Tales Of Crimson (Discontinued)

Chapter III

Rose Mansion, Moniyan Empire

The Rose Mansion, one of the Empire's grandest and august edifice stood proudly in its perch on the soils of Moniyan. It boasts of the colors of grandeur: red, blue, and gold. Its excellent structures are not only built for aesthetics but also for great functionality. It was designed to withstand a siege and resist the destruction caused by calamities and beasts. Though it was thrice smaller than the Imperial Palace, it is easier to manage and just as tough to invade. Numerous traps hide here and there and well-trained hunters strictly guard the premises with large ferocious wolves which also gave it the epithet Wolf's Den.

The estate also lives up to its name of Rose Mansion as hundreds of rose bushes decorate its area along with a few edelweiss plants, blue orchids, and other more. Purple glowing butterflies fly all about collecting nectar and pollinating the flowers. Diamond-shaped columns decorate the garden with rose vines snaking up on them. The walkways are made of white and red marble tiles and there are two identical statues of a huntress raising a scythe which met and formed an arc in the path leading to the entrance of the mansion. Rose vines also started wrapping around the identical statues. The left one had blooming red roses while the right one had blooming blue roses.

Inside the mansion, a handsome young man clad in blue garments followed a maid as she led him towards her master's quarters. The man had pale blonde hair and vibrant colored blue eyes yet lacking in life and joy.

The man noticed a new painting hanging on the wall and immediately stopped in his tracks to better observe it. It depicts a beautiful woman with the hair of sunshine and eyes of peridot. A golden spiked crown sat on top of her head, it didn't have any gems or any flashy design but it looked excellent on her. The woman wore a long-sleeved gown of royal blue, gold, and white which made her look like a royalty. In her lap sleeps a small blond girl about two years of age. The girl seems to be the woman's child because of the gentle loving stare she directs towards the toddler. The man found the painting heart-melting and it brought a warm feeling in his heart.

"Lord Alucard, if we could proceed to the master's chamber." the maid stated calmly, trying to hide her impatience.

"Apologies, please proceed." the man said flatly and followed her again.

They've reached the room of the Lord of the House a few moments later and the maid knocked softly and introduced her companion. After receiving a reply to let the visitor in the maid opened the door and bowed to the man in the room. Alucard stepped inside the spacious room and saw his badly injured mentor and savior, Charles Rose.

"Alucard, you're finally here. It took you long enough to get here." exclaimed a sick man in his bed.

"It's nice to see you as well Lord Charles." Alucard greeted back.

"Oh please, don't address me with such a title, I'm sick of hearing it."

"Yeah, is that the reason why you look awful?" joked Alucard.

"Ahh these are just new additions to my scar collection and even if I look like shit I'd still be a thousand times better looking than you." Charles laughed.

"But truth be told, that demon prince really did a number on me but the one that really got me was that whore Alice, the Apocalypse Queen. She placed some sort of demonic blood curse on me or something." explained the sick man showing a throbbing red symbol on his well-toned belly, where the sinister crimson veins around it started swelling and becoming more visible. The symbol seemed to be crawling throughout his skin and doing something insidious.

"Does it still hurt Lord Charles?" Alucard noticed another person in the room nearly hidden in the shadows beside the bed. The man stepped into the light and revealed his identity. He has brown hair and brown eyes and a well-built stature. His physiognomy is attractive but proud. Too proud.