DREYGUR
Boarded inside the phantom cars, they all returned to the Aslanovs' manor in silence, famished and covered with blood. Lady Katyusha and Don Demetrius Aliev were still waiting in the dining hall along with Lucian, Yakov, and Don Zagreus. The family welcomes them with cold looks.
Laurel, Lyric, Leroy, Mischa, Klauss, and the family's Butler on the door were bath in blood except for Mort and Narco with Vladimir's head. Narco stride forward and placed the decapitated on the empty plate in the middle of the dining table.
"Congratulations." Don Zagreus said by raising a wine glass for a toast. Lucian and the others who had just arrived at the dinner quickly took the glass on the table and raised their cups.
"For the small cake." Don Zagreus added with a smirk. The chairman lead them and drink the wine in one gulp and everyone followed him.
"Is it really necessary to put his head in the middle? Damn it, I'm losing my appetite." Laurel complained. Her face slightly twitched sourly as she looked at Vladimir's head with its eyes creepily dilated.
She could hear loudly her stomach rumbling in hunger, but with the horrendous sight in front of them, Laurel felt her craving for food vanish. Vladimir was too small fry for her to enjoy the feast while his head was displayed in the middle of the table. Don Zagreus burst into audible laughter.
"Well, that head wasn't put there to spoil your appetite. We won't eat it either. It's his funeral dinner. It's too rude if the dead person isn't at his own funeral." Lucian responded that Don Zagreus nodded his head in agreement. Gaped, Laurel was appalled at what she heard.
"Cold motherfuckers." Unconcerned, Laurel cussed that everyone around heard her.
Narco smirked at the back of his mind while keeping a straight face, sitting quietly next to his father. The young man didn't want to get everyone's attention or he will be bombarded with questions that he couldn't answer. He isn't ready to give them a clear explanation and answer at the moment.
"Care to explain, Narco and Lyric." Narco felt his world crash when Klauss confronts them who was shaking with anger especially since he hadn't cleaned and sanitized himself.
Klauss felt very nasty and filthy about himself. Even though the sumptuous food looks delicious, he sees nothing but a plate of maggots. His mind is clouded with different germs and viruses clinging to his skin and clothes right now.
Petrified in their seats, Narco and Lyric felt they were poured by a bucket of ice. Unmoved in their place, they can't even meet everyone's gaze darted on them. The two of them thought Mort, Klauss, and the others forget everything they did since everyone's attention was focused on Vladimir's head.
"You think we've forgotten what you two did?" Mischa seconded in a cold tone who looks like she has a visible horn on her head. She was fuming mad at what Narco and Lyric had done to her.
The young lady grinned when she saw them paled and stone cold. Unable to answer, unable to move, and even more, unable to look at them. The two young men's heads are still lowered like a kid gets reprimanded.
"How did you manage to escape from them?" Mort asked Narco without glancing at him, referring to his real family.
His pair of golden eyes slightly widen, surprised. Narco did not anticipate Mort to know about that and didn't expect to return to his real family either. He had no recollection in his mind of how ended up there but he just woke up with his biological parents and his older brother and younger brother in front of him. Narco remembered how the maidservants prepared him toxic foods with poisons in it that he had to consume before talking to them.
"I don't know, I just did," Narco answered vaguely as Mort frowned.
"How are they?" Leroy asked Lyric, referring to their parents who work under Narco's parents. Lyric swallowed hard at his twin's question.
"They almost killed me." Hands formed into a fist beneath the table Lyric replied. A smirk formed on Leroy's lips.
"Good for you." Leroy sardonically said. Lyric squinted his eyes at his twin and glared at him.
"Then how did you two become pieces in Vladimir's board game?" Don Zagreus asked as Narco's eyes narrowed while looking at Vladimir's head.
"He mentioned my grandmother's name." Direct, Narco honestly replied that Don Zagreus just shook his head in disbelief.
"Even though I have buried her in the deepest part of hell, her name still manages to scare anyone who hears it. She's amazing." Don Zagreus said leaving everyone confused. They couldn't tell if the old man was complimenting or insulting her.
"Well, she's the biggest taboo in our time. It's just that, I wonder why her name still inspires fear even though she's dead. Shouldn't the dead no longer be feared, we should be more afraid of the living." Don Zagreus said in a serious tone. He knows the answer but he wanted to know the answer of the younger generations who don't and have not encountered Narco's grandmother.
"You can't even utter her name, Dad." Lady Katyusha teasingly said. Don Zagreus smirked.
"Because she promised to come back if her name comes out of my very own mouth." Don Zagreus replied. Even his smile reaches his eyes, they could hear the hint of heaviness in his words. He is serious and not kidding around.
"Then, let's forgive these children. They have reasons." Don Demetrius mediated them. He doesn't want to talk about Narco's grandmother anymore. He met her once and that's the reason why he doesn't like Mafia wars.
"But lemme ask something. You didn't even get anything about the Puppeteer? Although Lucian got something, he's still uncertain." Don Demetrius added, eyeing the both of them. Everyone at the table looks at Narco and Lyric, waiting for their answers.
"No. One of the reasons why we stuck to his side is because we need information about the Puppeteer." Narco directly answered. Silence reigns at the table for a second.
"Then let's focus on cleaning the mess in the Underground and watch out for a certain prisoner who escaped from the war. You better be careful." Don Demetrius said and look at his wife.
"He is definitely coming back. Narco failed to kill him back then. When Narco almost reaches the 12th level in prison, Yakov arrived and bails him out. What an utterly idiot." Klauss groaned in frustration as Yakov's eyes narrowed in annoyance at him.
"I didn't know anything back then." Nostrils flared, Yakov irritably responded.
"Even now," Klauss added in a sarcastic tone. Yakov prefers to remain silent in his seat. He didn't want the conversation to escalate, especially since he was starving.
"Grandpa, I'll marry her with or without your approval." Mort suddenly declared. Everyone at the table gazes at him. Don Zagreus let out a chuckle.
"Do what you want. You know that everything will probably not be easy for her, especially since you are a Mafia Boss. I will not object or hinder your relationship with her. I know it will be more difficult for you to win the Massoullèves' approval to get what you two desires. I'll just be the audience and watch both of you struggle." The chairman coldly said who had finally given up on opposing his grandson's relationship with the daughter of the Massoullèves. It's up to the Massoullèves to get in their way. Lady Katyusha and Don Demetrius, Mort's mom and dad approve of it. All of them except for Klauss.
"I can't believe you really want to be with that Pediculus humanus capitis," Klauss said bitterly in his place as Laurel smirked at him.
"If you are jealous because you don't have a love life, how about you date me?" Laurel teasingly said and smile adorably at him making Klauss's eyes widen and shivered at the thought.
"Why should I date a savage woman like you? Wait, are you even a female human?" Klauss asked as Laurel's eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"I will make sure you will fall head over heels for this unidentified human." Laurel declared which made Klauss almost vomit at what he heard. He would overreact if he did that. Frowning, Klauss chose to remain silent so as not to hear any more nauseating words.
"I only have one thing to ask of you, Mort. Fix the Underground first before you deal with your problem on the surface." Don Zagreus said in a finality tone. Mort looks at his grandfather with his famous stoic face.
"Don't worry, I can guarantee that Sumire is safe. Vladimir doesn't have the capabilities to hurt Sumire." Lucian assuredly added.
"It's true." Narco seconded, agreeing with them. Klauss shifted his gaze to his side.
"And you didn't tell us earlier?" Klauss said in disbelief. Narco smirked at him.
"I love the drama," Narco answered cheekily. The bloody night ended well with the Aslanovs having to face another problem the next day.
...............
The sun glows brightly in the sky, Sumire, who is living her life abroad, is currently shopping. She walks down the street under the sun that warms her skin. Midnight hair dances in perfect rhythm, cascading on her back. They move, choreographed by the unseen wind, in perfect time with one another. People walked around her and she shines among the shoals of fish in a myriad of directions.
Sumire entered one of the famous malls and drowned herself in buying things she didn't need since she wanted to be distracted. The maiden wanted not to overthink about Mort's safety in Brethren City. She is aware that their country was in a chaotic state after what her cousin Blanche reported. She couldn't help but worry.
Staying at home won't help her calm. Sumire frequently asks herself what she can do to help Mort though the chances of her getting involved in the chaos would be bigger.
The maiden let out a heavy sigh while she was in the baby section of the mall. All the baby stuff is placed there. And for an unknown reason, a sweet smile appeared on her face. Sumire couldn't stop smiling when a wonderful scene etched in her mind.
'I wonder what he looks like if he's going to be a father,' Sumire smiling from ear to ear at the thought.
She could imagine Mort holding their baby in his left arm and his right arm hugging around her. A beautiful day where she and Mort was on a big hammock attached to two big trees, embracing one another with their babies, laughing under the sweet sunset with the horde of dandelions around.
Sumire felt the warmth and contentment in her imagination. She could feel the warmth of Mort's embrace. She missed him so much. The maiden burst into tears when she could no longer contain her emotion. Sumire was holding the two pairs of black shoes meant for the newborn.
Unaware, one of the male staff of the store looking intently at her wondering if Sumire is a real person because of the way she dressed.
He sees a fairy woman as a beautiful lady in a puffy white off-shoulder fairy dress with white lace up and sandals of silver. The delicate fabric clinged to her body. Her charcoal wavy hair is embellished with pearl gems. Sumire's appearance is truly spellbinding, and her otherworldly beauty effortlessly captured shop-goers' attention.
'How I wish it was all real.' Sumire sighed heavily when she snap back to reality.
Gaped while holding onto the baby's shoes, Sumire looked around to see if anyone saw her drama. And luckily, there was none. The male staff who had been staring at her turned his attention to the busy customers and Sumire didn't catch him staring at her. He blushed hard as he had an instant crush on the maiden who didn't even know his existence in the place and did not throw a single glance at him.
Sumire, on the other hand, happily loaded the babies' items into her big cart just to satisfy herself. The sweet smile on her lips lingered on her face as she imagined Mort going shopping with her. The maiden seemed to be in her own world and can be mistaken for a living fairy whenever they meet her inside the mall. Sumire didn't seem to care around and from those stares, a man on the corner had his intense gaze on her, stalking her the moment she entered the mall. He lusted her and wanted to possess her completely. She is unaware of someone following her who had a great desire for her.
Sumire felt the gazes of people around looking at her but she was thankful no one approached her for an autograph. Although Sumire impresses everyone with her beauty and charm, they are still intimidated by the maiden's overwhelming presence. Men and women who wish to approach her shyly go away and stare at her from afar.
"I am too stunned to approach her."
"She's a goddess."
"Is she even real?"
"Such a head turner..."
"Can I touch her even with a strand of her hair?"
"Can I kiss her even if it's her hand?"
Waves of whispers from the shop-goers, male or female who had passed by the store suddenly stop and stared at her intently. Even though Sumire was in the baby section, it didn't occur to their mind the possibility that she was already married or had a child.
"I don't care anymore. It is once in a lifetime I can meet such a pretty girl. I'll ask for her name and her autograph." A tall teenager declared with his head held high. His older brother, who was also smitten by the maiden's beauty, frowned at his younger brother.
"Why autograph? Is she an actress?" The young man asked and the teenager answered him with a shrug. He courageously approached the maiden when suddenly a large body frame passed him made the teenager stop from taking a step forward. The gorgeous man who preceded him had a dark, overwhelming murderous aura. The glint of killing intent on the man's eyes left the teenager terrified. He was stunned when the man approached the maiden he was obsessed with.
"Sumire." called the man in a deep, rough tone to her attention. The teenager felt defeated when the man and the maiden he likes seem to know each other.
Slowly, Sumire turned around. A familiar pair of gorgeous gray eyes and that well-sculpted body greeted her. His hair is in a messy bun with small strands dropped in his vision. In his fitted black shirt, he stood taller and more handsome than any man in the place. Eyes widened, Sumire was surprised to see the man who called her.
"Dreygur!"
