'That psychotic, incestuous bitch...'
That was the first thought in the young prince's mind the moment he woke up.
"My prince, you've come around."
Aurelious tilted his gaze to find a man in a healer's garb. Losing consciousness and waking up in a healer's care was more or less a habit at this point, which meant this particular man was now a presence far more frequent than he would have liked.
"Unfortunately so, I presume?" he asked absentmindedly, to which the man shook his head vehemently.
"Of course not, Your Highness. It is always an honour to serve you, even more so to see you in good health."
"Even better to line your pockets off it. Must be nice having to treat the prince every now and then. At this point I might argue your generations to come won't know what hunger means."
"Your Highness? I... surely you jest," the man said with a laugh that even the most oblivious of men would recognise as artificial, before hastily packing up his materials.
"One of these days I will come for my cut of that wealth, old man," said the prince as the man rushed away.
'Greedy old bastard.'
The prince sat up and looked around.
He was in his room. The telltales were the luxurious bed, the pristine, immaculate white ceilings with their artistic detailing, the chandeliers suspended at five points overhead, the expansive space, and every last flourish of wealth his eyes landed on.
Click.
"Your Highness, you have to stay in bed. Healer's orders."
A woman dressed in a black and white maid's attire stepped in.
From her appearance one would have trouble pinpointing her age, but if forced to guess it would fall somewhere between the mid-twenties and early thirties. Her ageless beauty spoke for itself. She had hazel chestnut hair with a faint hint of white, and her eyes were deep orbs of sea blue now fixed steadily on the young prince. A small mole rested at the corner of her lips, just a slight distance below it. Her figure was undeniably one of her greatest assets, the curves all in the right places hugging tightly to the dress, an hourglass shape in its truest form, though the fullness of her chest gave way to the generous swell of her lower frame.
She was Sarah, one of the many branch families of the Morningstars, and Aurelious's personal maid.
The moment Aurelious laid eyes on her his expression fell even further than it already had.
'Treacherous scum.'
He got to his feet without a word. If the young prince recalled correctly, and he did, this maid was one of the many who would betray him come the first battle of heirs. One of the reasons he died.
"Prepare my carriage. I'll be headed to town," the young prince shamelessly stripped off his garments, not at all bothered that she could see everything he had to offer in full, unobstructed glory.
"My Lord, but"
"Shut up."
His eyes cut briefly in her direction.
"You are nothing but my servant. You have no right whatsoever to counter an order. Get it done before I lose my patience with you."
With that he walked through the adjoining door that led to the bathroom.
"As you wish, Your Highness," she responded promptly.
Her expression did not change. She turned for the door and walked out of the room, and only once she was on the other side did her face shift into something else entirely.
Rage.
Standing before a large mirror framed with golden designs, Aurelious studied his reflection.
"Could these eyes be the reason I saw it?" he wondered, his fingers tracing the outline of his pale eyes.
Pure snow white hair, the mark of Morningstar trueblood, and eyes of an almost eerie pallor. His eyes were the most unique thing about him, something no one else had ever possessed, perhaps a trait inherited from his maternal bloodline. As of now the young prince had only just hit his growth spurt and had yet to attain the physique that came with having such a blessed lineage.
"I really was pathetic. Dying over a stupid emotion. Love." He scoffed at his own reflection. "I didn't even get to bed a woman before the end of my life. Faithful to that... bitch, right to the last. Hah. That is going to change. This time I won't be driven by senseless ideologies and sentiment. Never again will emotions determine my course of action."
He touched the face staring back at him from the mirror.
"They called me a monster, even when they were the ones who betrayed me..."
He said it quietly.
Slowly, a tear rolled down his cheek, a sharp contrast to his otherwise cold appearance.
"I can't, actually... no. It was never their fault. I was the fool. I was a fool from the start. It didn't matter what I did. As long as I carried the name Morningstar, I would always be a monster in the eyes of everyone."
He stared at his reflection for a long moment.
"So why bother trying to be different..."
Another long pause.
"Why not just be the monster I'm supposed to be?"
...
...
The prince sat with both legs crossed, eating an apple as he let his mind wander.
Click.
"My Lord, the carriage is ready."
He ran his tongue along the corners of his mouth, ridding it of the hidden remnants of apple.
"About time," he said, rising to his feet and heading for the door.
But just before he stepped out he stopped, turning to regard his maid. His eyes made a slow, unhurried pass over her figure.
"Do you have children, Sarah?" he asked from nowhere.
"Chil...? No, Your Highness. Unfortunately not."
"A husband, perhaps?" he inquired further.
"No, sir."
"A lover then. Surely you have that much."
"I don't... Your Highness," she said, a glance tilting his way.
"Hm? A woman like you doesn't have a man?" he asked, gesturing vaguely with a suspicious tilt of his fingers toward his lips. A vein quietly surfaced on her forehead.
"That is my own concern, Your Highness."
"No, it is mine as well. You are my personal maid, which means I have the right to know everything about you."
She let out a measured breath.
"I haven't been focused on romantic affairs. I find it a waste of my time," she said proudly. From her tone alone it was clear she had been approached by one too many interested parties.
"Is that so? But why though? Could it be you aim to seduce this humble prince?" he asked, and her lips gave a faint twitch.
"Not in my wildest dreams."
"Then why such arousing dresses? Surely you must be eyeing royalty," he accused, and her lips twitched again.
"This is the customary dress of this mansion, Your Highness."
"Is that so?"
He stepped behind her, his gaze dropping. The skirt hung abnormally high at her waist, barely reaching her knees, doing very little to conceal the outline of what lay beneath.
"It is, Your Highness."
"I don't think so. I think this was made specifically to arouse me."
"That is ridiculous."
"Is it?"
"...I am merely here to serve."
"Your every need, I presume?" he prompted, and she turned to meet his eyes.
"...Yes."
"I see." He nodded almost sagely, as though doing her a considerable favour. "Remind me to help myself to those finely shaped behinds one of these days. Since you've decided to dedicate yourself to me, the least I can do is plow your fertile lands."
Her lips twitched considerably.
"...If it would please you, Your Highness, then my body is yours to use as you see fit."
'...Huh? I was just trying to annoy her though...'
He shrugged.
"Good," he said simply, then walked away.
The maid remained in place for a moment longer before her fist clenched and met the nearest wall.
"That IMBECILE!" she seethed, the force of it radiating through the room.
But then...
"Could you be referring to me?"
Her eyes went wide. She stumbled back, spinning toward the door to find the prince standing there, regarding her with a level stare.
"I... I was referring to a rodent I killed earlier."
"You refer to animals with such humanly terms?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
"I... I..."
"It's fine. Just don't destroy my walls, or I will have you tied up and caned for an entire day," he said, then turned and walked away.
"...THAT DEPLORABLE DEGENERATE, UCH-"
She caught herself.
Turned.
The prince had reappeared in the doorway.
He said nothing. He simply stared.
They remained that way for a long moment before she hurriedly bowed and slipped out into the hallway, walking briskly in the opposite direction.
"...Okay," Aurelious said to the empty room, then turned and continued on his way.