Emerald Repatriation Society: Snow on the Glass (Pt11)
23 Nov 2023Vasil Vasilescu
(<--Part 10)A slave serving as butler escorted me into the east meeting hall of the family’s alpine villa and told me, “The Mistress regrets she will be late and asks that you wait here. Please, make yourself comfortable. If you need anything, let me know and I will see to it immediately.”
“Thank you,“ I said. The slave nodded and left, so careful and quiet that I did not hear the doors close. I doubted Octavia was busy. Being treated like a guest and told to wait rather than treated like family and taken directly to Octavia was Octavia’s way of reminding me that she was head of the family and that she was displeased. What a terrible inconvenience it must have been summoning me to the villa in order to get my advice on what to do about Elena. Octavia had no patience for being inconvenienced.
For too long had I delayed advising Octavia on what to do about Elena leaking to the press that the ERS was funding a war in Hixkaramu. I should not have waited so long, but the war was over, there were no lingering problems due to the leak, and no damage to the charity’s or the family’s reputation. I’d foolishly thought that with time Octavia would let the matter go, but by not dealing with this sooner, I now knew Octavia would be less forgiving.
At the bar I fixed myself a bourbon and waited. The large, semi-circular meeting hall jutted from the east side of the villa, its seamless, arced glass wall looking out over the valley and the distant mountains. I stared out at the snow falling from grey skies, watched as large flakes melted on the heated glass. A hundred kilometers away Elena was welcoming guests to the ski lodge she and her husband owned.
I stopped at the lodge before coming to the villa, but I could not convince Elena that she should come with me and tell Octavia why she had leaked the information. She denied having done so and would not entertain the idea of admitting something she did not do just to appease Octavia.
“Do you think I did it?” Elena asked me.
“I did, but now I have my doubts. However, what matters is whether Octavia thinks you did it. I should have come to you sooner. I don’t know what Octavia will do, but I know because of my not wanting to deal with this that it will be worse on you, and I am sorry. Please, come with me to the villa and talk to Octavia. It may be the only way to calm her down.”
Elena smiled and rested a hand on my cheek. “Vasil, don’t worry, what is the worst she can do?”
It was an hour and a quarter bottle of bourbon before Octavia arrived “You are late,” said Octavia entering the meeting hall. “You were supposed to be here yesterday.”
“I went to visit Elena and convince her to come tell you her side of the story.” Octavia sat at the head of the meeting hall’s large, oval table. I sat opposite, setting my glass of bourbon on the table.
“Then where is she?”
“She felt there was nothing to say because she did not do what you accuse her of.”
One of Octavia’s perfect eyebrows raised. “So, you believe her?”
“I have my doubts it was her.”
“Oh? Then who, Vasil? She was the only one to voice opposition to ERS backing the Tribeb Imperials.”
“To be clear, Elena was opposed to ERS --a charity for war refugees-- funding a war.”
Octavia waved a hand, dismissive and exasperated. “Don’t play around with words, Vasil. I am in no mood to argue semantics. If not Elena, then who leaked the information.”
“Perhaps someone close to her. Maybe a slave overheard her talking about it to Alex. Maybe Alex said something.”
“Alex?” snorted Octavia, derisively. “That simpering husband of hers? There are geldings with more balls than that man. No. it had to be Elena.”
“But why would she?”
“Principle, Vasil. You know how she gets when she perceives something as unjust. She’s always been a crusader. She leaked the information hoping once it was made public that I would put an end to the funding. It is as simple as that.”
I was unconvinced. “I don’t believe Elena would do that. She is not a schemer. She’d be more vocal. More direct.”
“Vasil, even if your theory about someone overhearing her talk about the situation is true, and they leaked the information, then she is still to blame because she let that information be heard. That in itself is a breach of family trust. What do you suggest I do about it? Nothing?”
“Yes, Octavia. Let it go.”
Octavia shook her head. “No. Allowing something like this to go unpunished only invites more betrayal and I will not have that in this family.”
“So, you’ve already decided what to do?”
An uncomfortable silence hung over the long table. Expressionless, Octavia stated simply, “I will see to it that Elena is no longer a problem.”
I could not believe what I was hearing, and it must have been plainly written on my face.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that Vasil. I am not going to have our sister killed. She will be disowned and all property and interests of hers will belong to the Vasilescu family. I’ve already had the lawyers start the process.”
I realized Octavia was talking about a punishment only available to noble families. “Octavia, an abdicare et recuperare requires an Imperial seal. If granted, it would take everything from Elena except for what Alex brought into their marriage.”
“I know that. I also happen to know that one of the courtiers to Her Royal Highness, Princess Aisling, is interested in being an honorary ERS board member. I doubt a seal will be difficult to obtain.”
As the head of the family, Octavia would receive everything recovered from the recuperare, further enriching her, while any debts would remain Elena’s responsibility. If they were substantial enough, it could mean debt slavery. “Octavia, this will ruin Elena.”
“Oh, you mean just like she tried to ruin ERS and our family’s reputation? Yes… I suppose so.”
I sat back in the chair and took a deep swallow of bourbon. It did not help. My inaction had probably consigned my sister to slavery and all I wanted to do was melt away like snow on hot glass.
(Part 12-->)