Order of Creation

Chapter 1

  "We're sorry for your loss."

One by one, each noble made their way to Albert to give hollow condolences to a boy who they probably didn't even know existed before today. They just wanted to get in good graces with Elphonse, since he was the darling of the current king. How they even found out that he had adopted Albert was something he was yet to figure out. Yet here they were, at the funeral of his dear sister and her husband. The Royal Knights had declared it a suicide, saying that they probably felt frustrated by their station, especially after Sandra had been disowned by the Erigal family, but that didn't make a lot of sense. Anyone who knew Sandra knew that she had left the nobility of her own volition, much to the dismay of our father. Yet, despite his disappointment, he always held out hope that she would one day take over as head of the Erigal family. That day never came. And on the day of Elphonse's wedding to Sylvie, he formally announced me as the next head. With that, any memory of Sandra and her commoner husband were wiped from the memories of the nobility. He clenched his fist in frustration. Something was amiss, that much he could tell. But for now, he needed to be there for his nephew. Once this was done, he could then turn his full attention to revenge.

After the funeral had ended, Albert finally had some time to rest. He had expected a small function, yet so many nobles had shown up. He guessed that it had something to do with his uncle. The man had shown up a day after his parents died, and took him in. Despite his initial suspicions, the older man took great care of him, making sure he wanted for nothing. Eventually, the suspicion turned to sadness as he finally processed that his parents were gone for good. A routine merchants trip to the royal capital, something they had done many times, sometimes with him. The tears threatened to escape his eyes as he remembered their parting words. Words he had heard time and time again, yet never understood what they meant.

'The clock may march forward, but the shadows never sleep.'

As he mused over their words, there was a knock on his door.

"It's your uncle Albert. May I enter?"

"Yes you may."

As much as he wanted to be by himself, having the older man around was somehow comforting. Maybe one day he may find himself comfortable enough to call uncle. Though today wasn't that day.

"I do apologize for the crowd today. I didn't think so many people cared about your parents."

Albert glared at Elphonse.

"I apologize. I didn't mean it like that."

The glare in Albert's eyes turned to sadness

"I know. There were so many people there that I didn't recognize. Were they your guests perhaps?"

Elphonse shook his head.

"Not all of them were."

The room fell back to silence. Eventually, Elphonse spoke up.

"Is there something on your mind?"

Not knowing what to say, Albert turned his violet eyes to the ground.

"You're a lot like your mother in that sense. As proud and independent as she was, she never truly spoke her mind."

Those words, despite having known her, made Albert feel like there was more to his mother than he truly knew.

"I should probably go now," Elphonse told Albert. "I still have some things I need to take care of."

As he reached the door, Elphonse turned back to Albert.

"Second book from the top right. Pull it out and a secret passage will appear behind the bookshelf. It leads to a garden that only the maids and a few family members know about. You should be able to clear your head there."