Unto Darkness, Starlight
For there is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather; to cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands.
- Christina Rossetti
THIS IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN MYSELF AND MATHISMAGIC FROM THE DOS DISCORD!
Note: This is a crossover between Silver Queens' Dreaming of Sunshine Universe and I am a Child of this House/I Belong to House Castiello Manhwa.
You should be able to follow this without much help, but in case you haven't read one or the other of these niche fandoms:
Summary of Dreaming of Sunshine: The main character, Shikako, is reborn from our world into the world of Naruto. She is Shikamaru's twin sister, of the Nara clan, so she can manipulate shadows. She also has a connection to the god-entity Gelel, which she communes with from a stone she wears as a necklace, and whom she can find by following music she can hear.
Summary of I am a Child of this House: Estelle is a reborn woman from Korea who was horribly confined and abused by her mother. When her father- the terrifying Duke Castielo - learns of her existence, she is quickly brought into his household and educated as a Lady, while also slowly unravelling the secrets of her Family's line, of magic, and of the country itself.
Chapter 9
'Why am I doing this again?' He thought, staring dispassionately at the note on his desk. He had finally managed to complete all his tasks for that man and had planned to spend his reward money that evening. Yet here he was, not even finished eating his dinner, receiving another letter from that asshole, contracting him for another job.
'Nope. I'm just not gonna do it. No way am I going to risk my neck for some irritating, intimidating, bastard... who has more political power in his pinky than I do through all my contacts.' Pausing in thought, he suddenly had a flashback of all the ways he had seen that man brutally destroy those he deemed his enemies.
Sighing loudly, he quickly shoved the rest of his meal into his mouth before taking out his knives and equipment. Grumbling to himself, he swore to raise his prices for the last minute mission. It's not like the asshole couldn't afford it, he growled as he strapped the weapons onto himself. He would have to work all night again to get the first part of the mission done. If that man wasn't so rich and powerful, he'd ignore his orders and just do whatever he wanted. Pulling out his wig, he carefully fixed his makeup and dress, checking from every angle possible that his disguise would pass inspection.
Smiling at the mirror, he watched in approval as a sultry and well endowed young woman smiled back at him.
'No one questions a whore why she's hanging around shady bars at this time of night.' Tying his bag to his inner thigh, he quickly fixed his skirt before making his way into the streets.
Many guards and knights standing by the various establishments whistled at him as he sauntered by. Making sure to play his role perfectly, he blew kisses, teased a few of the ones closest to him, and made sure to plant a poisoned kiss on one of the more persistent ones. It was just common sense to wear lipstick with a powerful sleeping potion laced through it.
Smirking as the guard started to sway, he made sure to push him against the wall and steal his gold for the delay. Finally reaching the alleyway which connected to the back entrance of the Lediable bar, he found the man guarding it looking bored as he beat up some stupid brat trying to get inside. Sauntering up to the man with the smirk, he couldn't help but mentally gag as the man immediately lowered his guard at the sight of a beautiful whore making their way to him.
'What a rookie. Ugh, this is going to be too easy.' If he's going to keep getting dragged out for these missions without rest, they could at least be fun ones.
Pressing himself against the thug's chest, he began to whisper sweet nothings of what he'd like to do with him if he stepped away from the door. The disgusting man began to paw at his fake chest and legs. It pissed him off, as the brute obviously didn't care for his pleasure or comfort in his handling.
Sliding his ring around, he gently pressed on the side, revealing a poison needle from the decorative piece. He stabbed it into the back of the guard's neck. When his target slumped a few moments later, he quickly grabbed the unconscious man and stripped him of his clothes. Switching his dress for the smelly but discreet guards clothes, he made his way into the bar and down the stairs to the underground black market. Making his way further to the center, he browsed from stall to stall, wondering if he'd find anything worth buying as he waited for the signal.
Gold dragons and fake holy items gleamed on the shabby looking stall tables, peppered with rubies, emeralds and many other gems. Small pieces of soul gems gleamed in various items, too small for the fortune these con artists were selling them at. Huffing in amusement at the ignorance of some of the shoppers, he absently noticed more and more assassins slipping between the stalls, and experienced mercenaries streaming out of the bars and blacksmiths.
Just when he was ready to steal something for the fun of it, a burly man gave a discreet whistle.
Making sure to make another round through the stalls, he slipped into a partially hidden side door, where a series of assassins and mercenaries stood by a wizard with a map depicting the Country Manor of the Demon Duke.
Smirking at the sight, he made sure to maneuver himself closer as they all began to argue and fight. The reward money was insane if they managed to pull this heist, prompting many mercenaries to challenge each other to spars and assassinations to take each other out. Only the strongest would be left to take this mission. He smiled gleefully as he put down another weak-ass mercenary. That reward money was his! He definitely deserved it after all the shit he had gone through completing his mission. No way would some pansy assassins and worthless mercenaries stop him from being one of the men assigned to break into the manor.
'They'll never see me coming.' He thought, chuckling as he stabbed another man.
The wizard's gleaming eyes glowed with power as he finished his opponent.
"You in the brown cloak! You pass! Join the others in the next room. You are worthy to take this mission." The wizard smirked, waving at another door hidden behind his robe.
Slipping through the passageway, he shivered as a malicious feeling pressed down on him. The screams of the dying reached a fevered pitch before cutting off, leaving only silence behind him.
'What the fuck did I get myself into?' Sweating slightly in fear, he pressed on forward cursing that man in every language he knew.
Ein breathed a small sigh of relief as he finally carried his daughters into their ancestral home. Who would have thought so much emotion could come from such tiny girls. They've somehow managed to make him feel more in these last few days compared to the last few years.
Their very existence has made him feel various degrees of terrified since he was first notified. They're so small and delicate, and there are so many bastards who would hurt them, or take them from him. Bastards who would do anything to get their hands on their flesh and blood. But now, with both of his daughters nestled safely in his arms, in the most secure place, they could be… he felt he could allow himself to relax. Slightly.
He met Annie standing in his bedchamber. Rooms had been prepared for the girls, of course, but Ein couldn't yet bear to part with them. He let her take one of his daughters and both of them carefully dressed the girls into their nightgowns. Stepping back, he watched as she took great care not to wake them as she tucked them into his bed.
"Are they okay? They fell asleep so quickly… They slept through most of the carriage ride as well. They also slept in this morning. Considering everything…" Ein didn't turn to Annie to ask his question. He couldn't tear his eyes off of the small but steady rise and fall of the twins' chests. Proof that they yet breathed, that their long, unnatural stillness is merely sleep.
"Yes, My Lord. Normal children at their age need lots of sleep. And since the Ladies are so ill, they will need more rest than others. Leave them be, Milord. This is how they will gain strength and heal."
Ein grimaced, reminded once again of his failures, and of that woman's sins. His partially-human little girls, already so fragile, made even weaker by neglect and abuse. His Night and Stars injured by the hands of that whore. He watched his precious little girls sleep, unconsciously clasping their hands and cuddling close together. How could anyone with even a shred of a soul raise a hand to such Angels?
Ein hated humans by instinct; it was an indescribable feeling that screamed at him that these were lesser beings. Sometimes though... Sometimes he could actually put words to his hatred and know how to explain the very depths of human depravity. It was during these times that Ein knew he it wasn't wrong to hate them at all. It was a shame that there are only a handful of humans that had enough common sense for him to tolerate them.
"How else do I help them?" he asked Annie, still not turning away. Three years, he failed them. He can at least do his best to help them now.
"You're already doing everything you can, My Lord. They are fed and protected and are allowed to rest comfortably… we will all take care of them, and through our care and support, they will heal. All you need to do, Milord, is just be there for them. These children need your love." Giving a curtsy, Annie made her way out of the room, leaving the Duke in his dimly lit room, pondering her words as he guarded over his children.
Love. Such a tenuous thing, for one like himself. It was so rare that he could even truly care for those around him. But somehow, with his children, it came naturally. He loved them so much it hurts; quite a feat when he is normally so difficult to injure. If that was what they needed from him, then he was happy to oblige.
Estelle began to stir unhappily in her sleep. Her little noises of discomfort pulled at Ein's heart. Nightmares. He hadn't been familiar with such things until his daughters had appeared, and now he finally had something to fear.
Ein laid down next to the twins, closest to Estelle's side, and carefully enveloped her within his arms. He wrapped his aura like a blanket over them, and she melted into his embrace and her whimpers died down. She slept peacefully once again.
Ein pressed a kiss to her hair and closed his own eyes. He would sleep here, for now. Annie seemed to be right that this was something he could do to help the girls. He would love them with all the strength of a Castielo.
If Naeva were a normal child, she'd be jolting awake with a scream, at the sight of all the horrors that plagued her dreams.
Luckily for the household, Naeva was not a normal child. She had once lived as Shikako Nara, the Corpse Princess, a Konoha ninja of great power and paranoia, upon with all the instincts that came with that. And she had just spent the last three years deep in enemy territory. So, she was not jolted awake by her nightmare. Years — lifetimes — of training kept her still, she continued deep, even breathing belying the racing of her heart.
Without opening her eyes, she cast out her senses, to better get her bearings. She was somewhere soft and warm. Estelle held her hand and was sleeping peacefully beside her. On Estelle's other side was the fierce fire-shadow-love of their new father's aura. Their trip that day came back to her, and she realized that they must have arrived at their second new home. Content that she was probably safe, despite the lingering fear form her sleep, she risked opening her eyes.
Everything was as she had expected. Estelle, clasping her hand, looking peaceful and even happy in her sleep, sandwiched between her family as she was. Their father had fallen asleep at Estelle's slide, and she had curled up into his safe warmth. He had, in turn, conformed to her, one arm safely around her, comforting and protective all at once.
Naeva smiled. It eased some of the tension she had carried around, to see her sister happy, loved, and safe. But, when she closed her eyes to try to go back to sleep, she found her thoughts dragged away from such cozy comforts, and back to the less pleasant things her brain could conjure. Eventually, she gave it up as hopeless, and she has never been one to dwell when there was something she could actually be doing.
Naeva carefully extracted her hand from Estelle's, causing her sister to roll towards their father and snuggle into him even tighter. Her shifting made it easier for Naeva to slip off the bed and onto the floor.
There should be something interesting in this grand place to distract her from her dark thoughts. If nothing else, perhaps she would find the kitchen. Estelle had commented that in her past life she had loved sweets with a passion. Stashing her sister's comfort food around the manor for late night snacks would be easy for Naeva. Also, a cup of tea wouldn't be remiss. Yoshi-She had always made Naeva a cup when she was stressed and up late working.
With all the stealth of the Cat's Paw, she slipped out of her room, past the guards, and began to investigate the halls of this new manor.
Count Servan sighed as he put away the latest letter from the Emperor. It seemed Duke Castielo had discovered that he had more children than just his son. The count had heard the rumours a few days ago, but it seems that instead of the expected pure Castielo child, the children — more than one child! — were two mixed daughters with pink eyes.
'I can think of a handful of nobles who would want to get those girls married into their families.' he mused, wondering if Lord Martin and his cronies were behind the wild manhunt that had exploded on the streets of the city. Looking over the reports from his spies, they noted that there are whispers that the Duke had set the forest on fire as a way to flush out all the nobles who had joined the search. Scoffing at such rubbish, Count Servan wondered how it was possible to be so stupid in regards to understanding Duke Castielo.
'It's not like the man is particularly subtle. Everyone should know by now that the Castielo family cares about two things; family and vengeance. Everything else is just background information.' smirking at the thought, he grabbed some parchment and began to pen a letter, 'That's what makes him so easy to maneuver if you know how to pressure him.'
Finishing the letter with a flourish he rang for his butler to mail it out with all haste. Glancing at the small painted portrait on his desk, he wistfully picked it up and stroked the young woman's face.
'Soon my dear, I will secure you your future. You won't suffer the same fate she did. I swear that so long as I take a breath, I will never stop trying.' The sunset cast shadows on his face, as the darkness began to spread across his study. Wizards, nobles, even the Emperor were all blind fools. They wouldn't realize the grand opportunity this presented for him.
'That fat Emperor has no idea what is happening underneath his nose. If he continues to go down his path someday he'll realize what a fool he has been. Humiliation can be a dangerous thing for powerful men.'
Count Servan was old enough to remember the Old Emperor when he was in power. Duke Castielo's father had made a fool of him in a tourney, causing the Emperor to plot the death of the Old Duke and spark a war that lasted years with their neighbouring country.
Count Servan once again looked over the Emperor's letter, before dropping it on his desk in disgust. Mass destruction happened when the Royal Family tried to tighten the collar on the House of Castielo. As this past week should have made clear. It didn't escape the Count's notice that at least a few of the spotted mercenaries were known to have ties to the crown.
'Of course not just anyone can bend that family to their will. They are all emotionless killing machines, with a lust for battle.'
He recalled the day he served with Duke Castielo on the front lines. The enemy soldiers had taken to running away at the sight of the Duke slashing his sword about. No mercy was given, and no movement had been wasted in his executions. Closing his eyes, he lost himself to the memory.
Servan stared, pale as the enemy advanced, pushing them to retreat further inland. Just when all hope seemed lost he had appeared. Red eyes gleamed in glee as he slashed and slaughtered any man who stood in his path. His Wolf Knights had arrived with him, causing the tide of the battle to change drastically as the enemy began to run away from the battlefield.
"Fall back! Fall back!"
"Deploy the archers!"
"It's not working, he's gaining ground!"
"Quick! Get the -"
That sword had split the head of the enemy commander in two, as he had darted to and fro, barely visible to the naked eye.
Servan had nearly collapsed in awe and fear as the very men who had caused him and his troop's so much trouble were destroyed so easily in front of him. Ever since that moment, he has truly understood the power of the Castielo, and worked tirelessly to ensure that such a threat was not left poised at his back.
Snapping out of his memories, Count Servan gently placed the portrait of the smiling young girl, back onto his desk. He tried to picture what two daughters of House Castielo might be like.
'...I wonder, will those girls inherit the same bloodthirst that runs in the Castielo line?' He pondered, making his way out of his study and down the hall, 'Will they be the weak point that finally brings the family down to ruin? Or will they be something else? Something entirely new, that might shake up this miserable, stagnant world?'
End of Chapter 9
