Concubine

His footsteps echoed in the hallway. Alexandris entered the wide ballroom hall. It was dark, only illuminated by the candles mounted on the wall. His father stood in the dark with the pillars of stone that were barely visible in the darkness.

"Father… What are you going to do? '' his voice echoed in the near empty hall. It was eerie for him, the duke stood looking at him. He could not see his expression due to the darkness shrouding his face. He could not tell if he was serious, angry or happy.

Then, a deep voice resonated within the halls. "Let us continue your training."

The door closed shut behind Alexandris. He walked in the crux of the room, he stood in front of towering pillars of marble. Unaware of what he needed to do.

"I'd like you to weather these rocks with the wind. Chip it off, concentrate your power into a tiny point." 

Alexandris channeled aetheric energy, his body glowed a purple hue as the energy flowed throughout his body.

Then he casted 'Prodimic Wind Blast'

A coalesce of wind gathered into a single point. It was hurled onto the pillars. It burst into a gust of wind. But not enough to do damage to the pillars. It stood like nothing ever happened.

Alexandris caught his breath. "Again." The duke demanded. His voice aired supreme authority which forced Alexandris to try again.

At least it wasn't an animal or humans.

He thought to himself.

He hurled another wind blast onto the pillars. A miniature crater formed onto the surface of the white marble. While the cracks weren't noticeable, there were miniscule cracks running along the body of the pillar.

"Again."

Alexandris gulped his saliva down. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He casted another wind blast and hurled it at the pillar. The air shrieked as the wind blast traveled. It exploded violently as the pillar shattered into hundreds of fragments scattered on the floor. 

The dust settled and he heard a slow clap on his right flank. 

Clap… clap… clap

The duke seemed satisfied by the result. "Well done." Then he ushered him to do the same to the two remaining pillars.

Two additional shrills broke through the air. Followed by a booming explosion and fragments clattering on the ground.

The child took a deep breath. His lodestone ring felt warm, so did his body. The aftereffects of unregulated magic had invaded his body. 

A child's body was not efficient enough to convert aetheric energy into elements. Twenty percent of their energy would convert into heat and life force. Even with the help of a lodestone ring.

Unlike adults who only lost seven percent of their energy when casting. And it still varied from person to person. That was why mage practice does not happen until the child's body would grow to tolerate the large influx of aetheric energy in their body.

"Well done, I expect this performance later." The duke left the room, his face was passive. Alexandris caught his breath as he cooled down from the overheating.

He stood up from the dark room. Wiping his nose, when the blood dripped out. He traced the walls of the mansion, stumbling down as his head felt the aftereffects of the aetheric conversion.

Then, he stumbled into a woman. His vision was blurry due to the fatigue. The woman yelped, she clasped the child's hand as she helped him stand up not thinking about her own situation.

The woman then led the child to her room. It was the expansive guest room that they reserve for esteemed guests. It seems that this woman was one of their guests.

She spoke in a gentle tone. "Are you alright? I'm sorry I did not see you there. My stomach has been aching lately."

As his eyes cleared out, he realized what happened. The woman was pregnant, she held her stomach as she presented an amiable smile. It was one of the concubines. She had gentle hazel hair, and thin rosy lips. Her skin was flawless like snow But based on her clothing; a brown shawl with a cheap wool fabric, a white sleeved loose blouse, and a long dirty dress. He figured that she was one of the commoners.

But her beauty alone allowed her to lay with the duke. Alexandris left without a word, leaving the woman to question her own demeanor.

"Was I too much for that child?"

A few days had passed, the sun shone brightly piercing the windows of the mansion.

The duke had maimed Alexandris. The young child was thrown onto the wall. His face was filled with bruises, he wanted to glare at the duke but he did not dare.

The man sat trembling, his limbs were nailed to the wall with geologic rods created by Thomas. His blood seeped through the rock as he yelled for help.

Alexandris backed away, causing the duke to lash out on him. "Why can't you do it?! Are you really my child?"

The duke left him on his own. A rock arrow hurled through the room, piercing the skull of the man nailed to the walls. His footsteps grew silent as he went far.

Alexandris gripped the carpet. His tears traced over his face, sniffing as he blamed himself for his own misfortune.

He ran towards the grand chambers. It was wider than most rooms, adorned with books and candles. The balcony was open, which had the duchess of Rosea overseeing the mountains as she drank tea. 

"Mother…" Alexandris mumbled, he hesitantly drew closer to her.

In her afternoon wear, she had a yellow frilled dress, and wore a thick white make-up, she wasn't hideous per se. She was regarded as the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. Duchess Maria really liked the oriental make-ups from the Kankaku isle. Expressing herself as the most beautiful, the center of narcissism. Even the princess of the Soren kingdom secretly despised her way of addressing herself.

Sensing someone behind her, she said coldly. "Reveal yourself, don't make me dirty my own hands."

"It's me… mother." Alexandris walked up to Lady Maria. His face filled with bulging purple bruises. 

"What happened? Did someone dare touch you?" The duchess covered her face with an ornamental fan. Alexandris could not see what expression she wore.

She's hard to read.

"No one, it's just father."

The duchess answered with indifference. She sipped tea as she flipped a page off her book. "Oh, your father? It's your fault then, you should obey what he needs you to do."

"M-" Alexandris was cut off by his mother.

"Enough, get out of my sight. Do what he needs to do, suck up to your father. So we could inherit this house when he dies." The duchess smiled at Alexandris. It was fake. She could be terrible to her own family. But it was her true personality. Her behavior towards maids and commoners were cruel. 

The door creaked closed. Alexandris was disappointed by his mother's callous statement. Everyone except Hazel and Collin was terrible in some way.

Collin… why are you the only normal one here?

Incidentally, he met the concubine again. She rushed to Alexandris side. His eyes widened as he felt the warm embrace of the woman. "Oh, dear child. What happened to you?"

Alexandris could not hold his tears. It overflowed like a dam as it slowly trickled down. His muffled sobs through the woman's clothing as she felt the warm tears piercing.

The woman hushed him, she led him to the room and listened to Alexandris. There she imparted her knowledge to him.

"Alexandris, whatever your father does to you, for better or worse. It's for your own good." The woman's face was more gentle than the evening wind. Her voice was like honey, she continued. "Once you grow up, you'll be the duke of Rosea, replacing your father. You're going to lead your people."

The meek child huddled to himself, he had a slight frown. He asked the woman, "Why do I need to kill people then? Do I need it to be a dependable leader?"

The woman paused for a moment, not a single word escaped her lips. She thought hard about it. Why did the duke want Alexandris to murder someone?

Then, she came up with a reason. "Because there are people who deserve death. The duke could punish these despicable people for their actions."

"Like traitors?" Alexandris interjected with a question.

"Hm, yes, like traitors." The woman confirmed.

The woman's gentle brown eyes swept through the room. She let the boy sleep inside as she tended his bruise.

She heard a knock on her door. A man towered over her.

…

A few weeks had passed and Alexandris went inside Hazel's room. It was filled with paintings and floral fabrics. Her blonde hair spread on the pillow as she chatted with her servant Rosie.

Alexandris asked. "Have you seen Collin? I haven't seen him since we came from the guest room."

Hazel and Rosie exchanged glances. They could not possibly know where Colin was. All they knew was that he was with Alexandris.

Hazel replied, her face was rather serious. "We don't know, I thought he was with you the whole time. Did you ask Myrna?"

"Y-yes, I did. She said she last saw him near father's study area."

Hazel's brows curled up. Then her lips pursed. "Hm, where could he possibly be? Ah- I'm sure he's waiting in the garden. Check for it."

"A-alright."

Alexandris made his way to the mansion garden. Nothing except the gardener with scissors.

Collin… where are you?

Alexandris visited the concubine a few times. To see if Collin was there, though he stayed longer than he initially wanted.

At first, Alexandris was reluctant to interact with the woman. He grew to learn to appreciate the woman. The woman would tell stories to him, and sometimes he would bring Collin inside.

One day, the woman wore long black clothing with a shawl. She looked like a nun. Alexandris smiled sweetly to her when the woman returned, however it was laced with bitterness, though she would not let the child know.

"Alexandris, inside me was your sibling. Can you promise me one thing?" The woman inadvertently hid some parts of her away from the child's eye. Alexandris caught a glimpse of purple bruises scattered around her limbs. She avoided direct contact with it.

It was strange, it was the first time the woman had mentioned the child in her womb. Alexandris stared at her with interest, he nodded which made the woman smile with glee. "When will I give birth to your younger sibling? I would like you to protect it. As the eldest sibling."

"Huh, why? Are you leaving?" Alexandris asked, his voice was filled with worry. He would not want her to go yet. Not when he found someone who could understand his problems.

"Aha, no silly. I just want you to grow close to this angel. And I'm sure this would love to grow up with you too" Alexandris' eyes glowed with enthusiasm. He held the woman's hand and pledged his promise.

"I promise, even if my tongue is cut from my mouth, fingers torn apart, eyes plucked out. This person will never break his promises." Alexandris hovered his hand on his chest. His heart thumped in rhythm. The woman smiled once again.