The dreamland of bloody flowers and bloody landscapes—

It had all melted away into darkness. Even the fleshy and mucus-spilt neck that Lucilline had tightened his grip on... vanished. Rachelle's figure had disappeared, like a droplet of clear transcending water, falling into a pool of the same water, blending everything together.

Lucilline withdrew his outstretched hand.

The blood staining his palms had also been washed away. There was only darkness, as the entire world had lost colours.

"What is your purpose in disturbing my dreams?" Lucilline frowned.

Only the echo of his voice greeted him back. In this eternal darkness, time seemed to slow down and extend to all roots of the soil. There was no warmth, only a numb cold, which gripped Lucilline by his jaw and creeped into his every bone and marrow.

"Hehehe." Finally, a giggle responded. "Lucilline Rubius, you are a valuable asset to the demons. However, it seemed that the intervention of those... reincarnators have changed your heart. It is a pity that you still aren't shaken by me."

Lucilline's golden eyes thinned.

He scoffed, facing against the arrogant-sounding darkness, "I'm surprised that a demon knows of the existences of reincarnators. However, your hallucinations are a waste of time. Now that I am aware of my fate in the book, I won't make the same mistakes."

His face remained indifferent to the doubtful gaze casted upon him. "I've once read that there are different types of abilities that demons could use. The ability to dive into a target's consciousness and influence their dreams... we call these demons mind demons. Although these hallucinations have once plagued my mind in the past, I won't be fazed now."

The mind demon lurking in the darkness seemed to pause.

Indeed, Lucilline have truly proven that he could withstand the hallucinations of a mind demon. There was no way he'd fall for the same tricks.

"Oh, you seem to have the wrong idea." The mind demon snapped. "Hallucinations are false visuals. But what I've shown you... it's all the truth. From the tea party between Rachelle and her dear friend Brielle... Rachelle being cut up to her death... and to the nauseating feeling you feel due to tasting the blood, these are all real."

A sharp pang pierced into Lucilline's mind.

He couldn't help but falter in the darkness, kneeling on one knee. It felt like a wall pressed against his head, constantly ramming downwards. The pain screwed diligently into his brain, and sucked the strength in his legs away.

"I am done toying with you." A chuckle escaped the mind demon's throat. "In the end, you, Lucilline Rubius will not escape your chosen fate. It happened at least once, so it will happen again."

The black-haired nobleman clutched onto a portion of his hair. His mind felt as if it was ripped in halves, and a knife stabbed itself cleanly into his brain. Lucilline let out a small groan, then felt himself slipping away from his consciousness——

——His body hurled up from bed, and he gasped... awake from the nightmare.

Sunlight peered in through the closed curtains. It was morning.

*****

Lucilline rubbed his eyes.

His left hand was once again applied with the powder that the Crown Prince borrowed him. On the cabinet table, he left his gloves there. They were a thin yet stretching fabric, sewn in all black.

Lucilline laid his gaze on them.

He begun to wear these gloves at a young age. When his hands had grown due to age, his siblings had assigned a seamstress to stitch new ones for him.

It was about time he leave these gloves behind.

He dressed in his embroidered black suit, brushed his hair and left it untied, then exited from his bed chamber.

By chance, outside in the hallway, he caught the sight of a familiar figure.

"Willow?" Lucilline leaned against the wall. "What are you holding that tray for?"

The silver-haired young woman had turned around, her maid dress swishing past her knees. Willow's cheery face seemed to lose colour, as she stammered on the spot.

"...it's really nothing..." She held a tray of food—porridge, boiled carrots, and mashed potatoes. "Why don't Young Master go downstairs and meet Eldest Young Master, and Second Young Master? They are still waiting for your arrival..."

Lucilline's eyes thinned.

He stood up from leaning against the wall. "You're delivering food to my father?"

Willow was found out, and she nodded.

Lucilline did not say anything. He just took the food tray away from Willow's hands, then began to walk away.

"...wait! Where are you going, Young Master?"

Lucilline continued walking without looking back. "I am going to pay a visit to my dearest father." After all, he still has to give the Crown Prince a definite answer.

Willow was left standing there, dumbstruck. She quickly pulled herself back to reality. I must remain calm. She patted her chest repetitively. It has already been a long time since her Young Master decided to visit his bedridden father out of his own initiative. Although they have a bond by blood, Willow was able to sense the tension in the air whenever mentioning Grand Duke Rubius.

Well, I suppose I should be glad that Young Master is improving. The smile shining on her face was merely temporarily—sooner enough, it will be fleeting.

*****

Lucilline paused before Duke Rubius' bed chamber.

Before he knew it, his hands began to tremble. His slender fingertips curled up, clenching and digging themselves deep into his own skin. This is no big deal. Lucilline reassured himself. It is normal to get nervous when meeting your ill father, who you haven't seen for years.

Grand Duke Rubius had always been ill for the past five years.

The one taking care of him was Willow, with Lucilline controlling her every actions and orders, lurking within the shadows.

To be truthful, since the death of Rachelle Rubius—the Grand Duchess, Lucilline's father had fallen ill. Nobody knew how it happened. Perhaps the death of his loved one had rooted a deep grief in his nerves, forcing him to forever lie in bed until he joins Rachelle.

Lucilline had always been hesitant on meeting his father. He always had Willow do everything in his stead. For some odd reason, he did not dare to venture in that bed chamber...

"Ahem," he coughed.

The tray which he carried begun to shake. Lucilline stopped the weird tremors, and raised his head high. Be brave.

He pushed open the bed chamber door.

It was purely dark inside. The curtains were shut close, and a double layer applied to them, making it an even darker state of perpetual darkness. The dark and murky scent of dust had permeated in the bed chamber.

Lucilline frowned at this, but didn't falter.

It was humid inside, and he could barely navigate around without tripping over himself. Lucilline hurriedly set his tray down on a table, then lit the candle up.

Once light returned to the bed chamber, he sighed.

"...father—I mean, Grand Duke Rubius, are you awake?"

There was no response.

The hand gripping Lucilline's heart had loosened its hold. He suddenly felt as if he didn't have to be so nervous over nothing.

"I'm sorry that I haven't visited for a long time." His tense golden eyes had softened, and he apologized, "I have been busy these past few days. To tell you the truth... I have also been hesitant to visit you. But I promise I will from now on. I..."

Suddenly, the blankets shuffled.

Lucilline's heart had lodged in his throat, and he found that he lost the capability to breathe. He clenched his hands into a fist, with his nails sinking into his palms.

His face seemed to pale.

Duke Rubius shuffled around in his bed. Slowly, his movements came to a stop, and his breathing evened out. Once again, he returned back to slumber.

Lucilline let out the breath he held.

His pale face regained colour. Slowly, his hands relaxed and unravelled out from the fists. Some small red marks from his nails had left on his milky white palms. "Please don't wake up, father." He prayed. "If you wake up right now, I won't know how to face you."

He began to light a second candle in the room, brightening up the bed chamber.

By chance, Lucilline witnessed his father trembling underneath the blankets. Ever since he was ill, Duke Rubius' figure had weakened to the bones. He was frail, and his skin begun to wrinkle. It was almost as if he'd lived past his prime, and went through accelerated aging.

Nothing could stop the currents of time. Several strands of white hair slipped insight, just hanging within his locks of mahogany red hair.

His hair was soaked in sweat, sticking to his boney cheeks.

Lucilline sighed. He could see that his father was dripping in cold sweat, as if combatting a strange opponent that none had ever seen before.

The black-haired nobleman bent down. He meant to wipe away the sweat on his father's forehead.

All of a sudden, the bed croaked. A biting cold hand had clasped his own smooth ones, with the frosting chill permeating into them. Lucilline almost dropped to his knees at that instant. Duke Rubius' wrinkled hands were strained in rough lines and baggy skin.

They grabbed onto Lucilline's hands, and didn't intend to let go.

"Grand Duke Rubius," the black-haired nobleman hurriedly saluted with his spare right hand. "I apologize for interrupting your rest. I shall be leaving now."

He wanted to back off, but his hand was still clasped in a desperate hold.

Lucilline: ???

He looked back at his father, and found that the bedridden man was actually still asleep...! It seemed that he had experienced some unsightly dreams, and was desperately grabbing anything around him. His eyebrows was furrowed, with turbulence crashing underneath his despaired sleeping face.

Lucilline let out a sigh of relief. It turned out that he wasn't found out.

He let his father continue to clasp his hand, despite his own warm hand turning cold.

As seconds passed, Lucilline noticed light murmurs. Duke Rubius was mumbling in his sleep, "...Rachelle... don't leave me..."

The soft gaze in Lucilline's golden eyes had froze.

"I will buy you the whole market... all the jewelry you want... and your friend... she sells your favourite flowers... I will buy everything for you... be my wife.... stay by my side forever..." Duke Rubius' dreaming voice had cracked, as if sobbing in desperate pleas. "...everything for you..."

Duke Rubius' name is Anderson Rubius.

It was said that when Anderson first met Rachelle, it was during the flower festival. Lydia Kingdom celebrated springtime and the blossoming of crops with this festival.

All the most beautiful women attended, seeking to find partners to spend the rest of their lives with.

The more flowers they received, the more admirers.

Rachelle was from a noble family. She rarely attended festivities, but was especially excited for the flower festival. Her best friend was a commoner and was going to sell flowers at the festival. Her best friend is a small and cute married woman—Brielle Bellerose. There was no way Rachelle would miss this opportunity. She attended the flower festival.

She received many flowers, as expected. However, she declined all of her admirers. After all, they were all arrogant noblemen who paid no heed to the commoners in poverty.

Anderson also gave her a flower. In fact, he even purchased the most expensive jewelry and flowers at disposal. Of course, he was politely declined.

One night, in the largest labour camp of Lydia Kingdom, the entire factory had caught on fire. Rachelle did not hesitate and raced inside to save all the 10,000 commoners, who worked as slaves for the company ran by a noble businessman. Anderson also ran inside the factory to save the commoners.

Since then, Rachelle and Anderson fell in love with each other. They married—gave birth to Scarletta, Zephyratt, then Lucilline.

Out of these three children, it was Lucilline who took after his mother the most. They shared the same golden eyes, and the same luscious black hair. Perhaps that was why Anderson spoiled him the most.

"Father." Lucilline pursed his lips.

He knew that Duke Rubius couldn't possibly hear him, but he still said so.

He decided to take his chances, and blurted out, "Duke Rubius, I actually have a request from His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince himself."

Duke Rubius did not respond.

Lucilline still continued his sentence, "He would like to borrow the Staff of Curses... in order to investigate a situation involving the Holy Church Organization. I implore of you, Grand Duke Rubius, are you willing to borrow the Staff of Curses to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

All of a sudden, the cold hand grabbing his hand tightened its hold.

Duke Rubius squirmed in his bed. It was as if he was encountering a gruesome dream, an absolute wicked one. "Staff... of... Curses..." He mumbled.

"Curse..." His voice suddenly turned harsh. "You want to take everything away from me...! First, my position of Grand Duke! Second, the love of my life! Now... you want this cursed staff! Why! Why must you take everything from me? What else do you want of me?"

Lucilline was stunned. He shrank in the bedridden man's hold. "Grand Duke Rubius... calm down."

"I refuse! You're not allowed to take anything else!" Duke Rubius was trapped in a nightmare of sorts. He wasn't openly conscious, yet still responded ominously. "Never... never again..."

He dozed off, no longer caught in that miserable sight.

Lucilline took the chance to withdraw his hand, pulling it out from the bedridden man's. After being held for so long, the makeup still hadn't been wiped off. This really is a good product.

He quickly blew out the candles.

"I will now take my leave, Grand Duke Rubius." Lucilline took a quick glimpse at the bedridden man, who hadn't muttered a single word after receding. "I hope you recover soon."

He exited. I now know what to write to the Crown Prince. The doors closed behind the entrance to that dark miasma-like void of a bed chamber, sealing it off. Lucilline felt his heart hammer against his chest. He never wanted to enter the dungeon ever again.

*****

Lucilline slipped a letter inside its prestigious white envelope, with a searing hot golden stamp to seal it shut and tight.

He tossed the envelope to Willow's hands, "Deliver that to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Tell him that he will have to be disappointed."

Willow nodded. She took her leave—

"Young Master! There is something urgent!" In merely a few minutes, Willow returned back to the manor, crashing open the doors with a scared look on her pale face.

"What is this urgent?" Lucilline was sceptical.

Not many things could make his maidservant on edge like this.

"It's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince—"

"You wanted to deliver a letter to me?" A familiar domineering voice entered from behind Willow's figure. A snow white tailored suit had shuffled inside the manor, with a stunning apple red cape winding behind the masculine and handsome figure. "It's too late." Dimitri smiled. "I have already delivered myself to your doorsteps. Whatever you wrote in the letter... we can discuss it inside."

Author's Note:

I'm not sure if everyone noticed it, but I stuffed a lot of lore in this chapter (๑'•.̫ • '๑) I originally wanted to present the backstories later, but saw that we're already on Chapter 38, so I might as well give some slips and hints.

One of the lines wrote:

"He let his father continue to clasp his hand, despite his own warm hand turning cold." Foreshadowing?
( ･ั﹏･ั)

Who knows?