Ducking into a side hallway, Ophelia pressed herself against the wall, looking for anything to steady her shaken nerves. "Did I hear that right?" she thought to herself "Lucio is alive? But how could that be possible? He's obviously not running around in the shape of a giant goat, or that would be bigger news than his resurrection." Ophelia wasn't the kind to panic, but she felt the icy hand of fear gripping her heart "I did this. This is my fault." the words rang in her brain, drowning out everything else. It was all she could do to suppress those thoughts and shove them deep down inside of her so she could regain her composure. She knew that it wouldn't do for her to disappear amidst such chaos, so she squared her shoulders and did the best she could to hold her head high, as if nothing was wrong or out of the ordinary, and stepped back into the main hall, doing her best to convince herself that whatever happened that night, she would be fine.
Making her way to the ballroom, Ophelia pushed her way through the crowd of servants and inside the entrance; her small stature allowing her to press past people without drawing attention to herself. Once inside, she saw Lucio - back in his human form - and Nadia facing each other on the far side of the giant room, neither of them appearing to be enjoying themselves. Ophelia did her best to stay close to the wall, preferring to get a read on the situation before making her presence known.
As she watched the two, she could see from their body language that their conversation was bordering on hostile; Nadia was standing there with her arms folded over her chest and a look of disdainful suspicion on her face; Lucio appeared to be making a small attempt at civility, though haughtiness radiated off his entire being as he leaned on an ornate cane with one hand, the other resting lightly on his hip. Ophelia couldn't help but notice that he looked exactly like the painting that hung in his chambers; he was beautiful with his imposing posture and wonderfully detailed coat and boots, and the very picture of health, aside from the red of his eyes - which had not disappeared, despite his seeming good health - which stood out starkly against his pale skin and blond hair.
Realizing that they were speaking in lowered tones, Ophelia turned her full attention to reading their lips, determined to learn as much as she could before revealing herself to them.
Nadia seemed to be expressing skeptical disbelief as Lucio spoke; he seemed to be asserting his right to his former status "You would deny me - the rightfully chosen Count of Vesuvia - my title and all the power and responsibility that goes along with it, because you believe me an imposter? You really think that I am some vulgar doppelganger?"
Nadia's jaw clenched and unclenched several times before she responded "If you are indeed Lucio as you claim to be, I will restore everything to you as it was before you passed. However, it would be quite easy to hire a magician to render you an exact copy of my late husband."
"And what do you suggest we do about that?" he asked, leaning in slightly to, Ophelia thought, give a slight air of intimidation.
Holding up a hand in front of her as if warding him off, Nadia spoke again "As soon as my magician arrives, we will know for sure. Until then, please try to refrain from making a scene; I don't want there to be any more of a scandal until we know for sure who you are. I've sent Portia to find her, so until then, we will wait."
Ophelia groaned "It looks like I won't get to skip out on this situation" she thought to herself. Just as she was about to come forward, Lucio spoke again:
"Where is this magician I've heard so much about?" his manner was casual, but Ophelia could see that he was scanning the room carefully. She shrank back behind a guard, not wanting to be spotted before she was ready to show herself, thanking her stars that no one around her was privy to the conversation.
Nadia looked at him distastefully "Don't worry about my magician, she is none of your concern. But she will tell me whether you are lying or telling the truth, and we will continue from there."
Lucio shrugged "Have it your way, Noddy."
She glared at him "Don't call me that. Even if you are my husband returned from the dead, I hardly think we're on the kind of terms for pet names any longer."
Seeing that they were only going to continue to antagonize each other, Ophelia emerged from her hiding place, walking to the center of the room and calling their attention to her.
"You summoned me, Nadia?" She said "Portia told me that it was important."
Both Lucio and Nadia turned to her eagerly, though Lucio kept his reaction as minimal as possible. Nadia spoke first:
"Ah, Ophelia, there you are. First, allow me to apologize to you for the way I allowed Pontifex Vulgora to speak to you earlier. I let my frustration get the best of me, and I took that out on you. I'm truly sorry."
Ophelia nodded in acknowledgment while the Countess spoke, noticing out of the corner of her eye, the delighted look on Lucio's face as he listened to Nadia's apology. When she was done, Ophelia smiled simply and accepted. Normally she would beg Nadia to forget the slight and reassure her that no harm was done, but the extenuating circumstances had put her on high alert, preventing her from feeling at ease in even the smallest amount.
Nadia seemed to sense this, and continued without delay, "Let us get right to the heart of why I called you here. This man," she gestured to Lucio, who was still striking a debonaire figure and watching Ophelia like a hawk, making her feel that Nadia's presence was the sole obstacle holding him back from pouncing on her "this man," Ophelia forced herself to pay attention to the Countess' words "is here claiming to be my departed husband, the Count Lucio, as I'm sure you recognize from his portraits."
Ophelia finally allowed herself to make eye contact with the count, and the very instant she did so, she felt an overwhelming heat rush through her body.
"I'm glad to see you looking so refreshed." his voice echoed in her head, making her drop her gaze immediately, "When I last I saw you, you were in quite a state of...disarray." trying to keep her composure, Ophelia ignored him, keeping her eyes cast down; she could almost feel his laughter at her plight.
Completely oblivious to what was going on between them, Nadia continued her explanation "Ophelia I want you to use your magic and tell me if he's just a lying charlatan, making an attempt at taking my title, or if he is in fact Lucio. As impossible as that sounds." There was a hint of hope in her voice as she uttered the last sentence, making it clear that she fiercely hoped Ophelia would give her the smallest reason to reject his claim.
Lifting her eyes to Nadia's face, Ophelia cleared her throat "I've never had to use my magic for such a purpose before," she said hesitantly "but I have felt Lucio's essence around the palace and around his chambers, so I will do my best."
Nodding in agreement, Nadia turned to Lucio "Is this agreeable to you, 'Lucio'?" she said, making it clear that she didn't care if it was, and she had no confidence in his legitimacy.
Lucio bowed dramatically "If that is what it takes to convince you, my Countess, then the lady magician may do whatever she likes to me."
Nadia rolled her eyes at him "Very well. Ophelia, you may proceed at your discretion."
Ophelia turned to Lucio, looking him over while still refusing to make eye contact. She could feel his gaze on her, just like that first time in his chambers when she'd gone tumbling down the rabbit hole, it felt like he was slowly stripping away every article of her clothing and daring her to do something to stop him.
She finally reached up, hesitantly placing her hand where the collar of Lucio's shirt parted at his neck.
He remained staring down at her, enjoying her discomfort "Do as you please, my lady" he said, smirking at Nadia over Ophelia's head "I'm an open book and will undergo any trial you see fit to put me through."
Ignoring his remarks, Ophelia closed her eyes and let her magic flow from her fingertips and over his skin. She felt foolish. She knew damn well that this was Lucio himself standing in front of her. Knew just as well how he came to be there, too. So why was she playing along instead of telling Nadia exactly what happened? Fear, she told herself. Fear that every stable part of her life would come crashing down around her, and she'd be left to pick up the pieces.
Banishing such thoughts, Ophelia raised her head and removed her hand from Lucio's chest and turned back to the Countess "I'm afraid he is exactly who he claims to be." she said "There is no doubt that this man is in fact Count Lucio, brought back from the dead, somehow."
Nadia's jaw visibly tightened; turning to the closest courtiers, she called out to them "please get the count's rooms ready for him." and then turning back to Lucio, she smiled forcefully through tightlydrawn lips "I will have your titles returned to you as quickly as possible, Lucio. I am sorry for doubting your word. You will have everything you need as soon as it can be done."
"Oh don't rush on my account," he said in a haughtily cheerful voice. I know it will all get done, so there is no need to rush anything. Besides, I'd like to get a feel for the palace again, and it's occupants - here with a pointed look at Ophelia - while you attend to the upcoming festivities."
"Very well." Nadia's voice had become cold and austere "Your chambers will be ready for you by nightfall." and with that, she went a little distance away, to speak with one of the servants who had been quietly observing the event.
As soon as Nadia's attention was elsewhere, Lucio advanced on Ophelia, look her over like a snake would a mouse. Taking on a friendly tone, he struck up a conversation "Tell me, magician," he said "about your training. Was it formal or are you self taught?"
Unsure of his purpose in trying to speak to her, but not wanting to appear out of sorts, she was just opening her mouth to answer him, when she felt an arm curl itself around her shoulders. Nadia was standing there staring coldly at Lucio "I'll thank you to leave my people alone, Lucio. I won't have you harassing them. Especially not someone as important to me as Ophelia." with that she turned, guiding Ophelia out the door without glancing back for Lucio's reaction.
For the rest of the day, Nadia made sure that Ophelia was never out of her sight, and when it came time to retire, sent Portia with her to escort her to her room, even though they all knew that Ophelia never got lost within the palace anymore.
Ophelia prepared for bed with much trepidation that night. Would Lucio continue haunting her like he had only days before? Would he leave her alone now that he had achieved his goal? She couldn't say. All she knew when she got to her room, was that she was exhausted from the events of the day, and wanted nothing more than to sleep, uninterrupted, for the next five years.
Her slumber was entirely dreamless; it seemed that Lucio was either unable to reach her on the same level as he had before, or something else was taking his attention. She had a hard time believing he was leaving her alone by choice.
It was around two o'clock in the morning, the night still pitch black, when Ophelia awakened; the reason for the interruption unknown, except that she was aware of feeling overwhelmingly hungry.
Making her way through the halls as quietly as she could, the dim light from her spell casting soft shadows on the walls and lighting her way. It made her uncomfortable that the path to the palace kitchens unavoidable took her past the grand ballroom, especially after the events of the day. Arriving in the kitchens, she rummaged around until she found a handful of dates and some cheese which she helped herself too. Feeling satisfied and once again ready to sleep, she began to make her way back to her chambers, walking slowly and enjoying the night breeze that wafted in through several open windows along her way.
As she reached the part of the way that led past the ballroom, something halted Ophelia in her tracks; as she stood there trying to discern why she had felt goosebumps run down her back, she heard the faint sound of voices coming from somewhere ahead of her. Curiosity taking over, she ventured forward to find the source of the voices; following the sounds, she turned down a smaller hallway, and found herself in front of one of the side rooms of the larger ballroom that were most often used for guests to sit and socialize while they rested their feet between dances.
Light shone out from under the door of one such room, drawing Ophelia to it to press her ear against it in hopes of getting the gist of what was going on. Finding that the voices were still too muffled, she leaned on the door gently, only to discover that it wasn't even latched, and slowly swung open, not making the slightest of sounds. Ophelia thanked her stars for the constant maintenance that Nadia had implemented in the palace, ensuring that the hinges on all doors were well oiled and silent.
Peeking into the room, Ophelia only saw a short sofa, and a small table occupying the room, and no lights lit, indicating that the sounds and light were coming from somewhere farther in. She crept through the door and saw that the light was coming from a second doorway, and, making her way up to it, slyly looked around the corner.
The sight that confronted her, made her heartbeat quicken: there, in the center of the room, stood Count Lucio, dressed in a billowy nightshirt and short breeches, having a heated discussion with none other than Ophelia's recently made enemy, Pontifex Vulgora. The two seemed to be arguing, and Ophelia was finally close enough to hear what they were saying.
"You purposely went against my plan and disobeyed my orders!" Lucio fumed "You did everything you could to keep her away from me, when your role was to guide her to me at all costs. You knew she was the key to my resurrection, and instead of doing what I explicitly instructed you to, you decided you would rather garner my favor by finding your own way of bringing me back so I would be beholden to you for my return."
Vulgora sneered at his words "I was this close to a way of bringing you back that didn't require the cooperation of that unworthy little gutter rat!" They hissed "You would have never needed her, and you wouldn't now be fighting with the weakness you acquired when you joined with her, and you wouldn't hesitate to do what you know needs to be done."
"I still need her, and she's given me no such weakness," Lucio snarled, bringing his face in close to the courtier's "The only weakness I have demonstrated thus far is an inability to choose competent help." with those words, he gripped his ornate cane as if he wanted to smash it into Vulgora's enraged visage.
"Of course you 'need her'," they spat out mockingly "you 'need' her pretty little cunt to keep your cock wet, that's all it is. You've become blind to your purpose and unwilling to act as you know you have to."
"You seem to know my needs so well, Vulgora" he seethed through his clenched teeth "pray tell, how would you in all your wisdom recommend I proceed?"
Vulgora smirked "Kill her." they said simply "Take back your titles and kill that little wench, therefore removing all obstacles to your greatness."
Lucio glared at the courtier, clenching his jaw and contemplating their words "And what if I do kill her and this solution is only temporary? Why would I destroy the only thing keeping me in this form?"
His question was met with a scoff "Tsk, then we go with my plan and find a different way to bring you back again. A permanent one this time."
Turning away, Lucio seemed to consider what they had said. Meanwhile, Ophelia was still watching from her vantage point, her terror growing stronger by the second. What had she done? If she had known even a fraction of the cost of allowing Lucio's ghost to fuck her, she'd have never even considered the option.
By this time, Lucio had turned back to Vulgora "You know, you are right about one thing," he said as he approached them once again, a strange smile on his face "she does have a pretty cunt."
The subsequent events happened in the blink of an eye: Lucio gripped his cane in both hands and pulled it apart, revealing a long, thin sword, and in one fluid motion, swung it at the courtier's neck.
Ophelia almost shrieked aloud, but only just managed to clap a hand over her mouth.
There was a loud clang and she saw that Vulgora had caught the sword in a clenched fist, their armored gauntlet preventing the weapon from doing any real harm.
"I see that you've made your decision," the courtier said, their voice flat with an underlying hint of venom "you will regret this, Lucio."
The ensuing battle was fierce; each of the combatants giving no quarter as they threw every effort into destroying the other. Lucio was clearly the larger of the two, and used his height and weight to his advantage, raining a barrage of slashes down on Vulgora, the intent on his face was set as if in stone. But the courtier gave him a hard fight, seeming to be just as determined to defeat him. They used their armored claws as weapons, blocking Lucio's attacks and launching their own.
Ophelia watched in horrified fascination as they battled furiously back and forth across the room. It had begun to feel as though the fight would go on forever, neither combatant showing signs of tiring or submitting. Try as she might, Ophelia couldn't predict who would come out the victor. It turned out she didn't have to; Lucio seemed to perceive a pattern in Vulgora's movements, allowing him to begin to anticipate where and how they would strike next. He seized his opportunity when Volgora lunged at him with an over handed slash, grabbing their wrist and plunging his blade into their chest.
Unable to respond to any of her impulses to flee, Ophelia remained in place, rooted to the ground as she watched the count stalk around his defeated foe. He kicked the body onto it's back, inspecting it to make sure that he had struck true. Seemingly satisfied, he walked to a side door and called to someone behind it; a guard soon appeared, and Lucio ordered him to take the body away.
"Get rid of this filth and make sure no trace is left. I don't want to deal with any kind of fallout for this. The fool had it coming and will be missed by no one."
The guard nodded and disappeared, leaving Lucio to begin pacing the room, deep in thought.
As she watched, the spell that seemed to bind Ophelia to her spot was suddenly broken and she took the opportunity to flee back to her chambers, not glancing over her shoulder until she was safe with her back pressed against her bedroom door.
Each day that passed by was more trying for Ophelia; she was conflicted about what she had witnessed, but had no one to talk about it with. One thing that especially rankled was how she had felt when she watched Lucio Kill Vulgora. She had always hated the courtier, and never once thought about wanting them dead; but the way Lucio had defended his interest in her to them, and the savage way he had taken their life struck deep chords within her. She had never had someone defend her with that kind of passion. Regardless of Lucio's motivations, she couldn't help but feel slightly smug about how important he seemed to think she was.
Ophelia had still not heard a single word from Lucio herself. The way he had spoken of her to Vulgora had made her feel as though he she was vital to his survival and he had set his mind on keeping her close, but her sleep went undisturbed, and she received no summons from him, making her wrack her brain trying to figure what was going on. As much as much she hated the idea of it, she began to believe that her only solution was to go to Lucio and ask him herself. The first time the idea had sprang into her head, she had rejected it outright; she had done enough damage by helping him return to the world of the living, and all she would be doing was making it worse by going to him, she convinced herself. But the question still lingered and nagged at her until she couldn't take it anymore. She made her decision one night after tossing and turning in her bed for hours after the palace had retired.
Using her magic to summon her dim ball of light, Ophelia stole out of bed and crept through the palace hallways, not bothering to even don a dressing gown over the short nightgown she wore.
Upon arriving at the Count's chambers, she felt a knot of panic well up in her throat; it was almost enough to make her turn tail and run, but she calmed herself and placed her hand on the door handle, almost surprised when it turned easily and swung open, revealing an antechamber that led to the rest of the rooms.
Seeing that there was a soft light coming from deeper in the chambers, Ophelia tiptoed closer, trying to discern if Lucio was asleep yet.
As she moved forward, the silence was broken by two voices, one she instantly recognized as belonging to Lucio, while the other she was sure she had never heard before. Sliding along the wall, she got close enough to hear what was being said.
"All that aside, what really brought you here in the middle of the night, Valerius? Did you miss my charm and vast wit? I can be terribly hard to forget, or so I'm told." Lucio's voice was playful and flirtatious, a sound Ophelia had never heard before.
The other voice sighed before it spoke "Yes, I suppose that's right." it said begrudgingly "you and i have a history of...well it was mutually beneficial, so I thought it would be advantageous to rekindle it. Perhaps we can help each other."
Lucio answered with a laugh and some unintelligible remark, but Ophelia wasn't listening closely enough to catch it. Rather, she was furiously biting her lip, and wondering what Valerius could possibly mean to Lucio. She didn't like the familiarity in the way they were speaking to each other "Why would Lucio want anything to do with that drunk idiot?" she sneered to herself "It's not like Valerius has any valuable qualities, all he does is stand around with a glass of wine, being an ass."
She didn't know what she was feeling the way she was, but she decided to take a peek around the corner to get an idea of their level of intimacy. As she peered into the room, she saw Lucio, leaning back on the bed, a lecherous smile on his face that made Ophelia want to strangle him. She next noticed the man of medium height and the two toned braid holding an almost-empty glass of wine in his hand, his back turned to Ophelia.
"Get me something from that wine cabinet behind you, and we can continue to discuss our terms" Valerius told Lucio.
The Count rolled his eyes in annoyance "Always have to be inebriated don't you? Well I don't really need you to be sober, so why not?" he got up from the bed and crossed the room look in the cabinet.
As Lucio rummaged through his wine collection, Valerius moved to come up behind him, and as he did so, Ophelia caught sight of a gleam of metal near his right hand. As she watched, she saw that it was the hilt of a dagger, concealed in the courtier's sleeve.
Ophelia's mind began to race "He's going to kill Lucio" it screamed. Looking wildly around the room, she spied an array of sharp-looking letter openers on a desk near the doorway she was concealed in. "I can stop him" she thought to herself "but he's so tall, I don't know that I can reach." she then saw that Valerius was approaching a small armchair that was sitting to the side near where Lucio was searching for a beverage with which to ply his guest.
The following events were a blur to Ophelia; she waited until Valerius was close behind Lucio, and had started reaching for the dagger in his sleeve, the chair just within range. In a flash she was up and out of her hiding place, seeming to close the distance with a single leap, snatched up a letter opener, and vaulting into the chair behind Valerius, snared her fingers in his hair and yanked his head to the side before plunging the letter opener into his neck, right where she had been taught to find a pulse.
Lucio whirled around at the sound of the breaking wine glass and strangled cry Valerius let out as the weapon pierced his artery, staring dumbfounded as the courtier clutched his throat, the blood pouring out around his hands, and sank to the ground, his last breaths coming out in a gurgle as his own weapon fell from his grasp and slid across the floor, coming to rest in front of Lucio's boot.
Lucio's gaze sprang to Ophelia where she stood atop the chair, blood drenching the sleeve and hand that still clutched her weapon, her chest heaving and eyes wild. They stood there facing each other, not a sound to be heard aside from their mutual labored breathing as they stared into the other's eyes. Lucio was the first to move; closing the space between them in what felt like a single stride, his hand shot out to grasp the wrist that still gripped the letter opener, and dragged her off the chair, pressing her flush against his own body and pinning her against the side of the chair. He stared down at her, searching her eyes with a piercing stare.
"Why would you do that?" he hissed, gripping her so hard that she let the object fall from her hand, landing with a clatter on the floor.
Ophelia blinked confusedly; she couldn't really say why she'd just saved Lucio's life, she only remembered the glimmer of light reflected off of Valerius' dagger and then an overwhelming sense of panic and the need to prevent Lucio's death at all costs.
"I-I don't know," she stammered "I can't even remember why I thought to do it."
The intensity of Lucio's scrutiny multiplied as he gazed into Ophelia's eyes, searching for whether or not she was being truthful in her declaration. He reached out with his golden hand and slipped it around her throat, letting the tip of his armored thumb rest over her lips. Glancing past her at the body that lay in an ever growing pool of blood, he began working his jaw as if he was mulling something over. His gaze snapped back to Ophelia and, without warning, he crushed his mouth against hers, making her yelp in surprise at the sudden contact. He continued his ferocious affections until Ophelia managed to gather her wits about her and wrench herself free, holding him at arm's length, her fingers leaving little bloody prints on his pristine white jacket, a detail that was not lost on the Count, as the increased fervor with which he looked at her indicated.
"What are you doing? What did I just do? What are we going to do about him?" the words came out tumbling over each other as she tried to make sense of the situation.
"Forget him." Lucio told her, his eyes never leaving her face "I was right about you, you're perfect, you're all I need."
The look in his eyes scared her "What do you mean by that?" Ophelia asked him warily.
Lucio took her by the waist, disregarding the blood that now stained both their hands "You brought me back with your magic and didn't tell Nadia when you realized what you had done. You told no one when I killed Vulgora - yes I knew you were there watching that night." he held up a hand to suppress her protest "Now, you've murdered a man in order to protect me; a courtier no less. You're exactly what I need, and I think you know it and don't object nearly as much as you think you should."
Ophelia felt the desperate need flowing off of him as he spoke, making her head swim a little and, combined with the shock from the act she had just committed, made her feel like she was losing her grip on reality. Then she remembered how he had cut Vulgora down for insulting his interest in her, and a sense of heat flooded over her. Feeling a sudden touch of the devil, she looked up at Lucio, biting her lip "Is my cunt really that pretty?" she asked in as innocent a voice as she could muster.
Lucio's crimson eyes blazed and a leer broke over his face, and he lowered his mouth to her ear "Your pussy is one of the prettiest that I have ever beheld," he whispered "though it's infinitely more lovely with my cock inside it."