Of Fools and Masks

1 - A Child of the Abyss

It wasn't rare for the Duke of Luhenstein to show himself in public. Often called the royal helper, Alexander Sherwood IX is the duchy's reason for its prosperity. His dukedom is also ranked first among the happiest regions in the country. After taking over his father's title, he made sure to secure the welfare of the land and its citizens.

Pulling his coat tighter, he shuddered at the freezing temperature. It didn't help that the air was also cold inside his car. He pushed the window's switch to take in the view of the snowy streets. There were still people about the busy center. It was almost time for the holidays, so it wasn't really a surprise. He waved back at those who recognized him and smiled back at their warm greetings.

"Your Grace, you're going to catch a cold if you expose yourself further in this weather." His chauffeur scolded from the driver's seat.

Alex chuckled, waving one last time at a small boy, before closing the car window. "You know I won't. Although it is getting awfully cold now. I reckon next month's going to be much, much worse."

"We hope not, Your Grace."

He sighed then, checking the messages on his phone. It has been turned off since morning, but he was sure his brothers would have sent him messages since then. "You're right."

They were asking where their gifts were again, those little rascals. He recalled promising them sometime before, and while he did intend to buy them their presents, his duty as Duke always came first. But it's not as if he would forget about the holiday season. It's just that there were things he wanted to accomplish first before even thinking of having a break.

...which was why he attended one of those secret meetings again. He didn't know much detail about the organization yet, but he had some ideas. As for the official members, he did know there were ten of them. They went by new names: special titles that their subjects use to address them, and when they were communicating with each other within Herald headquarters.

So far, he only knew one. And rightly so, because knowing about the others outside the organization would mean him getting killed.

But this person was special. Known inside as Il Pierro, he was the group's leader, the one who recruited all current members. Getting to know his codename then, would mean two things: one, a chance to be taken in as a Herald. Two would mean he's under observation, and a chance to be eliminated.

Alex was hoping for the first.

With what he was told, they said one of the easiest ways to rise into power and avoid political conflicts was to get close to the Heralds... although he did believe there was more to being one of their peers than just that.

When wanting to join their ranks, a person would be taken under the wing of a member, but not so personally as to know their real names. They would only be addressed by their peers as the pseudonym especially assigned to them.

Subjects under one Herald weren't allowed to see their faces, but there would still be a possibility for them to see them in public. They would, however, not recognize them as Heralds.

Alex thought that would be difficult since he was known in his region by almost every single person. Being a Herald will require him to hide his second identity. But should another noble come to him, would he not be allowed to show his face?

He was dropped before his manor later that evening. Listing in his mind what he was supposed to do before going to bed, his phone rang.

The caller ID pulled his lips down in a frown. "Pierro." was his cold greeting.

"You are dangerous." The old man chuckled. "I looked you up." He heard a shuffling of paper, and then a soft click of what he thought was a pen. The Head of the Heralds must have him on loudspeaker. There were probably others who were listening to their conversation.