Chapter 19
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The Blood of Privilege
The bed creaked loudly beneath the rough rhythm of their movements.
"Yes... yes... yes..." a woman moaned, her gasps growing more intense by the second.
Straddling the crotch of a muscular man, completely naked and covered only by a mask, she moved over the bed with relentless insistence. Everything remained hidden behind the curtains surrounding it, so no one could see.
The woman rose and fell without pause, harder each time, letting out sharper moans as pleasure swept her away.
"Yes... yes... yes..."
The man, by contrast, made almost no sound.
Until her body suddenly tensed. One final moan caught hard in her throat, and her movements finally broke against him.
Right after, she began to lose her rhythm until she let herself collapse, exhausted, onto the man's chest, her shirt open and part of her torso exposed.
"What pleasure..." she murmured, lying on the man's chest.
Then she lifted herself from his chest, climbed off him, and took a few steps forward without saying so much as a word, while behind her the man immediately sat up, rose to his feet, and stood there upright, straight, and still.
The woman stepped out from between the curtains as she covered herself with her white silk garments, leaving behind the hidden space where the bed stood.
Cassandra, House Susaku (30 years old)
After adjusting her clothes properly, she pushed aside the last curtain in her path and walked into the short corridor that connected to the center of the hall.
When she arrived, Pericles and Ronald were already there, indulging in leisure. Both were enjoying the company of several courtesans, while in the corners of the hall, a few cloth servants remained motionless, still and silent, awaiting instructions.
The women were naked, although their bodies had been painted over their intimate areas, applied in such a way that it resembled a kind of ornamental underwear.
Ronald, reclining comfortably while one of the women caressed his bare chest, looked at Cassandra and asked with an amused smile:
"And then? How was the experience?"
"Fabulous!" she replied, making no effort to hide her enthusiasm.
Then she took a few steps forward and sat down in one of the armchairs.
"Cratius was a beast in bed."
Across from her, Pericles remained surrounded by two young women. He took a sip of wine before replying:
"So you enjoyed it, Cassandra. I'm glad I was able to please you."
Pericles, Sovereign of House Brinsty (40 years old)
Cassandra then pointed at one of the cloth servants.
"Hey, you. Come here."
The girl obeyed at once. Cassandra had her sit beside her and, with complete ease, began sliding her hand along the girl's thighs, then moving toward the servant's crotch.
Pericles watched the scene with a faint smile.
"Well, Cassandra..."
He watched her fondle the servant with total ease. Then Cassandra removed the girl's mask and began to kiss her.
"I didn't know you liked to enjoy everything. Men, gladiators, women..."
She answered while still gripping the cloth servant's crotch, stroking her with shameless calm.
"One has to enjoy everything in life, don't you think?" she said, barely pulling her lips away from the girl's neck, though without stopping her touch.
Pericles raised his cup with a slight smile.
"On that, I agree with you."
Cassandra let out a brief, pleased laugh.
"I thought so."
Then she kissed the servant's neck again, lingering for a moment before murmuring:
"Perhaps you should also try Cratius, while he's still there, still warm in bed."
Pericles gave a soft laugh and shook his head.
"No. I... prefer to enjoy myself only with women."
"How boring you are," Cassandra replied, amused, while sliding her hand once more between the servant's thighs. "Surrounded by so many pleasures, and still so selective."
Pericles drank a little wine, unbothered.
"To each their own tastes."
Cassandra gave him a mocking look.
"And some people have very little imagination."
Pericles did not argue. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Ronald.
"And you, Ronald? Like your sister, do you enjoy both?"
Ronald, reclining comfortably while the other girls continued touching him, showed a crooked smile.
"Let's just say I do... though not in quite the same way she does."
Cassandra burst into laughter.
"My brother has always been more creative than he seems."
Ronald inclined his head slightly, accepting the remark as though it were a compliment.
"And you've always been far too generous in describing me."
Pericles let out another laugh, this time a little freer.
"Well... no wonder you're known as 'the merry siblings' of House Susaku."
Cassandra smiled proudly.
"It's a very fitting nickname."
"Much better than those solemn titles other houses use to pretend they're grand," Ronald added disdainfully.
Pericles gently swirled the cup between his fingers.
"I suppose every house needs to distinguish itself somehow."
Ronald then looked at him with a sharper intent.
Ronald, House Susaku (35 years old)
"And speaking of standing out... what about you, Pericles? How have things been?"
He said it while one of the girls kissed his shoulder and another kept caressing his chest.
Then he added, with a barely veiled note of sarcasm:
"Everything is going well in your business now that you work for Fusuro, isn't it?"
Pericles's expression tightened ever so slightly, just enough to show that he had caught the tone.
"Yes. Everything is going well. The project has been progressing quite well."
"That's what I expected," Ronald said, without losing his smile.
Meanwhile, Cassandra gently pulled the servant toward her and ended up settling her on top of herself with a capricious naturalness, as though she were just another part of the hall's entertainment.
Then the sound of footsteps approaching from the corridor was heard.
A moment later, the door to the hall opened.
And Fusuro entered.
"Well, look who we have here..." he said as soon as he crossed the threshold.
Cassandra immediately moved the servant off her and got to her feet with a radiant smile.
"Fusuro!"
"Cassandra!" he replied, opening his arms.
She went to him without wasting a second and embraced him enthusiastically.
"It's been a long time, my dear cousin."
When they pulled apart, she kissed him familiarly on each cheek.
Ronald also dismissed the women around him and stood up.
"Cousin."
"Come here," Fusuro said.
The two of them embraced with the same easy confidence.
When he stepped back from him, Fusuro looked at the two siblings and asked:
"So? How has your hospitality at the palace been?"
"Wonderful," Cassandra replied without hesitation. "It has been delightful."
Fusuro shifted his gaze toward Pericles.
"Good. So Pericles has looked after you as he should."
"Indeed," Cassandra said. "He even brought Cratius himself so I could have a taste of him."
Fusuro let out a brief smile.
"I'm glad to hear it."
Then he made a light gesture with his hand.
"Come. Let's eat something."
Fusuro, Sovereign of House Susaku (37 years old)
Pericles also stood up and moved as though to approach Fusuro, but before he could say anything, Cassandra had already taken her cousin by the arm and started leading him toward the corridor.
Ronald followed behind them, letting out a brief laugh at his sister's possessive attitude.
And so, Fusuro left the hall with Cassandra clinging to his arm, while Ronald followed them and Pericles, a few steps behind, eventually caught up.
As they walked down the corridor, Cassandra remained wrapped around Fusuro's arm with the familiarity of someone who had always been able to do so.
"So, you've been enjoying yourself at the palace," she said with a crooked smile.
Fusuro let out a faint laugh through his nose.
"Yes... although, more than enjoying myself, I take pleasure in reminding everyone what our status is in Penteros."
Cassandra turned her head and looked out at the gardens around them. In the distance, several Sovereigns could be seen walking along the paths, conversing between pavilions and fountains, surrounded by servants, guards, and ladies.
"It's been years since I last visited the palace," she murmured. "I see far too many new faces."
Fusuro kept walking without bothering to look at anyone in particular.
"Yes, but no one cares about them. They're just low-prestige houses that have made their way in over time."
Cassandra made a small face of annoyance.
"How frustrating."
"Tell me about it," Fusuro replied, making a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Back then, entering the gardens meant something. Now they let in any mediocre house with enough money or the right favor in the right place."
Cassandra let out a dry laugh.
"So the palace no longer impresses the way it used to."
Fusuro barely twisted his mouth.
"Not as it should. It has lost its purity. Too many people, too much noise, too many houses determined to project a grandeur they do not possess."
Cassandra kept looking around her with disdain.
"It shows. Back then, you could walk through these gardens and know you were surrounded by the pinnacle. Now there are corners that look like the antechamber of enriched merchants."
Fusuro glanced at her, pleased by the remark.
"Exactly. The palace stopped being something truly high-class and slowly became a showcase for well-dressed trash."
Cassandra smiled maliciously.
"And even so, they all still long to get in."
"Because they know what it represents," Fusuro said. "No matter how many lesser houses crowd in here, the gardens still stand beneath the weight of the principal houses. And as long as Susaku remains at the top, that will not change."
Cassandra lifted her chin slightly.
"Anyway... and how are things in Perkter Rourcht?" Fusuro asked as they walked.
Cassandra gave a faint smile.
"As always, Fusuro. It hasn't changed much since you left."
Fusuro gave a slight nod.
"And my father? How has he been?"
"He's still the same," she replied. "Still ill, but stable within his condition."
Fusuro let out a short breath.
"I'm glad to hear that. I always receive letters, reports, or messages from messengers... but I needed to hear it from the lips of someone in the family."
As he said it, he touched Cassandra's nose with a playful gesture.
"I have to admit, the physicians of House Lothpraus have a well-earned reputation. If it weren't for them, my father would have died a long time ago."
Cassandra gave a small laugh, as if she had just remembered something.
"Now that you mention it... I need you to get me more of those contraceptive remedies."
Fusuro turned his gaze toward her and let out an amused laugh.
"You really are the embodiment of lust."
Cassandra laughed as well and clung even more tightly to his arm.
"And did you expect anything else from me?"
"No," Fusuro replied with a smile. "And honestly, it would be a disappointment if you changed."
Cassandra tilted her head slightly toward him, satisfied.
"Then I'll keep giving you reasons to feel proud."
The two of them continued walking down the corridor between laughs, with the easy familiarity of those who shared the same blood, the same excesses, and the same haughty way of seeing the world.
As they walked down the corridor toward the hall where they were going to eat, Ronald slowed his pace a little to take in the place. Pericles took that moment to move closer to him.
"I can see there's a great deal of closeness between them, wouldn't you say?" he commented, lowering his voice slightly.
Ronald gave a faint smile.
"My sister has always been very close to Fusuro. I have too, actually, though not in such a... physical way as she does. Of course, I suppose that's because I'm a man."
Pericles let out a small laugh.
"Yes, I had already noticed that Cassandra is very tactile."
"She always has been," Ronald replied matter-of-factly. "When she likes something or someone, she's not in the habit of hiding it."
Pericles nodded, and after a few more steps, asked:
"And how long do you plan to stay?"
Ronald glanced at him before answering.
"We'll be here for a while."
Then he added:
"Fusuro is organizing a celebration for the kingdom's achievements in the Field of Olympus."
Pericles turned to look at him.
"You mean a tournament?"
Ronald gave a short smile.
"Not just a tournament. There will be much more than that."
They kept walking among columns, gardens, and open-air corridors.
"And does it have the Direcrim's approval?" Pericles asked.
Ronald stopped for a moment and looked at him more intently.
"Does it have it? Of course it does. Better yet: we have it."
His tone grew a little firmer.
"The Direcrim would never oppose a request from the principal houses. Much less from those that supply the gardens, sustain projects of the kingdom, and maintain part of the royal control over several sectors of Penteros."
Pericles slightly raised a hand, downplaying the matter.
"I was only asking."
Ronald resumed walking.
"Besides, several houses are already joining the celebration. Ludesth, Tudeth, and others."
Pericles reflected for a second before saying:
"I see. It could be the ideal opportunity to put on a grand spectacle with gladiator battles."
Ronald let out a laugh of approval.
"Can you imagine it? It has been decades since people saw an event on the scale of what is coming."
He leaned slightly toward him, as though sharing something pleasant.
"And that is without even counting the other surprises Fusuro has prepared."
Pericles looked ahead, where Fusuro was still walking with Cassandra clinging to his arm.
"I imagine this celebration will raise your house's status even further in everyone's eyes."
Ronald smiled proudly.
"We are the most powerful house in Penteros. No one disputes that."
Then he added, with almost insolent certainty:
"We are not looking only to impress. We want to establish a milestone. A legacy. Something people will never forget."
Pericles remained silent for a few seconds.
"Ambitious."
"It has to be," Ronald replied. "Great houses are not meant to go unnoticed."
By then, they had already reached the hall.
Fusuro and Cassandra entered first. The workers who were finishing arranging the place withdrew immediately, leaving only the cloth servants in their positions. Fusuro took his seat. Cassandra settled beside him, while several servants began placing the dishes, goblets, and platters on the table.
Ronald entered afterward.
Pericles came in last.
Barely a few steps into the hall, Fusuro raised his voice:
"Pericles."
"Yes, Fusuro," he replied at once.
Fusuro watched him calmly before speaking.
"I am sorry to tell you that you will not be able to stay. This will be a family gathering."
Pericles showed no sign of annoyance. He only made a small gesture with his head.
"No problem. I will leave you to it. Enjoy yourselves."
Cassandra gave him a light smile and waved her hand casually.
"Thank you for your welcome at the palace, Pericles."
Ronald added, in a much more cordial tone than his cousin's:
"We will meet again, Pericles."
"So be it," he replied.
He was just about to turn around when he heard Fusuro's voice again.
"Pericles!"
Pericles stopped and turned immediately.
"Yes, Fusuro?"
Fusuro looked at him for a moment, as though he were about to say something, but then made a careless gesture with his hand.
"Nah... better not. Just go."
Pericles held his composure, though the humiliation made his gaze harden ever so slightly. Without saying anything else, he turned around and walked out quickly, silently bearing the weight of the shame caused by the way he had been treated.
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The First Suspicions
In one of the halls, the voices of several Sovereigns from the lands of Robercrut and Refrhald had gathered in a noisy swell. They spoke over one another, mixing complaints, rumors, and poorly pieced-together theories about the current situation. The murmur rose in waves, growing less restrained, more irritating each time.
Among them was Plabius, Sovereign of House Letmich.
He remained silent, listening.
He did not intervene. He only listened as his colleagues repeated the same suspicions in different words, feeding discussions that still retained an appearance of control, though their tone was beginning to rise little by little.
Plabius raised a hand to his forehead, visibly fed up.
"Be quiet."
The entire hall fell silent at once.
Everyone turned toward him.
Plabius swept his gaze across the room before speaking again.
"You have done nothing but say the same thing over and over."
No one replied.
"We already know that there is destabilization in several houses of Robercrut. We already know that there are internal conflicts among some of them. There is no need for you to keep inventing theories."
Plabius, Sovereign of House Letmich (42 years old)
The Sovereigns remained silent, watching him.
Then Plabius delivered his verdict in a firm voice:
"We need concrete information."
Suddenly, the door to the hall opened.
Eliotas entered the room.
The reaction was immediate: the Sovereigns straightened their backs, corrected their posture, and arranged themselves more neatly around the table. Only Plabius remained as he was, without changing his position.
Eliotas walked to the center.
A cloth servant who was there stepped forward to place some glasses on the table, but the moment he looked at her, he cut her off sharply:
"That's enough. Leave. Now."
The girl lowered her head in obedience and stepped away at once.
Eliotas remained standing at the center of the table. He placed both hands on its surface, one on each side, and swept his gaze over those present before speaking.
"I'm glad you've gathered here. As you already know, things have not been entirely stable in certain parts of Robercrut, from what I've learned."
He paused briefly.
"Anyway. What news do you have for me?"
Silence fell over the hall.
No one seemed willing to answer first. Not because they had nothing to say, but because they were afraid of saying too much or of saying something that would not be worth much in front of him.
Eliotas looked at them with a mixture of impatience and contempt.
"No one has anything to say?"
Plabius stepped in then, breaking the tension in the room and giving the others a way to speak.
"Yes, there is," he said firmly. "Lord Perish has news from Robercrut."
Once singled out in that way, the lord had no choice but to speak.
"I have spoken with some lords of Robercrut," he began. "According to what they have told me, several neighboring houses seem to be falling into dispute with one another after being accused of murders against people who were important to certain business dealings that were underway."
Eliotas did not interrupt him.
Lord Perish continued:
"That has led rival houses to try to take advantage of the situation."
He paused briefly before adding:
"However, they all deny having taken part in those murders. Though, of course, it is also difficult to believe them just like that. Their rivalries, their internal tensions, and their mutual contempt are well known. That is why it is not easy to determine whether they are truly innocent... or whether all this is simply another way of justifying acts of self-sabotage between houses."
Eliotas listened to everything without interrupting.
When Lord Perish finished, he kept silent for a brief moment before saying:
"I understand."
Eliotas, Sovereign of House Dumstrein (53 years old)
Then he barely lifted his gaze toward the entrance of the hall.
"Well then, allow me to inform you that I have brought a guest who, from now on, will also be involved in these internal matters."
Eliotas shifted his gaze toward the door.
Until that moment, Furher had remained on the other side, silently listening to part of the conversation.
A moment later, he entered the room.
The surprise was immediate.
Several of those present remained motionless, unable to fully hide their astonishment at seeing him there. They had not expected someone like him to become involved so directly in a problem of that kind.
Eliotas stood up beside him.
Furher took a few steps forward and positioned himself next to the table. He swept all the lords with a sober gaze before speaking:
"Lords of the lands of Robercrut and Refrhald..."
The hall fell completely silent.
"It has been years, many years, since we managed to maintain a relative stability in the region surrounding Rossent."
He paused briefly.
"Together, we defeated and expelled the Vikings of Kleidmur from the lands of Genebarth. And since then, we have given the kingdom decades of peace and tranquility."
His voice remained firm, without any need to rise.
"And, as sovereigns of these regions, it is our duty to maintain control and order within them."
He shifted his gaze slightly from one face to another.
"For that very reason, from now on we will work collaboratively: Robercrut, Refrhald, and Rinnerhot."
He let the weight of those three regions settle over the room before continuing.
"For the peace of the region, we will need the cooperation of all of you... and also of those who are not present here."
When Furher finished speaking, Eliotas took the floor.
"From this moment on, things will change."
His tone was dry, final.
"There will be no more territorial disputes in these lands."
He looked at each of those present with severity.
"Speak with the neighboring houses. Deliver your warnings. There must be no more quarrels between houses."
No one responded.
Eliotas brought the meeting to an end with a single order:
"All of you, leave."
The Sovereigns immediately began to rise and left the hall without disputing the decision.
When the room was empty, only Furher and Plabius remained there beside Eliotas.
Eliotas and Furher took their seats.
Plabius remained near the table, attentive, without intervening just yet.
"Thank you, Furher, for your cooperation in these matters," Eliotas said.
Furher replied with the same sobriety as always:
"Do not worry. Just like you, I am interested in maintaining stability in the kingdom."
"I see," Eliotas murmured.
Then he made a sharp gesture toward a cloth servant waiting in the distance.
The girl approached at once.
"Bring wine. Now. At once. Now."
The servant lowered her head and hurried to obey.
Eliotas then turned his attention back to Furher.
"I imagine you must be quite busy with the expansions in Kelendor."
Furher gave a slight nod.
Furher, Sovereign of House Freide (51 years old)
"We are already making progress. Together with several commanders and military forces from the armies of other houses, we have managed to conquer some of the lands around the port station of Kelendor."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"However, the clans have proven more difficult to subdue than expected. They have greater numbers than we estimated and have put up stronger resistance."
Plabius listened in silence.
At that moment, the servant returned with the wine and began pouring it carefully.
"Even so, we are making progress," Furher concluded.
Then he set the glass down on the table, looked at Plabius, and said:
"In any case... returning to the current situation. You were saying that you had more information, Plabius."
"Indeed," he replied.
Eliotas adjusted himself in his seat and fixed his gaze on Plabius, waiting for him to continue.
Plabius spoke calmly, taking care to arrange each idea properly.
"Let us say that many of the things that have happened have something in common: the murders of key individuals."
Neither Eliotas nor Furher interrupted him.
"Most of those murders have taken place within Rousth. As the lord mentioned earlier, all of this may appear, on the surface, to be an internal conflict between rival houses over economic interests."
He paused briefly.
"But there is one important detail: most of those murders have occurred in the lower district or the middle district."
Eliotas narrowed his eyes slightly.
Plabius continued:
"And not only that. There have also been murders tied to disputes between houses, yes... but also of key people who were connected to the hunt for Reydem."
Eliotas looked at him more attentively.
"Are you saying that multiple murders are taking place within the capital?"
"Yes," Plabius replied. "Many of those dead were connected to dealings with mercenaries, assassins, or informants."
He lowered his voice slightly.
"For now, we do not have much more information."
Furher fell silent in thought for a few moments before asking:
"And what are these murders like?"
Plabius answered without hesitation:
"From what some of my spiders have reported to me, almost all of them are similar. They happen at night. There are cuts to the throat, slit throats, and cases of asphyxiation with some kind of cord or something similar."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Eliotas thought it over. Furher did as well.
At last, Eliotas spoke:
"What connection could there be between murders tied to disputes between houses and murders within networks of assassins?"
Plabius gave a slight shake of his head.
"We do not know. So far, we have not found a clear answer."
Then he added:
"However, there is another common point."
Both of them looked at him.
"All of this seems to be creating noise. As if these attacks were meant to divert attention in different directions. That is the only thing that occurs to me for now."
Eliotas remained silent, trying to give shape to that idea, though still not reaching a conclusion.
Furher, on the other hand, studied the wine in his glass carefully before speaking:
"Whatever it is that is causing all of this, the motives may be connected. We must find out."
Then he raised his gaze toward Plabius.
"And from the way you describe it... do you think it could be the same killer?"
Plabius reflected for a moment before replying:
"I still can't say for certain. But I can order my watchers to pay much closer attention to those details."
"Good," Furher said.
Then he stood up.
"Well, gentlemen, I'll take my leave. I have other meetings to attend to."
Plabius rose as well.
"So do I."
Eliotas lifted his gaze toward both of them and let out a half-smile steeped in disdain.
"Don't tell me it has something to do with the little 'party' House Susaku is organizing."
Furher answered without the slightest change in tone:
"No. In my case, it's other matters."
Plabius added:
"In mine as well."
"How nice," Eliotas said as he got to his feet.
Furher adjusted his coat slightly before speaking once more:
"Besides, as long as all of that is handled with his resources and those of his associates, and not with the kingdom's, the rest does not concern me."
"I feel the same way," Eliotas replied.
Then he extended his hand toward Furher.
"I appreciate your cooperation, Furher. We will keep each other informed."
Furher shook his hand firmly.
After that, Plabius did the same.
Before letting go, Furher said to him:
"Keep me informed."
Plabius nodded.
"Any new information, I'll make sure it reaches you."
After that, Furher was the first to leave the hall. Plabius followed shortly afterward. The cloth servant who had remained waiting then approached to collect the goblets and clear what had been left on the table.
From there, each of them went in a different direction through the palace corridors.
Some distance away, Amarantha was leaving another hall carrying a tray loaded with dirty plates and cutlery when, as she turned into the main corridor, she saw them.
First came Furher.
Then Plabius.
And behind them, Eliotas.
All three were leaving the same room.
Amarantha did not stop. She kept walking with the same usual composure, but for a moment her eyes fixed on that door before shifting away.
It was not an insignificant combination.
She continued on her way in silence, the tray in her hands, while that image lingered in her mind as she kept moving toward the kitchen.