Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

Stewing inside his office in the capital of the Dukedom of Abernath was Duke Rals Paderborn Abernath himself. It had been about two weeks since he had sent out his favorite child, his eldest son Lucas to go and establish an outpost on the western side of the continent, on a pair of islands they had identified as key areas to set up shop for catching slaves, the entire thing would have taken two or three days at most. But, with no news of his return and without any contact being established, he sent out a ship to try and find him but that ship had also failed to come back. 

Compounding his fears were the reports of massive wyrms swimming southward as fishing ships reported seeing the massive sea serpents sail past them, adding to his fears that his beloved son may have just ended up as wyrm food. 

"By the Goddess what the fuck is happening" He cursed to himself as he struggled to get out of his chair, his fat blob of a body not doing him any favors 

{!}

Just as he got up, the door to his office opened, and in walked a pair of people that made Duke Abernath's face hidden behind the mask flush with a mixture of emotions. The first his eyes laid on was a fair young girl of 18 years, her well-kept blonde hair flowing down her back while her bangs stopped right above the white mask that covered her face. She was about his height which was 5'7 and she had blue eyes which were part of his family and probably came from him as he too had blue eyes. The girl was dressed in the finest silks and cloths that the dukedom either stole from the slaves they captured or from the slave workshops across the Dukedom that produced the clothes. She was wearing a fluffy pink dress with white accents today, the dress also had many frills which he did not understand but then again, he was never really that smart when it came to fashion anyway. Standing next to her was the second figure his eyes saw, a tall young man aged 20 with a height around 6'2 with a black mask that obscured his face but did nothing to keep the short spiky black hair atop his head from being seen. His eyes were a stunning shade of brown and the outfit he wore was a mix of a white overcoat over a suit of shimmering silver plate armor that had the dukedom's insignia emblazoned on the chestpiece. A regal blue cape with golden accents finished his attire as it was clasped around the neck guard of the plate armor and fluttered freely near his back. 

"Ah! My beautiful daughter Mako...and Sir Matthew....what a surprise" Duke Abernath stated as he embraced his lovely daughter with a joyous tone before drifting off as he looked at the man who was escorting her, clearly giving off the vibe of him not liking his daughter's choice of men 

"Father! You promised me you wouldn't talk like that!" Mako replied as she moved away from her father, pouted under her mask, and crossed her arms 

"I...I can't help it my dear...not when your beloved is the son of my dearest rival...Baroness Baro" Duke Abernath replied as he glanced at Sir Matthew who shrugged at him, with Abernath thinking he saw a smile form under Matthew's mask 

Mako was about to say something but was stopped by Sir Matthew who placed his hand in hers and gripped it tightly to reassure her that everything was fine and under control 

"I appreciate your blunt honesty Your Grace, it only shows me that you truly care for Mako here" Sir Matthew stated, his deep voice booming across the room unintentionally 

"Hmph!" Duke Abernath could only scoff at Matthew's words, his gaze still hostile, but when he glanced at Mako, his gaze softened and he let out a sigh 

"What brings you both here anyway" The Duke asked as he turned back to his desk, removing his mask and revealing his grotesque and ugly face 

"Ah! We were just here to ask if you would be willing to listen to the proposal that Sir Matthew has brought for you today, a proposal that we agree will solve the current situation of the Dukedom" Mako told him, with Duke Abernath's expression turning from curiosity to caution as he glanced at Sir Matthew who held produced a red folder with papers 

"What is this?" Duke Abernath asked as he took the folder and then laid it out on his desk 

"Orders to begin building up the Dukedom Army and plans for a conquest northward. With those heathens in the Hinterlands Confederation no longer helping us catch slaves, it is time for the Dukedom to do it themselves" Sir Matthew answered him 

{!} 

"How did you know that?" Duke Abernath asked as he looked up at him 

"I have my sources" Sir Matthew replied, with Abernath swearing to himself that he could see a smirk forming under that mask 

"It does not matter anymore does it?! Can you just stop thinking about your pride Father and do something to actually save the Dukedom!" Mako shouted, something that made Abernath reel as he did not expect it coming from his own daughter 

There was a pause in the air for a moment as the Duke began assessing the situation. He looked over the orders and the plan to push northward and he grumbled to himself as it made clear and perfect sense. A push northward and expanding the territories of the dukedom made logical sense, the expansion of the realm allowed the dukedom to take in more slaves and create more internal trade that could possibly stabilize the economy of the nation. It also brought about the possibility of finding new resources that they could use to trade with other nations that once bought slaves in droves but now no longer even bought a boatload. The proposal was so simple, so perfect....something that Abernath wondered why he never thought of until it was presented to him by the son of his greatest rival. The political aspects of the plan however were not lost on him. If he were to accept the full plan now, it would mean that he would acknowledge his greatest rival, something he abhorred to do as Baroness Baro was known around the nation as a woman who would always trumpet her victories to days on end which he found annoying. 

"But we already tried to expand northward, but all of those parties failed!" Duke Abernath shouted 

"True, but they were not regular soldiers of the Dukedom Army. With a proper army, nothing shall stand in the way of the Dukedom" Sir Matthew shot back, with the Duke looking back at the proposal before him

"This....seems too good to be true, I understand that your mother has a condition if I were to accept this proposal right?" Duke Abernath asked as he leaned back into his chair and looked up at Sir Matthew 

"Always so perceptive Your Grace" Sir Matthew replied, a hint of amusement in his voice akin to mockery 

"Get on with it" Abernath added 

"Of course. Mother only wishes that a portion of the new slaves, profits, and even the newest construction works be given over to our part of the dukedom as a sort of 'Thank You' gift" Sir Matthew stated, with Duke Abernath's ugly mug giving him a scowl 

"How much is she asking?" The Duke asked through gritted teeth 

"Around Thirty-five percent" 

"Thirty-five percent!?" Abernath shouted as he rose from his chair in disbelief 

"That's right" Sir Matthews affirmed to him 

"That's outrageous! That's handing away a third of the economy of the nation!" The Duke shouted in disbelief 

"That is the point Mother wanted to make. You have the option to always reject the proposal Your Grace" Sir Matthew stated as he looked down at the Duke 

"Father. we have no choice at this point. Brother has yet to return from the mission you sent him out on and the plans you brought have not made enough change...so I think it is time we listen to other sources...pride be damned" Mako chimed in as she looked at her father, she could see his gaze soften when he looked at her and she flashed a small smile to finally bring him over 

Duke Abernath let out a sigh as he slumped back into his chair, his head buried in his hands. The prideful Duke who a year ago was on top of the world now found himself in an unenviable position. He looked up at Sir Matthew who was still looking down at him and then glanced over to his beloved Mako who removed her mask to show her beautiful face that ate away at the resistance he had in his heart and his mind. 

"Tell your Mother that I am willing to sit down and negotiate for your reward for this plan" He said with a defeated tone as he looked at Sir Matthew 

"And spread the word that the Dukedom Army is beginning to expand, order the slave drivers to shift production from construction supplies and tools to weapons, you can go now" He added as he looked over at Mako

The two of them nodded as Mako embraced her father and then left the office arm in arm with Sir Matthews, with Duke Abernath sitting and sighing in defeat as he looked over the proposal again, trying to think of things to do for the upcoming negotiations. 

"Dammit" he muttered in anger as he read the thing again 

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Once they got clear of the Duke's Office, Mako and Sir Matthew were inside a carriage bound for Baroness Baro's estate. The two of them kept a calm and cool facade but once they were on a private cobblestone street that led out of the capital of Badensburg, the two of them began to cackle like lunatics. 

"HAHAAHAHAH! To think that your Father was so easily fooled!" Sir Matthew stated through tears as he removed his mask, revealing his handsome face that had a scar across his nose 

"I told you he would listen to his darling daughter!" Mako replied as she too removed her mask once more and wiped away some tears in her eyes 

"Your Mother is none the wiser! The old coot didn't even know we were doing this!" She added with a grin 

"HAHAAHHA That lazy old hag can't even think straight anymore, all we need to do is just frame this as something your father came up with and she will immediately try to get more out of the 35% They will be at each other's throats once the meeting starts!" Sir Matthew said with a grin 

"Hehehe, with my brother out of the picture, and our parents too busy fighting, there will be no one left to challenge us when we overthrow them, framing ourselves as the heroes of the Dukedom, saving it from the incompetence of my Father and the greed of your Mother...truly a delectable plan you have come up with my dear" Mako said as she neared her lover and kissed him on the lips, with Matthew deepening the kiss before pulling away.

The two of them showed lustful gazes at one another before stripping in the middle of the ride and beginning to enjoy one another's touch, all the while the driver, an old and partially deaf man road along none the wiser. 

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Deep inside a small dungeon underneath a bakery near the Raven's Rock Imperial Palace in Olertin City that served as a front for the H.I.S.S. was the son of Duke Abernath, Lucas Padernborn Abernath who had been picked up by the dual monarchs after their battle in the Fairview Islands. 

He was now dressed in a loose grey robe that barely covered his torso and a pair of underwear that protected his nether regions. His body was also beaten and bloodied due to interrogation to get information out of him, although it was unnecessary as Ophelia had already scanned his mind, the dual monarchs thought it was a form of divine justice that this person they had picked up was part of the enemy nation that had done worse to the slaves in their captivity. 

He was strung up in the cell, with all of his limbs shackled. Said limbs were bloodied and had scars of wounds that were repeatedly healed by the people who came to interrogate him before they tortured him. Even his face wasn't spared as Ophelia had used a spell to blind him and ensure that no such domination magic could be said verbally or through his eyes, the rest of his face also was battered and bruised,  with some of the scars remaining on his face. 

{!} 

The door opened once more and Lucas groaned as he heard the steps getting closer than before. If he could use his eyes he would look at the person entering the cell, but all he had to rely on now was his ears that heard the footsteps stop right before him.

"I already gave everything I know about my home....please....end this pain...end my suffering" He stated, moving bringing his face up to try and see who was standing before him despite his best efforts. 

"You wish for your suffering to stop?" The person asked him, the voice that came from this person was sweet and assuring to the ears but he could hear the rage and disgust in the person's voice, recognizing it as the voice of one of the two women who were on the ship that day, with him remembering it was the blonde one

"You! Please, please let me go, I gave you everything I had in my mind and I told the people who came in here to squeeze information out of me everything I knew. I don't know what my nation had done to yours, but I swear, we meant no harm!" Lucas shouted 

"Meant no harm?" The woman's voice replied, anger and annoyance in her tone 

{!} 

Lucas felt her hands clutch his face and slightly squeezed it, with him gasping in pain as he could feel the pressure being placed on his head. 

"Your nation has done more harm than you could ever know. Men, women, children...all of them becoming slaves at the hands of your slavery bands, families separated and torn apart as they fought to keep their freedom and fought to keep themselves from being shackled in a magi-collar that deprived them of magic....working them to death in factories and mines without rest or food. Or even asking the Hinterlands Confederation to do your bidding. If you think you have done no harm, you are gravely mistaken" The woman told him as she slowly increased the pressure on his head 

"Wha....what will you do to me?" Lucas asked as he quivered, tears streaming down his eyes 

"Giving you what you deserve" The woman replied 

{!} 

Suddenly, Lucas let out a large and pained yell as his mind was flooded with the memories of the people who had been resurrected by Amelia, showing them dying and making him feel the emotions and the physical pain they experienced during the situation. Lucas begged as the memories flooded his mind for it to stop, with tears flowing like a fountain as the memories continued. By the time the memories ended, Lucas went limp as he began to cry. 

"I'm sorry" He repeated numerous times as he wept from the memories still fresh in his mind 

He failed to notice the woman walking away from the cell and the dungeon all together, leaving him alone in the dark. 

A/N: And here we go! It will soon be time to finish this Long March South and unify the continent! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and if you got any comments or questions, let me see em below and as always, stay safe and enjoy your day!