Chapter 102: Good is Evil and Evil is Good
Filipp made sure to have kids as early and as secretly as possible. He needed to have heirs for the Evanoff family to continue and he needed to always be ready for his own death. The second he succeeded in breaking Avelina Ivanov, was the second he was sentenced to death. He needed to set everything up for the future. He was still terrorized by the thought of dying though. Was his cause truly worth dying for?
He had always been close with Sevastyan before he was killed by Vikentiy and he had always heard the horror stories of Vikentiy Ivanov and his mother. Vikentiy, the star. The way his mother got her revenge for having to marry a man she didn’t love. She made him absolutely perfect just for the sake of having the child of the man she actually loved be the next head of the family.
Of course, he was fed lies. Why would Sevastyan tell the truth?
Filipp never learned that this whole story was complete fiction, so he always believed that his mother’s execution was justified. He never yearned for a mother nor did he wish for a perfect older brother like Vikentiy. His beliefs about Vikentiy were only really solidified by his actions. Both at his birthday party and moving forward in high society. He climbed far above the Evanoffs as an extension of his mother’s revenge right? He married a royal just so he could spite them right?
It particularly angered him that Vikentiy married Avelina. Avelina was the perfect woman in the eyes of the world, and when paired with Vikentiy who seemed to be the perfect man they were perfect together.
Vikentiy, the star of the Evanoffs. Avelina, the star of the Belovs.
Filipp was terrorized by that. Stars. Stars would flood his nightmares and his every waking moment. That word was banned from the Evanoff house. The blinds were shut as soon as the sun began to set, Filipp would not even look at the night sky because of his hatred for stars.
He called a seer to the house shortly after hearing that Vikentiy’s child was born. He asked her what the future held. He wanted to know if it was even worth it. If he should even continue on this worthless path of death.
The seer shuffled her cards and Filipp awaited the cards anxiously.
“This will do more harm than good.” The seer said as she watched the cards that fell from her shuffling.
The second Filipp saw one of them he flipped the table and screamed at her to leave. He was willing to hear her out but when he saw the star on the table before him he immediately stopped.
“The star reversed… You know what that card means?” The seer asked with an intrigued smile. The servants were gathering her card and trying to get her out of the room immediately but she was holding them back a bit.
“The world has been sending you failure to try and lead you in a different direction. Give up. Even success will not save you.” The seer said and let herself be dragged off.
Of course, Filipp was too furious to listen to such advice.
Soon after Vikentiy and Avelina’s second child was born Filipp made a move using all of his resources and kidnapped Avelina while Vikentiy was away in a dungeon. Vikentiy returned quickly and immediately went to go get her back.
He went to a tower in the middle of Siberia, fully expecting to be trapped. What he found at the top of the tower was much worse though.
It was Avelina. She lay dead in the pure white nightgown that she had been kidnapped in. For a second he was almost relieved. He knew how to bring her back so it was fine. They all thought they had broken him but it was fine. He’d still get his revenge though.
He lifted her into his arms, he would have to carry her back to the manor in order to do the spell in a safer place. He had a smile on his face and chuckled a little. His little brother really thought he’d won.
His smile almost immediately dropped as he glanced down at Avelina. He had planned to cause the same injuries onto Filipp that he had caused onto her but when he actually changed his vision in order to actually be able to look at her, he lost all the light from his eyes. He almost dropped her but he quickly stopped himself.
He stared at her, and then straight out of the window of the tower.
“...I have been scorched.” He said after an eternity of silence, he looked down at Avelinas face. Her eyes had been plucked from their sockets. She was completely intact except for that. And just that was enough to make Vikentiy incapable of resurrecting her. He needed every part of her in order to resurrect her. Filipp probably didn’t even know this, he probably just did this to torture him.
Vikentiy covered Avelina in his coat and carried her back to the manor.
The servants went through the same cycle as he did, they were overjoyed by their lady’s return and later horrified by her condition.
“Find her wedding dress…And inform the Grand Duke,” Vikentiy murmured, carrying Avelina to their bedroom.
The maids quickly nodded. They did not speak and bowed their heads and prayed for Avelina’s peace.
Vikentiy laid Avelina on their bed and stared at her for a while.
“You have scorched me, Filya.” He murmured, “...But you did not kill me.”
“You would’ve been better off if you had,” Vikentiy said and kissed Avelina’s forehead.
“Sleep, Lina. When you awaken, the world will be yours.” Vikentiy laughed and kiss a strand of Avelina’s hair before walking to the door.
He opened the door at the same time someone was going to knock on it. His smile disappeared.
‘Oh…That’s right.’
A small boy stood in front of him. His eyes were red from crying and his hair was white just like Vikentiy’s.
“Father!” The boy looked like he was going to start crying again when he saw him.
“Is Mommy–”
“To bed.” Vikentiy cut him off and walked out of the room fully, closing the door behind him.
“Did you find her?!” The boy followed after Vikentiy down the hall.
“Is she oka–!”
“I said to bed, Evgeny.” Vikentiy was stern. He could’ve been louder, and angrier. He could’ve screamed at the child. But he didn’t dare. He couldn’t do that to Avelina’s pride and joy.
“But…”
Vikentiy turned around and ignored Evgeny’s crying. There was now a wrench in his plan. He had been reminded that he was a father. He was prepared to return to the dungeons after getting back at Filipp but now he had begun to rationalize things.
“When Ilyusha and Zhenya are both adults. I’ll leave forever…” He murmured to himself before going on his way. He had another younger brother to kill.
–
“Found you.”
Filipp nearly had a heart attack as he heard Vikentiy’s voice beside him. He had been ready to be killed by Vikentiy but when he actually heard the massacre begin outside he realized that he was, in fact, going to die. He wasn’t bold enough to beg for forgiveness but he had been praying as Vikentiy found him.
Vikentiy sat on the desk Filipp was hidden under. His sword trapped Vikentiy on one side and his legs trapped him on the other side.
“Filipp. You should’ve stayed quiet. I told you I didn’t hate you so why go out of your way to make me hate you?” Vikentiy asked.
“Y-You killed my family!” Filipp said that much louder than he intended, much louder than he should’ve.
“I know I killed our family. But they sure as hell deserved it, didn’t they?” Vikentiy spoke softly as if he was babying his little brother.
“Our dearest mother was framed for adultery and killed, just that should be reason enough to kill Father and Sevastyan but no no no, Father also stabbed me and left me to rot in the dungeon. I think that’s even more reason! And everyone else? Well if no one spoke up about all of this, then aren’t they also at fault?” Vikentiy said grabbed Filipp’s chin, pulling him up to look him in the eye.
“Tell me Filya, are they innocent?”
Filipp didn’t know what to say and Vikentiy’s grip on his jaw made it impossible to speak anyway.
“Filya. Do you wanna know a secret?” Vikentiy asked, a vicious grin on his face, “It’s a secret that only our father and I know.”
“You know the guy that sent everyone on this path of ruin?”
“The man who told you that I am a child of Adultery?”
Vikentiy loosened his grip so Filipp could speak.
“S-Sevastyan..?”
“He was the fake one.”
“W-what?” Filipp’s voice trembled.
“Ah, I’m so relieved to finally tell someone. Even father didn’t know that I knew!” Vikentiy laughed.
“Father was the one who committed adultery. When Mother was away visiting grandfather, he was tempted by another woman. And she became pregnant, but mother was already pregnant at the same time… And since our mother’s child didn’t survive…”
“He switched…” Filipp finished Vikentiy’s sentence for him.
“But why would father–” Filipp couldn’t believe this.
“Because he loved our mother very very much, but he was constantly plagued with jealousy, and mother returning to her home town meant she would meet her childhood friend sir Gennadiy. He was furious and so he let himself be comforted by another woman but he couldn’t just let mother mourn her lost child and he truly didn’t care for the other woman, so he just swapped the children.” Vikentiy explained.
“I was just as confused as you when I witnessed it I was only a toddler after all,” vikentiy said and patted Filipp’s cheek.
Vikentiy’s memory was exceptional, everyone knew that now, but back then Yuri didn’t care if a two-year-old saw what he did.
“I didn’t care back then, I loved him regardless,” Vikentiy murmured.
Filipp began to cry, “ Brother, I’m sorry! p-please, forgive me!”
“I won’t.” Vikentiy smiled but his voice showed no emotion.
“My little dove is gone because of you… My children are motherless because of you…I couldn’t forgive you even if I tried.”
Vikentiy wanted to hear no more pleading from him. He slit his throat and dropped him on the ground. He couldn’t just leave him like that though. He had to torture him just a little more. Jusssssst a little.
—
“Kesha!” The Tsar hugged Vikentiy as he arrived at Avelina’s funeral. He was still under Vikentiy’s spell so he still showed lots of favor to him.
“I can’t believe this has happened to you! Who could do such a thing? Both your wife and your only living brother. Trust me I will do anything in my power to find them and kill them!” The Tsar cried for Vikentiy but Vikentiy held back the urge to punch him for the mention of his brother. News of Filipp’s assassination had also been sent out. The family was almost destroyed but other Evanoffs insisted that there was an heir for Filipp and so the family stayed in power.
Now Vikentiy looked like an unfortunate man who had once again been surrounded by the death of his loved ones.
The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess held Evgeny and Ilya as they watched Avelina’s casket be lowered. They didn’t speak to anyone ad refused to even look at those who offered their condolences. They were too busy mourning the loss of their daughter and comforting their grandsons who were trying to understand what was happening to their mother.
The Grand Duke set Evgeny down and had him stand beside the Grand Duchess as he went over to talk to Vikentiy in private.
“We must find out who did it. We must find out now!”
Vikentiy met the Grand Duke’s anger with an indifferent stare. It started to drizzle and Vikentiy’s stare started to anger the Grand Duke.
“Why haven't you taken action?!”
“I already killed him,” Vikentiy murmured.
The Grand Duke was surprised to hear this, “Who was it?!”
“My brother,” Vikentiy murmured.
“..You…” The Grand Duke couldn’t respond to that.
“...Did he suffer?” He asked as the rain picked up and people started heading inside.
“Yes, very much so.” Vikentiy smiled a little at that.
“...Good.”
—
“...Did he get her eyes back?” Yue asked.
“No, The Evanoffs hid them where they hid their heirs. And after a few days, the aura of Avelina was no longer on them so Vikentiy couldn’t hope to find them.” Viktor murmured.
“Then they still…”
Viktor nodded, “That is the real reason we hate the Evanoffs.”
“And I think that shows you what kind of person Vikentiy is.”
“..He’s not wrong but he’s not right…Not good but not evil…” Yue murmured.
Viktor nodded, it was exactly that.
“His agenda isn’t something we can hope to understand.”