Frederick of Luxen's favorite moment of the awful night he was spending, was talking to a mysterious woman, even if she then turned out to be a mercenary and kidnapped him.

The party that his family had organized, had been lavish, beautiful, and abundant. These three words described perfectly the members of the Luxen clan.

The floor of the familial palace was covered by deep red carpets embroidered with gold and silver threads creating a complex blason: a lion roaring, an intense fire escaping through his gigantic mouth and teeth.

The walls are made of white marble delicately carved into hundreds of thousands of motifs. Gold leafs covered some of them giving the impression of light coming from the walls.

Large windows were pierced in them leaving long rectangular topped by roundish sommet openings, leaving the beauty of the artificial oasis open to the admiring gazes of the guests. The luxuriant green leaves were clashing against the sand color of the palace. A fountain was spilling crystal-clear water.

Each three meters were low tables filled with exotic fruits, warm brown nuts, and honey-filled pastries. Each tea service was made of silver and engraved by the most prestigious artisans of Esmeray.

Rare incense was burned divulging a sensual smell across the room. The guests were lying lazily on the comfortable sofa, a glass of wine in their hands covered with rings, dressed in rich dresses and tunics.

Around them, maids were moving around in the shadows making sure that no cups were empty, no fruits were missing, and that the food was always warm.

Sitting on a throne-like chair, the first heir of the Luxen clan was watching the festivities with an absent smile. His smooth bronze hands were gripping the armchair with so much strength that his knuckles were whitening.

The mark on his neck was still burning from the ceremony.

"Make an effort Frederick," whispered his older sister.

Her eyes painted with a black khôl gave them a sharp edge, almost feline. Her brown eyes were dark, almost black, but a beautiful green stain splashed her pupils. Her red-painted lips were pursed in a disapproving expression.

"This was organized for you. Be grateful for this opportunity."

"It was yours to begin with."

His voice was faded and his eyes were full of sadness. He took a sip of the bitter wine before showing the room with the cup like he was making a toast.

"I've never wanted this. I was not born for this."

"Sister? Why are you making such a sad face?"

Kiara's eyes were too bright and red. The skin of her left cheek was red and scarred by nail marks.

"What's going on?"

She stayed silent.

"I am sorry Frederick, I can't do it anymore."

"Tell me what's going on!" he screamed.

She opened the door of his room, but before disappearing she confessed:

"I abandoned my birthright. For now, on, the heir of the Luxen clan is you."

"Believe me, brother, I know this feeling all too well. I spent nights and days thinking about my decision. I am sorry to leave you my burden, but I cannot endure it anymore."

She closed her eyes and took a long breath. She didn't seem to enjoy the banquet as well. She opened her mouth and murmured so softly that he barely caught her words.

"I don't want to become like them."

The heir looked to his right. The Patriarch of the family was in the middle of a conversation with the ambassador of Svenja. Even with their light tone and facade smiles, they could guess what was the topic of their conversation.

"What price do you think Father is going to ask in exchange for that thing."

"How much are they desperate to acquire it?" he laughed.

They exchanged a look of amusement.

"Now you are starting to speak like a Luxen."

His smile froze. Her eyes widened with panic as she reached for his arm.

"I did not mean to say that..."

"You didn't mean a lot of things Kiara, but it's okay," he smiled brightly. "I am just going to—hum—take some fresh air."

He quickly rose from his seat. His legs numb from the long hours of inactivity made him stumble awkwardly down the stairs. Going in a corridor he bumped into someone.

Wide green eyes painted with golden ink were the first thing he noticed. The second was her gloved fingers catching his arms.

Losing his balance, he pulled her into his arms as they both crashed on the floor.

'I didn't think I was walking that fast!'

When he opened his eyes, everything was blurry. It took him half a second to notice he lost his glasses. He raised his torso and pulled his hands from her waist. After a few attempts, he managed to find his glasses which landed next to him.

After putting them on his nose, he saw her.

She was dressed like the dancers the family hired. The fabric was the color of a blazing sky when the sun was setting. Her skin was quite pale betraying her foreign origins. Her black hair was cut in an unusually short way, her curls were spreading on the floor like the branches of a tree. They were soft and at the same time rough between his fingers.

"Oh."

He just realized one of his hands was still under her head. Then how he was lying on top of her in the middle of an empty hallway.

"Oh my! I am extremely sorry! Are you hurt? I didn't mean to!"

While drowning her with excuses he helped her up, but once his eyes locked once again into hers, he stopped talking. He felt strangely embarrassed as an unknown heat burned his cheek and stomach.

'Sh—she's b-beautiful.'

"It's alright Sir Luxen," she laughed lately.

Her eyes became worried as she looked at his face.

"But you, you do not seem to enjoy the party."

She gasped and pressed her hands on her mouth.

"I am sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"N-No you are right."

Frederick felt the want to tell someone about his worry. He looked around, but there was no one except both of them.

"You see war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate," he recited. "I read that when I was a child and it stuck with me."

He sat on the edge of the window.

"I've always wanted to be different from my family. I don't believe in war. I've always wanted to try to differentiate myself from the work of my clan."

"What happened," she whispered.

"My sister was the one who was going to inherit it."

He unbuttoned his shirt until his throat appeared. A strange symbol was tattooed on his skin. A sun with a strange cloudy rune.

"The Lux mark."

({~*Author Note~})

Hi Sunflowers 🌻 🌻 🌻 ! (Hi @AprilJester;))

Hope you enjoyed the second chapter. One of my favorite things about writing books is naming the chapters. You can see I am having fun with them!

Since this book was created for the TEGSA contest I had to use something from the song 🎵 What's going on 🎶 by Marvin Gray.

I used:
🤍 the title
🤍the meaning
🤍 the lyrics "Tell me what's going on."  and "You see war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate"

See ya next chapter 😉