Chapter 81: Julah Kruverla - The Crimson Lily
The Grand Avenue of Seraphim Kingdom was a vibrant tapestry of noise and color. Sunlight, filtered through the banners hanging from wrought-iron balconies, dappled the polished cobblestones. The air was rich with the scent of spiced pastries and exotic incense.
Julah, her emerald eyes wide with childlike wonder, skipped slightly ahead of Stacian. Her dark, almost navy hair swayed as she darted from one stall to the next, her small, pointed ears occasionally twitching with interest. Even dressed in the simple yet elegant traveling robes they wore, she radiated a quiet, youthful charm.
Stacian followed at a measured pace, a faint, calm smile gracing his lips. His tall, lean frame was a picture of poised confidence, and his deep silver eyes watched Julah with a mixture of amusement and warmth.
"You really don't have to hold back, you know," Stacian said, his voice a smooth, low baritone that cut gently through the market din. "Choose anything you like, Julah. I'll gladly buy it for you. Consider it a small token of gratitude for your excellent work with the ledgers."
Julah paused, her eyes sparkling. The homonculi crystal on her forehead, usually a pale, almost invisible shimmer, momentarily glowed a faint amethyst hue in her excitement.
"Really, Stacian-sama?" she breathed, her voice soft and delighted.
"Absolutely."
With a happy gasp, Julah was off, a blur of motion toward a stall displaying intricate silver jewelry. A few moments later, she returned, clutching two small, elegant pendants carved with the motif of a rising sun. She carefully fastened one around Stacian's neck before securing the matching piece on her own.
"There! Now we have matching talismans," she announced with satisfaction.
"A fine choice," Stacian nodded, inspecting the delicate craftsmanship.
Julah's gaze drifted, and then it snagged. At a small, unassuming vendor selling preserved floral jewelry, one particular necklace caught her entire attention: a solitary, lifelike red spider lily, encased in a teardrop-shaped crystal. The crimson flower seemed to glow, striking and beautiful, yet holding an undeniable air of sorrow.
It was the color of blood and memory.
She bought it, slipping it over her head, the crystal settling against her collarbone.
As they continued their leisurely stroll, chatting about the quality of the local bread, a sudden, jarring sight brought them to a halt. Further down the road, a magnificent, black-lacquered carriage—the crest of the Seraphim Royal Family emblazoned on its doors—was pulling away. Just as it did, a figure was being escorted inside: Lord Leornars, his striking white hair and unusual crimson eyes unmistakable, even at a distance.
Julah's breath hitched. The image of the carriage, the symbols of the power that had once crushed her life, triggered a wave of cold terror. The calm happiness of moments before vanished, replaced by stark horror.
"We—we have to go! We must help Lord Leornars!" Julah's hands instinctively clenched over the new pendant. "That's Prince Luiphonia's carriage! He's being taken right into the lion's den!"
She spun to look at Stacian, whose expression remained curiously placid.
"Aren't you worried?" she pressed, her voice trembling with an urgency that felt like a scream trapped in her throat.
Stacian took a deep, deliberate breath, the subtle scent of old parchment and faint magic surrounding him. "I am, of course, concerned for his comfort and well-being," he replied, his silver eyes completely steady. "But truly, Julah, I extremely doubt Lord Leornars will lose to such a clown."
A clown. The simple dismissal hung in the air. Stacian's unfazed confidence was like an unexpected anchor, slowing the frantic rush of Julah's panic.
Julah swallowed, the familiar, bitter taste of fear receding only slightly. She began to recall the past few years, the memories of her past under the tyranny of that same royal crest, memories Stacian's cool assessment seemed to mock.
🌑 The Shadow of Seraphim
She had been a child in a remote, peaceful village on the outskirts of Seraphim, a sanctuary for the Homonculi. But the village was struck by a severe famine. To survive, the adults were forced into the kingdom's service, undertaking manual, grueling tasks—specifically, working the treacherous, dusty mines, essentially the labor of slave workers.
The Seraphim King, however, saw beyond the laborers. He saw the potential threat of the Homonculi species, recognized their extreme mana supply and magical attributes that were vastly superior to humanity's. He decided to mitigate this threat by entrusting their capture and subjugation to his third son, Prince Luiphonia Serelim, a man known for his cruelty. Luiphonia accepted the task with vile eagerness.
In the Throne Room, the King and his Royal Advisor argued over the decision.
"Sire, do you truly intend to give the Prince such a vital task?" the Royal Advisor, a man named Jeremy, pleaded, his brow furrowed with deep concern. "If he screws up this delicate situation, the other demi-human clans will be at our gates, and the entire kingdom will face war."
The King, a man whose features were already beginning to show the strain of his reign, dismissed the warning with a wave of his hand. "Luiphonia is not an idiot, Jeremy. He must have an idea of some sort. He has a... certain knack for getting things done."
"Putting the fate of an entire species in the hands of a psychopath, Your Majesty? That is something that will surely raise a coup! The people know what he is."
"Don't burst your bubble, Jeremy," the King said, his gaze distant. "Let's see what happens. I'm growing weary of this Homonculi issue."
"This is just profoundly wrong," the Advisor murmured, shaking his head.
Julah was in the village when the royal carriages, cloaked in dust and power, rode into the area near the mines.
Twenty minutes before the staged incident, inside the confines of the luxurious royal carriage, the scene was anything but refined. Prince Luiphonia, his perfect blonde hair and striking blue eyes alight with cold, calculating content, stared down at a Homonculi man. The man was dragged in by his coarse hair by one of the Prince's personal knights, then unceremoniously thrown onto the plush carriage floor and deliberately stepped on by the Prince's polished boot.
"You vile, wretched creature," Prince Luiphonia spat, his voice laced with pure disgust.
"Prince Luiphonia Serelim," the Homonculi man said, his voice ragged but retaining a sliver of dignity. "To what do I owe this... pleasure?"
"Can I ask you a question?" The Prince didn't wait for a response. "No, I'm asking you a question, not for permission." His boot twisted slightly. "Do you have a family?"
The man's eyes flickered with confusion, then apprehension. "Yes, Your Majesty. I have a wife and two daughters who are very dear to me."
"Ah, I see. I suppose even your disgusting species can feel the primitive emotions of love and hate, huh," the Prince sneered. He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "Now, you will do exactly what I ask of you. If not... I will kill you. No, I will kill your daughters and your wife in front of you. Do we have a deal?"
The Homonculi man stared up in pure, agonizing shock. "Why? Why would you go after my daughter and wife? We've done nothing wrong to the Empire!"
"Your only sin," the Prince said, his smile widening into a predatory grin, "is being born a Homonculi."
He lifted his foot, allowing the man to breathe. "Now, here's what you'll do..."
Later, in the dusty, oppressive heat of the mines, the plan unfolded.
The Homonculi man, driven to desperation and believing this was the only way to save his loved ones, rushed the Prince with a miner's pickaxe raised high.
"If doing this will save my family, then I'll do it!" he cried out, charging toward the royal carriage.
Advisor Jeremy Corbett, moving with chilling speed, instantly sliced the man's head from his shoulders. Jeremy then strode out of the skirmish, carrying the grim trophy—the severed head—in one hand, and the blood-stained pickaxe in the other.
He roared at the terrified miners, his voice booming over the sudden silence. "You vile creatures dare attack the Third Prince of Seraphim Kingdom?! Do you know the atrocity you have committed?! You all shall pay!"
From the surrounding scrubland, the Prince's knights emerged from their hiding places, surrounding the Homonculi laborers.
The miners immediately dropped to their knees, begging the Prince to overlook the matter, emphasizing that the culprit was dead.
"No," Prince Luiphonia said, emerging from the carriage with a look of feigned outrage. "I don't know who amongst you was working with him. He couldn't have been alone. You are all arrested for treason against me and the Throne of Seraphim. Guards, arrest them!"
Julah and her younger sister were violently dragged by their hair. As they were pulled past the Advisor, Julah saw the unimaginable—her father's head, held in the hands of Jeremy. A raw, piercing scream tore from her throat.
"You murdered my father! He did nothing wrong! He was loyal to the throne, yet you killed him in cold blood!" she shrieked, tears blurring her vision.
Jeremy Corbett, with an almost bored expression, walked over to her. He delivered a brutal kick to her stomach, doubling her over in pain, then bent down, grasping her hair tightly.
"Listen here, you pathetic dog!" he snarled into her ear. "If I say he is guilty, he is! I am the law!"
Prince Luiphonia strolled over, surveying the commotion with a cool, proprietary look. His blue eyes settled on Julah.
"My, my, Jeremy," he drawled, sounding annoyed. "Don't spoil my toys. I'll take her. She'll be one of my new maids, and so will the other one." He turned to Julah's sister.
His gaze then fell upon Julah's mother, who was desperately clinging to her husband's head, tears silently streaming down her face. A flicker of genuine, perverse joy crossed Luiphonia's features as he approached her.
"And you, my dear," he purred. "You will be my new concubine. I've never had a demi-human before, but oh well, first time for everything, I suppose."
"I'll never be your concubine, you filth!" Julah's mother spat, her voice ringing with defiance.
The Prince's predatory smile faltered, replaced by a cold fury. "Oh? You dare call me filth?"
"You'll pay for everything you've done to us! The White Plague, the Veiled King, will arrive in a few years and give us justice!" she declared, her eyes blazing with prophecy.
"Oh, you believe in that childish folklore about the plague?" The Prince gave a dismissive, mirthless laugh. "How immature of you. But I guess you really are a demi-human, after all."
He grabbed her by the hair, forcing her head back, and violently, forcefully kissed her. She recoiled instantly, spitting on the ground and coughing in revulsion.
"Jeremy," Luiphonia ordered, straightening his tunic. "Kill her. I have no need for her anymore." He walked back to his carriage, leaving the scene of execution behind.
Julah and her sister watched, paralyzed, as their mother was beheaded.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Julah screamed, her voice breaking on the last syllable.
Three years passed in a living nightmare. Julah was kept as a maid in the Prince's quarters, constantly beaten, sleeping with fresh bruises almost every night. The Prince attempted to violate her multiple times, but she was always, unexpectedly, saved by the Princess of the Kingdom.
"Oh, sister, you really do love to interfere with me," Luiphonia complained when Princess Louis intervened once more, standing between him and Julah.
Princess Louis, her expression cold and severe, crossed her arms. "What you are doing is not becoming of a Prince, Luiphonia. If Elder Brother finds out, he'll kill you. You know how much he acknowledges and respects the demi-humans."
"Yeah, yeah," Luiphonia scoffed, rolling his eyes. "But he's in the Empire. He won't be back for three more years, and I can do what I want. I can even kill him and be the crowned prince of the kingdom!"
Louis's composure didn't break. "Kill him? He is an S-rank threat, Luiphonia. You are barely a C-rank threat. He will kill you before you even manage to move."
"Whatever, sister," he grumbled, giving up. He looked around and saw Julah had fled. He clicked his tongue in irritation. "Tsk!"
Later that week, the Prince cornered Julah's younger sister in the laundry room. He locked the door and assaulted her, attempting to rape her. She fought back with all the ferocity of a caged animal, but he was stronger. He punched her repeatedly until she lay unconscious, bleeding and broken on the stone floor. Horrified by the extent of the damage, he panicked and called Jeremy.
"What do I do?" Luiphonia whispered frantically, wiping the blood from his own hands. "If she dies, I'm in trouble!"
"That's incredibly difficult to say, Prince," Jeremy stated, studying the scene with cold detachment.
"I know," Luiphonia declared, a cruel light returning to his eyes. "I'll frame her of attempted murder on me. I'll say she wanted to avenge her parents' death by killing me, and have her executed."
"Good thinking, Prince Luiphonia."
Julah stood just outside the laundry room door, holding a clean blanket. She was sobbing silently, the homonculi crystal on her forehead glowing a brilliant, frantic amethyst, recording the moment with terrible clarity.
"First father, then mother, now sister... Am I always going to be alone?" she cried internally.
She left the blanket, turned, and fled in tears. Jeremy, hearing the faint sound of her retreat, instantly gave chase. He was gaining on her when he saw his chance. He lunged and pushed her violently out of a nearby window.
"If she falls out, they'll think it's suicide or an accident," Jeremy thought, watching her tumble. "And after her sister is killed, no evidence is found."
Julah plummeted from the window, landing hard but miraculously alive, falling directly into the river below. The current dragged her away, carrying her body downriver until she was deposited, half-drowned and injured, near the town of Signiah. She begged for help from the villagers, but they instantly turned on her, claiming she was the dreaded 'swamp monster' and tried to kill her.
That was when she met Lord Leornars.
Back in the present, Julah tightened her grip on the red spider lily pendant, a faint, resolute light entering her eyes.
"I will always be grateful to Lord Leornars," she said, her voice filled with fierce loyalty. Stacian handed her a small loaf of freshly baked, crusty bread from a nearby bakery stall. The simple act felt grounding. "He has given me a light, a purpose. He truly is the prophecied King, the White Plague."
"Absolutely," Stacian agreed, accepting his half of the bread. He took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. "Even I had a rough past until I met Lord Leornars and he gave me a purpose for living. I live for his sake. I am Lord Leornars's first retainer and his right hand."
Meanwhile, inside the ornate black carriage, the air was thick with barely suppressed hostility.
Leornars sat across from Prince Luiphonia, his stunning white hair a stark contrast to the plush velvet seat, his crimson eyes calmly glaring. Advisor Jeremy sat beside the Prince, his posture stiff and attentive.
Leornars's mind was racing, a silent, deadly whirlwind of thought that belied his composed exterior.
"This vile baboon has no space in the world I am trying to create," Leornars mused, his gaze resting on Luiphonia's arrogant profile. "I need a way—a method—so painful, so thorough, that his death serves as a warning to all who practice such petty tyranny."
He barely spared a thought for the Advisor beside the Prince.
"Stacian said I am now an S-rank threat. So, taking this piece of filth out will be easy. But what method? A quick death is too kind for a soul so rotten."
He lifted a perfectly manicured hand to his cheek, tapping a thoughtful rhythm, his crimson eyes locking onto the Prince's smug face, already anticipating the moment he would deliver the justice the world so desperately needed.
"So, Lord Leornars," Prince Luiphonia began, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips, "you've come to treat with me. You'll find that my terms are quite reasonable..."
The carriage began to move, taking its occupants further into the heart of the kingdom.