Reincarnated extra refuses to die

Arc 1. Chapter 2-3

Thinking back on it, I should have guessed where Lucas was going to take me.

His mother's tomb wasn't a simple patch of earth with a tombstone on top. It was a mausoleum. As magnificent as everything else in the mansion, it was also build from granite, with a steep roof and dark blue tiles.

"You know, mother was born the daughter of a duke. When she met my father, she fell in love with him at first sight, despite him being over ten years older than her. From what I've been told, during that time he wasn't quite as gloomy as he is now. He was, believe it not, thought to be incredibly charming."

The windows were stained glass, forming different patterns and combined in a multitude of colors. They were framed with sturdy wood, painted the same blue as the roof tiles.

"He was so charming, in fact, he wasn't considered the first option for any sensible young lady in search of a husband. He was a rake, in short, but that only made him more popular with women. When mother fell for him, her father had already passed away, and uncle was the new duke. She begged her brother to approve the marriage despite their difference in station, to which my uncle was very disinclined to. And not just because she wanted to marry a viscount despite being the sister of a duke."

We were seated on a bench outside, looking directly at the front of the mausoleum. The garden was full and vibrant. A fountain could be heard from somewhere behind us, the flowing water, along with the singing birds, bringing a sensation of peacefulness and enchantment.

"You see, the viscount before my father was the worst kind of noble one could think of. He was a gambler, and lacking in moral and character. He wrung the family fortune dry, and left many families and towns on the verge of destitution. He and my father didn't have a good relationship, and spent the last years of his life distanced from him. When they informed him his father had died, and he was the new viscount, he arrived to his lands for the first time in years... only to find everything a mess. Before becoming viscount, he never cared about marriage or anything of the sort, but after that, he knew the only solution to the increasing problem in the land was to obtain money, and obtain it fast."

"So... your father married your mother for money?"

Lucas nodded. I was surprised. The viscount was a starter villain, so much of his past or intentions weren't completely unveiled. Of course, being the father of two of the main characters he was mentioned from time to time as having had a great influence in his sons' growth, but other than that, any personal information was never revealed.

"Uncle knew of father's reputation, and warned my mother about him, but she was convinced his courtship and attentions to her were genuine, so a few months later, they were getting married and mother was officially the viscountess of a desolate land."

He didn't talk further after that, and I didn't ask any questions, simply mulling over the new information in my head. If the viscount never loved his wife, then why was he seeking to revive her with so much fervor? And thinking that brought me to my next question. Why wait until the very last moment to start the ritual? This was literally their last chance to get her whole. If it failed, even waiting for the next full moon with another suitable sacrifice would be futile. After all, she would never be whole again.

"Despite all that" Lucas continued after what felt like a really long time. "I do believe father grew to love mother, one way or another. As far as I remember, I never saw mother sad or angry. She was always happiest when she was with father. And father too, he was softer, calmer. Maybe it was love, maybe it wasn't, but they balanced each other, brought the best out of each other even if it was only for the other to see. You know, mother was the one who taught me how to play the piano. Father hates it whenever I play because of that."

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked him, turning my head to look at him directly. Lucas didn't move, his eyes set on the mausoleum before us, but I kept insisting. "Are you still trying to convince me that sacrificing my life for others' happiness is a noble act I should be proud of?" I let out sarcastically, acidly.

Lucas shook his head. "I just wanted you to know, I guess" he answered, shrugging his shoulders, surprising me. "To be honest, most of the things I know are second-handed information, rumors and the sort. My relationship with my parents wasn't... all that nice. I might be a bad person for saying this, but if I was to be completely sincere, mother reviving or not it's something I don't truly care about."

"What? Why?" I couldn't help but ask. Once again, he shrugged.

"She taught me how to play the piano, and she would sometimes sing me lullabies and read me stories before bed, but... how should I say this, I always felt some kind of distance between us. Mathias was the apple of her eye. She didn't hesitate at all to spoil him any chance she had, but I was always on the side, a child that when remembered, was taken care of, and when not, was ignored."

I blinked, absorbing the information. I found it odd, truly, that a mother would show such favoritism over one child, and wondered for a second if it wasn't only Lucas' bias perception what brought him to that conclusion. No matter how much I tried to bring forth a memory from the manga where Lucas talked about his relationship with his mother, I couldn't recall anything. Mathias did talk about her from time to time, but Lucas never mentioned her. Not once.

So maybe it was because of this. Because of Lucas' perception of what his relationship with his mother was. I couldn't help but feel sad he would think this way. Surely all mothers love their children equally, and Lucas was simply including his father's real favor towards his older brother with his mother's love for her children.

It could be a possibility.

But then, if this is what he thought, one question still remained. "Then, why are you willing to sacrifice me if you don't really care about your mother?"

Lucas tensed, and he let out a long sigh, allowing his muscles to relax with every second of exhalation. His voice was hoarse when he responded. "It's important to Mathias."

And there was no other reason. For a moment I wanted to get angry at him, but then I calmed down. Of course, his older brother was everything for him. If it was important for Mathias to get his mother back, then Lucas was going to stick to it even if it meant trampling over his own morals.

Was this what he wanted to tell me all along? Was this the real reason for this dichotomy of his? If so, it was truly painful, for both him and me. And it made me understand something. I wasn't going to convince him to help me escape. The thought brought a wave of dread with it, paralyzing me on my seat, and I had to struggle to breath. Because if he wasn't going to help me, how was I realistically going to get out of here alive?

Lucas stood up, ignoring my current anxiety attack, and without uttering a word, he plucked some flowers from the garden. I could not recognize what flowers those were, and honestly, I was too busy hyperventilating to pay real attention to what he was doing, but then he continued walking, passing by my side towards the mausoleum. He stopped in the entrance, watching the imposing building for a few seconds, before depositing the flowers on the first steps of the small staircase guiding to the front door.

He knelt, joining his palms in what I supposed was a small prayer, and little by little I started to calm down. If Lucas couldn't help, there were surely other options. There always was another option. In the first place, I was already running on the preconception he wasn't going to help, what was I getting so worked up for?

And then it came to me.

"Lucas" I called him as he stood up. I did the same, approaching him with quick steps. His face was sullen, his visage tormented, but I ignored all of that as I took his hands on mine and gave him my brightest smile. "It's time for lunch already. Eat with me and then let's go back to the music room. I want to listen you play more."

He frowned, looked down to our joined hands, and looked back at me again. "Elaine...?"

"Come on, before the sun gets hotter. Maybe we can eat at my balcony? The sight would be sublime."

"Elaine" he called again, but I ignored him, pulling his hand and making him follow me.

It was so simple. If Lucas wasn't going to help me, then I needed to appeal to the only other person with any real power over this situation.

I would plead with the necromancer for my life. And for that, I needed Lucas' help and all the information I could milk out of him.