Chapter 64: The Banquet of shadows
The grand hall of Virenkai shimmered with unnatural light, its golden chandeliers blazing like suns suspended above.
The scent of roasted meats and spiced rice filled the air, rich enough to make any ordinary traveler weak with hunger.
But Alessia’s stomach tightened, knotted, her instincts screaming louder than the welcoming drums that echoed through the marble pillars.
Kaelith zorath, The king of Virenkai his name spoken in reverence by the guardsnrose to greet them..
His crown gleamed with black diamonds, his robe flowing like midnight waters.
"Welcome, Luca Morano," the king’s voice rolled deep, commanding. "And welcome, his wife, Alessia. You are honored guests in my house." He raised his hand, summoning slender maids with trays of fruits and wine. "Dine with us. Tonight, the banquet is for you."
The court applauded, faces lit with smiles too perfect, too practiced.
Alessia forced her lips into a faint curve, though her heart pounded.
Her gaze darted toward Luca, who was rigid, his jaw carved with steel, his eyes shadowed with the storm already rising in him.
Then she saw her.
At the head of the table, seated comfortably beside the queen of Virenkai, was a woman Alessia knew all too well. Lauretta Morano. Luca’s mother.
Alessia’s breath caught. This was supposed to be a rescue.
Lauretta had been kidnapped, taken into the depths of Virenkai.
Alessia had prepared herself for chains, for tears, for blood.
But here she was.. Dressed in silks, laughter spilling from her lips as she lifted her goblet.
"Mother?" Luca’s voice cracked, not with weakness but with rage.
The sound boomed through the hall, bouncing off its jeweled walls.
His hand trembled as he pointed at her. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in danger.... We risked everything, days of torment on that cursed road, battles against shadows that clawed at our flesh. We came for you. And you..."
His words burned, his chest heaved.
"...and you are sitting here, dining as though nothing happened?"
The hall fell silent. Even the musicians froze, their strings whispering into silence.
Alessia touched Luca’s hand, but it was like trying to calm a storm with a whisper.
His fury was no longer a flame..... it was wildfire.
And then his gaze lifted to the grand portraits hung across the gilded wall.
His father’s face. Morano, the late patriarch, painted in his youth, smiling among Virenkai’s "great men."
Luca’s voice shattered the silence. "Why is his face here?"
His roar filled every corner of the hall, shaking goblets, spilling rice grains onto polished floors.
Alessia tightened her grip on his hand, her pulse racing.
His wrath was dangerous, and yet she saw the wound beneath, the betrayal cutting deeper than any blade.
"Sit, Luca," Lauretta Morano, said softly, her tone too gentle, too dismissive.
She gestured toward an empty chair. "Sit and dine. This is no ordinary kidnapping. This is a... peaceful house kidnap."
Her lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Alessia’s blood chilled. Peaceful house kidnap? The words made no sense, and yet every instinct in her screamed they were meant to deceive.
Something was wrong.... Terribly wrong.
Alessia studied Lauretta with sharper eyes.
She noticed it immediately, the hair.
Lauretta’s had always been a deep, coffee brown, almost black under the moonlight.
But this one shimmered with a lighter hue, golden streaks hidden among the strands.
And the jewelry,, Lauretta despised gold.
She wore beads, silver charms, anything but the gaudy shine of gold.
Yet this woman wore heavy chains of it, glinting on her wrists and throat.
Alessia leaned closer, pretending to greet her mother-in-law with a kiss, but really she inhaled.
The scent was wrong.
Lauretta carried the faint perfume of jasmine. This woman smelled of amber musk.
This isn’t her. Alessia’s heart thundered.
She straightened sharply, placing herself between Luca and the food.
She would not let him eat a single bite.
"Sit, Alessia," Luca repeated, his voice suddenly softer, coaxing. "Sit with me."
She blinked, startled.
That was the fourth time he had told her to sit.
His tone was too smooth, too unlike him. A chill ran down her spine.
The table stretched endlessly before them, heaped with steaming dishes, wines as red as spilled blood, soups glistening with golden oils.
But the sight turned Alessia’s stomach. She wanted to vomit.
"When are we leaving?" Luca demanded, his voice snapping like a whip as he turned toward the king. "What is the meaning of this farce? What reason do you have for this so-called kidnapping?"
The king chuckled darkly. "The reason, Luca Morano, is not something your mortal mind can yet comprehend."
"I am not here for riddles... " Luca slammed his fist onto the table.
The impact toppled a goblet, crimson wine spilling like blood across the cloth.
The court flinched.
The queen of Virenkai narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
"My son," Lauretta’s imposter said sweetly, "we will leave tomorrow morning."
Luca froze. His fury sharpened into ice. "Since when do you call me my son?"
The words dripped with venom.
The queen leaned forward. "Eat. Your strength will be needed. The night is long."
"We aren’t hungry," Luca spat, his voice cracking with restrained rage.
Alessia’s chest tightened.
She could see the storm in him, the betrayal slicing him open.
His mother, real or not.. was tearing his soul apart in front of her.
Then it happened.
Luca reached for a goblet filled with red wine.
His hands shook as he raised it, lips parting.
Alessia’s breath seized. No. Something about that wine was wrong.
She lunged. . Just as the glass brushed his lips, she tore it from his hand and hurled it to the ground.
It shattered with a sharp cry, red splattering across the marble like blood.
The hall gasped.
Alessia didn’t wait. Her feet carried her outside, heart pounding like war drums.
"Alessia..... Alessia" Luca roared, chasing after her.
His voice echoed through the halls as he stormed out.
The banquet behind them resumed its eerie calm, laughter rising again, as though nothing had happened.
*****
Jackson had returned to his mother’s embrace. Tears and promises had been exchanged.
Bianca was smiling with her false sweetness and had vowed she only wanted a place in her child’s life.
And since her first mission is completed she decide to take the route she came in, just to get the black book she said to herself and smile wickedly.
******
The air reeked of bargains made in whispers.
But in the hidden corridors of Morano’s mansion, a darker presence moved.
Lauren stepped from the shadows once the guards made their final rounds.
He knew their habits...
He had studied their every move.
One by one, their lanterns faded as they left the halls unguarded.
The safe awaited him.
He knelt, fingers trembling as he traced the steel surface.
He had done his research, scribbled names in a worn notebook, pieced together scraps of family history.
The first attempt: Morano.
The father’s name. Surely Luca would hold his late father in reverence.
The safe blinked. Wrong password.
Lauren cursed under his breath.
The second attempt was Lauretta.
The mother, her name carried weight in every document he had found.
The safe blinked again. Wrong password.
Sweat trickled down his temple.
One more attempt, Only one....
And the system would lock him out for three days if he failed again.
His pulse thundered.
He thought of Donato, Of Luca, Of Alessia.
Then.... Alessia.
Her name struck like a spark in his mind.
The one constant in Luca’s life.
The one weakness, the one love he could not hide.
Lauren’s fingers hovered, then typed- ALESSIA.
Immediately without hesitation, the safe clicked opened.
Slowly, its door swung open.
Inside lay documents, maps, and a sealed envelope stamped with an emblem older than the Morano bloodline itself.
Lauren’s lips curved into a smile.
"This," he whispered, lifting the papers with trembling hands.
"Changes everything "....
****
Luca’s stride was long, purposeful, but Alessia felt the storm brewing in him before he even reached her.
The moment air pressed against them, heavy with silence and suspicion. When he stopped, his shadow loomed over her, his voice low, rough, and tinged with frustration.
"Why did you put up that drama inside?" His face tightened as he searched her eyes.
Alessia said to him.. "Please luca, let’s just get the other men and leave. Everything about this makes me sick... it doesn’t feel right. I feel... weird... Scared, even."
His hand raked through his dark hair as though trying to claw out the unease. "What if we’re the victims here? What if your mother... somehow want to use us or to sell us out? ". Alessia’s lips parted, her breath trembling.
"My mother would never sell us," Luca snapped, as if the thought itself was poison on his tongue. His chest rose and fell harshly, and then he gripped her by the shoulders, forcing her gaze to meet his. "Don’t you trust my mother?"
Alessia’s throat worked as she swallowed, her heart pounding in fear and truth. She pressed her palm against the firmness of his chest, feeling the hammering of his heart beneath the muscle. "I trust your mother," she whispered, voice breaking. "But not this mother."
The words slammed into him like a blade. For a moment, silence devoured them, except for the rush of his breathing.
He lowered his forehead until it almost touched hers, his arms pulling her tight against the wall of his chest, his warmth engulfing her.
Luca struggled to digest the words, his throat dry, his blood running cold. "Have you noticed..." Alessia’s voice wavered, "...she doesn’t seem like your mother, I noticed something were different about her.. ?"
"Yes," Luca cut her off sharply, his answer immediate, almost too quick. His hands trembled as if he had already buried that realization deep, but hearing it aloud made it undeniable.
His mother, his anchor... wasn’t the same woman.
Before Alessia could say more, Luca’s pocket buzzed. The vibration was sharp, slicing through the moment.
His hand froze where it rested at her back.
Slowly, he pulled the phone out, his name already flashing across the screen.
It was Mom.
The world seemed to tilt.
Alessia’s fingers dug into his arm, her face pale. "Luca"... She breathed, fear dripping into her voice.
He stared at the glowing word "Mom" and for the first time Luca Morano felt a chilled crawl down his spine.......