"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
✧
The Escadan Empire was blessed with year-long spring, fertile soil and spotless lakes. It was said that the water was so clean that you could drink right from it, the refreshing sap moisturising your throat. It bordered the sea so the nation was also graced with beautiful beaches, an abundance of seafood and a valuable route for maritime trading. Not only that, but its management was solid; the royal family had an iron-tight grip on the various noble houses that governed their territories and exercised their power with restraint. All of these factors drew immense envy and desire from the surrounding nations, each one hungrily drooling over the Empire's prosperous lands, industries and assets. It was a shame that they could do nothing to attack; the opposing army was simply too powerful.
How ironic it was that this deterrent could also be considered the disgrace of the Escadan Empire. If one looked on a map, they would find that on the north of this 'perfect' nation was a sizeable portion of grey and blackened land, clashing greatly with the vibrant surroundings. There was no year-long spring, no fertile soil and no spotless lakes. It was like a dry wasteland, worthless in value and worth.
In bold letters were the words 'Auster' printed on this dirty patch of the Escadan Empire, serving as the great sentinel of the nation despite all of their flaws. They held their shield steadily, defending the Empire from its enemies. Any, who stepped too close, would find themselves on the receiving end of a swift and savage strike, decimated.
This alone would've been enough to earn the House of Auster a bloody, tainted yet glorious reputation. However, what made this even more incredible was that this particular noble house was ruled by two teenagers. They were a pair of siblings who made something out of nothing, the weight of the world on their shoulders. How did they do it? Aren't they supposed to be naive and rash? This was the sentiment shared by all who heard of these siblings.
On one side, the surrounding nations would cry and yell curses at this immoveable wall and even their own motherland, out of jealousy, whispered insults behind their back. Meanwhile, other great lands and factions silently respected this honourable knight which selflessly protected their liege, the Empire, regardless of the consequences. Or so they thought...
✧
It was quiet. Even though it was filled with scrolls, maps, documents and thick tomes, the room felt orderly despite all of that. Everything was neatly organised into piles and catalogued into their topics and classifications. Glass cupboards and shelves lined the sides, crammed full of literature of all sorts, with the majority being related to management, economy and war. Classy works of art were reservedly hung on the wall as well, each one embellished with simple yet oddly elegant frames. The final touches were made with the various pieces of furniture which were settled in the middle of the room. Just like the picture frames, they looked plain at first glance but a keen eye knew what types of rare materials were used in their creation.
All of this constructed a strange scene due to the final aspect of the picture, located in the very back of the study. Out of all the areas in the room, this one was the most cluttered. Stacks of paper were hanging on the edge of a large desk with even a few pages already fallen on the floor. It looked uncannily cramped, especially due to the small slumped figure resting their head on the hard wood. Tresses of long, silky hair were splayed all over the documents while their owner was soundly sleeping.
A hint of the figure's face could be seen, revealing the feminine face of a young girl. Not much could be seen but just that small glimpse was enough for one to know that she was attractive. Thin, willow eyebrows rested on her closed eyes as her tiny, cute nose moved ever so slightly with each breath. This was topped off by her rose lips which were faintly open. With hair as black as the starless night sky, the girl looked like an ephemeral dream; she was so out of the world for just that moment that it just felt like a dream. It was just for a single moment though. All of this reverted back to the image of a cute girl sleeping on a desk, surrounded by things far too old for her.
Knock, knock
The peaceful silence was broken by the knocking at the door, causing the girl to stir. Her eyelids fluttered before opening blearily, displaying her scarlet irises. The intense inferno in her eyes was extinguished as fast as it came, reverting back to its blank appearance. She stared at the door for a moment before rubbing her eyes, simultaneously picking up her quill and signing documents. As if not caring about her reply, the door opened, albeit quietly, and closed without a single sound.
She didn't look up from her task as the newcomer walked up to the desk before placing down another stack of paper. Not a single bat of her eyelid was seen as the girl continued to work at the same pace.
"Your Grace, you were sleeping, weren't you?"
Her quill paused before carrying on.
"You need to take care of your health, Your Grace. You can't manage the city like this."
At their words, the girl looked up to face her visitor. Their face encased in exotic locks of silver hair, they had an attractive countenance which complimented their striking hair colour. A female like her mistress, she wore a complex maid outfit adorned with a restrained amount of frills and lace. It prioritised utility over appearance, with the skirt pulled up closer to the thighs for ease of movement. She was characterised by her frosty expression, emitting such harsh coldness that you would be hard-pressed not to falter under her gaze. The most jarring feature of the maid was her eyes; instead of being eye-catching, it was instead creepy. They were glazed over, as if not seeing anything. In a way, this was true as the maid was actually blind.
"It's fine."
As a Duke, the girl had many responsibilities. Too many responsibilities for her age. She was only 13 yet was completing work far beyond her years. The bags under her eyes were unable to be hidden any longer with makeup as they were now peeking out, indicating her severe lack of sleep. Concerned, the maid 'outrageously' chopped the head of her mistress.
"You need to rest, Cordelia."
The Duke of Auster, or rather Cordelia, widened her eyes at the intimate form of address. It was unheard of for a maid to address their master or mistress as their real name. But the two of them had called each other their real names since young; it was only until Cordelia was instated as a Duke that everything changed. Nothing was the same. Nothing could stay the same after that happened, after all.
"M-mn. Thank you, Kuro."
Her voice was so quiet that Kuro, even with her sensitive sensory abilities, had to strain her ears. The stutter in her mistress' voice was so cute that she couldn't help but break out a small smile, though it was unseen by Cordelia.
As the young Duke walked out of the room, her maid silently looked over the unsigned documents. Her mana probed across the paper, feeling the minuscule protrusions of ink which had dried on the paper.
'Supply arrangement for the Knights, reports of the latest Monster Expedition, arrangements for the new batch of recruits... To think that the future we dreamed of would instead be like this.'
Kuro could only bitterly stare at the statistics, paragraphs and diagrams scrawled all over the papers. Some of the reports even had stats about the casualties from monster attacks and Expeditions.
'Sir... aren't you such a terrible father? Leaving your daughter like this.'
Although she was thinking of that, she knew that she was just trying to alleviate the pain in her heart. Nothing would ever get rid of the guilt gnawing away at her. The ice on her face was slowly thawing, revealing a small trickle of tears settling on her eyes.
✧
Cordelia had taken a rest just as Kuro instructed, and it did wonders for her.
'This is far better than drinking coffee.'
The statement felt obvious to her but it had been such a long time since she'd had a proper sleep that Cordelia had forgotten. It was now deep in the afternoon as the sun was low in the sky, casting its dying rays of light across Invicta, the capital city of the Auster territories. She laid on her bed for a few minutes after waking up, deep in thought, before abruptly standing up. She drew her curtains, feeling the radiance of the sun on her face.
Invicta did not have the grandeur nor the glamour that the capital city of a Ducal House should have. The buildings were very basic in appearance, all of them painted in the same grey colour. Windows were sparse and luxury was rare. Citizens walked around in an orderly fashion with even steps and straight backs, a result of the annual army conscription. The House of Auster fielded almost 60,000 active soldiers, not including the ones in reserve who had already completed their service. Almost all healthy men and women above the age of 20 were trained as soldiers.
Life was hard as a citizen of any city in the Auster territories. Agriculture was hard and jobs were scarce but people were not dissatisfied. In fact, they were grateful for the House of Auster. Even if they lost family and friends in the midst of battle, there was no anger. Only sadness and mourning. Cordelia went to great to lengths to respect her fallen soldiers, giving each one a proper burial and their families reparations.
Blacksmiths and combat teachers were very popular in the Auster territories as many young teenagers decided to train before being conscripted into the army. Personal weapons were also bought and could be used after one left the military for not only self-protection but to also serve their lords, no matter their status. As a result, the House of Auster became very well known for their quality weapons and pugilistic society; there were many arenas and underground rings which propagated this interesting culture of 'battle'. Here, strength was respected. Strength was power. Strength was everything. And perhaps, that was why Cordelia was so revered and respected.
In her maiden battle, she personally commanded an army against an invasion force almost thrice her number and managed to fend them off with pure tactics, cunning and strategy. Her ingenious thinking was known across their nation as she consistently flipped the table over her enemies when in dire situations.
The House of Auster's war machine was efficient, fast and durable; Cordelia could say with confidence that war strengthened her territory and people. Wills were hardened, metalware sold on a huge scale and battle experience was gained. Some may call her sick for having that kind of mentality but she knew personally that without strength, you were nothing. Despite knowing so, she took over the underground rings and made their rules more stringent. Death was no longer a requirement for victory, causing the mortality rate within the ring to sharply decrease. Freak accidents happened but Cordelia selfishly felt that her conscience had been sated. The noirette wouldn't be able to sleep at night, knowing that she had condoned murder under her city. It was disgusting. Had she turned a blind eye, stronger fighters would be pumped out of the underground more regularly, supplying the army with a healthy batch of new, promising seeds. But so what?
To defend her parents' creation birthed out of their sweat, blood and tears, was one of her priorities. How ironic that she wasn't able to fulfil that goal to her upmost capability. As a Duke, a ruler, she was imperfect. One must see the whole picture before changing small details but she was still young; her foresight was lacking and knowledge inferior. As a commander, she was flawed. One must be willing to make the hard decisions to obtain victory and yet, she wasn't willing to waste even a single man, not if she could help it. But as a human, she was... passable. Her humanity was still there. The Duke had vowed to never become like them.
All three were relics from the past. Before everything changed. In a way, Cordelia didn't want those parts of her to fade away. But she knew that it was necessary.
Resting her body on the window ledge, she surveyed her city.
'Is this... what you wanted me to become? When you spared me that day?'
2198 words
Written 30/07/2020 (DD/MM/YY)
Shouldn't it be Duchess, not Duke?
I was a bit hung up on that but I decided that Duchess is the 'wife' of the ruling Duke. There's a special exception made to Cordelia since the Emperor decided that the Auster Household will have 2 Dukes at the same time.
You could make an argument that Cordelia should be titled as 'Duchess' but that would make it seem like she's married to her brother... which wasn't what I was intending.
This is expanded on in future chapters, so yeah.
@vaexis Ugg, the British version. Fine. >.<
thanks for commenting
@vaexis
Nyaturally.