My Wonderful Second Life

Chapter 45- Family Affairs

It was not only me who had gotten surprised by Belladonna's statement. The Duke, like me, let his mouth fall a little, in complete shock over her words. A natural reaction, when a father finds out his daughter is a kind of genius. The said genius was, however, calm, as if she had already guessed the High priestess thoughts.

I would have to talk with her about sharing important and life-changing actions.

"Are you sure?" asked the duke, disbelief sinking in.

"Of course."

That confirmation did nothing to smooth the wrinkles on his forehead as he thought of the implications it brought to his family. He watched his sister in silence for a long moment. Afraid they may continue their conversation in hushed tones, both me and Jenni approached the ventilation, securing our ears on the holes.

The silence went on until Belladonna's intense and steady voice began again.

"Do you remember when you were just a tiny little boy and I, a robust teenager?" The question caught us by surprise, and we took our ears from the ventilation in time to see the duke look at her, the cup in his hand. He waited for her and so did we, our hands linked. "Father, in his crescent wisdom, used to say that a powerful man can be born into power, but only blood can keep it. I always thought he meant family, as our motto so well illustrates. Yet, now I see he meant other things." for the first time, Belladona took her eyes from her brother, peering into the window on the side, her features sad. "By all means, he was a useless Mountnero, but he was right about this."

There was suffering in her voice, and I could see, briefly, a weakness in her face carved in all her porous. She turned back to her brother, who peered at her with a neutral expression while taking a sip of tea.

"We have much cleaning to do, brother." She said. "How is Lady Beatrice faring?" the mocking tone left us at the edge of our hiding place.

The duke made a point of leaving the cup on the table, a movement that obscured his clear blue eyes.

"Dead." a knot set in my stomach. "But her carcass I will keep, it will be more useful than her tongue." the nonchalant way he said those words made me shiver. I knew him capable of such deeds, it was written all over the book. The author highleted many times, how sadistic he could be, but... earing it made me scared. Those bloodthirty eyes and that dying lady were way too fresh on my memory.

A question came, unsettling and dangerous... What if he found out who I really was?

I sook comfort in Jenni's hand, though her steadiness and calm posture surprised me. It was enough to make me retreat from her grasp. There was a glance from her, questioning my movements, yet I was saved from explaining by Belladonna's voice.

"So she was useless at telling anything relevant. Expected if you were not aware of the Flôr di Aniz..." my stomach turned as I saw her talk, as if it was a frivolous topic instead of a bloody murder.

"Most of the time she talked nonsense. She pointed to some people, but those I knew already. Except..."

"Jennifer's Grandfather?" finished Belladonna's. Jenni's face paled and the duke's eyebrow furrowed, while I just looked lost at all this information. "Ferabiniche has loose lips. Though, I suppose everyone has loose lips when facing the holy punishment." the small laugh resounded in my already sick stomach... what a heck was a holy punishment? I bet nothing holy...

The grandfather they meant, I thought, could only mean the father of Jenni's mother, the Lord Borbello. Why would he do such things? Why would he conspire with such a crazed woman? And as I saw Jenni's shaky posture and her pale self, I wondered how none of these adults were normal. None. They were all srewed up and in big need of terapy.