Rias was well on her way to the garden, but as soon as she exited the banquet room, she encountered the all too familiar Celestine and Alicia standing outside the banquet hall idly.
"Lady Celestine, Lady Alicia, I was not expecting to see you out here."
"We were actually waiting for you milady."
"Really now?" Rias asked with surprise. "What do you require of me?"
"We have many questions to ask." Alicia said.
"Questions about your husband." Celestine clarified.
"Well please join me in the gardens for an evening talk. I'm sure your former maidservants will be happy to serve you."
Celestine and Alicia followed Rias to the garden. Celestine looked in nostalgia, these were once hers. She was once the most respected figure among the kingdoms, only rivaled in prestige by that damned witch Olga and the beautiful dragonness Xiaolong. But now, she was at the mercy of a mere mortal man. Though he seemed kinder than the Black Dogs, his attitude intimidated her. A no-nonsense, apathetic man like him scared her so much, and she couldn't imagine what sort of person could become like him. Rias sits on one end of the table and Celestine sits on the other end, with Alicia sitting on the side.
"So, what do you wish to know about the Duke?" Rias asked while sipping from her cup.
"I want to know what sort of man he was back in your land. What kind of leader he was to his people."
"And why do you need to know that?" Rias asked while tilting her head in puzzlement.
"I just need to know if my citizens are in good hands."
Rias sighed as she set down her cup.
"Promise that you will tell absolutely no one of this."
"Goddess' oath." Celestine said while putting a hand on her chest.
"Knight's oath." Alicia said firmly.
"Good." Rias said in a satisfied tone. "Now to understand my husband, you must understand the world that he lived in."
"Okay…" Celestine said while listening intently.
"The continent that we all lived in was called Europe. And there were many nation-states that occupied the land, but there were only four major powers that stood out, the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of England, the United Kingdom of Scandinavia, and the Portugese-Spanish Alliance. Though we lived in separate nations, we were united under one faith by the Catholic Church."
Celestine was intrigued that there were more armies as powerful as that of Haru. She was also very interested in this Catholicism that Haru had introduced and imposed on her citizens. Alicia was interested to hear more about the military of this world.
"Haru was born into a high noble family in England, under the Duke of Whirlingpool and the Duchess of Leafvalley. Haru was the eldest of his family and therefore was next in succession to inherit his parents' lands."
Celestine nodded at that, so Haru had a very powerful background after all. But that still didn't answer her question. Alicia grew a little respect for Haru for having noble blood.
"What sort of person was he?"
"Patience milady." Rias replied calmly. "Haru' mother, the Duchess of Leafvalley, was a very caring mother. The moment he had exited her womb, he had immediately clung to her. He always ran to her loving arms in times of pain and suffering."
That was the least of Celestine's expectations, the Duke? A mama's boy? It almost seemed adorable, but the Duke's attitude quickly brought the High Elf back to reality. Alicia couldn't see the Duke being so soft, he looked too tough and serious.
"But one day, he and his mother were attacked by bandits. Though his mother was able to escape with him, she was fatally wounded. With her dying words, she told Haru to try and find his way back home. Imagine that, at seven years old, young Haru watched his mother die."
Celestine had to admit that was tragic, an important figure in his childhood, dying in front of his very eyes. Alicia couldn't imagine seeing that happen, especially since she and Prim had also lost their parents.
"Haru was able to escape the forest and inform his family of the travesty committed by those bandits. As soon as they sorted out the problem of bandits, they were finally able to retrieve her body. Haru was there to see it all. Her body in the funeral pyre, seeing his beloved mother turn into nothing but ashes."
Celestine and Alicia frowned at that, Haru really had it rough when he was young. Maybe that was why he was so serious. But Celestine and Alicia knew that Rias had more to say.
"Young Haru convinced himself that if he knew how to fight, his mother would not have died. He firmly believed that he needed to protect those close to him. So he demanded that his father train him. His father obliged of course, giving his son the training he wanted so badly. It was tough for Haru but he pulled through. He aspired to be like his father, powerful, skilled and intelligent, traits that he needed to protect those he loved."
Celestine could notice that this was the time when Haru was starting to become the person he already was. He certainly was powerful and his plans so far have had no failure, he was quite the multifaceted man. Alicia saw an admirable sense of determination in the man, maybe he wasn't so bad.
"Over time, his father became a source of inspiration for Haru. Someone to look up to. Haru saw a mentor in his father and he grew a great respect for him. But one day, his father became bed-ridden after contracting a terminal disease. At fourteen, Haru was once again struck with the horror of losing the one he loves."
Celestine gasped. Another important loved one had died? This was getting even more grim than Celestine had imagined. Alicia hung her head in solemnity at what Haru had experienced.
"With his last dying words, Haru's father made Haru the man of the house, the patriarch to watch over the lands of his family. But, he also gave Haru another responsibility, to take care of his younger sister, Lady Naru of Leafvalley, who was only a year younger than him. And he took his father's words to heart."
Celestine was surprised to know that Haru had a sister. If he really cared about her so much, then why wasn't she with them? Alicia was also surprised, perhaps she and the Duke shared something in common and that was great care for their younger siblings.
"Now back to the politics, the Catholic Church had excommunicated the Holy Roman Empire, meaning that the Holy Roman Empire was no longer a member of their religion, which angered the great power. The Empire sought to attack the capital of the Catholic Church, the Vatican."
Celestine was shocked at this. These men were willing to desecrate holy artifacts to wreak their revenge? This Holy Roman Empire sounded very crazy, though Celestine knew they were not close to being as crazy as the Sex Empire. Alicia shuddered at the mention of another empire.
"The Catholic Church was ruled by a figurehead known as the Pope, who was the head of the whole Catholic Church, much like you were of your religion."
Celestine could see the similarities between herself and this "Pope". She couldn't help but feel the desecration of a city was all too familiar, as her city was close to suffering that very fate, had it not been for the timely arrival of the Duke and his men.
"The Holy Roman Empire stormed into the city, hell-bent on capturing the Pope. While the Pope's defenders, the Swiss guard, valiantly fought against the invaders, the last stand fell and the Pope was captured. Lady Naru accompanied Haru and the other English to a meeting with the Hapsburg Dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire. Other representatives from the Portugese-Spanish Alliance and other nations arrived in the Holy Roman Empire to try and negotiate with them."
Celestine nodded, this story was getting more interesting. Alicia was interested to hear about the politics of their world.
"Though he was only fifteen years old, Haru was already acquainted with politics and diplomacy, and he played an important part in the negotiations. But it turns out, the whole thing was orchestrated as a trap. The Pope had been executed long before the arrival of the emissaries and the meeting was merely a ploy to gather the nobles of the different powers. Assassins would enter the bedchambers of the nobles and kill them in their sleep. Many nobles died to the unexpected assault by the assassins, except for the English, Scandinavian and the Portugese-Spanish Alliance nobles, who had foreseen the betrayal of the Holy Romans. And the whole attack was orchestrated by Leopold Hapsburg, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor."
Celestine was once again taken by surprise. The Holy Roman Empire was such scum to even backstab the other major powers like that. She was growing to hate this Empire a little more. Alicia saw the empire as dishonorable and despicable.
"Though Haru had also foreseen the assassination attempt and thwarted it; he made the fatal mistake of leaving his sister alone. He ran to her rescue, to only find that he was too late. His sister was not dead, but she was being raped by Leopold Hapsburg himself."
Celestine's eyes widened at the trauma that Haru suffered, seeing his dear sister being violated like that. She could only imagine the pain he felt when he saw his sister being molested and abused. Alicia was even more shocked. She couldn't imagine something like that happening to Prim. To the best of her ability, she had protected her dear cousin, whom she treated like a sister, from anything. She couldn't imagine the feeling of failure of protecting the one you love.
"Haru was enraged, together with his guards, he was able to stop Leopold. One eyewitness account stated that Leopold acted smug, as he was the heir to the Holy Roman Empire and he believed that the boy Haru would not even touch him. But he was dead wrong. Haru took sheer pleasure in beating the man with his bare hands. For the rest of the night, Haru prolonged the suffering of the man who dared touch his sister until he himself ran out of energy. By dawn, Haru had left with the rest of the nobles, escaping the clutches of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Emperor himself was treated with sight of his dead son, horribly beaten to death by Haru himself."
Celestine was a bit torn there. On one hand, it was disturbingly sadistic of Haru to take pleasure in the suffering of another, but on the other hand, the man did rape his sister, and that would justify his anger. Haru wasn't as black and white as she thought, he was becoming even more complex in her eyes. Alicia smirked instead, seeing justice in what Haru did.
"How did the Empire react?" Celestine asked.
"The Holy Roman Empire demanded Haru to be handed over, but by the time, the other powers didn't listen. They had already concluded that the Holy Roman Empire needed to be punished. The King of England punished Haru for his reckless act against the Holy Roman Empire by putting him on the front lines to fight the Empire."
Celestine's heart stopped there. A mere boy? Being put on the front lines? It seemed the world that Haru lived in was harsher than she thought. If he had really gone through all that, then who knows what he could be going through? Alicia began to respect Haru as a warrior and knight, perhaps she gave him too little credit.
"So what happened?"
"Of course, at the young age of fifteen, you would think that Haru would die immediately on the spot. But that was when his genius kicked in. Haru proved himself to be an amazing tactician. As a general, his quick mind had always carried the day. No matter how many men he faced, he had the wit to outmaneuver and defeat his opponents."
Celestine nodded in amazement, so this was when Haru's military career began to grow.
"Haru's rage against the Holy Roman Empire was unyielding. With every battle against them, his fierce determination was what his enemies feared. Due to his efforts, the English advance on the Holy Roman Empire grew quickly, with the other nations still a little far behind in piercing the Holy Roman defenses. A few years of war passed and it was not long before Duke Haru of Whirlingpool became a household name. His name causes enemy soldiers to abandon or even defect to his side."
Celestine was amazed that a mere mortal like Haru could earn himself such a name. A name that could strike so much fear belonged to that of demons or the Black Dogs. But even then, the Black Dogs were feared as a whole group. Haru was feared as a single man. Even Alicia couldn't dream of such fame, or infamy in this case.
"When he had finally won over the Holy Romans, he had marched into the capital, the place already giving him bitter memories of what had happened to his sister, He marched into the palace and ordered every member of the Hapsburg Dynasty to be executed on the spot."
Celestine did not expect that. And neither did Alicia. They both stared at Rias slack-jawed.
"Why would he do such an atrocious act? That makes him no better than his enemies!" Alicia declared indignantly.
"I never did tell you what happened to his sister after she was raped."
Celestine and Alice shared a glance, before turning back to Rias.
"So what happened to her?"
"She was pregnant with Leopold's child at the age of fourteen, as she decided to keep the child. One day she had gone into labor and gave birth to a healthy, baby boy."
Celestine sounded relieved to hear the child was safe, but Rias left out a crucial detail.
"What happened to Lady Naru?"
"She died giving birth."
Celestine and Alicia could clearly see what caused Haru's grief. Now that he had lost all his family, Haru had almost little reason to go on.
"The execution of the Hapsburgs was sensationalized, everyone knew about it and feared Haru. He was invited to numerous banquets and was generally a sociable person. People liked him for his comedic nature and his eloquent way of speaking. He became a very popular person among the nobility."
Celestine and Alicia nodded slowly, so Haru had quickly gotten over his grief. Good for him. Looks he wasn't one to dwell on the past. But then again, Rias never mentioned how she met him.
"Before he could return home to England, Haru would then be called to battle once again, this time, against the Mongol invasion and the Timurid Conquest. And the usual did happen, the Mongols and Timurids were beaten back, and Haru once again got most of the credit."
"So he stopped the invasion?" Alicia asked in awe.
"He insists that it was thanks to the collective efforts of the other nations, but I would admit that he did most of the heavy lifting."
"So how did you meet him?" Celestine asked. "You must have been a princess or some powerful woman to have been married to someone like him."
"Wrong." Rias smiled. "I was the daughter of a low noble family in German, another kingdom occupied by England."
Alicia and Celestine gasped at that. The Duke didn't even marry a powerful woman? Had he existed, thousands of women would throw themselves at his feet, if not to marry, then to carry the child of the man himself. It seemed strange for a man as social as Haru to not even exploit his fame a little.
"So Haru was well on his way to returning home. After nine tireless years of fighting on the frontlines, Haru had gotten a well-deserved rest from battle. Of course, he was excited to see Whirlingpool, his home that he had not seen for nearly ten years. But he would have to make stops frequently to spend the night."
So Haru was returning home after all the fighting he had experienced. He deserved it after all. Alicia would have to train with him more to pick up some good advice from him. Celestine had a better picture of why Haru was the man he was.
"Of course, being a famed general and hero, Haru was subject to many invitations to party. Numerous noblemen would invite the young man to their parties, throwing numerous upon numerous marriage proposals, offering their daughters to him. But Haru declined all of them."
Celestine wasn't expecting that move from Haru, as she couldn't help but wonder how a mere mortal like Haru could resist such pleasure. Then again, she wasn't very well acquainted with mortal affairs.
"Haru arrived in our humble manor in Frankfurt to spend the night before finally going home to England. My family was too scared to even entertain him, as we were already struggling and couldn't afford to accommodate anymore men. My family had sent me as his entertainment, hoping to use me as a scapegoat."
Alicia was a bit disgusted with the family antics. It seemed so wrong to use your very daughter for such a traitorous and possibly dangerous purpose.
"I entered his bedroom and merely talked with him. He was a pessimistic and cynical man, and I would not blame him for being so after seeing so much war. We both had incompatible views of the world. I believed in a better world, where I could make people happy. He believed that the world was cruel and that in the grand scheme of things, we were insignificant."
Rias was voluptuous in figure, though her dress did a good job of hiding it. She had fair skin, with rich lips. Her crimson hair was long and flowing, shining under the sun. From a beauty standpoint, Rias would have fit the bill as a princess. But Celestine returns to Rias' story.
"We've had a few clashes over our viewpoints, but much to our surprise, Haru had decided to stay another few days. He was curious on why I would hold such an idealistic position. I said that though we were just drops in the bucket, we can cause ripples and change the world just a little bit. He was taken aback by what I had just said, and that really caused him to reflect deeply. Soon he conceded and tried to follow my example, and see the world in a better light."
Celestine and Alicia leaned forward in anticipation to hear what Rias had to say next.
"But it was easier said than done. Haru talked to me privately about it and revealed his insecurities regarding his view of life. When he was young, he always hated people who wanted to change the world, because he believed that people didn't really know how big the world was and were merely egotistic and desperate to be remembered, and all his years of war only solidified his belief. But after he met me, he saw the sincerity in my words and saw no desperation in my words. Seeing someone so cheerful and determined about making the world a better place was the even that made him envy me for being so happy all the time. He wanted to try and see things my way before finally admitting that he could not do it. He said that he could not see the world in a happy light after it had been so cruel to him. As he told me all his insecurities, he broke down in tears and began to cry."
This story took quite the sharp turn for both Celestine and Alicia. It didn't seem like him to just cry out of nowhere. Haru seemed too mature and emotionally strong to just cry over trivial things.
"Haru was a man of high standing, but deep down, he was really unhappy. It was not like he refused to be positive about it, in fact, he was desperate to be positive. But he could never see anything in a positive light. He wanted to be happy but could not find it in him to be. I realized that I was privileged to have such an uncorrupted view of the world. Haru was not so lucky. I tried to help him the only way I knew. I embraced him and comforted him.
And he suddenly looks at me like I'm insane, wondering what I was even doing. I nearly regretted doing that until the next day, when he gave me his gratitude. I was relieved to see that he wasn't going to punish me. And on the contrary, he invited me to join him to England."
"So why was he sad in the first place?"
"Doctors had told me that Haru was suffering from melancholia from the trauma of what he had experienced. I never understood what melancholia was until one of Haru's personal guards described to me how Haru viewed the world."
Celestine was interested to hear how such a complex personality would view the world.
"Imagine being in a feast. Lively music playing, people dancing, jolly mood. Quite fun, right?"
Celestine and Alicia nodded.
"Now imagine an empty feasting hall, dead silent, no food, no people, and overarching mood of melancholy. Very depressing, right?"
Celestine and Alicia nodded again.
"Well, back then, that was how the Duke saw the world. Each feast for him was not a lively gathering, but an empty and trivial event for him. There was this voice in the back of his mind that taunted him, tortured him, blaming him for what had happened to his family. The trauma he had suffered had completely distorted his view of the world."
"Wait, if only Haru knew about his ailment, then how come you're telling us in great detail?"
"This is information that only I know. Haru had confided in me ever since we met and he's depended on me for emotional support. My infectious positivity and happy nature is what keeps him from feeling sad and lonely, not because of my beauty or my noble background."
Even Celestine couldn't see that depth into Haru's relationship. She simply thought he was like the other husbands, but this had changed her perspective of him. Haru was a man who could take control, command respect from his peers and lead people to success. But deep down, he was still a man. A man who had suffered a loss beyond comprehension, and had only bottled up his emotions until he reached his breaking point.
"After the marriage, Haru's mood and attitude improved. Guards said that it was the first time he genuinely smiled in years. His devotion towards me was no less short of loving. He became a genuinely humorous and social person, rather than the convincing facade, he was truly happy. He finally no longer walked the thin line between his sanity and the abyss below."
Rias then stared wistfully at the distance.
"And I shudder at what would have happened if he truly fell into the abyss."