Author's note: I never ever thought that I will get 500+ reads! It is beyond my imagination at the support you guys have shown me. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support!!! :))
Bon Appétit! :D
@ The White Coffin
Friday evening
Elizabeth's POV
The Dove's Rising is a symbolic event in the Mafia world. One of oldest ceremonies established by The Eyes when they first started building the Mafia world. This event is a grand feast, widely anticipated by everyone, invited or not. It is usually conducted after wars or fights, where the parties involved seek peace and trust. The host extends invitations to those they genuinely want to make peace with.
The main ritual of this feast is called The Devouring, the act of consuming all eight bottles of wine within an eight-meal course. In the eyes of the Mafia World, wine represents friendship. The Eyes reasons that the end goal of having peace and trust for each other is eventually to build up a long-lasting friendship. Hence, being the drama queens that The Eyes are, they created The Devouring.
Furthermore, The Eyes also taught the Mafia world that true friendships are not easy to come by. It is not easy, just like how it is a challenge to consume all eight bottles of wine without entering into a state of unconscious.
The ritual is considered a success so long the first person from each family remains awake at the end of the eight bottles. If the ritual fails, it shows the insincerity of the host. At best, those families steer clear of each other and at worse, their relationship deteriorates even further.
The eight bottles of wines symbolises the eight stages of friendship. The eight bottles consist of four red and four white wines, provided by the host. They are consumed alternatively, starting with a white wine. White wines are arranged by its decreasing acidity. On the other hand, the red wine are arranged in the order of decreasing tannin levels.
One can imagine the taste left by the wine as the feast proceeds on. The taste is a physical sensation of the different stages of friendship. True friendships are bitter and sour in the beginning but would experience sweetness towards the end when the deepest kind of friendships is formed.
It was Angelo's idea to conduct this ceremony, to start on a clean slate with the Castellos. Unluckily, the Tentacles incident has spread throughout the Hollow and the Mietitores and Morte Del Sole have became the talk of the town.
Morte Del Sole was accused of making unfounded, vile accusations harming the name of the Castello family. Most people looked down on disrespecting the royal families and I love me for becoming the role model for doing just that. Many have gossiped and now everyone thinks that the Mietitores are abusing their power as the King family, bullying the other families.
I swear that the Mafia world are worse than a bunch of high school girls. Our desire for gossips is as strong as our desire for trouble.
While the appearance of Morte Del Sole did not leak out, the rumour that MDS is a girl flew through the city faster than those concerning the King family.
And here I thought my outright apology to Cody Castello in front of his men was enough to appease his anger.
When a notification popped on my phone, telling me that four noisy Castello men wondered into the Cheese In The Trap, I knew that this was the golden opportunity I was waiting for.
A couple of fifty percent ABV gin and hard beating got the Castello men very honest and they admitted to spreading the incident to win supporters over for the Castello family.
As the Morte Del Sole, I could not help but deliver a few more punches with my brass knuckles after knowing what they have done. I cannot believe that I have worked so hard for two years to get defeated by these bunch of nosey sissies.
Cody Castello padded out of the side gate, wearing a royal green robe. I licked my dry lips in anticipation, if this doesn't quench my anger, I don't know what will...
I watched from afar as Cody Castello trudged to the delivered food placed near the main gates of the Castello family mansion. It took him a while since the sky was still dark but he soon caught the sight of his unconscious men tied to the mansion gate. He pressed a hand over his nose, cowering away from his men. It was a laughable sight as I imagined how bad the stench of rotten pig blood must be from where he was standing, if I could smell it all the way here. Pig blood covered the body of his men and each man had a word painted on his face.
MDS. Says. Hello.
The last man had his mouth painted in pig blood, a wide red smile stretching from cheek to cheek.
A wicked grin flashed on my face as he backed up into a bucket of red paint, inducing a scream from him when the red paint spewed all over him.
Best sleep I have ever gotten since I saw MJ and Emily in the mortuary.
The staff in the Castello family mansion helped sped up the spread of the the prank, which I released into the Hollow through my own connections. The prank became even hotter news than the rumours and gossips about the Mietitores and MDS.
If Cody thought I would squirm and hide under a rock after he talks shit about me, he needs to get a new brain.
To save our reputation, we made a deal with Cody Castello to hide his dirty doings, including the Mietitore hacking incident in exchange for his efforts to stop these nasty rumours.
Initially, he was resistant when Julian and I approached him, still pissed off from my nasty prank. He even rejected seeing Julian and I, to which we both snorted.
Well, he gave in after we delivered a thick envelope to his family mansion, containing all the dirty crimes he have committed. It was effortless against his timid personality.
I shoved the blood-red bucket hat onto The Oracle's head just as Cody Castello arrived at The White Coffin with an entourage of men. They were all men from the Tentacles except for the female captain beside Cody - Captain Miranda. If someone who did not know better past by, they would think that the Castellos looked like they came for a fight. In contrast, the Mietitores only sent two unarmed people to welcome the Castellos.
The royal green three piece suit fitted tightly on Cody's body, completed with a pair of polished black oxfords. His medium length hair was combed into three braided sections and tied into a man bun, revealing his sharp jawlines. His golden grills were removed, bringing back world peace.
Overall, party boy cleaned up well.
Throwing the Castello's second-in-line a knowing smile, I greeted the mafia prince. He gulped before forcing on an indifferent expression, remembering his men.
"Welcome to The White Coffin, the Mietiores says hello. May I lead the way for you, Sir Cody?" I paused, looking at Cody for a reply.
"You may," Cody permitted without looking at my direction, fist clenching. I smirked at the fidegty boy before making my way to the dining hall. The pleasure I get from Cody's reaction temporarily beats my nervousness at the thought of getting lost in this mansion.
Usually, the greetings was done by an official member of the family. However, Angelo sent me knowing that Cody would be more compliant when he sees me. I tried to see if Julian was around but he was long gone after exchanging greetings with the Castello captains.
With only two families involved in the feast, the eight bottles of wine are shared by three people from each family involved. If there are three families, each family sends out two people. Four or more families partaking the feast would only require one person from each family to drink.
For the choice of the first person included in ritual, each family picks a captain, second-in-line or the head of the family. The rest of the party will be handpicked by the first person.
In our circumstances, Cody Castello picked two of his captains, Simon and Miranda for the ritual. For the Mietitores, Angelo picked his right hand man, The Oracle. I was prohibited from taking part in this ritual as I was not an official member of the Mietitore family. A "contract-bounded roamer" was what Angelo called me when we discussed who will be representing the Mietitores.
I was the only one astonished when Angelo did not choose a third person for our team. Technically, this was not against the rules of the ritual as long as the family has consented to being disadvantaged.
Rafael explained casually that it was not Angelo's first time conducting The Dove's Rising and he has only been in a two-person team or lesser. The Valentine prince did not clarify further, leaving me to ponder the reasons behind Angelo's actions.
It feels like Angelo does a lot of things without proper explanations.
I unclenched my left fist and glanced at my palm, the sweat have smudged the hand-drawn map on my palm but nonetheless, it managed to guide me to the dining hall.
Another thing to thank Julian for.
Turning around to the horde of men standing over me, I introduced, "Gents, a sincere welcome to The Dove's Rising. Please leave your weapons on the tray to my right before making your way in. Sir Cody and fellow captains, please follow me in."
I pushed open the mahogany door, decorated with two hooded angels carved into the wood. The opened door reveals an intricate wooden interior, with delicate crystal chandlers as its light source. Moonlight casts coloured shadows on the ground as it shines onto the vibrantly stained glass windows. The beauty of the dining hall dazzled the incoming guests, soft exclaims coming from behind me.
The chandlers offer soothing beams of light on the silver long table set in the middle of the room. A silky blood-red runner cloth runs through the table, decorated with silver hooded angels with outspread wings, wielding a death scythe in its hands. Fifteen red suede chairs slotted in on each side of the table, waiting for its occupant.
Angelo and Julian sat at the head of the table on the left side of the table in red suede chairs, bidding for the Castello's arrival. A wonderful surprise four seats away from Angelo awaits me. Its flashy purple leather jacket conjuring a grin on my face when our eyes meet. Ten out of the twelve remaining seats were filled by Mietitore members, some are from the office but the rest are complete strangers.
The housemaids stood at the pillars which holds up the magnificent dining room, ready to serve upon a beckoning. They held fear in their shaking hands, hoping that they will not have to serve beyond their duties during the feast.
Upon the guests' arrivals, the housemaids pulled out chairs, ignoring some of the more raucous Castellos making a pass at them. My eyebrows twitched as I stared at a particularly hateful Castello as he openly groped the poor girl's ass.
Just because this is a feast for truce, it doesn't give him any fucking rights to grope whatever the fuck he wants.
A hand gently squeezed my hip and I found myself looking at Rafael's emerald eyes. He winked at me before guiding me to my seat - which is in between his and an empty seat. Julian occupies the seat next to Angelo, leaving an empty one between me and him.
Live violin and piano performances begins upon a clap from Angelo, mimicking the ambience of a five-star rated restaurant.
The eight bottles of wine make its appearance on the command of Angelo's double claps. The rectangular wine holder camouflages itself in a nearly one-metre tall wooden sculpture of a hooded angel, its hand holding onto a death scythe. A housemaid pulls open the wooden angel, the blade of the death scythe separated from its pole. The angel reveals four bottles of wine stored in its body while each opened side contains two more.
Angelo grabs the first bottle of wine and pops it open with the exquisite wine opener provided by The Eyes. The wine opener is a necessary item in the The Dove's Rising, for the ceremony to be officially recognised.
The first bottle is the bottle of hostility. Although not experienced by all, some friendships begin with friends being enemies.
"Cheers to a new brother," Angelo stood up and generously declared. The loud scraping of chairs overlapped the live music as everyone rise to their feet to accept the toast.
I sipped on my fizzy grape soda and observed the five people sitting near me. A stark difference presents itself immediately - the Castellos gulps while Angelo and Julian took sips out of their glasses.
The long table displayed mouth-watering dishes that never seem to end. There are always new dishes replacing the eaten ones and they only get better.
"Are you welcomed here or are you just in love with my boss?" I poked Rafael in his side as I played with the mushroom soup. My injuries may have recovered but my appetite remains small.
"The latter. Let this be our little dirty secret, alright?" Rafael joked as he held a finger to his full lips. Playing along, I held out my pinky to him. Rafael laughed heartily as he hooked his own pinky with mine.
A purposeful cough rang out from my left, pulling my attention to the three people sitting opposite us. The good-natured banter between us was not as private as I liked it to be, successfully attracting the eyes of the Castellos involved in The Devouring.
Cody and I exchanged eye contact until the next dish was served. "Sweet and sour pork, with mango salad on the side." A housemaid introduced as she divides the dish into equal portions.
"Pork? My favourite." I beamed at the dish, not forgetting to look at Cody.
I bit back a laughter as Cody recalls what happened on that fateful dawn. It is a pity that the lack of light prevented me from a HD recording of his reaction.
His body tensed visibly but nothing could be said. This is the feast for truce, nothing offensive should be said or done to avoid ruining such an important decision for both families. Well, much more important for the Castellos, for they cannot afford another setback for their reputation.
"Someone said he screamed like a little girl," I almost missed Rafael's whispering as he stacked a mountain of food onto my plate.
"I'm that someone," I whispered back, Rafael's shaking shoulders hit mine as he laughed silently.
The next three bottles of wine proceeded smoothly if you consider three fights breaking out as mere merriment. It was only after Rafael informed me that there is a saying that it takes at least three fights to make a good feast, that I understood how both families can laugh it off.
Well, at least the ignorant groping piece of shit got two tooth knocked out by the burly man sitting opposite him. Rafael went to gather information and came back eagerly, telling me that the burly man could not take anymore of his bullshit and acted. The burly man instantly became one of my favourites in the room.
Simon and Cody looked relatively stable besides their female captain, Miranda. Her face was flushed bright red and her eyes a little droopy from gulping down wine like it was water.
Meanwhile, the two beside me looked the freaking same. At least from what I can see, Angelo remained passive and indifferent. No arrogant smirks or cheeky grins have dug its way to his face. It was not that surprising to see this side of him, seeing how half of his reputation is built from his stone-like expressions. It actually took me a while to get around the livelier expressions he wore for Rafael and Julian.
Julian who have put on his oracle outfit maintained the same posture. He was probably on the verge of suffocation as he have yet to speak a single word since the Castellos have arrived. The mouth on his mask was only unzipped for him to eat and drink.
The fifth bottle is the bottle of exploration, a common theme after two people have become friends with one another. The third bottle of white wine loosened up the two princes a little.
They have entered a discussion of a rare topic - the transportation of Mietitore weapons by the four docks in the city, controlled by the Castellos. Being the kindhearted businessmen that they are, the Castellos charged a fifty percent tax on any other families' goods. No family, royal or not, would like to be so outrageously taken advantage of, thus it has been years since anyone used water shipping.
It will be a great breakthrough for any family if they managed to score a deal with the Castellos.
"You don't want a slice of that?" I asked Rafael who was humming to himself, checking on his social media accounts.
"Hm?" He leaned into me, suggesting for me to repeat my question. He was engrossed in scrolling through pictures after pictures of beautiful women, earning my refusal to make a redundant repetition of the question I posed earlier.
I stared at his screen, wondering what attracts Rafael in a woman. My initial mission soon placed aside as I got sucked into looking at his feed which also includes hot, dashing men.
"Pause! Is this delicious treat your friend?" I snatched his phone and zoom in on that boy's solid abs.
"He's my cousin, Eros," Rafael corrected, amusement thick in his voice.
I licked my lips as I continued staring at his perfectly chiseled face, absolutely famished for him.
He's hotter than Angelo Mietitore.
"I could arrange a meeting for you guys, if you are interested. But first, let me take a selfie of your face." Rafael offered after taking in my wild expression.
Tipping the phone back into his lap to show my refusal, I dived into the ambrosial lasagne served as the main course. It came with either carbonara or prawn bolognese pasta and peas as sides.
"Though we have to do it secretly if not Angelo will cut off my balls," Rafael continued, peeking at his best friend.
"I would like to see that," I grinned into my lasagne as he gets greatly taken aback. I forced myself to not speculate on what Rafael could be implying. Angelo has said it himself, he does not mix business with personal things.
"Speaking of secrets, are you planning on telling Angelo about what we saw in MJ's house?" Rafael's volume dropped to near zero towards the end of his question.
A nine-tailed fox glowed in the dark. Its tails span out in a circle, with the the head of a vicious fox in the middle, blood dripping from its fangs. A third eye appeared on the forehead of the fox - the proof that it is a governor's symbol.
It was extremely detailed, as if the governor came and drew the symbol personally.
The position of the fridge, the symbol of the governor ruling over the Hollow, the hidden information of the kitchen. MJ planned for me to discover all of these.
"Wha-what's that doing here?" Rafael stuttered, eyes widened.
The only time he sees that symbol is on the official documents his father personally handles. It is a symbol used only for the most confidential, important documents - the only time the mysterious governors step in.
I stared at the wall, hoping that there would be other clues, "I'm just as clueless as you, Raf."
The lights flickered back on and the clue disappeared again, leaving behind a blank wall.
"I am. Let me do it okay?" Rafael nodded his head earnestly, the secret still remaining between the two of us.
The serious atmosphere surrounding me and the Valentine prince was broken when the burly man gave a toast to Rafael. Many members sitting near the burly man cheered and raised their own glasses to the prince.
Rafael Valentine glowed in happiness as he returned the toast to men he treated like his own family. Making use of this interaction, Mietitore men came up to Rafael to engage in a conversation with their boss's best friend.
Noticing my envious eyes, Rafael dragged me into their conversation and introduced me to them. Not knowing if I wanted to keep my identity hidden, Rafael introduced me as Liz, a roamer recruited by Angelo.
The Mietitore men sure are a welcoming bunch under their serious, murderous facade. My night was no longer in a crisis of being bored to death.
Time slips away rapidly and the next time I look at Angelo was when he clinked a silver spoon against his emptied wine glass. He broke our lively conversation, prompting the Mietitore men to shuffle back to their seats. The dining hall settles into complete silence for the first time since the feast has started. All the focus have shifted onto the two standing princes.
Cody Castello have in his hands, the very last bottle of wine. The bottle of spirit signifies the ultimate stage of friendship - soulmates. A legendary term used to bluff naive little kids.
Emptying this last bottle of wine would establish the new friendship between the two royal families. It is the highlight of the night after all the food, brawling and subtle mocking.
Cody popped open the bottle to the crowd's excited hoots and handed Angelo the bottle. He steadily poured the wine for the last time, his own glass receiving a few more drops than the rest as he emptied the bottle. The only sign of him consuming alcohol was the twinkle in his dilated eyes.
My eyes moved to the boy beside him who have crossed his arms, still standing upright on his two feet. If Julian has such a good tolerance, how much did they drink last Friday for him to go through such a strong hangover?
Not expecting anything less from him, Cody's face and neck was flushed but his eyes still sharp. However, the same cannot be said for his two captains. Simon clamped down one hand on the table to support himself up, eyes blinking several times to chase away the alcohol-triggered haze. Poor Miranda have to rely on two other members to stand without falling face flat on the table.
"We shall move on from the dwellings of the past and embrace the new future, cheers." Cody tip his wine glass in Angelo's direction.
The clinking sound echoed through the dining room, sounding off the birth of a friendship.
The dove has risen up to the sky.
Thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter! :)