>>5401788Finding his half sister in the garden, Serpico pondered as to what to say to soothe Farnese, only his mind was already clouded himself, thinking of Vlad's words mentioning his heritage.
"Freedom is relative, and many times illusive. Some burdens are ours to carry alone."
Knowing that The Vandimions were preparing a ball in honor of the warriors about to depart in the Kushan war, he was wondering whether or not he could save Vlad and Farnese from going their separate ways. But for him to have any weight in political marriages, he had to reveal his identity...
Yet lucky for him, Lady Vandimion came back to her mansion in order to appear in the ball, catching sight of her daughter and the humble servant, she stopped by to greet the two.
"You look as well as I expected, being gone after so long..." The matriarch noticed the bruises on their body.
"You look splendid as always, Milady." Serpico bows.
"What brings you here, Mother?"
"As I can't abide by the cold, I sailed about in the southern islands during the winter, but I thought I would complete my trip by taking in the battlefield. Speaking of which, what brings you here? I remember hearing news about you being missing after stealing away from your army."
The nonchalant way she speaks of her daughter's disappearance is very telling. Nevertheless, Farnese gives her a summary of recent events.
"Betrothed by a friend of Magnifico? Hmph... But what about the men you are fond of?"
"Facing the death row... I've hurt him in the past, with the same way I've brought down the house..." Farnese laments on throwing a fireball at Vlad, realizing how risky that maneuver was.
"Whenever you mention him, your eyes revert to those of the Farnese who had Frederico at a loss..."
"Huh?"
"What, were you not aware? Your father fears you more than anything else. He's a weak man, so he wants everything situated where he can handle it. Moving through all the world like they were his toys, he only relaxes when all is arranged through his schemes. In my eyes, he's a slave to the world, yet if he wasn't for that abnormality, he wouldn't be cut out to be the Vandimion head. To someone like him, you're an enigma, a little monster."
"But that cannot be! I could never say a word about my own feelings to Father... All I did was nod at his presence--"
"Words are not all there is to communicating feelings, Farnese. You've always expressed unutterable repressed feelings through unexpected behavior. Like a baby without speech, crying and shouting incomprehensibly. That is why he feared you. He lacked the strength to comprehend you. Left to be raised alone, without warmth or the world of man, your heart was naked. So artistic in your feelings that you cannot abide by this world."
"Yet if this Vlad does indeed give you a place for yourself, then you, being more familiar with the pain of abandonment than most, would revert that repression into the biggest expression of kindness."
