"Is there really a need for you to carry ?" Rosalind asked the Duke in a hushed tone. He was carrying her as he walked down a spiraling staircase. She could not see what was beneath them because of the dark, yet she knew that one word would send an echo around this place. "You can put down," she added.
"Listen."
She did and that was when she realized that there was only silence around them. His steps were not making any sounds. Embarrassed, she nodded and then decided to just let him continue carrying her. She closed her eyes, waiting for them to reach the bottom of the stairs. Not long after, he finally put her down, carefully as if she was so fragile doll.
They were currently in a large space illuminated by the sa relic stones that were in the coffin earlier. There were hundreds no… thousands of those relics in the walls and the marble ceiling. The light coming from them made it easy for her to see what was before them. She looked around, her gaze focused on the human bones that were strewn over the yellowish marble floor, then she then looked at him.
Without saying a word, he nodded and then pulled her towards a large marble table located in the center of the space. The table was a rectangular table littered with the sa relic stones that appeared to be black in the dim light. It looked like it was sparkling from afar because of the stones, however, upon close inspection, it was pretty obvious that there were black spots on that table.
She thought it might be blood.
Strangely enough, the air does not sll of blood or anything that would signify that these people were killed here and beca rotten in this place.
The two of them stopped a few feet away from the table. Lucas looked around for a few seconds before he continued walking towards it. This ti, he did not take her along with him and she did not follow him. She just stood there, goosebumps skittering all over her body.
'Just what is this place?' She thought.
And why was he acting so familiar as if he had been here a few tis?
"Found it," he said. Not long after, she heard so chanical sound, then the sound of chains being dragged against the marble floor echoed around them. With a hiss, the table opened.
There was another staircase beneath the table!
"Co," he held a hand towards him and she accepted it without saying another word. Since he took her to this place, he also had a way to take her out and she was not stupid enough to let him leave her.
This ti, he did not carry her as they walked down the hidden set of stairs. Not long after, they finally arrived in what looked like a hallway.
The hallway was large and she imdiately saw black doors to the side.
Lucas wasted no ti as he opened the first door. Almost imdiately, Rosalind's expression changed.
"That—" The room was full of treasure— literally. Gold coins, crowns, and jewels were stacked together until they ford a mountain of treasures. The room was too bright as the light from various relics illuminated the place.
"Shall we?" he asked.
"What is this place?"
"Ah… this is where they keep the treasures for the Goddess."
Rosalind looked at him, speechless. Are they really going to rob this place?
"What?" he chuckled. "You think the Goddess will burn you if you take a few?"
"I— Are we really robbing this place?"
"Hmmm…" he nodded. "These are the things that belonged to the people upstairs."
"The skeletons?" she asked. Again, he nodded.
"So… we are grave robbing?"
"Can't you see it?" he suddenly asked.
"Hm?"
To make a point, he picked one of the golden crowns and gave it to her."Touch it."
She obliged. Almost imdiately, she paled.
"This is… a cursed object!"
"Cursed, not by the Dark Lord, but by the resentnt of its owner before their death. Why do you think the Empire does not use any of these? Did you really think it was because they wanted to gift it to the Goddess?" He picked up another relic, then used his hand to crush it.
Rosalind's eyes widened when she saw a dark mist co out of the object. It was another cursed object and this ti it was a cursed relic! She did not know that relics were cursed too!
"Are you telling that curses are not just created by the Dark Lord but by resentnt?" Rosalind asked. She had already lived another lifeti yet this was the first ti she heard about this.
"Precisely. It has been centuries since the Dark Lord vanished, yet, cursed objects and weapons are still around. Why do you think that is?" Lucas picked up another relic, crushed it, and let the mist float around his hand.
"Incomprehensible, huh."
"All the rooms— the other doors. Are they filled with treasures like this too?" she asked.
"Yes. Although so of them are filled with weapons, and others with expensive clothes. Just so things that belonged to the tribes and kingdoms of the North. The sa tribes and kingdoms that the south destroyed under the pretense of fighting against the beasts."
Rosalind frowned. This was not included in the history books that she read and no one would have dared tell her sothing that would put the Empires in a bad light. Then again, there was no way that the Empires would allow such disrespect to happen. Since the war ended years ago, the Empires had done everything to protect their integrity and only chose to tell the stories that would make them the heroes that the people needed. They must have bent the truth to serve their own interests.
She knew this.
What she didn't know was how much information the Empire really changed.
Now, she wondered what was the truth and what was the lie.
She looked at Lucas who was already staring at her. Then she wondered… how did he know these things? Just who was Duke Lucas Rothley?
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