A Courtyard of Roses

Chapter Twenty-Two

'BEYOND THE PEONY Field' was a heart-wrenching tragedy that centered around a young noble boy. Spade told the story with gusto, reciting the storyline from his memory, often displaying looks of melancholy as he went through the highs and lows of the plot.

Like all good stories, this one, too, started with a classic 'once upon a time'.

The young noble boy, Silas, was more of a servant than a master in his own family. He was born into riches, the son of a powerful and respected duke in a make-believe world. However, although Silas had an influential father that knew how to work his way around the royal court, Silas's mother was less than remarkable. She was a mere barmaid that had wormed her way into the duke's bed one winter night and was lucky enough to birth a healthy baby boy.

Silas grew to the age of ten without seeing his father even once. He was kept by his mother's side, helping around the busy pub even as a child. His mother, of course, often told him tall tales about how his father was a distinguished figure in high society and would one day bring both mother and son back to live with him. Alas, that was never meant to be.

As a decade rolled by, Silas nor his mother had received any news from the duke. In fact, the only word that went around the street when Silas was just three-years-old was that the duke had apparently gotten married to the kingdom's princess and together, they welcomed a baby boy who was dearly loved by both their parents. Even after hearing that news, Silas's mother refused to give up hope.

Until one day, the duchess herself strolled onto the streets and stopped right outside the pub, demanding for Silas's mother to be forcefully dragged out. Somehow, the duchess had caught wind of the duke's illegitimate son from prior to their wedding. Enraged, she demanded the woman be banished from the kingdom, using her position as a favored princess to convince the king to make such a ridiculous command.

The poor peasant woman was called names, publicly humiliated, and eventually driven out of her workplace and onto the road. She was about to leave with nothing more than the clothes on her back, her young child, and a few coins in her pockets when the duke had suddenly arrived at the scene. At the sight of his son, the duke paid Silas's mother a few pieces of gold in exchange for her child, much to the vehemence of the duchess. With the exchange complete, Silas's mother was exiled from the kingdom due to one small mistake and a child was separated from his mother.

Perhaps in some fairytales, Silas would've gone from rags to riches overnight. However, although he was the duke's flesh and blood, he was treated no more than a servant. He was tasked with the duty of waiting on the duke and duchess's son and official heir, Hayes, and the two brothers grew up with a status imbalance.

Hayes grew up with the best his parents could provide. He was fed good food every single day and offered the best tutors to ensure his bright future. The clothing that hung from his physique was made with the finest silks and furs, some of which were brought back from hunts that his father attended with the rest of the royal court.

On the other hand, Silas wore cotton, the very same four pieces that he owned for the last couple of years. He was only ever bought ready-made clothes from the market and even at that, new clothing pieces were only supplied to him whenever his old ones got torn beyond salvation or if he had grown too much out of it. Whatever food he was fed was always cold, the leftovers of Hayes's sumptuous dinner. Occasionally, he wouldn't even have dinner at all if it weren't for the kind servant girl Silas had befriended.

Peony, a young servant that was the same age as Hayes, worked diligently in the kitchens day and night. She had been Silas's first and only friend in the large mansion, his only safe haven in hell's vast territory. On more than one occasion, she snuck food to him — still warm and hearty despite being nothing more than a few slices of bread and soup — and had risked facing punishment just to do so. Against all odds and almost like the fairytale Silas should've had, love blossomed between the two friends as they grew into adulthood.