Chapter 4 The Facade Of Vhalmora: A Kingdom Built On Fear

• The carriage rolled through the countryside, leaving behind the familiar streets of Noxhaven. The roads grew rougher, the landscape wilder—proof that outside the city, infrastructure was far less developed.
• "The castle of the Ashborns is located in the kingdom of Valund—though it’s called Vhalmora now," Camile explained, her voice calm but her fingers tightening slightly around her skirt. "The roads outside Noxhaven aren’t well maintained, so a carriage is the better option."
• Belle nodded, as if everything suddenly made sense. "Ohhh, so that’s why."
• Luxer exhaled sharply, resisting the urge to facepalm. His sister’s ignorance was astounding. Unlike Luxia, who devoured books and history, Belle had always preferred action to study.
• The ride was mostly silent after that. Belle and Luxia chatted quietly, their voices a soft murmur against the rhythmic clatter of hooves. Luxer remained lost in thought, his sharp eyes scanning the passing scenery with suspicion. Their mother, Camile, simply watched her children with a bittersweet smile.
• When they finally arrived in Vhalmora, the sight before them was almost surreal.
• The city was bright, bustling, alive with laughter and commerce. People moved freely, markets thrived, and children played in the streets. On the surface, it was a paradise, orderly, prosperous, untouched by crime.
• But Luxer knew better.
• This was nothing more than a facade, carefully crafted by the Ashborns.
• The Ashborns ruled with absolute authority and ruthless control. Crime was nonexistent here not because it didn’t exist, but because the citizens knew better than to cross the famiglia that owned the very ground they walked on.
• Fear kept them in line.
• And outside Vhalmora?
• That’s where the Ashborns’ true nature revealed itself. Drugs, arms trafficking, assassinations, nothing was beneath them. They only maintained this pristine image because it suited their power.
• Luxer’s jaw tightened.
• 'This was the world Luxia was being thrown into. And Belle... She was just another pawn in their game.' he thought to himself.
• Camile closed her eyes, whispering a silent prayer. "Luxia… I’m sorry I couldn’t do more as your mother."
• Because in the end, even a mother’s love couldn’t shield her daughters from the darkness of the mafia world.
• The grand carriage rolled to a stop before Castle Ashborn’s iron-wrought gates, where stone-faced guards ushered them through without a word. As the Castelos family emerged onto the cobbled courtyard, the grinding of wheels on stone announced another arrival—a sleek black carriage bearing the coiled-serpent crest of House Razenhard, its polished doors gleaming like a blade fresh drawn.
• The door opened, and out stepped Viola Razenhard, her presence as serene as the morning mist.
• "Good morning, everyone." she greeted, her voice soft and melodic.
• Her amber and violet heterochromatic eyes shimmered under the sunlight, though their usual dullness betrayed her usual detachment from the world around her, until Luxer rushed forward, taking her hand in his.
• Instantly, her eyes lit up with life, a giggle escaping her lips.
• "Viola!" Luxer’s voice was warm, his usual composed demeanor melting away in her presence.
• Viola Razenhard, once part of the Ashborn family, now the heir of the independent Razenhard faction, a family of archivists and historians who despised violence and war. While the Ashborns ruled through bloodshed, the Razenhards preserved knowledge, documenting the world’s secrets without taking sides.
• Yet for all her gentleness, Viola’s heart beat for just one—Luxer Castelos, heir to a mafia family, whose hands were stained with blood while hers tended to roses and books.
• "Luxer…" she murmured, her fingers tightening around his. "We won’t be able to see each other for some time. My family has tasked me with accompanying Luxia. The Ashborns have already been notified."
• Luxer’s expression darkened slightly, but he nodded. If anyone could protect Luxia in this viper’s den, it was Viola who has a lot of influence.
• "Oh look, the bookworm is joining us," Belle teased, crossing her arms with a smug grin.
• Viola didn’t even glance her way, her gaze still locked onto Luxer as she replied flatly, "And I didn’t expect the monkey to be coming along too."
• "M-monkey?! H-hey! Don’t ignore me, dammit!" Belle’s face flushed red with indignation. She turned to Luxia, exasperated. "Ugh! I really can’t stand her, Luxia! How can you even be friends with that bookworm?!"
• Luxia giggled, eyes twinkling with mischief. "But I can see you’re also good friends with Viola, Belle."
• "WE ARE NOT—!" Belle sputtered, but her protests were drowned out by Viola’s quiet laughter.
• Despite their constant bickering, there was an unspoken understanding between them. Viola, the calm and calculating archivist, and Belle, the fiery and impulsive fighter, two sides of a coin, both fiercely protective of Luxia in their own ways.