Secrets of the Villainous Empress

Chapter Thirty-Six: Fathers and Sons

Aleu Diox Luciano

“When I present you to the Empress, ensure that you are courteous. Do you hear me, child?”

“Yes.” He answered.

“Yes what, you ingrate?”

The words the duke spat out were not out of contempt or hatred. Aleu was almost certain that ingrate to him was simply a pet name as he called everyone illegitimate by that name.

“Yes, father.” He corrected

Aleu was certain that he had thrown up slightly in his mouth at the word. The grand duke wanted the Empress to be under the impression that he favoured Aleu so that he would not have to give up any of his legitimate children. Namely, Krios, who was perhaps more the Empress’s type than he, as he was dominantly passive. Living in close quarters with Virginia and Trident made everyone tolerant. In any case, the grand duke had intentions of marrying Krios off to an Akonian tycoon’s daughter or gods know where.

The name ‘father’ was supposedly an earned title to the duke because he had not even allowed his full children to call him so. Not until they had won their first set of nationwide acknowledged achievements.

In any case, earning the right to call him father was not something that particularly excited him, if the duke had granted him something else, like his stoned heart in a box as a present or his last breath, then perhaps he would have felt something….something more than repulsion at his ‘requests’.

“Good, good, remember boy,” the duke continued, “You must not talk back to her.”

 “If you do gain her favour, then you must report back home every month.”

“Also, try to get her to dance with you tonight. That might solidify your standing because the other concubines from the dukes and duchesses have yet to be sent.”

“Yes, father.”

Like a broken record, he chirped, over and over at the duke’s instructions until finally, their carriage had arrived at the front entrance of the imperial palace. The only upside to the night was that he could see Fuscia once more.

At the thought, butterflies filled his stomach. His mind flew back to her, to her scent, her soft embrace at their final goodbye.

But gods, how it killed him not to see her yesterday, not to be able to seek her out daily, at his whims.

The gods that had mapped their stars definitely must have erred somewhere, for he knew with his entire being that they were meant to be together.

Only…

Aleu unconsciously ground his teeth.

Yesternight, the woman from his dreams visited him once more. He had told himself that he only wished to understand her, know her, and become perhaps acquaintances. Except once she had called him a name that in no way resembled his, once she had smiled up at him, once she had caressed him, not with her hand but her hazel gaze...all the blood in his system rushed to his groin. The reason for his restraint flew outside whichever window was nearby, most likely fogged up by their yearning.

Over and over, he ravaged her until he grew raw. However, again, on waking, other than his seed soiling the sheets as though he were still at puberty, her presence was no longer there. Again, he had had to check if his heart remained ingrained in his chest because she seemed to vanish alongside it permanently, and he was unsure if he could take another night with her if it meant waking.

How could he?

How could she expect him to?

Wait, no! he should focus on Fuscia, a woman who had never made him shed any tears, even in his fantasies!

Aleu and the grand duke stepped elegantly from the carriage, and the crystal flashes emanating from the journalist sector roared to life.

 Though the paparazzi swarmed the entrance, they were not permitted inside the castle.

The cameramen and women pushed over each other, desperate for answers to their questions on either who had designed their garments or whether they had any plans to attend the fall welcome gala hosted by the Southern duchy.

However, through all that, Aleu forced his mind to remain centred on Fuscia as she would probably be the best outcome of the jam-packed night.

Though him becoming a concubine would destroy any of their possible futures together, he still wished to let her know how he felt, even if it was only for tonight. They could pretend to be a real couple. Perhaps he could even share his first-ever actual dance, which was not with Lucy in practice's name, with her.

A flash that nearly blinded him caught his notice so unexpectedly that he almost tripped on his own leg when a calm and firm hand planted itself on his shoulders.

“Careful merchandise,” a cool voice drawled, “I am confident you comprehend that there is no return policy established by father on you. So do try and imagine what would happen if the Empress shunned you because you were useless enough to allow yourself to get blinded by the flash of a camera.”

Instantly, Aleu recognised the voice's owner as Krios.

Yes, he was passive at the antics of Trident and Virginia. Still, he was nevertheless an entitled asshole.

“Thank you, brother,” Aleu responded through gritted teeth almost robotically.

Krios was the fourth born and the last of the legitimate children. He had been the reason for the duchess’s death; however, he was treated no differently from the other legitimates because they did not particularly feel anything towards the woman with whom they were related.

Krios, like Calvin, is a professor and great with the ladies. However, unlike Calvin, he detested his work and only ever did it as a means to gain the duke’s acknowledgement. But as only true passion calls forth advancement, his career life had stagnated, and Calvin, who had had no advantages that Krios had, was slowly catching up to his inertia. Perhaps that was why, Aleu reasoned, Krios only ever seemed hostile when it came to Calvin.

“Do not make me throw up,” Krios responded to his, albeit forced, gratitude, then quickly withdrew his hand from Aleu’s shoulder.

“Listen, you are playing with the bigwigs now, so do not embarrass us.” He continued in a quick whisper, then nodded to a beautiful journalist.

Virginia and Trident had hated the notion of arriving with an illegitimate. So much so that they had requested to travel in a separate carriage. A request to which the duke had replied.

“It is understandable that you feel that way.”

Calvin would obviously be arriving in his own time.

Aleu groaned inwardly as he understood that regardless of the duke’s disfavour, He would still breathe down his neck until he finally gains the Empress’s approval.

And now, there was no one approved by the duke with whom he could even strike up a conversation to pass the time so that he could reach the prime of his night, Fuscia.

Aleu thought as he entered the solid gold and white marbled halls.

Well, s**t!