crown [C. TARTAGLIA]

29

"tartaglia, i haven't seen you in a while." the woman dressed in an elegant gown smiles upon the prince who bowed beneath her, kissing the back of her hand.

"it's nice to see you again, your majesty."

"you've... changed." she closes her eyes, smiling. "i take it something well happened?"

"i guess so." childe tried to return the warm smile she gave him, but he couldn't help to feel uncomfortable. everytime he visited his supposed mother the same atmosphere would envelope him, almost as if something was choking him to the point where he couldn't say anything but the truth.

"i'm sorry to have called you out in such a hurry, especially since your birthday just passed." the tsaritsa frowns. "i didn't mean to disturb your date."

his eyes widened in shock, "y-you... you knew?"

"i know everything, tartaglia. you seem to forget who runs this place." she sighs. "i am deeply disappointed you didn't tell me anything."

"i knew you wouldn't be happy since she's..."

"a commoner?" the woman chuckled. "you look down on her too much, even i'm hurt."

"i'm not–"

"she's royalty, is she not?" the blue eyed woman began to take the folder that was placed on small table beside her throne. she flips it open, reading its contents. "ivanov."

the mention of her past name made childe feel uneasy. "...so you even know that?"

"how could i not? her father is very famous, didn't you know?" she giggled. "actually, you do know."

"...i do."

"of course you do." her stare began to darken as she looked at the prince before her. her once soft exterior was placed with an icy, cold one. "now then, i shall tell you what you came here for."

"is it another mission?"

"it is, and i expect you to fulfill it with ease tartaglia."

°

you couldn't handle what you were hearing anymore. the siblings, not human but an experiment made by their supposed mother? you couldn't believe that they were just some mere pawns created for the sake of the throne.

"don't tell me... do you feel sick of them now? now that you know they aren't human?" dottore laughs. "especially that prince of yours?"

"don't be ridiculous." you glared at him. "i would never feel sick of them, i feel sick of you people. you... you created them for the purpose of what, killing people and managing the palace their whole life?"

"they're the ideal people to do these, [Y/N]. they know their roles in life, they would never break them after realizing that they're not human."

"so they know?"

"they only remember the condition the moment they break it once. if they swore to themselves that they would never break the queen's trust ever again, they would cease from disappearing and return to their own selves."

you tried to swallow all this information but your mind just couldn't. if you despised the life of royalty once you despised it even more now.

"i'm leaving." you say, turning to the door that was left open the entire time. "if you were to do something to me because i know all this information then believe me, i couldn't even stomach speaking of this even if i wanted to."

"of course you won't, or your prince wouldn't be so happy of you learning the whole truth." dottore waves his hand, bidding goodbye to you. "goodbye little ivanov, i had a fun chat. and don't forget, knowing too much would only lead to your doom."

you were enrage from what you found out. not only at dottore who you knew was only following orders, but to the queen herself. making a condition that would make the siblings disappear if they were to defy her? it was like some sort of sick joke.

"this is bullshit.." you mutter, hearing the echoes as you ascend up the spiral of stairs.

from what dottore told you, it seemed like only andrey and valentina knew about the truth. childe, who had always been following the missions the queen has given him his whole life, along with his younger siblings didn't know about it yet.

are you going to tell him? what would do if he were to find out? you didn't know, your mind hurt from the endless thoughts running through it.

being caught up with it all, you didn't know where your feet took you when you reached the basement. by the time you snapped out of it, you were in a different area.

the basement wasn't part of the map you memorized before so you had no idea where to exit either.

"is anyone there?" you tried calling out but to no surprise, no one replied.

you were surrounded by cobble stoned walls where torches were placed from above. you walked and walked, until you finally saw a wooden door.

you approached this and opened it, its creaking so loud it hurt your ears. it seemed old judging from the state of the wood, and the cobwebs that surrounded the handle proved that no one had been there in a while.

"hello...?" no response once more.

you didn't know the basement was actually so spacious that it could also store a room like this one. it looked to be some sort of storage unit with various shelves and crates placed around the area.

there was red carpet draped on the floor that lead to the front, where a tall glass stand was held. you approached it and inside was a huge crown, along with some expensive jewelry.

you didn't get closer, fearing that you might break something if you did. it looked like everything in the room was more expensive than your life.

"i wonder why its stored here, it looks like it's been abandoned." you mumbled to yourself as you looked around. there were old books too, and old weaponry equipment.

"i guess these belong to the royals." you brushed your hand against the dusty blade of the sword.

just when you were about to leave the room, something caught the corner of your eye.

it had been in the very corner of the room so you didn't see it at first, and it's blade was dull that it didn't even shine anymore. what made your eyes widen was the pattern on the handle of that dagger, the design was just as clear as you remembered.

"the dagger, it had some sort of... logo." these were leonid's words to you before his last lesson. "the handle was wrapped in cloth that had been worn off, colored in dirty white with the stain of... blood. i'm sure you already know this since you were the one who saw it in the first place, but i doubt you noticed the logo, didn't you?"

*click.*

"of course." you laughed as soon as you heard the sound of something clicking behind you. "of course, how can i be so... stupid?"

you turn to face whoever it was that cocked the gun behind you. the figure points the weapon directly at you, their face showing no emotion whatsoever.

"i meant what i said when i told you i'd take a bullet for you, but who knew you'd be the one behind the trigger?" you couldn't help but to continue your nonchalant chuckle.

it felt as if the whole world stopped at that moment as you watched him place a finger on the trigger.

"i never thought it'd end like this, [Y/N]." the prince says. "i guess we were doomed from the very start, weren't we?"