Lunar Flare Book 2: Midnight Eclipse

Chapter 20

Emil felt his mouth go dry. "F-Father... I have no idea what you are talking about," Emil started, trying to sound as sincerely surprised as possible.

"Lord Badeaux told me that the servant said you were with the knight and the jester. That you were sitting in the knight's lap..." it sounded like Elric possibly had more to add to that but couldn't bring himself to say it.

"F-Father, you know Lord Badeaux! He loves to spread rumours and gossip, most of which are untrue! You shouldn't just go believing everything he says!" Emil appealed, taking another step towards the desk and gesturing with his hands despite the fact his father couldn't see him.

"I know this of course, so I wanted to validate any truth to his words. So, I had guards watching your balcony every night since," now Elric slowly turned around towards his son, and Emil could see how his face was contorted with a scowl of fury. "And what do they see last night, but you and your wife climbing down a rope from your balcony and hightailing it across the garden and leaving the estate."

Emil swallowed deeply but stayed silent. There was nothing he could say to defend himself, after all.

"You are lucky that Barkley pleaded with me to let you get a night's sleep before what I am about to do to you," Elric said, his expression calming slightly.

"Wh... What are you going to do to me?" Emil asked in a small voice, anxiety creeping up his back.

"You have shamed our family for the last time Emil," Elric's tone betrayed his barely contained anger. "I am finally disowning you. You are to be cast out of the Rosenthorne house, never to return. You will lose all claim to your inheritance. You will get nothing from us. You will leave today."

Emil's eyes went wide. He had never even considered being cast out as a possibility. He had never thought about the possibility of losing everything. "B-But father, wait-"

Elric put up a hand to silence his son. "There is nothing you can say to change my mind, Emil. This decision is final."

Emil fell quiet, and then glanced away from his father's intense gaze. "Wh-What about Julie?" he eventually asked in a soft voice.

"Your marriage to her will be annulled. She will be sent back to her family to marry off to another noble," Elric explained, seeming to have calmed his anger slightly.

Which meant that Emil would likely never see her again, he realised. And she would be forced into a probably unhappy marriage, when she could have stayed more or less happy, or at least comfortable, with him. And it was all his fault.

"Now, get out of my sight, and out of my house. Barkley," Elric called out, and his servant quickly stepped into the room behind Emil. "Escort Emil off the estate grounds immediately. Then send a message to the Ashdown's to come and collect their daughter."

"Right away my lord," Barkley responded with a bow, and then ushered Emil quickly out of the room.

Emil felt too stunned to say anything as Barkley led him through the house and to the front entrance. It felt like he was hardly inhabiting his own body as he walked, his mind spinning. Soon enough, without even realising it, Emil found himself standing at the front gates of the Rosenthorne estate with Barkley.

The head servant let go of Emil and stepped off to the side, quickly reaching into a nearby bush. Emil watched him with distant confusion as Barkley pulled something out of the shrubbery. It was a small leather rucksack, which he pressed into Emil's arms. As Emil was looking down at the rucksack with confusion, the servant pulled something else out of his pocket. A small leather pouch tied at the top, heavy with unknown contents which clinked inside when pressed into Emil's hand.