Chapter 20: Third Episode: Chapter 2 (1/2)
Chapter 20: Third Episode: Chapter 2
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
No one could give a definite answer as to when did Brooklyn and Oscar started dating. In Damorga, no one was bold enough to mention that name in front of the big brother. Yes, even if little Brooklyn was only an ordinary child prostitute, her name would make O’Neil Andrew Morissette lose his sanity.
Ever since their first meeting, the little fatty frequented the prostitute’s small cabin. The mysterious girl knew how to satisfy the young man’s mental and physical needs. A girl like her was able to arouse the boy’s sexual desires and evoke his early memories of love.
Brooklyn did not have any untold secrets. Her profession made her a cheap object of pleasure for men, and to be honest she was not in any way particularly seductive or attractive. Oscar had no fantasy towards the young girl. He could only blame the God of Light for their fate, for making the young fatty warm up to her at once.
Would anyone ever fall for a child prostitute? To be fair there was nothing for a prostitute to complain about as they could consider themselves fortunate if they were sent to work in the Damorga prison. Most of the prisoners and guards would not deliberately make things difficult for these poor and frail women. They all had their own bitter past, but no one cared about that because in Damorga, what was more important was to keep themselves alive.
Oscar learned that young Brooklyn especially loved to eat salted cheesecake, so he would always bring some with him during his visits. The privileges the young man had earned up to that time was far more than just the authority to move around freely in the prison, he could also do whatever he wished as long as it was not too extreme or off limits. His requests for the warden were often only to get some printed cotton materials to make skirts for the ladies or some nutritious delicious snacks.
One could say that the times Oscar spent with Brooklyn were his happiest moments in the Damorga prison. The evil forces looked at this opportunity as their best chance to take advantage of young Oscar. It might sound cliche, but the simplest and fastest way to break someone was to kill them in an instant, was it not? One could save themselves the trouble of having to plan for a long, complicated and thorough revenge plan. How tiresome.
But wait! Someone mentioned the presence of evil forces in Damorga prison? Oh God! That was crazy! Inside the empire’s darkest prison lived the most vicious devils. Each and every one of them were undoubtedly evil forces.
Those who held this view were either the aristocrats or the free folks. The Ministry of Justice had too many affairs on their hands, they could not be bothered to investigate these upper class citizens. Instead, they put their attention and effort on spying on the people at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Although they could not gain as much profit from these people by underhanded means, there was the sense of excitement when they flaunt their power and harass these poor people. The officials of the Ministry of Justice enjoyed torturing the people from the lower classes out of fun. It was a means for them to unleash their power and air their vengeance.
The violent death of young Brooklyn happened mainly because of her naivety, she was still too inexperienced to have the intellect to understand how things worked in the adult’s world. Although her tragic death could not be separated from the violent O’Neil Andrew Morisette, no one could have the heart to blame it all on the young man’s impulsiveness.
In short, O’Neil Andrew Morisette had the opportunity to learn loads of different skills from many masters, hence he was equipped with the ability to protect himself even at a young age. Secondly, one third of the mafias in Titan had connections with the Andrew Family and they swore to protect the safety of the young master. Moreover, the competitive young man was becoming more and more puffed up by pride and arrogance after he successfully took the lives of a couple of infamous killers, and he was often seen in places where he should not have been. His enemies did not forget all the hatred, but they were just too occupied with the political life that they could not find time to deal with the little rascal in Damorga. Lastly, the spies of Ministry of Justice were not delighted to see the existence of such an aloof young man in prison. They needed to eradicate this increasing influence which could threaten their authority power among the prisoners. Therefore, this perfect opportunity gave rise to the wicked scheme targeting the young man.
Young Brooklyn totally had no idea of the scheme or the whole situation. She believed the right thing to do was to partner with the remarkable spies. In order to keep herself alive in Damorga, she had to go with the majority, and that convinced her to participate in the murder plan. Just like usual, she brought the boy for a walk after ”work”. The little boy was socially awkward and did not have much to talk, not to mention sweet words. That was exactly what the young Brooklyn liked -- simplicity and ordinariness. Hence, when the boy showed up at their usual meeting time the girl was devastated and conscience-stricken. A variety of negative emotions instantly filled her youthful but broken soul. Unfortunately, these feelings faded as quickly as they came.
The mountain blocked the warm breeze coming from the sea, which was why winter in Damorga prison always felt longer compared to the other places. Although the cold northerly wind whistled strongly, it failed to blow away the boy’s excitement in meeting the girl. The little fatty was not rich in romantic sentiments, he only knew to bring his dates to watch the beautiful sunset of Damorel, or to enjoy the sense of freedom while chilling by the edge of the prison.
But this date turned out to be a little different from his usual ones. The girl had familiarised herself with the boy’s ideal route to take to his favourite dating spot. Just a stone throw’s away from their destination, at an abandoned storehouse near the edge of the prison, the Ministry of Justice had installed a troop of Special Forces Unit at the best position for ambush.
The young man was not gifted with prediction abilities. So even though he felt suspicious of the sets of footprints imprinted on the thick layer of snow he did not give any extra thought to it. To be fair he was still not regarded as a qualified warrior. Hence, as usual, the boy ordered the guards to leave the young couple alone, and walked right into the ambush while holding the girl’s cold little hands. Despite the fact that the boy did not understand romance, he was always inadvertently showing his gentleness through small gestures. He raised the back of the young prostitute’s cold hands to his lips and gave them a soft kiss, he then blew some warm air onto them to stop them from shaking.
The wind and snow could block one’s line of vision, but similarly they could also be the efficient messenger that conveys loads of messages, for instance the sharp hissing sound of a thin double-edged sword.
The young man pulled the girl into his own embrace to protect her from the attacks, but unfortunately the sword slid into himself. There were four people who assassinated him. To be exact, they were four professional and experienced special secret agents, which was why the young fatty could not avoid their assaults coming from the dark as he was at a disadvantage. The snowy wind was still whistling hard when the little fat guy shoved the girl down to the ground. His eyes were filled with disbelief as he saw the dagger the girl had inserted into his waist. Only then did Oscar figure out the situation.
Anger, despair, and feelings of betrayal led the young man into hysterics. The blood oozing from his body and the throbbing pain triggered his violent self and he began attacking every person who came near to him like a mad dog. He was thrown to the ground, but he could still see the tip of a thin sword approaching his eyes slowly with a steady rhythm. The more he struggled the weaker he got. He let out a roar of rage and frustration that resembled the struggle of carnivorous beasts. He felt himself gradually losing energy. The young Oscar could feel the sharp sword sliding into his eye. With all the energy he had left in his body, he pulled out the dagger buried deep inside his waist and used the weapon that had injured himself to save his own life.
The boy could not remember exactly in details how he solved the sudden crisis. Everything was so chaotic, so frantic. The snow ground was a huge mess. The boy's self-esteem demanded him not to lie there still like a dead dog, and so with all his strength he stood up in a staggering manner.
The young Brooklyn was completely remorseful of what she did. Even if the body staggered towards her, she did not think there was still life inside the little boy. Fresh red blood oozed from his eyeball like a small fountain. Brooklyn thought that the devil had taken the poor boy’s body.
The death of the little girl was so miserable that the boy did not want to think about it even after he grew up. However, someone heard from His Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette himself that he never regretted what he had did. In fact, it was because of his decisiveness and cruelty in dealing with this matter that he managed to establish his reputation in the shortest possible time among the prisoners of Damorga. Hence, some things indeed could not be explained by the common logical way of thinking. The young man’s crazy revenge plan lasted for about one month long. During that time he was seen blindfolded, holding his machete and dragged his feet, wandering around the prison in search of his enemies. That amazing scene was still now being talked about and relished among the the older generation of prisoners in Damorga.
His Imperial Highness Prince once again thought of little Brooklyn. He felt a little strange as to why the person with such importance who had affected his life greatly was not being written into his memoir. The young prince took a small sip of the tea. He realized the reason was because little Brooklyn could only remain hidden in a place somewhere deep in his heart. He did not know where and how to begin writing about her, and he had no idea how he should describe the child prostitute. That was the first time ever that he had opened his heart to another person, but the God of Light had not blessed that first experience to be as sweet and pure as a first love. Ever since her death, everything related to young Brooklyn had become O’Neil Andrew Morisette’s bottom line. Being betrayed was indeed a cruel experience, but what was harder to face was the truth that reality brought with it after.
How could one describe the feeling of truth that comes after betrayal? His Imperial Highness Prince placed the porcelain cup down onto the table and it became clear to him suddenly. The kind of truth was just like this Oriental drink - tea, incomparably bitter, but a taste that would never be forgotten.
His Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette obtained all the information needed from the letter written to him by Captain Vick. He had a good impression about the captain, and the prince knew that after all this was over the captain would hit the big time and become reputable. That Captain of the Guards has the wisdom and courage unlike others, he has the potential of becoming a confidential secretary. The prince came here for the famous tea, but the tea was so bitter that it gave his chest an unpleasant feeling that he could not explain. Young Oscar realized that he had been doing too much of thinking.
”It’s late now, Sasha, go to sleep. Antonia, and dear Miss Fenrar, please go and fetch for Percy and Baron Thomas Aulet respectively.”
The prince’s order had a firm and unquestionable tone. Sasha looked behind the closed door, not knowing what to do.
She finally discovered the distance between her brother and herself. She thought that her brother was becoming more and more like their mighty father who was always busy with his army. Even though she and her beloved brother were only been obstructed by a wooden door, but their minds were thousands of miles apart. She had no idea what would become of them if this situation continues.
”Please enter, my dear friends!” Marquis Almodovar Godzilla was greeting several of his closest friends in his huge meeting room. Although the party had ended, several of the more important guests stayed behind without prior arrangement.
The well-dressed gentlemen entered the living room one after another. It was clear that they were quite familiar with the area as they each found their seats and sat down accordingly out of old habits.
The interior of the living room was extravagantly luxurious. The Engels-produced corner sofa was wrapped in cosy animal skin, the blue-against-white marble fireplace displayed the owner’s unique taste in furniture, and the crystal chandeliers with golden lamp brackets evenly spread the warm light of the candles across the spacious room. The lords were also served with fresh seasonal fruits and high quality Iceland wine the colour of amber. In general, there was no shortage of luxury and the room was decorated with imposing grandeur.
Although the big fat Godzilla was committed to the prince’s promise, he still had his own set of ideas. Obviously, the little fatty encountered an intractable problem. This would be the perfect timing to reconsider the reliability of the allies, but the little fatty’s incomparable confidence gave the shrewd finance minister some doubts. The sea creature has been in charge of the imperial’s finance more than three decades, and his keen political sense could trace a crisis rising in the midst of peaceful Dulin.
”Gentlemen, alright, gentlemen! Would you all listen to me?” Marquis Godzilla shouted loudly to cease the uproarious gentlemen.
As the brains and minds of the finance minister, these gentlemen were naturally not useless friends who were only fit for guzzling and boozing. Although to be honest they would sell their own souls for Golden Tis without a moment of hesitation but they all knew their places and were aware of their own astute.
”Gentlemen! You should all know of the situation that is happening right now. Although the exact details are still uncertain but there is one thing to be sure, and that is the lord of the Secretary of State has already been pre-emptive and took his move. So now what should we do?”
”Marquis Godzilla!” A eccentric looking guy took the lead in expressing his opinion. ”I think all things have been made very obvious. No matter what kind of the situation it is, by virtue of our good relations with the Secretary of State over the years, we should be unified with them and make sure both parties speak along the same lines. Even though the prince and his family are not someone to be trifled with, if we allow him to penetrate his influence here in Dulin I am afraid that will cause change to the whole power structure of the empire.”
The lord had in fact voiced out the widespread concern of the Dulin’s aristocrats. His Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette rose to power in such a short period of time. Although his status as a member of the Imperial family was not to be censured, the aristocrats were still used to regarding him as just a member of the Andrew Family. People have been discussing the rise of status for Andrew family once the bestowment of title took place, and it was a topic that worried everyone. Because of historical events, the aristocrats and the upper reaches of the Dulin capital naturally had fear towards high provincial governor families just like the Andrew Family.
Three other lords presented in the living room also supported the gentleman’s opinion. However, Count Levis Sakya from Toules Province had a completely different view on the same matter.
”Dear lords, I assumed everyone here is aware that I have had an informal meeting with the young prince before. Based on my experience I strongly disagree with the notion that we should be in the opposing side of His Imperial Highness Prince.” As soon as they heard this the people in the living room fell into dispute. It seemed that the young prince appeared to be incompetent in the eyes of most people.
”Please listen to me, dear gentlemen! If you would let me finish my sentence?” Levis waited a few seconds until the gentlemen regained their composure and then he continued his persuasion.
”In my opinion, the forces behind the young prince are not only the Andrew family. Even though the East Border is widely known as the territory of our empire, but even the governmental decree of His Majesty the Emperor would be worth nothing more than the Pope’s words of prayer in that area. Nonetheless I’m afraid that you gentlemen have ignored one important point, that is, the Andrew family never intervenes with the emperor's decision.”
”So if they are not intervening, and also not implementing any actions, what difference does it make?” One gentleman asked.
”No, it’s not the same,” Count Sakya shook his head before clearing the gentleman’s confusion, ”When they do not interfere, it means that even if they are led by the empire’s central government, they have the authority to selectively implement the central government’s decrees. It shows that the Andrew family is very political minded. The empire’s program could not work at all in the East Border, hence it does not matter if the Andrew family cares about the program or not. Their agreement already addresses the problem, which is that the Andrew family will not participate in centralized ruling. This is also the basic foundation of the friendly relationship between the Andrew family and the Imperial family for almost four centuries. They will always be the powerful armed force that is ready to sacrifice for the imperial. Besides, I have good enough reasons to believe that this situation will not change in the coming future.”
”The second issue is regarding the young prince himself. For the Andrew family, his bestowment is nothing more than just another honour to the family. What we really need to consider is the real intention behind His Majesty the Emperor’s decision on the bestowment. His Majesty is not the reckless kind, he must have thought clearly and thoroughly before making any decision. So no matter what we might think of the young prince now, I suggest that we stay with our initial standpoint and keep following His Imperial Highness. I believe that is the key to winning the final war.”
”Finally, gentlemen, I do not know if you have noticed, the law and order in Dulin city has shown significant improvement recently, and His Majesty has openly praised the lord from Ministry of Justice in front of the public, but do you know why?”
All the lords shook their heads in unison. They have never encountered robbery, assault, or fraud, of course they were ignorant about the situation of the lower classes.
”Ha ha, you will not believe this. Someone has been reorganising the internal structure of the underground forces and gangs of the capital lately. You all must understand better than me how complex these organisations are. Can anyone guess who has so much financial support and control that they can successfully calm down the dark forces?”