both were dressed up in their finest clothes. The silk and cloth are woven into a perfect stitched pattern that indicates the fusion of two noble families, the Comtes and Hildir. Not only that, but even the materials were enchanted; the faint glow of magical properties adorned the dresses.

"Welcome Lady Elva and Lady Lia. I'm glad that you could make it." The first one to welcome them was the host of the party, Sir Robert. "It's so good to see you ladies after so much time." He bowed respectfully.

"Thank you so much for the invitation, Robert. It took a bit of convincing, but my daughter is accompanying me today." Elva responded.

"I see, Miss Lia, you have grown quite a bit."

"Yes, thank you so much for the invitation."

"I also noticed that young Aubin couldn't make it?"

"Oh, my son is always busy with work. You know him, he's always trying to make a profit and start a new business opportunity. He takes too much from his father. He needs to enjoy the social events more."

"Well, he's certainly a diligent business man like his father. But ladies, please enjoy the food and drink. We also need nights to relax like this one."

With that, Robert goes on his way to greet more guests, leaving the ladies to mingle with the party.

"You know, I heard Robert's cousin is still single. 22 years old and already has his own vineyard."

"Mom, I told you already. I'm still not looking to get married. I need to get better at tailoring, is the best way that I can do to represent us as a family." Lia responded with determination.

"Mmm, you say that, but when I got married to your father, I had about the same level of skills as you right now. I was a pretty good match at that time, and a lot of gentlemen courted me."

"Still, I want to improve my skills a bit more" She said, putting an end to the topic.

The party was grand; a lot of nobles reunited, talking and discussing their lives and some of their business. Events like this were important in the Republic. One must forge alliances and maintain them by joining and supporting events. Everyone needs to form part of a faction. If you try to make it alone, you are just going to get abandoned and ignored by all the powerful players.

Even in the middle of this high-class party, the looks and attention were going to the most beautiful people. Men and women of perfect factions, complexity, or even just graceful behavior were the most popular. So, it is not surprising that Lia, who had all of these characteristics and was single, was getting so much attention.

"Lady Elva and Lady Lia, I present to you my son, Harold. He's learning the family business of carpentry."

"My son Evan already opened up his very first bank at 22."

"My son, George is so eloquent, and ladies always ask why he is still single. He seems to have his eye on some special lady."

All the conversations turn into attempts to get some sort of arrangement. Elva was used to this type of talk, when she was younger, she had to consider the proposals and choose the best candidate for her and her family. On the contrary, even though Lia was surrounded by beautiful men from prestigious families trying to court her, she remained unaware.

"Miss Lia, please try this cake. It is very good."

"You're right, Sir Harold, this is delicious."

"In my house, we can buy these types of sweets all the time."

"Miss Lia, please try this wine."

"Thank you, Sir Evan, it is very kind on your part."

"We have a house in the south surrounded by vineyards. You could go and drink to your heart's content."

"Sometimes one needs more than food and drink. Company is essential, like finding someone you feel comfortable talking to and spending time together. You understand right?"

"I get you, Sir George. I know you will find someone like that soon"

The afternoon continued until the sun disappeared from the sky and the moon took over the sky. After being courted for so long, Lia excuses herself to take a moment outside.

Looking at the view from the balcony, the Capital stretches far away in all directions. Below her, the beautiful garden with stone statues and topiary work stretched in calm, bathed in the light of a few surrounding light posts.

"Taking a moment to rest from the public eye, I see." Suddenly, a voice talks to her, bringing her back to reality.

It was a woman of grace and beauty, with golden eyes and hair the color of the sunset. Alma Avril Flavie, one of the most impressive women in the last few years. Alma was born from the union of a merchant family and a slave trader family. She was raised with the values of always prioritizing winnings over people. A lot of people thought she was going to continue the family tradition, even though slave use in the Republic had been decreasing in recent decades.

It wasn't illegal like in the kingdom of Axes, but the population had started to change their views, especially during the war against the evil necromancer 30 years ago, when a lot of slaves betrayed their masters and soldiers and ended up opening the defenses of the Capital.

Everyone thought that Alma was just going to be the last remaining member of a decadent family. She did the opposite. She dismantled all of her family's operations and set free all the slaves on their property. Instead, she used the remaining wealth to invest in weapons and armor. At that time, it was a foolish move, but when the Republic and Kingdom declared war for the Great Forest, she was the first to arm the army of Selus, making an enormous profit.

Even now, though she was so powerful that she landed a position in the Council of 52, she remained single at 33 years old.

"Lady Alma, my apologies. I didn't notice you were here." Lia bowed with utmost respect.

"Don't worry, child. I'm just taking a moment to myself. I guess you too are tired of so many people's attention and attempts to court you."

"Oh, it's not like that. I don't intend to get married yet"

"Why is that? You certainly have the looks, and your father is a member of the council too. Those seem like amazing prospects for any nobleman."

"Thanks for the compliments, but I still want to improve my abilities as a tailor before getting married. That would be the best thing I could do to honor my family."

"Is that really the reason?" She asked with suspicion.

"Excuse me? I don't get your question?"

"I'm saying that is a lie. Which is the real reason you don't want to get married?"

Lia was shocked. She didn't expect these kinds of questions.

"I'm not lying. That is the reason that I-"

"Hollow"

"W-What?"

"That is too hollow. A true reason has weight, it has strength. When you talk about your skills, I don't sense any determination. It is all superficial."

Lia couldn't answer that. This situation was too unexpected. Sensing her confusion, Alma spoke some more.

"My first memory is when I was a little girl, crying in the arms of my mother. She was running through our house, trying to hide from our slaves, who had just killed my uncle, aunt, and older cousin. They had been serving in our family for 10 years and now they were looking to kill us for their freedom"

"The mad look in their eyes as they chased my mother with knives, I will never forget it. All of that was because they wanted freedom, even though it was the promise of an evil necromancer. They still choose freedom, and they still choose to try to murder a mother and her little girl. I didn't want anybody else to have those eyes or to be manipulated that way ever again. For that reason, I absolved all the slave traders in my family. For that reason, I still seek to destroy all the stupid old nobles that tried to turn back the world to the way it was in the past. That is my determination."

Lia saw the golden eyes shining with purpose and power. At that moment, she realized the point of the conversation. She didn't have the determination for anything. Sure, she wanted to become a better tailor, but in truth, that was just more of a hobby for her. So, what was the real reason for not getting married? Before she could answer that herself, Alma spoke again.

"Do you have a fall for someone already?"

"WHAT THAT IS NOT THE CASE" Lia turned red like an apple.

"So that is the reason. Your reaction tells me he's probably not a noble, huh"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? I mean, I don't like him; we're just friends." The next words turned her pale.

"You should give up on him."

"W-what do you say?..."

"These types of crushes don't end well. Nobles are different from ordinary people. For noblemen, your looks and status are all they care about, but for people of humble beginnings, they look for other things. I don't know this man that captivated you, but I can say the following: He is going to get bored of you eventually."

"Maybe in a few months or years, he will get tired and abandon you for another woman. Without looks or wealth, he will realize that both of you have little in common and he will start to look for someone else. I have seen it happen a number of times. I say this for your own good child."

With those words, Alma left Lia in total silence.

"What, I would never… I could never cause any harm to Lia, and you say that she's going to die because of me!" Thanatos couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"If you bring that girl along, she's going to die. I know it's hard to accept, but you need to let this silly thing go."

Sebir tried to talk some sense into Thanatos, so he didn't realize the name he spoke, only Lenard did. Lia, Lia Comtes Hildir, which explains the clothes he is wearing. But if he has contact with the council, then this could be terrible for us. We could end up being completely eradicated. How do I stop this?

Thanatos refused to accept that idea. It was impossible, inconceivable, that he could harm Lia........

Suddenly, the image of the morning came into his mind. The fake and cold smile from Lia, he finally realized why it felt familiar. It was the same smile that his mom gave him before she took her own life. The idea paralyzed him. That he would be the cause of Lia's death, like with his own mother. It was too much.

"Shut up. Don't say another word. If I hear another thing from your mouth, I will seriously kill you."

Thanatos was releasing pure murderous intent; it wasn't an empty threat. Everyone present, and even a noncombatant like Lenard could see it. Still, Sebir spoke.

"That is why you're still too immature to handle something like this boy."

After hearing those words, an explosive jump occurred in the warehouse. Thanatos was aiming with his claws at Sebir's neck. Such was the speed that Sebir barely managed to dodge out of the way before hitting his opponent. With the final explosion of blood, the fight was over.