Chapter 20 - My Dear Disconnected (Part 1)

Two Days Ago

Location: Human Reality

Manhattan, New York

Time: 10:32 PM

The same cube that would later be in the Count's hands two days into the future—taken to the Oculi reality by one of Reginae's soldiers in the human reality—could now be seen atop the living room's coffee table, shutting down after having recorded every word spoken by Miss Nox (25 years old).

At that moment, she was wiping her eyes with one hand, seemingly allowing herself to smile, albeit with a faint, trembling expression.

No longer being recorded by the device (the cube) in front of her, she concealed the true state of her emotions from whomever she did not wish to witness them.

She did not appear angry at the Count, for she understood that he was gradually beginning to comprehend his own feelings and emotions for the first time.

He was walking, of his own will, down a path where—sooner or later—his heart and Urius's would inevitably synchronize into a single, unified heartbeat.

[Nox – Past & Present | A Harmful and Emotional Whisper] Why won't this pain go away? I don't want to feel this for the person my sister (Urius) loves most... [Angry and Heavy Breathing] -

Even while speaking those words to herself, Nox knew deep down—despite her reluctance to admit it—that it was something inevitable for him to feel.

Being three years older than her middle sister, Urius, she had observed over the years—since the age of ten—that Urius had shown innocent affection for the Count.

And later, upon entering adolescence at the age of thirteen, her feelings had shifted noticeably toward a more romantic nature. Yet even then, it remained an innocent kind of love, as she was still too young to grasp such complex emotions.

It was during that same period that Urius grew closer to the Count, who was training and mentoring her to become a great warrior for the kingdom of Oculi.

Unknowingly to both of them, he was also nurturing her into becoming an incredible woman in the future. She was being taught by the very person she didn't yet realize she silently loved.

Meanwhile, during that phase of her life—and as the years passed—the Count himself, being emotionally "detached," failed to perceive these nuances.

He had been molded since childhood to be nothing more than an exceptional warrior: to protect, to serve, and to care for the then-Princess Luna before she ascended to the throne.

Luna had been the first person of the same age to grow up beside him, teaching him—through proximity—what it meant to be "human."

The Count had been by Luna's side since their earliest days, growing alongside her, and later assuming the role of protector of the family she would come to form with her future husband.

From that union came, first, Nox; then the middle child, Urius; and finally the youngest, Lilian. They became his reason to live—his vow being to give his life, if ever necessary, to protect the daughters of his closest friend, Luna.

By the time her daughters were born, Luna was already a great queen, widely respected throughout the capital of Oculi and across the smaller cities under her rule.

Luna, without the Count realizing it, was the subtle presence that guided his once "frozen" heart to react more deeply to human relationships.

He gradually began to feel more "warmed" by the understanding of what happiness could be like at Luna's side and with her three daughters, and what tenderness meant when he was near her.

He would smile involuntarily, feeling embarrassed for not understanding what it was that made his chest tighten and his true smile always surface—

Every time he looked at Luna's attentive and gentle expression. And after her passing ten years ago, this role of best friend gradually shifted.

It ended up being passed on to Luna's eldest daughter, Nox, who was only fifteen years old at the time of her mother's death.

The Count himself didn't even notice this natural "passing of the torch" to Nox, who by then was already a great friend of his—but not yet his best friend.

Meanwhile, young Nox, in the midst of mourning the simultaneous loss of her mother and father, along with the need to show strength to her grieving and fragile people—

Being the eldest daughter of Queen Luna, and also the possible heir to her mother's throne—found the strength to endure thanks to the Count.

So as not to become even more emotionally shaken during the long months of deciding the future successor to the throne of the Oculi kingdom, among the twelve noble Oculi families.

In the end, it was her youngest sister, Lilian, who inherited the throne—at just five years old, nearly the same age her mother had been when she first ascended.

Lilian was far too young to assume full leadership, and for nearly five consecutive years, she had to gain experience through study and guidance.

No less than the help of her two older sisters—Urius, who was thirteen, and Nox, who was fifteen at the time Lilian definitively took the throne.

The Count was essential to all three during that time, being like an older brother to Lilian and a safe harbor for Urius.

While for Miss Nox, he became her first and only intimate best friend, someone with whom she could open up and lower all her defenses.

Just as she had always done when speaking with her mother, Luna. This became even more evident five years into Lilian's reign over the capital of Oculi.

When the capital suffered a devastating attack by the forces of Inanis, which led to its fall and turned it into a vast ruined city—where it still lies in the present, five years after the fall.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It was during this moment, with the city burning on the dark horizon of the night, that the Count became, for the three daughters of his best friend Luna—

Nothing less than the greatest pillar to protect the hearts of Lilian, Urius, and Nox.

While they would each have to learn, in their own time, how to endure that unbearable pain and find the strength to seek justice—not vengeance—against the entire Inanis faction.

And thus, in the present day, it was decided that young Queen Lilian and her middle sister Urius would remain to care for their people and for the Reginae faction in their original reality, Oculi.

Where Lilian was already ten years old, and Urius was eighteen, while the Count stood at thirty-five years of age beside Miss Nox, who was now twenty.

They had come to personally lead, side by side, the forces of Reginae living within the human reality—where their focus was to try and protect humans in secret.

Protect them from all the blood-soaked and revolting acts born of the Inanis. Nox, having grown from the age of fifteen to her current twenty-five years beside the Count—

She didn't know exactly what kind of feeling she truly harbored for him after almost a decade in which he had been the light shining for her and her two younger sisters.

But she knew, unconsciously, amid her doubts and fears, that her sister Urius was the only one who had, from a young age, moved from innocence into a true love for the Count.

Even if unnoticed by both Urius herself and the Count, who failed to perceive the tender, attentive looks and affectionate proximity that came from Urius.

A romantic feeling quietly emerging from Urius toward him—and, gradually, from him toward her—without either of them ever realizing it, as it bloomed in the unconscious.

Thus sat Nox upon the couch, allowing that smile—teeth faintly showing—to slowly dissolve as the silent tears began to fall.

She had finally, after so many years of doubt and fear, come to understand that the love she had nurtured for the Count since her youth, just like Urius,

Had never truly been of a romantic nature, even though it had always been deeply affectionate and full of care. It was, in truth, a pure and genuine love between two souls—

Two friends who cherished one another's essence. This realization led her hand slowly toward her chest, as if unconsciously trying to ease the tightness in her heart—a heart that beat so fiercely, yet now, somehow, felt lighter.

[Nox – Whispering, Deeply Nostalgic] Now I understand the meaning... of those words in your last letter to me, mother... [Inhales softly, as if comforted] -

And then, she raised her gaze toward the slowly spinning crystal chandelier above, as strands of her long, red hair fell across her eyes.

[Nox – Whispering, Deeply Affectionate] When you told me... that he might be just a little too absent-minded to notice what's so obvious to all of us. [Soft, reflective breath] -

Some of those strands now veiled her gaze, shielding it from others' sight, yet allowing a certain vulnerability to be seen.

[Nox – Whispering, Deeply Comforting] Our dear 'absent-minded one'... has always held our delicate hearts in his ever-so-attentive hands. [Voice trembles slightly] -

And so fell her tears, tracing her face and reaching her trembling lips—until at last, they gave way to the most genuine, tender smile.

[Nox – Whispering, Deeply Nostalgic] Now I finally understand why you placed your trust in him, and in no one else in this entire world... mother. [Deep breath] -

A sentiment so clear and crystalline that it mirrored the very depths of her heart in that moment—as she thought of the Count.

The Count, ever since the three of them were younger—either before or after Luna's passing—was not only a protector and often a silent counselor.

He was also like an invisible "umbrella", one that had always been above them in the moments when the rain turned into a painful storm.

It was only during those moments when they had not yet found within their hearts the strength needed to face alone the "eye of the storm."

[Nox – Whispering, Grateful & Joyful] Our Beloved Disconnected One... [Subtle, Tearful and Affectionate Laughter] -

In the Past – 15 Years Ago

On the Surface of the Oculi Capital

Royal Castle – Deep Within the Castle

During a peaceful afternoon throughout the Oculi capital many years ago, a small fountain nestled within a grove of flowers could be seen, embraced by the serenity of the surrounding forest.

[Distant & Muffled Conversations of the Maids]

While the other cleaning staff and security personnel went about their routines, tending to the Royal Castle and its many duties.

[Distant & Muffled Conversations of the Guards]

In one of the few chairs placed within the grove, shaded by a small parasol, a table stood beside the occupied seat.

There sat a person with their arms gently resting, seemingly engrossed in an old book of tales, written by a renowned and long-deceased author.

Her name was Lilian Vamgrak, and the work being read at that very moment was her most famous piece, titled:

"Beneath the Surface & Before Your Eyes"

This person read in such a tranquil and delicate manner, as if gently reminiscing about memories that brought forth a soft, joyful smile.

She thought of someone dear—her one and only best friend, Count. The memory of his unique smile drew a deep, nostalgic breath from her, filled with warmth and affection.

[Subtle, Bashful & Affectionate Chuckle from the Person]

As the breeze swept through the region, the flowers swayed subtly, casting an almost magical atmosphere over the place—comforting, calm, and profoundly unique.

This delicate figure, with one leg crossed under the table, was none other than the former queen herself, Luna.

At that moment, she was 23 years old, dressed in a casual yet refined white royal gown—simple in appearance, but adorned with delicate and exquisite stitching.

[(Luna – Internal Reading of the Book) "...Before your inattentive eyes, your world gazes back at you with profound affection."]

It was the attire she most preferred for moments of leisure, when she allowed herself to retreat into silence, into peace.

The grove itself, nestled within the royal grounds, had been personally cared for by Luna on countless occasions. Its flowers and foliage thrived under her loving attention, blooming in vibrant, living color.

[(Luna – Internal Reading of the Book) "...There was no malice in that inattentive gaze, only a sweetness that could make anyone lose themselves within it."]

Her gown draped beautifully over her form, adding to her regal yet delicate presence.

Her long blonde hair played lightly around her fingers—an unconscious gesture—as she twirled one strand beside her face, never once interrupting her deep focus on the pages.

[(Luna – Internal Reading of the Book) "...The unusual beating of the heart was a subtle warning, yet also a silent witness."]

Luna was so absorbed in the book's words that she didn't realize how closely her eyes followed the lines, the book held gently in one hand, near her face.

[(Luna – Internal Reading of the Book) "...Who was responsible?"]

At that moment, Luna was alone in this part of the castle—separated from her husband and their two daughters—though surrounded elsewhere in the halls by castle staff.

[(Luna – Internal Reading of the Book) "...Who was to blame for so many involuntary symptoms?"]

Her husband had traveled near the capital's border to resolve bureaucratic affairs and was expected to return by nightfall for dinner.

[(Luna – Internal Reading of the Book) "...Who was truly the first to smile differently at the other?"]

Her two daughters were both at school: the younger, Urius, age 7, was attending her academic lessons at the largest—and only—school in the capital.

The elder, Nox, age 9, was in a different section of the school, focused on fencing and physical combat training.

Unbeknownst to Luna, her third daughter, Lilian, had not yet been born at this point—but she was already three weeks pregnant, entirely unaware of the life forming within her.

A direct consequence of one of the most tender and affectionate moments she had shared with her husband three weeks prior, during a private journey to celebrate their wedding.

Despite being children of royalty, Nox and Urius held no special titles or privileges within their educational institution.

This was by direct decree of Luna herself, who mandated that all royal children—and those from the highest noble families—attend school as equals.

She instituted this law personally, with the strictest consequences: should any internal advantage or influence be discovered benefiting any student, they—and their family—would be exiled from the capital.

This law, born from Luna's own values, stood as the highest ordinance under her matriarchal rule, even above her own daughters.