The adrenaline that had carried through the confrontation suddenly drained away, leaving weak and trembling. The weight of what I had just witnessed, the sheer ruthlessness of Levi's actions, crashed down on . My legs buckled, and I sank to my knees on the cold stone floor, my stomach churning with a sickening mix of fear and disbelief. The image of those powerful n, reduced to whimpering prisoners being dragged away, replayed in my mind. The air in the room, still thick with the residue of their terror, seed to suffocate . My hands trembled as I pressed them to my churning stomach.
The nausea overwheld , and violent spasms wracked my body. Bile and the remnants of the evening's revelry erupted from , staining the cold stone floor. Tears stread down my face, mingling with the spatter on the floor, and ragged sobs tore from my chest. The reality of his ambition, his capacity for cold, calculated action, was a brutal awakening, shattering the fragile illusion of normalcy I had clung to. All I could do was kneel there, heaving and sobbing, overwheld by the horror of it all.
My voice was raw and broken, each word a painful gasp between wracking sobs. I finally managed to lift my tear-streaked face, my gaze, blurry with tears and disbelief, fixed on Levi. "Levi..." I choked out, my stomach still churning, the taste of bile bitter in my mouth. "Did you... did you kill the king?"
I needed to know the truth, no matter how horrifying it might be.
Levi’s expression softened slightly as he looked down at my tear-streaked face. He knelt beside , his hand gently stroking my back. "Oh, Pulla," he murmured. "Such devoutness for poor souls. It's... endearing."
He sighed, his gaze drifting towards the now-empty doorway where the council had been dragged away. "Well… the King. He had leukemia, riddled with it, in fact. Severe gout that kept him bedridden more often than not. And," he added with a slight grimace, "a rather impressive string of sexually transmitted diseases, a testant to his… less than virtuous private life."
He looked back at , his eyes holding a strange mix of weariness and amusent. "Killing him? Honestly, Raphael, it would have been a rcy he did not deserve. The man was suffering terribly. I was… anticipating his demise within the next six months. But," he shrugged, a wry smile touching his lips, "the universe, it seems, enjoys its little surprises."
My breath hitched, a wave of conflicting emotions washing over . Relief that Levi hadn't directly caused the King's death warred with the lingering horror of his ruthlessness and the casual way he spoke of the King's suffering.
I leaned away from his touch, still feeling the tremors of the violent vomiting.
I asked, my voice still shaky, "But... you knew he was going to die soon? That's why you were prepared?"
Levi shifted closer, his voice low and even. "The death of the King had very little to do with my primary plans, Raphael," he explained, his gaze intent on my face. "I was simply intending to present a bill to the council – a bill to dissolve the nobility, gradually and legally. That was the purpose of my being here tonight. A bit of… firm encouragent, gentle persuasion of their antiquated minds."
He gave a small, almost rueful smile. "Before I even had the chance to begin my… negotiations, the King simply expired. A rather opportune mont. So, I adapted. I seized the opportunity to… expedite matters. To unleash the terror, as you might call it. And as you saw, it worked remarkably well."
I remained huddled, my arms wrapped tightly around my knees, my body still shuddering with the aftershocks of the violent vomiting. Levi's explanation about the king's death barely registered, lost in the overwhelming horror of what I had just witnessed.
He paused, his expression turning thoughtful. "However. There is still the matter of legality. Dissolving the nobility requires a certain… frawork. Even with their compliance, there are procedures to follow."
Levi reached out, his touch gentle this ti, resting his hand on my arm. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice softer. "You've had quite a shock."
He didn't wait for my response, turning his attention back to the situation at hand, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "The council's… enthusiastic cooperation, while effective in the short term, doesn't automatically erase centuries of legal precedent. There will be those who question the legitimacy of such a swift and forceful transition. The remaining lower nobility, those who weren't part of that inner circle of corruption… they will need to be convinced. Or perhaps… managed."
He stood up, his movents fluid and decisive. "Holden!" he called out, his voice regaining its usual commanding tone. The secretary appeared instantly in the doorway. "Have the council mbers secured in the holding cells. Ensure they are treated… humanely. For now. And send for Elias. I need him here imdiately. We have laws to navigate."
Levi stopped mid-stride, his brow furrowing with concern as he felt my grip on his legs. He turned back to instantly, his commanding deanor lting away. "Raphael!" he exclaid, his voice softening. He knelt down beside again, his hands reaching for mine. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Levi," I gasped, my voice barely a whisper, my grip tightening on his legs. "I... I can't... I feel like I'm going to faint. Everything... it's too much. I'm not joking." The world was starting to spin, the edges of my vision darkening. The adrenaline had completely deserted .
"Holden!" Levi's voice was sharp with urgency. "Call for a physician! Imdiately!"
The last thing I registered was the frantic tone in his voice and the blur of Holden's stoic face turning sharply before the darkness completely enveloped . My grip on Levi's legs loosened, and I succumbed to the overwhelming wave of terror and shock. The cold stone floor rushed up to et as the world faded to black.
…
I gasped, my eyes snapping open. The plush velvet of a drawing-room couch pressed against my back. The opulent surroundings – the gilded furniture, the heavy velvet drapes, the scent of expensive perfu in the air – slowly ca into focus. My heart hamred in my chest, and a cold sweat slicked my skin. The vivid mory of the council chamber, the lords, Levi's terrifying power, and the overwhelming dread that had consud felt so real, so imdiate, that for a mont, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was still there.
I sat bolt upright, my breath coming in ragged gasps, my hands clutching at the fabric of the couch as if to ground myself. The lingering phantom sensation of nausea made my stomach clench. It had been a dream. A horrifying dream. I looked around the drawing-room, half-expecting to see Levi, Holden, or even the spectral figures of the council.
A firm yet gentle hand took my arm, guiding back against the soft cushions of the couch. "Easy there, Raphael," a calm voice said. A man in a crisp white coat leaned over , his expression reassuring. "You fainted. It happens sotis. But you're safe now."
He held a small light in front of my eyes, carefully observing my pupils. "Just checking your reflexes," he explained, moving the light from side to side. "Everything seems normal. How are you feeling?" His voice was soothing.
“I am… I am… So scared…”
"I understand," the doctor said gently. He placed a reassuring hand on my arm. "It's alright to feel scared. You had a bit of a shock. Your heart rate was elevated, and you were quite pale. Just try to take slow, deep breaths for . In... and out..." He demonstrated, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. "That's it. Let's try to get your system cald down a little." He maintained a gentle pressure on my arm. "You're in a safe place now, Raphael. No one is going to hurt you here."
“Did I dream, was it real, what even happened?”
The doctor nodded slowly, his gaze soft and understanding. "You did faint, Raphael. That part was real. You were quite overwheld for a mont there." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "As for what you experienced before that... that's sothing only you can truly know. Sotis, when we're under a lot of stress or feeling anxious, our minds can create very vivid and unsettling dreams. Did it feel like a dream to you?" He watched patiently, waiting for to untangle the reality from the lingering echoes of my subconscious.
“No, it was not a dream. It was a nightmare. Where is Levi? Where is he?”
The tremor in my voice and the raw fear in my eyes seed to convince the doctor that this was more than just a simple fainting spell. He maintained his calm deanor but his gaze softened with concern. "Alright, Raphael," he said gently. "A nightmare can feel incredibly real. It's your mind processing things while you're unconscious. Mr. Blake is here, in the palace. He was quite worried when you fainted. Let just check your pulse again..." He gently took my wrist, his fingers pressing lightly against my skin. "He stepped out for a mont to speak with soone, but I assure you, he will be back shortly. You're safe here with ."
The doctor continued to monitor my pulse, his brow slightly furrowed. "Your heart rate is still a little elevated," he noted softly. "Try to focus on your breathing, Raphael. Slow, steady breaths." He waited a mont, allowing to compose myself slightly. "Mr. Blake was just outside. I can have a guard fetch him for you right away, if that would make you feel better." He offered a reassuring smile, trying to project a sense of calm and control in the face of my obvious distress.
The mont Levi stepped back into the drawing-room, the edges of my vision began to swim. His presence, which should have been a comfort, instead triggered a fresh wave of panic. The image of him from my nightmare – the ruthless ruler, the orchestrator of terrifying power – was superimposed on the man standing in the doorway. My breath hitched in my throat, and the sounds of the room seed to recede, replaced by a deafening rush in my ears. The doctor's reassuring voice faded into a distant murmur.
Everything was turning into a dizzying, terrifying blur once more.
Levi reached for my hands, his touch usually a source of comfort, now sending a jolt of fear through . The blurring intensified, the elegant room tilting precariously. I could hear Levi's voice, and the doctor's calm reassurances, but they seed to co from a great distance. My grip on Levi's hands tightened involuntarily, my knuckles white. The terror of the nightmare was bleeding into reality, making it impossible to distinguish between the two.
I drifted in and out of consciousness, the world a hazy swirl of muffled voices and indistinct shapes. There was the cool touch of a cloth on my forehead, the faint scent of dicinal herbs, and the persistent murmur of Levi's voice close to my ear. Each ti I surfaced, the terror lingered, a cold knot in my stomach that refused to dissipate.
Finally, I awoke more fully, my eyelids feeling heavy and my body weak. I was lying in our bedchamber. Levi sat beside the bed, his hand gently holding mine. The doctor was also there, his expression grave as he observed .
I tried to lift myself up from the bed.
Levi's grip on my hand tightened gently, his eyes filled with concern. "Easy, pulla. Don't try to get up too quickly. You've had a bit of a rough ti." He placed his other hand on my shoulder, offering a steadying pressure.
The doctor stepped forward. "You're still quite weak, Raphael. Your system went through a significant shock. Let's take it slowly." He offered a small glass of water. "Just a few sips. It will help."
With Levi's support, I slowly pushed myself up against the pillows, my head still swimming slightly. I took a tentative sip of water.
As the initial dizziness subsided and the worst of the physical weakness passed, a chilling clarity began to dawn. The doctor's reassurances, the familiar comfort of our room – none of it could fully dispel the lingering terror.
Once the doctor had been dismissed, leaving us alone, the weight of that realization settled heavily upon . I looked at Levi, truly looked at him, and saw not just the man I loved, but the force of nature I had witnessed in my vision – a man who could orchestrate the downfall of an entire social order with a snap of his fingers, a man who could reduce the powerful to whimpering, terrified wrecks.
It hadn't been a dream. The terror had been real. And now, I was alone in a room with the man who had unleashed it.
My voice was a choked whisper, laced with disbelief and a rising hysteria. "What the actual fuck, Levi? What the fuck..."
Tears welled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks, hot and uncontrolled. The sobs started deep in my chest, wracking my body.
He tried to cup my face with his hand but I swatted it away.
“Please… Do not do that. What the fuck? I can not even use words…”
Levi recoiled slightly. He let his hand fall away, respecting my space. "I understand," he said softly, his voice tinged with a sadness that hadn't been there before. "You're right. Words... they seem inadequate right now." He didn't try to touch again.
“I need so ti away from you.”
A shadow crossed Levi's face, his eyes darkening with a hint of pain. He nodded slowly, his gaze unwavering but filled with a sadness. "I understand, Raphael. You need... space. Ti to process this." He didn't try to argue, didn't try to dissuade . He simply absorbed my words, the weight of them evident in the stillness of his body. "Where will you go?" he asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Who cares?”
A sharp intake of breath was Levi's only outward reaction. He remained silent for a long mont, his gaze fixed on , searching. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and carefully controlled. "I do, Raphael. But if you need to go... then go. Just... tell where." His gaze held mine, a silent plea for so small asure of trust.
“I do not need your protection. Please do not press further. I will leave in the morning.”
A muscle twitched in Levi's jaw, and a flicker of sothing unreadable – perhaps hurt, perhaps resignation – crossed his face. He nodded slowly, his gaze finally breaking away from mine. "Alright, Raphael," he said, his voice flat, the earlier vulnerability now masked by a wall of sothing colder. "I won't press you. If you need to leave, then leave in the morning." He stood up, his movents stiff and formal, creating a palpable distance between us. "I will have arrangents made for your departure."
…
Who do I even go? I had money to live in a hotel, yes. But I didn’t want to be alone… Soones who understands… Yeah, Julia.
The phone rang a few tis before a warm, familiar voice answered. "Raphael? Is that you? What's wrong? You sound... off."
My voice was still shaky as I spoke into the receiver. "Julia... Can I crash at your place? Please. Just for a little while. I... I can't be alone right now."
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"Okay," she replied, her voice softening with concern. "Of course, you can. What's going on? You sound really upset." She paused for a mont, then gave an address. "Co to this address. Don't worry about anything. Just get here safe."
As the taxi pulled up to the address Julia had given , I saw a sleek, modern high-rise.
Julia stood in the open doorway, her brow furrowed with worry as she took in my disheveled state. Her smile was absent, replaced by an expression of deep concern. "Doggy," she said softly, pulling into a tight hug. "What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."
I clung to her for a mont, drawing strength from her familiar presence. Pulling back slightly, my voice still thick with emotion, I asked, "Julia... Do you know?"
“Know what?”
“The king died. And Levi… just crushed the entire council…”
Julia's eyes widened, her initial concern deepening into shock. "The king... died? Isolde ntioned sothing vague, but... Levi crushed the council? What are you talking about, Raphael?" Her grip on my arms tightened, her gaze searching mine with disbelief. "Tell everything."
Julia gently guided to her plush sofa, her hand a steadying presence on my arm. She sat beside , her expression a mixture of shock and intense concern. "Levi... fuck," she repeated softly, echoing my own disbelief. She listened intently as I recounted the horrifying events, her eyes widening with each detail.
She pulled into another hug, holding tightly. "Oh, doggy" she murmured. "You went through sothing awful." She pulled back slightly, her gaze searching mine. "Levi did this? He just... dissolved the entire council and imprisoned them?" The reality of the situation seed to be sinking in, her shock mirroring my own. "Shit... shit is right, Raphael."
“I fainted in the council room once. Then I fainted again when I saw Levi in the drawing room.”
Julia's grip on my hand tightened, her eyes filled with concern. "Raphael, this isn't just shock. This is... trauma. What exactly did Levi say to you in the council room? What did you see?" She held my gaze, her voice gentle but firm, urging to confront the horrifying mories that were clearly still haunting .
“Julia… I can not even use words. You know what he did? He asked twice. Basically he asked the council to obey him. They didn’t. He snapped his fingers. Boxes, boxes, boxes of evidence, docunts barged into the room. He said… If these docunts fall into the hands of the people… The people would lynch nobles… Then he seized their assets and throw them in the cells of the palace…”
She shook her head slowly, as if trying to process the enormity of Levi's actions.
"The king just died... and now... there's no one else? No heirs? He just... ended it?"
“He told that, like a month ago. Apparently he rendered the king sterile a decade ago. And the crown prince and princess are not related to the king. He planted them into the palace, to keep the peace for a while… Oh my God…”
Julia's face drained of color, her grip on my hand becoming almost painful. Her eyes were wide with a dawning, terrifying understanding.
Julia's sudden movent startled . She shot up from the couch, her energy now frantic and agitated as she began to pace the length of her living room. Her steps were quick and uneven, her hands wringing together as she muttered to herself, her mind clearly racing to grasp the enormity of the situation.
"So he did it," she repeated, her voice a mixture of disbelief and a chilling awe. "He actually did it."
"He dissolved the nobility. Just like that. Centuries of power, gone. And the monarchy... ended. Just... gone. Raphael," she said, her voice barely a whisper. “That damn bastard. He finally fucking did it. Oh, yeah! Oh, God. Yes! Fucking finally. That fucking bastard he finally did it. Yes!”
“Julia? What the hell?”
"Oh, Raphael..." she said, her voice still a little breathless. She ran a hand through her hair, a look of almost dazed wonder in her eyes. "Ah... you can't even understand what I feel right now. All of these years that I was 'married' to Levi..." She made air quotes around the word "married." "...all of that spying, the information gathering, bankrupting those companies... all of it for Levi. Every secret I whispered in Levi’s ear, every docunt I subtly acquired... it was all for this."
A shudder ran through her, but it wasn't one of fear. It felt more like the release of years of pent-up tension. "Ah, yes," she breathed, a genuine smile finally breaking through. "It is over. Fucking finally... it is all over."
She took a deep breath, the relief in her eyes still palpable. "It was a difficult life, Raphael. Living a lie, constantly watching what I said, who I interacted with... But it was necessary. For this. For the chance to finally dismantle that corrupt system." She looked at , her expression now earnest. “But now... now you understand why I'm not terrified. I've been waiting for this day for my entire life."
“Julia… I am happy for you. For you to be finally free from your family and everything… I truly am. But I am so fucking scared, Julia.”
Julia's expression softened, her earlier exhilaration fading as she truly registered the depth of my fear. She stepped closer and took my hands in hers again, her touch now filled with a genuine warmth and understanding.
"Oh, doggy," she said softly. "I know. I can only imagine what you must be feeling. For , this was a liberation, sothing I've worked towards for so long. But for you... this is a sudden, terrifying upheaval. The man you love... he's revealed a side of himself, a power, that you never knew existed."
She squeezed my hands gently. "It's okay to be scared, Raphael. What happened tonight was monuntal, and you were right in the middle of it. But you're not alone. I'm here. And whatever happens next, we'll face it together." Her words, filled with genuine care and solidarity, were a small beacon of comfort in the overwhelming darkness of my fear.
“You know. I sotis thought he was just bluffing or boasting for no reason, or exaggerating. What a fucking idiot I am.”
A sad smile touched Julia's lips, and she squeezed my hands again. "It's easy to dismiss things, especially when you love soone. You see the best in them, you want to believe in the person you know. His pronouncents... they probably sounded grand, theatrical, even a little ridiculous at tis. A way for him to feel powerful without actually doing anything."
She shook her head gently. "But Levi... he's not one for empty words. He plans, he executes. He's ticulous and patient. You saw a glimpse of that tonight. It's terrifying, yes, but it's also... him. The real him, perhaps, the one he kept hidden until the mont was right."
“Before that, I need so ti away from Levi. I need to feel normal. Yeah. Normal.”
Julia nodded slowly, her gaze filled with understanding. "My offer still stands, Raphael. Always. If you ever decide you need to leave, I can arrange everything. You have the ans. But I understand. Right now, you need... normalcy. A break from all of this."
She squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Take all the ti you need here. There's no rush. We can just... be. Watch silly movies, eat bad food, talk about anything but kings and fallen nobles. Whatever makes you feel a little less like the world has turned upside down."
...
Stepping onto the familiar film set felt utterly surreal. My legs trembled as I walked, subtly trying to gauge the atmosphere. Hushed conversations and sideways glances replaced friendly greetings, confirming the news of the King's death and Levi’s swift consolidation of power had reached them all.
My anxiety ratcheted up. Did they know the extent of Levi’s actions? Were they afraid of now? The thought of facing Maya and Finn, whose genuine concern I valued, filled with dread. How could I pretend normalcy when my entire world had been shattered?
Maya and Finn approached, their usual bright smiles subdued. "Raphael," Maya said softly, her eyes searching mine. "Are you alright? We heard…" Finn added, "We heard about the King…"
The unspoken question hung heavy: what does this an for you, married to the man who just turned the kingdom upside down? Their concern, though well-intentioned, amplified my fear.
"Yeah. Is it on the news, yet?" I asked. Finn nodded slowly. "It broke early this morning. Officially, the King passed due to a sudden illness. There are also… unconfird reports. Whispers about the council." Maya added softly, "It's all very vague, Raphael. But there’s definitely a sense of… unease. People are talking. A lot."
"It is better for everyone to not know. I swear by it. But the dynasty, basically ended," I admitted.
Maya and Finn gasped, their eyes wide with disbelief. "Ended? The dynasty? But… how? What happened to the heirs?" Finn whispered. Maya's hand flew to her mouth. "Raphael! You can't just… say things like that out in the open! Are you serious?"
“There was never any heirs for the King. He was sterile. And he died.”
Maya’s eyes widened further, and Finn looked dumbfounded. "Sterile?" Finn stamred, shaking his head. "But… the Crown Prince and Princess… everyone believed…" Maya grabbed my arm, her grip tight. "Raphael, you need to be careful. Saying things like this… about the future of Ascaria… it’s dangerous. You don't know who might be listening." Her urgency, her fear for my safety, terrified .
"Safety?" I repeated, a bitter laugh escaping. "Oh… you guys, you have no idea. I was there. I saw it all. I was in the council chamber when Levi… when he dragged the entire council away. I saw them… pissing their pants. These powerful n, reduced to whimpering sses."
My breath hitched, tears welling. "I am obviously not in a good place right now. My entire world has been turned upside down. So, either don't ask anything about it, because I don’t know what's going on, or… or just understand that I’m terrified and trying to process sothing horrific."
Maya gently took my hand. "Oh, Raphael," she murmured, her voice filled with compassion. "We… we had no idea. That sounds absolutely horrible." Finn placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, his jovial deanor gone. "We’re so sorry, Raphael. You must be going through hell." He suggested we take a few minutes sowhere quiet. "Just breathe. We’re here for you."
My voice was still thick with unshed tears as horrifying images flashed through my mind. "It was… so terrifying," I repeated, my hands trembling. "These powerful n, the leaders of the kingdom… reduced to nothing. I saw ten of them… crying. Whimpering like children. They were on their hands and knees, begging for rcy. Pleading with Levi. Offering him anything, everything, just to spare their lives."
The mory of their utter humiliation, their primal fear, was seared into my mind. "They were groveling," I whispered, my voice catching. "It was… dehumanizing. And Levi… he just stood there. Cold. Unmoved. It was like… he wasn’t even seeing them as people."
Finn’s jaw was tight. "And… and Levi? What did he say? What did he do?"
A hollow, almost hysterical chuckle escaped my lips. "Oh." I shook my head. "He snapped his fingers. Just… snapped his fingers in that council room. And then… boxes. Decades worth of evidence. Docunts detailing their corruption, their violence, their cruelty… it just materialized. Stacked high. He laid it all bare, the putrid underbelly of their reign."
The visceral mory hit again, my stomach clenching. "I fucking vomited, Finn. Twice. Right there on the polished floor. The sll… the sight of those docunts… and then their faces… their terror…"
Maya’s hand tightened on mine, knuckles white. "Decades of evidence… just like that?" she whispered, shaking her head. "He had all of that prepared? He was just waiting for the right mont?" Finn remained silent. When he spoke, his voice was low and grave. "And that's why they were so terrified. They knew what he had on them."
“How do you guys feel now? We were just drinking beer and trying to make him cuss like what? 5 days ago? I don’t even know the days anymore.”
Maya's expression softened. "Raphael… we feel sorry for you. We had no idea… none of this. We thought he was… intense but nothing like… this." Finn nodded. "Yeah, man. Five days ago… it feels like a lifeti ago now, doesn’t it? We had no clue what was really going on, the kind of power he was holding back. It makes you wonder… what else don't we know?"
“Well… It is good to know that you guys are also feeling a little bad. So I basically left the house, I told him that I needed so ti away. I ca to the work to feel a little normal. But, here I am.”
A small, sad smile touched Maya’s lips. "Feeling a little bad is an understatent, Raphael. We feel sorry. You’re our friend, and you’re going through sothing… unimaginable."
Finn nodded. "Leaving the place… that was probably a good idea. And you’re right, coming here… trying to find so normalcy. But yeah, it’s kind of hard to feel normal when the person you’re married to just… ended centuries of tradition with a snap of his fingers."
“Finn, you seem like you think a little different than Maya and , so explain. Just talk to about your thought process.”
Finn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Okay, Raphael… Look, what Levi did… it’s terrifying, no doubt. The way you described it, the coldness… it’s definitely nightmare fuel." He paused. "But… and this is just trying to see it from a different angle, maybe because I’ve always been a bit of a history nerd… the monarchy, the nobility… you said it yourself, they were corrupt, cruel. Levi had decades of evidence… So, in a way… he did sothing that probably needed to happen. Sothing no one else had the guts or the power to do. He ripped out the rot at the core of the kingdom. It was brutal, absolutely. But maybe… just maybe… it was necessary for things to actually get better for the people. It’s like a really, really painful surgery to save the patient." He looked at , earnest. "That doesn't excuse the fear you felt, or the way he went about it. But from a purely detached, historical perspective… it’s a seismic shift."
“Yeah… The necessary evil, right?” I asked.
A thoughtful frown creased Finn's brow. "That’s one way to put it," he conceded. "But ‘evil’ carries a heavy judgnt. Maybe ‘necessary disruption’ is closer? Or ‘radical intervention’? Look, I’m not trying to downplay what you experienced, Raphael. Seeing that kind of power unleashed, especially by soone you love… that would ss anyone up." He paused. "But from what you’ve said, these weren’t good people… Levi had the ans and the will to stop it, permanently. Was there a less terrifying way? Maybe. But maybe not one that would have been as effective or as swift. Sotis, to tear down sothing rotten, you have to be brutal."
“The day he left for the palace... Before everything crumbled. He made easy digestible bland hungover breakfast for . Then he left. Then rest is… Yeah. History.” A small, wistful smile touched my lips.
Maya gently squeezed my hand. "It’s hard to reconcile those two images, isn’t it?" she said softly. "The caring husband making you breakfast and… the person you witnessed in the council room. It's like two different people."
Finn nodded slowly. "Power does strange things to people, Raphael. Or maybe… it just reveals who they truly are. The mask cos off when they realize they can finally do whatever they want. The question is… which one is the real Levi?"
A shiver ran down my spine. "The one who pressed his shoe on the face of a Lord," I repeated, the image vivid, "that’s the real Levi. There’s no doubt in my mind anymore. The casual cruelty, the absolute command… that wasn’t an act." I shook my head. "He never even raised his voice at before… Then… boom. The council room. The way he said 'Silence!' It wasn’t a shout, it was a command, and those powerful n… they stopped. Just like that. Stopped begging, stopped crying, out of sheer terror." My voice dropped to a whisper. "So how do you go from that… to the man who holds my hand at night?”
Finn shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe… it’s about control, Raphael. He’s always seed to have this need to be in charge, right? Maybe the gentleness you see is how he chooses to exert control in your relationship… And what you saw in the council room… that was control on a much larger, more brutal scale. Different tools for different situations, but the sa underlying need."
“Well… I need to… you know digest things. Even thinking about yesterday, like that room. It makes want to vomit again. But thank you. You guys are really good people. And I am sorry for allowing Levi to enter your life. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Maya squeezed my hand again. "Raphael, don’t bla yourself for any of this. You fell in love with soone. You couldn’t have known… any of this."
...
A week passed in a blur of anxiety and restless nights at Julia's penthouse. The initial shock had subsided into a persistent unease, a gnawing fear that clung to like a shadow. News of Levi's consolidation of power continued to filter through. The old council mbers remained imprisoned, their fates uncertain, and the whispers of a new ruling structure under Levi's control grew louder.
At the film set, the atmosphere had shifted. The earlier shock had given way to a cautious normalcy, but there was an undeniable undercurrent of tension. People were polite, but conversations often died down when I approached. Maya and Finn remained steadfast in their support, checking in on regularly, offering distractions, and patiently listening whenever I needed to talk.
I hadn't spoken to Levi. He hadn't tried to contact directly, though I knew, with a chilling certainty, that he knew where I was.
The forced camaraderie of the bar felt strange. Laughter felt a little too loud, conversations a little too forced.
The alcohol did little to ease the knot of anxiety in my stomach. Instead, it amplified the swirling thoughts, the terrifying images of the council chamber flashing behind my eyelids. Each casual joke, each clinking glass, served as a reminder of the life I had once known, a life that now felt irrevocably tainted.
As the night wore on and the drinks flowed, the conversations beca looser. I braced myself, knowing that eventually, the unspoken questions, the curiosity about my connection to the man who had so dramatically reshaped their world, would surface.
A few drinks in, Gareth, the usually boisterous sound guy, clapped on the shoulder, his smile a little too wide. "So, Raphael," he slurred slightly, his eyes a bit too bright. "Bit of a shake-up back at the palace, eh? Heard your fella's been busy." He chuckled, and a few others nearby snickered nervously. The elephant in the room had finally lumbered into the conversation.
“Yeah. He’s been busy, designing a revolution.” I said while trying to hide the tremors on my hands.
A nervous ripple went through the small group gathered around us. Gareth's smile faltered, and the nervous snickers died down. My bluntness seed to have taken them by surprise.
"A... revolution?" Gareth repeated slowly, his brow furrowing. Several other crew mbers exchanged uneasy glances.
I took a shaky sip of my drink, trying to steady my hands beneath the table. "Yeah," I confird, my voice flat. "That's... one way to put it. He decided the old system wasn't working anymore. So... he changed it."
“What do you an by that? A revolution?” Gareth asked.
“Ah… Why don’t you see for yourself?” I gestured towards the TV.
A hush fell over the small group as all eyes turned towards the television screen mounted above the bar.
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