This chapter happens between chapters X and XI between the characters 'Raphael' and 'Frode' and this chapter may bring you immense discomfort (as it did me while writing), I want to soothe you by the fact that I don't consider them a side couple (unless I change my mind but Frode gives me the creeps so I doubt it). I want to remember you that these side stories are more to showcase more of the side characters I love a lot than side couples (sure I love Lowe and Rainier but I find them the most interesting as individuals as I do as them as a possible couple). This chapter doesn't have Frode's perspective only Raphael as I wanted to bring more of his personality up front.
The chapter is short, but most side stories will be, the first side story was an anomaly lmao.
I'm planning on bringing another side story soon on the girls of the story (Evangelia, Scarlet and other characters that will be introduced later). As I said before, this place is a place for side characters, to show them more since I didn't only work on Nikki and Lyor and not writing these is a waste of the amount of work I put in the world building and character building I made.
Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy the side stories as you enjoy the main one.
❥
Song recommendation: ♫ Obsession - EXO ♫
"The snake's teeth piercing your skin are painful, and the poison in your bloodstream slowly burns your insides, however it doesn't hurt as much as putting those fangs on your skin yourself".
Raphael's day ends at midnight, and as he walks the empty, cold and dark corridors of the Palace towards his quarters, he finds himself reflecting upon his day. The words he heard from not only the second Prince but also his brother, at first he thought his twin would reprimand him for accepting the offer to become a knight, all he got was a take care. A week ago, when the second Prince awoke from his death, he remembers thinking that he was thankful for not losing his job and also that death somehow messed up with the Prince's mind, driving him insane.
And maybe he still thinks that, suddenly firing servants who before he considered confidants and counselors, fighting those who cross him and even hiring an aide from the slums who happens to be an elf halfling. Taking risks and playing chess pieces in moves not seen before, there is no denying that the current actions of Prince Nikias aren't something he would do before. His personality is still similar and his curt and annoyed tone is still bothersome to those who hear him, however his actions became sharper, smarter.
A shadow division, Raphael thinks, his head full of thoughts. And a Captain at that, not only will he receive a title as a knight - even if he'll still be considered a commoner - but he will also shoulder new responsibilities and will be able to prove himself useful to his employer and brother.
Since they were trapped in the magician's northern tower, Raphael felt useless, he was never as smart or as apt at magic as his twin brother, not only that but as an emotional child he was in the receiving end of many punishments, some bearable like solitary confinement, others were so traumatic that he still wasn't able to unravel the consequences. In every aspect, Raphael was someone who yearned for purpose, and differently from his brother, he never truly believed in the whole idea of golden mana bearers being saviors, and serving them was never an enticing idea.
He still hasn't found his purpose, but he found small goals he wishes to accomplish and now with the Prince giving him such responsibilities and believing in him to succeed in those, Raphael finds himself believing he can not only achieve his goals but also tap into his dreams.
First I'll become a good Captain, then I want to buy a house close to the Palace to live with my family, oh, for that I'll need to start a family won't I? Raphael starts daydreaming as he walks silently, thinking about his goals of spending an afternoon reading romance books, going on a date at the square and being able to walk freely without the fear of seeing familiar faces within.
The idea of moving to a different Continent and having a fresh start slowly grew on him, he could never see himself as a normal person, sold as a child and confined for years he always saw his future with bleak colors, now though, he's finally seeing color here and there. I won't be an experiment anymore, I'll be Raphael and Raphael alone.
His thoughts and hopes are interrupted by a tall presence in front of his room. The fact that the man was there means that his brother still hasn't returned to their room, since Lowe's personality wouldn't allow such a presence to bother them. Contrary to his sharp tongued and smart brother, Raphael is more timid and his intelligence isn't even close to that of Lowe. Frode Abel isn't how most servants described him, the women working at the kitchen told him that Frode was a man whose eyes reflected the rotten interior of his heart, and the maids who once served the Margrave's heir told Raphael that the knight was devoid of emotions.
But the man in front of him has grey clear eyes that show pure devotion, a feeling more uncomfortable than madness.
At the tower he studied curses due to the nature of his mana, he also became familiar with curses of the mind and as such he came to know the illness that harms those without God's blessings. Power fever , an illness more close to a curse, happens when an individual transcends human capabilities and becomes powerful enough in one or more areas. Symptoms of power fever include: delusions, lack of empathy, lack of emotions, violent and obsessive behavior and hypophobia. There isn't a treatment for it, since the nature of the person itself is the cause of the illness. Most people know the power fever as something that makes someone obsessed over something or someone in unhealthy levels.
Frode Abel's behavior shows that Raphael became the target of his obsession, and the servant couldn't feel any more disgusted than he feels right now. Dreaming of romance and finding someone you love doesn't mean he'll be grateful that someone loves him like this . Not only because differently from his employer, he has no interest in men, but also because as a commoner from the slums, he wouldn't be romantically involved with a noble even if he were to be one himself.
The man with fiery red hair is taller than the servant and his bulging muscles covered in scars are popping out of his shirt because of the rolled up sleeves, on his hands there was a red roses bouquet. Before he even opens his mouth, Raphael's energy is already drained. "Dear, I was waiting for you!" His voice is energetic and his eyes show there isn't a speck of lie on his words. Raphael fights the urge to curse the man.
He sighs. "I'm allergic to flowers", he says once the man extends the bouquet to him, that's a lie but he's used to lying so the other doesn't notice it. Frode tosses the bouquet out, without a single thought about the maids who'll need to clean it up later, his expression going from excitement to worry.
"I'm sorry, are you in any pain?" He asks, grabbing Raphael's shoulder, his grip is tight and his warm touch makes the servant nauseated.
"Don't touch me", he whispers, backing off the man. He's aware that Frode is one of the monsters from the Silver Crows, known for his fierceness in battle and for only respecting the strong, so if he desired the man could lock the servant up or beat him up beyond recognition. However, the thing about those experiments from the Northern Magician's Tower is that they were trained in all kinds of tortures and endurance simulations. Therefore Raphael could kill Frode if he wanted, at the cost of his own life, of course. The servant opens the door of his room, turning to the man, trying to think of a way to make him leave. "I need to sleep, I have duties to fulfill tomorrow", his words are cold and he doesn't look the man in the eye, not due to fear but because he will feel sick if he does so.
When Frode doesn't speak, Raphael attempts to close the door but is stopped by the man. "Wait." His voice is deep, the cheerful tone is gone. "You said you would allow me to court you", he can't read the man's expression. "Raphael", his name never sounded so disgusting. "If you don't allow me to court you, I'll have no choice but to take this to the Prince", he takes a step closer to Raphael, his face inches away, and his grey eyes darker with the threat. "And I don't think Prince Nikias can win against me in a duel". The mark on Raphael's waist burns, the mana pact prevents him from any actions that could harm his master, and the fact that it's reacting means that Frode isn't saying empty words. His lack of response triggers more words out of the man. "I don't wish you to be coerced into marrying me." Contrary to his words that's exactly what he's doing. "Raphael", I want to throw up. " Give me an hour of your time every night, that's all I ask". It doesn't sound true, but the piercing pain on his waist makes the servant nod along.
He allows the man to enter his room, hoping for his brother to arrive soon to have an excuse to end their meeting early, the exhaustion of a day of work hitting him as he sits on his bed. Frode walks around the room, observing the surroundings.
The twins' room isn't all that special since they're mere servants, two single beds with poor quality sheets, a wood frame window, a flickering mana stone light, two old desks and chairs, and a big wardrobe they share. On Lowe's side of the room there are a few books on mana and history, and on his desk there are a bunch of papers scattered around, mostly notes on how to serve the Prince and his likes and dislikes. While on Raphael's side things are more clean, only a few romance novels, books on leadership he never opened and on his desk is laying a stiletto, a weapon he used during his mercenary days. The weapon is worn, but the blade is still sharp since he constantly takes care of it. Frode takes the weapon, analyzing it slowly, Raphael grips the sheets trying to hold himself back from taking the weapon from the man's hand.
"It's a cute weapon, it fits you", his words are dripping honey. As an avid romance reader, Raphael knows Frode's sincerity isn't fake and his words are true, but he can't avoid the feeling inside, the feeling of standing on a mine that'll blow him up if he moves. "Did you ever take a life with it?" Raphael only nods, avoiding the subject. Frode seems to want to know more, but maybe out of consideration he doesn't, putting the weapon back onto the table and moving to sit next to Raphael.
His body heat bothers the servant. It's like bugs are walking all over my body, it tingles in a bad way. Raphael thinks to himself his grip on the sheets becoming tighter, his knuckles turning white.
"I still make you uncomfortable, don't I?" Frode says in a whisper, a soft smile on his face. Raphael doesn't answer, he doesn't need to. "Let's do it like this, I'll answer any questions you have and you answer mine, this way we'll get to know each other better. So you won't be uncomfortable anymore." That's not why I'm uncomfortable, the servant thinks but he nods anyway. In two years I'll leave the Empire anyway, he soothes himself. "Do you want to ask first?"
He thinks for a couple seconds, he's not truly curious about the man, since he doesn't have any true use to the Prince, nor is he important to him or his brother. But nothing bad will come from knowing your enemy better. "Are you religious?" The question came to mind due to his previous thoughts about his brother and the Tower.
Frode laughs, "Not really, even if gods exist they wouldn't like me, so I don't like them".
"Why wouldn't they like you?" Raphael asks, Frode leans back, his back touching the cold wall, his eyes focused on the servant.
"Because gods were made for humans, and I kill humans for a job", Raphael searches the man's face for a hint of sadness or any emotion at all, but he can't see any. Differently from Prince Nikias usual stoic expression, Frode eyes don't hide his emotions, he simply doesn't have them. With the Prince, Raphael can at least see here and there hints of his true feelings, but with the Margrave-to-be, he can't see them except when the man is talking about marriage or trying to smooth him up.
Disturbing, maybe someone somewhere would be into his psychotic behavior, but for Raphael, he's his worst nightmare. For a person driven by emotions, a person who doesn't feel anything is a true hell.
"My turn, dear". I don't know what's worse, calling me by my name or pet names. "Do you have any relatives besides your twin?" Frode's question was probably out of curiosity, but he asked the worst possible question he could. To Raphael and Lowe, their family is a sensitive topic, sure they talked with Nikias before, but somehow to the Prince they didn't exactly feel wrong. Telling Frode his past feels wrong.
"No", he answers, staring at his hand, his mind drifting to pure emptiness, something he got used to doing when he doesn't want to think about his past. Luckily for him, Frode doesn't seem stupid so he changes the subject.
"Who's older? Between the two of you?"
"Lowe", he answers with a sigh of relief because the man didn't ask any follow-up questions about his past. "Are you close to your sister?"
Frode stares at Raphael for a moment, his eyes sparking with affection, he touches the servant's face softly, to the man he's being sweet and to Raphael he's being disgusting. His throat burns and his stomach rumbles, the sensation of being about to throw up overtakes him, but it subsides once Frode stops touching him.
"You don't need to look so disgusted", his tone is hurt, Raphael wishes he could say something back, say that if he didn't want for him to be disgusted then stop touching him, but he doesn't say anything. "Scarlet and I are no better than strangers", he changes the subject. "She's a brat and our personalities don't match well…" he trails off, his gaze going to the night sky outside the small window. "That being said, I still would give my life for her, isn't it the same for you?" His words carry an emotion he probably doesn't truly feel. I heard some people emulate others emotions, is he trying to appeal to me by sharing our sibling bonds?
Truth be told, even if Raphael isn't smart like Lowe, he isn't stupid nor incapable. They just have different types of intelligence, while Lowe tends to not be good at social interactions, Raphael excels in reading people and situations. He knows Frode is lying, the way he looked at Scarlet at the ball proves it, he loathes his sister, and not killing her was probably because it would get him killed because of the Imperial laws.
I don't think he could win against her, though. By simply watching people you can see a lot. Just like Raphael knows his brother constantly lies to himself, and that Prince Nikias is hiding something important from them. He can tell that Frode doesn't feel anything towards anyone but him, and that he is wary of his sister, probably because she's stronger than him, just like the Crown Prince and the Captain of the Silver Crows.
A man that yearns for the battlefield is only wary of those stronger than them.
"Yes," Raphael answers. "I would die for my brother", he looks the man in the eyes, his gaze is cold but his words are sincere. He wouldn't die for the Prince or for the Empire, but he would gladly give his life for Lowe, because he owes his older brother everything.
When their parents sold them to the Tower, Lowe did everything he could to protect him, and he knew that the boy took his punishments and lied to protect him, and all he could do was watch. Because Lowe was proficient in magic and Raphael wasn't. It took him twice the effort and time to get to where he is now, and even then, Raphael prefers using a weapon than mana.
"Raphael, leave a spot open this weekend, I'll take you on a date", he's not asking he's stating it.
"I can't, I have work", Raphael attempts to avoid it.
But Frode doesn't seem to want to back down. "I'll talk with the Prince, he's sure to give you at least the afternoon off".
The mark on his waist hurts again. "Ok", he whispers, unsure what to do next.