But peace rarely lasts.
One bright morning, as Charles sat smoking a cigar in the garden, a maid approached Anya with news.
Anya: "Charles, dear... There are some men at the gates. They claim they have an urgent message for you. Something about one of your accounts?"
Charles froze. The color drained from his face as though the life had been sucked out of him. He crushed the cigar against the marble edge of the table, his movements stiff and mechanical.
Anya (quietly): "Please, Lord... don't take him away from us again..."
Without a word, Charles strode to the gates. Whatever conversation took place there marked the beginning of the end.
From that day onward, Charles's presence at home began to dwindle. At first, he still managed to spend one day a week at the mansion, but even that became rare. Weeks turned into months, and soon, he was gone entirely.
Virno tried to act indifferent. Sitting with instructor Pocna after an exhausting sparring session, he shrugged off his father's absence.
Pocna: "I'm sure your father is just busy handling some important business. He'll be back soon, sir Virno."
Virno wiped sweat from his brow, his face hardened.
Virno: "Whatever... I don't need that old man anymore, anyway. Whether he's here or not doesn't change things at all. I'll do what I must, instructor Pocna... I know full well the kind of person I don't want to be. That's all that matters."
Pocna smiled faintly, pride flickering in his eyes.
Pocna: "You've changed a lot, young Virno."
Virno glanced at the ground.
Virno: "I just don't like the way I was handling things before. That's all."
Pocna: "Well, if you keep this up, I'm sure the future will have great things in store for you!"
Pocna's words were earnest, but fate had other plans.
Days later, Charles's body was found.
One of his personal butlers discovered him hanging in his private office, the curtains drawn tight. The house reeked of cigar smoke and despair. When the butler alerted Anya, she rushed to the scene, her heart pounding in her chest.
Anya: "CHARLES!"
As she pushed open the office door, the sight of her husband's lifeless body hit her like a blade. Her knees buckled, and a guttural wail tore from her throat.
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Anya: "WHY...?! Why would you do this to us?!"
On his desk lay a letter, addressed to her and Virno. Hands trembling, she unfolded the paper and began to read.
"Dear Virno, dear Anya,
The mistakes of my past have finally caught up to me. The crimes I so desperately tried to hide have been uncovered, and soon, everything we own will be taken from us. This is my fault.
I did everything in my power to protect you, but I failed. I am so sorry. A thousand times over, I am sorry. I know these words will not shield you from the ruin that awaits, but I needed to say them. I have failed you as a husband, Anya. I have failed you as a father, Virno. But above all else, I have failed you both as an honest, trustworthy man.
I cannot bear this shame. To live with the guilt of my crimes was a burden I was willing to carry, but to know that I have forever tainted our family's name -- that I have doomed you to poverty while I face imprisonment -- that, I cannot endure.
The truth is, I am a weak and pitiful man. I sought an easy life, and my greed brought about our downfall. If you wish to survive, take whatever jewels and gold you can find, and run. Run far from this country, where they will not find you.
Virno, do not be like me. Be strong. Be true. Become what I was too weak to be. And do not forget the tale I told you so many times -- it is more real than you know.
I will be waiting for you both on the next life.
-Charles"
Anya broke down, clutching the letter to her chest as tears streamed down her face. The life they had built was crumbling before her eyes, and the man who had promised to protect them had left them to face the ruin alone.
When she returned home to deliver the news to Virno, she handed him the letter with shaking hands.
Virno (reading): "... That fucking coward."
The words were bitter and venomous. He tore the letter to shreds, scattering the pieces across the floor.
Virno: "HOW COULD HE DO THIS?! FUCK! FUCK!"
Anya reached out to him, but he pulled away, pacing the room like a caged animal.
Virno: "He left us to rot, mother! To fucking rot! And for what? To save himself the shame? Fuck that bastard!"
Anya: "Virno, please... we can mourn him later. Right now, we need to leave. We need to pack what we can and run."
Virno (snarling): "Mourn? I have nothing to mourn! He's destroyed us... in the end, he was no more than a burden!"
Anya: "Virno..."
Anya's heart broke further at her son's words. She wanted to say something -- anything -- but the look in his eyes stopped her. He was too far gone in his anger to hear her now. Quietly, she left the room to give him time to gather his belongings.
Outside the door, she paused. From within, she heard faint, muffled sobs.
Anya: "Charles... You chose the worst possible outcome for your family."
Anya and Virno fled the country under the cover of night, taking with them only what jewels and gold they could carry. Their wealth allowed them to rent a modest house in a neighboring land, but Anya struggled to find work. At first, they managed to scrape by on the money Virno earned from odd jobs, but it wasn't long before word spread of their connection to Charles von Virtus.
Once people learned of their infamous name, no one would hire them. Landlords turned them away. Friends and contacts vanished.
Their funds dwindled until there was nothing left. Forced to abandon their rented home, Anya and Virno moved into the city slums. The opulence they had once known was a distant memory, replaced by cramped, filthy streets and the stench of despair.
Through it all, Virno carried his father's final words with him -- not as a guide, but as a curse.
Virno (to himself): "I'll show you, old man. I'll show you I never needed you. I'll build something greater than you ever could... And I'll do it without turning into you."
Anya, watching her son as they walked toward their dingy new home, could only pray that his anger wouldn't consume him entirely.
Anya (whispering): "You've left us in ruins... I just hope our boy doesn't lose his way..."