There was silence as everyone ate their food, trying to ignore each other.
"Why is your wife not here cavill?" Viscoutess Monique broke the silence.
"The doctor asked her to be on bed rest till delivery of the baby." Lady Monique clicks her tongue, rolling her eyes as her spoon hits the table.
"With your half vulgar commoner blood, you just had to choose someone who had full commoner blood." Everyone continued eating like nothing was said, the air around cavill changed as he tried not to lose his cool. Everyone at the table was used to the tension as lady Monique had always hated cavill, while viscount roland rubien just pretends like he doesn't see what happens.
"You just couldn't hide your undignified side, you had to marry a commoner, a maid at that." She had stopped eating placing her head in her hand. Cavill gripped his spoon and knife tight trying his best to go through the meal without drama but he was clearly at his limit.
"I cant believe the first rubien grandchild will be more commoner than noble, if only you had..." Jude rubien, Cavill's older brother slammed his spoon on the table.
"Mother that's enough." He screamed standing up, as his chair gets flung back.
Everyone just turned to him in shock. He was never one to raise his voice, he was the peace maker so watching him lose his temper was new.
"Mother that's enough, I've watched silently for years but this.....this.... is too much. You keep speaking about noble and commoners but do you think your behavior right now is dignified?"
"Jude how dare you, I'm your mother. " she screamed at him.
"Lets calm down now, why don't we just go back to dinner." Lord Roland tried to calm everyone down.
"Father how can you just sit there.... for years you just sat and watched ...knowing that it was all your fault. How could you cruelly watch your own child get broken down? How do you call yourself a father or the head of the household?" Lord Roland hung his head in shame unable to reply.
"Jude, how could you say that to your father? I knew it, you hung around the filthy blood too long now you are....."
"Mother." He slammed his fist down spilling water all over shocking everyone again.
"You knew..... you always knew it wasn't Cavill's fault..... father was the one who was at fault.... he didn't just ruin your life that night .....he ruined five lives that night..... his one bad decision.... his inability to control, himself led to this mother.... yet instead of holding him accountable, you took your anger out on cavill." She suddenly went quiet before she began to sob.
"How could you say that to your mother Jude.... all I did... everything i ever did was to protect you.... it was all for you..." she cried screaming at him. Brenda Argus and her husband jonathan argus exchanged looks, but decided to stay out of the conversation.
"Mother.... they were victims....cavill and his mother were both victims of father's crimes but you.....you were a victim before you decided to take you anger.... your aggression.... your hate on someone who had no say on what happened..... I understand not loving him but why did you hate him so much? What crime did he commit? What did you expect from him? Why are you holding him accountable for a crime that was done against his mother..... she was a victim mother and you knew that, so why? Why are you doing this?" Everyone at the table went silent, their silence was because they realized that he had found out the truth, the dark secret that haunted the rubien household.
"Father..... you are trash." He said meekly but the weight of the words were received heavily as he walked out.
The cold air blew his hair as the sun sets in front of him. The snow sparkle under its brilliant rays as Jude sits down on a chair in the porch of the little manor.
The door behind him open and shut silently.
"28 years..... 28 years i hated you..... I blamed you..... I resented you...your mother..." cavill just stood against the door as Jude stares blankly ahead.
"She said it was planned.... that your mother had died during birth as judgment for her actions.... she said your mother wanted to hurt her....." he began sobbing.
"I'm so sorry cavill.. you must hate me.... you must resent me.... you must be thinking that my regrets are for show.... I'm so sorry, I didn't know..... had I known the truth.... had I known he forced himself on her.... had I known she was a victim, I would have treated you better..... I'm so sorry..... I'm sorry cavill, I know my pathetic excuse will not wash away the years of hate i showed to you, but still I'm sorry..." his voice was a whisper, he sobbed between each word as cavill just stands there silent.
"Father and mother..... they feel no remorse for what they did.... they lied to me for years.... manipulated me..... the only reason they are silent now is because I found out the truth..... I can't believe my own parents did this to me." He cried deeply as he reflected on the last 28 years, he wondered if his life would be different if he had just found the truth earlier. He was so scared that cavill would change his mind and come back for the rubien viscounty so he threw himself whole into the role, giving everything up for it.
"Everyone says i should be happy.... I have it easy..... I'm lucky that I don't have to fight for the position of head of house.... but.... but... why do I feel so miserable? Is this really the happiness I fought 28 years for? I gave up everything for this happiness? Then why dont i feel happy? Is this really it? Is this the happiness ess everyone wants? Is it supposed to feel this wretched? It feels so damn miserable..... it's lonely and miserable cavill." His sobs got louder, cavill just stood there wondering what he could say or do that would help him feel better, he wondered what his wife would say to him if it was him feeling this way.
"Greetings Your holiness" estella felt shivers down her spine as the voice called from behind her. She steeled herself before turning around with a smile.
"Greetings archbishop gillion, may ubertas continue to guild you." She taste the bile in her throat, as he stared at her.
"I can see it's almost time for the wedding, how is the preparation going?" He had closed the gap between them placing his right hand on her shoulder, it made her skin crawl like there was a million ants there. She felt an urge to run as she felt nauseated.
"Its going perfectly well, I'm so sorry archbishop but I have an appointment now. May ubertas guild you." She broke from his grasp as she spun around speeding down.
"Please let me know if you need any help your holiness, we wouldn't want to wedding to be called off now." She turned the corner out of his sight ans she began running towards the inner prayer room only she is allowed to use. She opened the door slammed it behind her and threw up. She crumbled to the ground as her eyes tunneled and her hands shook, her breathing was erratic as she tried her best to take deep breaths but they just came out as dry heaves.
"It will be okay..... it will be okay.... the future has changed..... the future has changed..." she tried to reassure herself as she began to sob, she tried to calm down but the tears wouldn't stop.
"Brother" crown prince mateo lifts his head from his desk as a huge smile spread across his face, he springs to his face wobbling slightly as callus catches him.
"Callus." He says excited to see his brother and be away from the harrowing paperwork.
He pulls away patting callus on his head as both men smile.
"Brother, you look like a mess. Did you spend all this time in the office? You know that's bad for you right?...." mateo shrugged him off
"Always nagging callus, i feel so much pity for her holiness... she will have to deal with your nagging once you get married." Callus sat down on his desk just staring at his brother lovingly. Even when everyone was against him, his brother was always on his side. They had a very huge age gap with callus being 20 and mateo being 30, but he was always there to protect him when he needed it.
"Callus, it will be over soon." Mateo turned to him grinning brightly, but callus could not understand what he meant by over soon.
"Brother..."
"How is the preparations for the wedding going?" He cut callus off sitting on the desk beside him.
"I have no idea, estella is doing everything." Mateo laughed.
"Yeah I remember nothing from my wedding either, I just had to show up in the right clothes that day." Both men laughed.
"Callus, keep your head up.... I know the rumors must be annoying but very soon it will be over..... trust me, I'll keep my promise to protect you." He grabbed callus's head and placed it on his.
"I'm your big brother, I'll protect you no matter what."
"You are acting so strange, is everything okay? You can talk to me brother." Mateo smiled again
"Look at you all grown up, what happened to that snotty nosed crybaby brat." Callus cringed as mateo laughed harder at him.
"My dear.... my dear.. " I heard theos voice as he shook me gently.
"We are home now my dear." I looked out the window and it was completely dark outside, with just the magic lights illuminating the estate.
"Theo." He tucked a hair behind my ear.
"Sorry dear, I was going to let you sleep longer but you looked uncomfortable. I moved from his legs and he helped me down the carriage.
Bella and Clark were waiting at the door as we walked in.
"Welcome back your grace, did you sleep well." Bella teased as she linked arms with me, theo tried to grab my hand.
"Sorry Theo, you had her all day, she is mine now." She looked between the heart broken Theo and the confused Clark, pushing them together.
"You can have him, have a good night." Before I could have a word in she pulled me in, I waved at theo as he just stood there stunned and Clark place his hand on his shoulder.
"Lets have a sleepover, its been so long clarisa. " I turned to her and just lost it, i was laughing so hard as she pulled me along. I've never seen theo look so conflicted before and knowing he couldn't do anything about it was just cracking me up.
We spent the night doing facials as we chatted, we had massages given by the Sarah and Ann, stella was out sick for the night.
"Isn't this just nice clarisa, it feels so surreal." We both lay down in the guest bedroom.
"Clarisa...." she turned to me holding my hand and placing it under her face.
"Thank you for coming..... I know it must have been hard for you to come back here, so thank you for being here...." I pulled her into a hug as she sniffles and sobs.
"Bella..... I'm glad I came." I didn't know what to say, I just hugged her as she sobbed.
"It must have been so hard on you, thank you bella.... thank you."