Fair warning: this chapter is going to be hard to read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 12

"The weather's been really great recently," Feliciano said, before he looked up at the sky.

Matthew looked up and nodded. The two eighteen-year-olds had gone for a walk. They didn't have as much opportunity to do things like this together as before. Feliciano had to accept a few more responsibilities, and Matthew had to do more chores. It was manageable, most of the time, but occasionally the workload would be too much and they would be too tired to do more than talk a little.

A part of Matthew wondered if the other servants had anything to do with it. No one had spoken about his and Feliciano's relationship again, but Matthew could still feel a few cold looks in his direction.

The two reached their usual spot in the garden, where they were surrounded by flowers. They lay down, their hands intertwined.

"My father is trying to find a fiancée for me," Feliciano said after a while.

Matthew's chest tightened, and he slowly turned to look at Feliciano, who had his eyes closed.

"I knew that this would be coming," Feliciano said. "Lovino has been engaged for two years now. I don't even know if he likes her, but Father wants him to marry her, to strengthen the relationship with her family. She has a younger sister, but she's scary, and my father isn't going to tie both of us to the same family."

"What's going to happen then?" Matthew asked.

"…I don't know. I can't marry before Lovino, so I don't have to worry too much until that happens. I'm also probably going to have to move in with her, since Lovino will inherit this estate, but I don't know if it's going to be with her family or if we're going to have a place of our own. And I don't know if… if I can bring you with me."

That was something that worried Matthew as well, as soon as Feliciano had said that his father was trying to find a fiancée for him. He knew that Feliciano wouldn't likely be able to stay, but what possibility was there for Matthew to accompany Feliciano?

"You could maybe have a word with Arthur," Matthew said. "See if he can train me to be a butler."

"Why?"

"Because, if I was your butler, you would be able to take me with you. You probably wouldn't be able to take an ordinary servant along, but a butler…"

"No one would bat an eye if you were my butler. And since we've been companions since we were children… No one would think it too strange. After all, one thing people look for in a butler is how trustworthy they are, and since you're my friend, no one would argue that I trust you a lot."

Matthew nodded. Both of them were smiling now as they were discussing a solution to their problem. A realistic solution. They just needed to argue their case well enough.

But then Feliciano frowned.

"Education is going to be a problem," Feliciano said. "Normally, butlers are well-educated."

"You've already taught me how to read and write," Matthew pointed out, "and you taught me how to do math. That's already more than most servants can say. We can ask Arthur about the other things that I might need to know. I'm sure we can convince him to help."

Feliciano smiled again and nodded.

"He may look grumpy," Feliciano said, "but Arthur cares, deep down. I'm also sure he's fond of you."

"I hope so," Matthew said. "That might make convincing him easier."

Feliciano rolled on top of Matthew, and the two looked deeply into each other's eyes.

"If he doesn't agree, then I'll convince him," Feliciano said. "I can't imagine being separated from you."

Feliciano leaned down, and Matthew closed his eyes. The kiss was sweet. After several years of doing so, they had gotten really skilled with kissing. Matthew opened his mouth, allowing Feliciano entrance. He still tasted like his tea.

"What is going on here?!"

Matthew's eyes widened, and he almost bit Feliciano, if not for the fact that Feliciano had pulled back as soon as that voice thundered. Matthew pushed himself up slightly, careful not to throw Feliciano off, and every drop of blood in his body turned to ice. Master Romulus stood there, his face a mask of fury.

Remember, master Romulus has the highest authority in this house. He is the one that decides the rest of our fates. Whatever you do, do not do anything that would make him angry with you.

Arthur's words echoed after so many years. For all those years, Matthew had been careful not to upset master Romulus in any way. But now he had done so. He and Feliciano knew that it would be dangerous, but they were always so careful…

"P-Papa!" Feliciano exclaimed, before he started to scramble to his feet. "W-we were just…"

Master Romulus didn't wait for his son's excuses. He stormed closer, wrenched Feliciano to his feet, and then…

Thwack!

Matthew jumped as the back of master Romulus's hand collided with Feliciano's cheek with enough force to knock Feliciano's head to the side. Matthew had never even heard master Romulus raise his voice to Feliciano, let alone his hand, so all of this…

He yelped when master Romulus grabbed his arm and hauled him up too. The grip was too tight, and Matthew bit his lip as he knew the bruises were forming.

"And you," master Romulus spat. "You seduced my son. I've heard that some of the servants were complaining about your special treatment. So, this is how you did it."

"No, it's not his fault!" Feliciano exclaimed. "I was the one that wanted a friend. I was the one that kissed him first. I'm the one that pulls him away from his work. Don't hurt him!"

Feliciano winced as his father's grip tightened around his arm. Tears stung Matthew's eyes. He wanted to help Feliciano, but fear wrapped its large hand around his throat, choking him.

"I can forgive you if you tell me that this is just a bit of fun," master Romulus said. "It's not unusual for masters to mess around with the servants, and servants aren't allowed to disobey. So, Feliciano, tell me that this is all for fun, and I won't punish you."

It was a means for Feliciano to escape punishment, but only Feliciano. Matthew could tell that he wouldn't be so lucky. Lien, a servant who joined them about a year ago, told him about her former master's son, and how he had forced her into his bed. When this was discovered, she was punished for seducing him, and then she was sold to master Romulus. She had told him this story to warn him against getting too close to Feliciano. And now it was clear that, even if Feliciano managed to avoid punishment, Matthew wouldn't be lucky at all.

Matthew wanted to urge Feliciano to tell his father that he had only used Matthew as a source of entertainment. Matthew didn't want Feliciano to be punished.

"I can't say that," Feliciano said. He glared at his father. "I love him."

Matthew and Feliciano had told each other the same words many times before, and it always brought warmth. Now, though, Matthew felt himself grow cold. Master Romulus's grip tightened even further, and he could see on Feliciano's face that he felt it too. Matthew was starting to lose the feeling in his arm.

"You love him?" master Romulus repeated. "You love a slave? I could have forgiven you if it was a woman, but this… This is unacceptable! Do you understand the scandal that this would bring? The shame? You sully the family name because of a worthless slave?"

Feliciano gritted his teeth, but it was out of more than pain. He was angry at his father's words, and Matthew was worried that his anger could get them into trouble. Feliciano wasn't one to get angry easily, but when he was angry, it could be truly frightening.

"He's not worthless," Feliciano spat. "He's worth more to me than you are."

While the words would otherwise have filled Matthew with warmth, right now, they only brought an impending sense of doom. Master Romulus's face darkened, and Matthew turned away from him. His stomach dropped further when he realised that they had an audience. Just about every servant in the house was there, along with masters Lovino and Marcello. Everyone knew what happened, which probably only made things worse for master Romulus, which made things worse for Feliciano and Matthew in turn.

This was not good. This was most definitely not good.

Master Romulus said nothing in return, but he started walking. His tight grip on Feliciano and Matthew's arms meant that they were forced to walk with him. Master Romulus walked towards Arthur, and shoved Matthew towards him.

"Take him to the cellar," master Romulus growled.

"S-sir?" Arthur asked, his eyes widening.

"Remove his shirt and secure him. I'll deal with my son first, and then I'll deal with this trash."

"No!" Feliciano exclaimed, before he started to struggle. "Don't hurt him! Don't…"

Master Romulus slapped Feliciano again, before he hauled Feliciano towards the house. Feliciano looked back towards Matthew, his eyes brimming with tears. His cheek was red and slightly blue after receiving two hard slaps. But beyond the pain, Matthew could see Feliciano's fear. He didn't know if the fear was for Feliciano or Matthew.

Arthur's hands were on Matthew's arms, but at least he wasn't crushing his arm. He held Matthew up as the young man trembled, and he looked towards Matthew with sympathy.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this," Arthur said. "But you heard master Romulus's order. I'm sorry, Matthew."

Matthew's body wrenched in a tearless sob. He knew that Arthur didn't have a choice in the matter. But Matthew's feet didn't want to obey him as Arthur placed his hand on his back and started to push him towards the house. Matthew didn't want to go to the cellar. He knew what happened to the servants there.

He had only been there once. One of the other servants, a man named Feliks, had been caught stealing from the house. No one knew what he had done with the things he'd stolen, though it was generally believed that he had found some way to sell them, and he had more money than a servant ought to have. No one knew what he intended to do with the money, but there were guesses. All of the servants were forced to watch as master Romulus punished this man, as a warning to the rest of them. And a few weeks later, he had been sold to someone else. If Matthew remembered correctly, it was the family of master Lovino's fiancée.

Just the thought of suffering the same punishment as Feliks made it difficult for Matthew to walk. Arthur could have easily hauled him off, as master Romulus had done, but he was gentle. Matthew hadn't robbed from his master, but he didn't know how his crime compared in master Romulus's mind. Arthur, at least, didn't seem to be angry with him.

Matthew couldn't look at the other servants. He could hear a few of them whisper, though he couldn't hear their words. But a few of the whispers carried a tone of satisfaction and vitriol. Did they really hate him that much?

"W-what's going to happen to me?" Matthew asked. "A-after… A-after…"

He couldn't finish it. He didn't have the words to describe what he knew was going to happen to him now. Arthur looked pained.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "But I don't think I've ever seen master Romulus this angry before. If I could help you avoid this punishment, I would do whatever I can, but…"

"You're just as much a slave as the rest of us," Matthew muttered. "The only difference is, you can still leave. Why didn't you?"

"Because I owe master Romulus too great of a debt."

They made it inside the house now, and Arthur was guiding him towards the cellar. Matthew stopped when he heard a scream from upstairs, and his knees buckled as he recognised the voice.

"Feliciano…" he whispered.

Arthur grimaced, before he pushed Matthew.

"In the state he is in now, I don't think it's wise to see that you are still not in the cellar," Arthur said. "He might make your punishment even worse."

Arthur opened a door, one that Matthew had opened before when wine needed to be retrieved for a party or a dinner. But beyond the barrels and bottles was another door, one hidden behind a rack. Arthur opened this door and pushed Matthew inside. The area was dark and smelled of dust. It had been a long time since it was last used. Matthew couldn't have imagined that the next time it was used was because of him.

Arthur paused long enough to light a candle that had been gathering dust near the entrance of the passage for years. Matthew didn't wait for Arthur to guide him. It was a straight path, and there was only one destination.

They entered a room, and Matthew was glad that it was dark. He didn't want to see everything that could be found in the room. He started to tremble again as Arthur put down the candle.

"You heard what master Romulus said," Arthur said. "And it would be better if you do this. Take off your shirt."

Matthew's breath hitched, before he started to unbutton his shirt. It was complicated work, as his fingers were trembling too much. Finally, he released all of the buttons and pulled the shirt off. He chanced a glance at the arm that master Romulus had grabbed. As expected, it was already a large bruise that circled his arm.

Matthew's eyes then went to the pair of shackles hanging in the centre of the room. Arthur guided him underneath them, before securing his wrists. This time, Matthew could see that Arthur was trembling.

"I'm sorry," Arthur whispered.

"What was that debt?" Matthew asked. "What could have been so important?"

"…Master Romulus helped me avenge my murdered son, after the justice system couldn't bring the justice that he needed."

"I didn't know you had a son. How old was he when…?"

"He was around the same age you were when you arrived. He had blond hair and blue eyes. His name was Peter."

And then Matthew understood why Arthur had been so lenient with him all these years. A part of Matthew reminded Arthur of the son that he had lost. And now he had to help with what was going to happen.

Romulus Vargas was a cruel man.

"Was it really so wrong to love Feliciano?" Matthew whispered.

"Master Romulus cares about the weight that the family name holds," Arthur said. "And in his eyes, this would tarnish the name, and make it difficult for master Feliciano to find a fiancée."

This time, tears actually fell. The thought that he might have ruined Feliciano's future bothered him. If he had known that there might have been a possibility of that happening, then he would have stopped all of this from happening. Even if he had to break his heart.

"For what it's worth, I don't think that there would have been a way to stop any of this," Arthur said. "The balance of power was not in your favour. Even if you didn't love each other, if Feliciano desired you, then there was little you could have done to stop it. And even if you had been completely unwilling, you would have been the one to bear the fault."

It pained Matthew that Arthur's words were true. He and Feliciano…

He gasped when the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears. It sounded as though it was more than one person. He thought of the last time he was down there, and he started to feel sick. If the other servants were also there…

Kiku was the one that came in first, followed by master Romulus. Kiku carried a candle, which he immediately used to light other candles in the room. Matthew swallowed as he realised that they would all be able to see what was about to happen to him in vivid detail. And he could see the things kept in this cellar.

Master Romulus went to fetch something on one end of the room. Matthew didn't want to look, but his eyes followed his master. As he predicted, master Romulus retrieved a whip.

All of the servants were now in this room. It was spacious enough for all of them. Matthew's eyes locked with Yao's, and he could see the fear and worry on his face.

"All of you, watch," master Romulus said as he moved behind Matthew. "This is what happens to a slave who commits a crime against their master and house."

Thwack!

Matthew arched his back and screamed. He hadn't expected the first lash to come so suddenly. A second lash came a few seconds later, and a choked sound escaped his throat.

"You all should know your place," master Romulus said. "I am a kind master, but there are some things that I just cannot tolerate. Seducing one of my sons and causing him to ruin his future… that is unforgivable."

Three more lashes came, and Matthew's screams filled the room. He could see the other servants clearly. Some of them, like Yao, looked afraid for Matthew's sake. If Yao could, Matthew knew that he would look away. But other servants couldn't quite hide their smiles.

"Anyone who dares to besmirch the name of Vargas deserves to suffer," master Romulus continued. "By all rights, this boy deserves to die. But I am a generous master, and so he is only punished."

Three more lashes came. Matthew's back was on fire, and he didn't know if it was sweat or blood that streamed down his back.

Master Romulus continued to whip Matthew, and when he was done, he turned towards the other servants.

"Feel free to make his life hell," Romulus said. "But don't kill him. Not until I know what to do with him."

Through teary eyes, Matthew knew that some of his fellow servants would be more than happy to oblige.