[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/seHu1lv.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/kZHM7qn.png[/img][/center]
[color=gray][color=0072bc]Location:[/color] Damien Estate
[color=teal]Time:[/color] Evening[/color]
[color=0072bc]Song I wrote post to:[/color][hider=Song here][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3_R0W3cTxo&ab_channel=VisualLyriKs[/youtube][/hider]
[right][sub][color=#008080]M[/color][color=#007E87]e[/color][color=#007C8F]n[/color][color=#007A96]t[/color][color=#00799E]i[/color][color=#0077A5]o[/color][color=#0075AD]n[/color][color=#0073B4]s[/color]:[@PapaOso] Cassius [@Tpartywithzombi] Violet [@Potter] Persephone [@samreaper] Kazumin [@Heartfillia] Crystal[/sub][/right]
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[color=gray]Calbert and Liliane sat in the luxurious bedroom of their home on the upholstered bench in front of their bed. The room had white paneled walls. The presence of huge windows lit up the dim room in the moonlight. The windows are adorned with blue curtains, adding a touch of color to the space. The flooring could be described as glossy and polished, reflecting the couple’s faces from the spot they sat. A chandelier hung overhead, swinging ever so slightly from time to time.

[color=0072bc] “Lily… I need to know everything.”[/color]

Liliane met her husband’s eyes with a reassuring smile. Beneath the tough and strong exterior was a sensitive man who had barely been able to handle the death of his daughter.  However, she could present him with the same story as she would everyone else. Having meticulously orchestrated the events of the previous night, she sought to provide him with her desired narrative. With some assistance, swapping out Violet for another body had been a simple task.

[color=teal] “The body was a jane-doe, dear. Violet’s alright… The investigators should be back with an autopsy result very soon and they will provide their findings to both the Danroses and us… It seems there was a girl who looked just like our Violet… Poor dear. No one even knows who she was.”[/color]  Her words hung with carefully crafted sorrow.

Unable to comprehend the perplexing circumstances, Calbert rose from his seat, his brow furrowed in deep contemplation. He paced back and forth, his mind wrestling with the inexplicable turn of events, while Liliane observed his turmoil from behind.

[i]"[color=#008080]S[/color][color=#007F83]h[/color][color=#007E87]e[/color] [color=#007C8F]d[/color][color=#007B92]o[/color][color=#007A96]e[/color][color=#00799A]s[/color][color=#00799E]n[/color][color=#0078A1]'[/color][color=#0077A5]t[/color] [color=#0075AD]k[/color][color=#0074B0]n[/color][color=#0073B4]o[/color][color=#0072B8]w[/color][/i]," Calbert murmured, repeating the words in sync with the memory of her voice.

[color=0072bc] “Liliane, but she has the scar from the axe. You even spoke as… As if she had been resurrected…I don’t understand.”[/color] Calbert's voice cracked with a blend of emotions—confusion, betrayal, and a desperate plea for answers. His question hung heavy in the air, laced with a tinge of doubt, [color=0072bc]"...Are you lying to me?"[/color]

Sensing his anguish, Liliane swiftly intervened, [color=teal]"Please, drink some water, my love,"[/color] she offered gently, retrieving a glass from the nightstand and then guiding it to his quivering lips. [color=teal]"You're in shock. It has been an arduous night for you. Let me take care of you. "[/color]

Calbert's eyes remained locked on Liliane, his hands trembling with disbelief. Despite his turmoil, he accepted the glass she offered and consumed its contents.

[color=teal]" We’re a team, you and I, Calbert. The only ones we can trust are each other.”[/color] She told him softly. [color=teal] “ Things might not make sense now, but in time you’ll understand.”[/color] 

As he finished the last drop, a surge of anguish coursed through Calbert's veins, igniting an uncontrollable rage within him. In an instant of pent-up fury, he slammed the glass onto the ground, its shattering sound echoing through the room, mirroring the shattered pieces of his composure.

[color=0072bc]"I saw her, Lily!"[/color] he cried out, his voice laden with pain and desperation. [color=0072bc]"I saw Violet's lifeless body. She was [i]dead,[/i] Lily. An axe had scarred her face, blood pooling beneath her... Lifeless."[/color] he reiterated, his words filled with the haunting images that tormented him. [color=0072bc]"And today, they came for me, attacking me in my own home. Who’s next? Cassius? Crystal? We are supposed to protect them! To protect her!"[/color]

Overwhelmed by his anguish, Calbert gripped his head, tears streaming down his face as his rage engulfed him.
[color=0072bc]"Cassius lost his mother, and I wasn't there to guide him… He’s been alone, Lily! ….I don't even know where he is now... And my sweet, innocent Crystal, if anyone were to harm her, I... That evil woman, she must pay! I want her executed publicly... No, I want her to suffer! I want her tortured so she can feel what it’s like to have an axe buried in her skin! "[/color]

Liliane watched him calmly as he turned to face her, his hands untangling from his hair as he asked her, [color=0072bc] “What did you do, Liliane? What magic did you use? …Do you have any idea the price you will have to pay? … What Violet might have to pay?”[/color]

She moved forward and took his face in her hands, soothingly rubbing his cheeks. [color=teal]"Shh… I did what I had to do for Violet, my love. All is fine… In the dark, it was a little confusing, wasn’t it? She really looked like Violet… [i]But it wasn’t her.[/i] This was all a mistake. Violet is alive and well. She’s taken a stroll now and that is okay. It’s courting season after all…But, no need to worry, I have multiple guards watching over her from a distance, unbeknownst to her. They know to bring her home within the hour.”[/color]
 
Calbert's gaze was unsteady, seemingly entranced by her words, as if under a hypnotic spell, and perhaps he was. Lily was surprised that the spell had taken as long as it had to finally kick in. [color=0072bc]"Yes... She's home now. You're right,"[/color] he replied, his tongue feeling numb with each word. [color=0072bc]"...And what about Cassius? Will he come back?"[/color] His concern extended to their son, while he held reassurance that Crystal was at least in the safety of her own room.

Liliane's smile blossomed, radiating reassurance once more, [color=teal]"Yes, Calbert, they are all safe. Cassius will be brought back home, and we will uncover the truth about Kazumin Nagasa and the woman who attacked us,"[/color] she affirmed, her voice carrying conviction. Tenderly, she brushed a strand of hair from his face. [color=teal]"Darling, we don't need to resort to killing them. [i]We'll simply make them wish we would.[/i]"[/color] she emphasized, her words laced with a chilling determination.

There was a long pause as the two stared into each other's eyes. Suddenly, a wicked laugh erupted from Calbert's lips, signaling a sudden regaining of his composure. [color=0072bc]"Yes... You're right, my love... "[/color] he declared, a grin playing across his face, his eyes gleaming with a newfound resolve. [color=0072bc]"I refuse to lose again and now that the family is together again, I shall make our enemies regret their very existence while I remind the rest of those imbeciles just who Count Calbert Damien is."[/color] he added, his voice resonating with a fiery determination that matched the glint in his eyes.

His wife grinned at his words and without hesitation, she closed the distance between them, capturing his lips in a fervent and passionate kiss, to which he eagerly returned.
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