Chapter 3: Odum

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This chapter is brought to you by Contrail by MoonMoon.

Edited by: bafflinghaze

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Seeing that Rainier had fallen silent, Neo observed his unmoving posture and gave a self-deprecating smile.

What may have been decades to him was a few years for his servant.

Neo hardly remembered what he had been thinking when he gave the man the blindfold. Resentment was at the forefront of his mind.

And perhaps a bit of envy.

It was because of his eyes.

Rainier had a pair of cornflower eyes that could rival the sapphire blue of the Odum Family. Many found them to be beautiful. They were a mix of soft violets and deep blues and shone brightly in the light.

In the past, before he had forced the blindfold upon him, Nazareth overheard a conversation between some gossiping maidservants:

"Are you sure he's not related to the Duke? Maybe a distant cousin or something?"

"Of course not! The Duke took Rainier off the streets. It's a bit similar to Young Master Nazareth if you ask me."

"I sometimes question whether or not he's illegitimate."

"The Young Master?"

"Well, yes. Besides the hair, I don't really see many similarities between him and his Excellency. Maybe the nose..."

His own personal servant had a higher chance of being an Odum than him.

What a wretched bastard.

He despised the valet even more.

In the beginning, his annoyance was mild. Rainier was too dedicated to him, too loyal and capable.

Nazareth had grown up in the Red Light District. He knew there was no free meal in this world.

What Rainier provided him the dedication—the loyalty—, he felt obligated to pay back his dues. He was rather paranoid and believed the servant required him to settle his dues when the time was right.

Therefore, his thirteen-year-old self had concluded, the only way he wouldn't have to return the debt was to get rid of that sickening devotion.

It was only after overhearing the conversation between the maidservants regarding his illegitimacy did a malicious plot began to form, sowing the discord between him and Rainier.

Neo's thought process had been thus:

He had no need for a devoted servant who dared think himself closer to the Odum Family.

Why was Rainier Mosely fortunate enough to be born with blue eyes?

He'd never contemplated this before until now.

The gods were simply unfair.

And Nazareth resented it.

Even if he despised the nobility and their inability to care for the lowborns, the Odum Family was his. He had already laid claims to it. His to hoard, his to protect, and his to destroy. This was his territory, not Rainier's.

A few nights later, he did what he did.

Acquiring some plants that burned the skin, he carved a talisman of his own making.

The Slave Emblem.

The paint was mixed with different poisons and herbal plants, woven with his life energy, and etched with his vast knowledge of runes and symbols. The last was to pay an adequate price. Sacrifices must be made when performing deadly incantations.

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