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Jeremy had not been much of a believer nor did he particularly trust the Church, but he thought this “holy” trial would have more dignity than this. A mother that abandoned her daughter being brought onto the scene crafting lies out of that useless mouth. Jeremy had about enough of it. He was never one to keep his emotions to himself. When he was frustrated it showed. When he was annoyed it showed. When he was angry? He made sure it showed.
So the next moment flowed as one would strike their prey, clean and swift without unnecessary movements. Once the holy guard had taken a hold of Jeremy, he pushed him to the side, grabbing the guard’s sword and strutting to the fraud. She cowered and shivered as Jeremy put the tip of the blade in front of her face, but her mouth would not cease.
She screamed, “Your Holiness! I am innocent!” Jeremy knew he couldn’t actually bring his blade down on her, but his hand itched to do so as she continued to shout desperately. “There are more witnesses! Of course, I am not the only person! There is my son, Lucas, and even the house maid. Please!” Shuri’s mother with rabid eyes glared towards her daughter. “My son has disappeared recently. It was no coincidence, your Holiness! She must’ve killed him to silence any chance of the truth coming out!”
Jeremy gritted his teeth and spat out, “You still dare to speak of such slander? My mother knows nothing of this man and how could she ever do-” Jeremy only meant to take a glance at Shuri, an action prompted by his anger.
But the rest of the words wouldn’t fall out of his mouth while he looked at her small frame being held up by a single hand on the speaker’s stand. Why did Shuri look like that? She was frozen in place almost as if plagued by the single lie the fraud had spoken much before this. Why was she just standing there? Why couldn’t she speak up for herself in this crucial moment where her identity and integrity were getting torn to shreds?
It had to be a lie. Shuri would never get involved with someone else at that age and while his father was still alive…right?
Jeremy had long forgotten about the woman kneeling on the floor in front of him, the audience gossiping in the seats, and the kids watching from afar.
Instead, Jeremy was swirling in anger, confusion, and…doubt-
In an instant, something had slammed down into Jeremy’s head. It had caught him off guard as he had placed too much importance on wandering thoughts. The holy guards apprehended him, pinning his arms behind his back. Of course, Jeremy wasn’t going to go along easily. He tried fumbling out of their grip, but his head was spinning and something was dripping down his forehead into his eye.
Blood? Jeremy took a moment to realize that his blood was dripping down his face. He was stripped of his sword before this trial began, had to watch Shuri get defamed, and now, he was bleeding from a hit to the head? An inexplicable rage started to take hold of him.
He wishes he knew where a fraction of the audacity from these people stemmed from. Was it their faith? Or was it those incapable brains that fed onto the lies from the Church? His heart started to race, feeling like it might thump out of his chest. Jeremy huffed out air as an attempt to calm himself down, but his breathing became more erratic as he continued to think more about the situation he was in. A ringing seeped into the corner of his mind that only got louder and louder. Jeremy felt like his mind was breaking, and his resolve crumbling.
“Unhand him at once.”
A voice pierced his thoughts clean like a ray of sun through stormy clouds.
“You believe I will forget this humiliation if you refuse to release him? He is the eldest son of the Neuschwanstein family. The person who will lead the Imperial Knights, and a renowned champion. To paint him as a criminal…that is something I will not calmly look past.” Shuri’s voice had silenced the room. Everyone listened to her speak those stern words. How much of a threat could a small woman pose? Surely, it wasn’t much, but the room moved with her command at this moment.
The guard let go of Jeremy, and he snatched his arms away. He took a moment to brush away the blood that had begun to dry up on his face until Shuri spoke to him.
“Thank you, Jeremy, for getting angry on my behalf.” She gently smiled at him, one he seemed to know very well. A smile that decided to push through the pain and comfort him all at once. “I’m alright now.”
And Jeremy could do nothing but stand there. He had always felt defeated against Shuri. He tried his best to support her in any way, but always, something never seemed to go right. Jeremy felt that most of Shuri’s strength came from within her, and he wished some of it had come from him. Could he do nothing to soothe her pain?
But the trial left no room for such thoughts to be explored, and Shuri spoke first.
“Truly, it is my fault that I had not been able to foresee my mother’s instability. There had been signs, but I had been busy with taking care of the Neuschwanstein family that I had disregarded my duties as a daughter. And now,” Shuri gave a cold stare to the Pope. “Now, she is used by the Church to gain advantages through lies and deceit. My mother is in no condition to be seen as a witness in a trial if she cannot remember the past for what it truly was, and I condemn the Church for using this poor woman for their own benefit!”
Shuri took a step forward embodying the title she fought to protect, strong and fierce like the lion of house Neuschwanstein.
“Now, I see the truth that this trial is nothing but a witch-hunt! And since the integrity of this trial has been lost, I, Shuri von Neuschwanstein, take it upon my right as the head of the Neuschwanstein family to demand the last defense to protect our honor.”
Jeremy eased his shoulders and took a calming breath. This was to be anticipated, and he would do anything it took to bring his sword down on the Church for the family.
“I demand a duel of honor against the Church!”
As Shuri finished her statement, the room went into disarray. However, the Pope spoke in a humorous and calm manner.
“A duel of honor? Well, Marchioness, you may have the right to demand a duel of honor, but is it the right choice? You do understand that if you were to simply admit defeat in this trial, your family would suffer some damage in reputation and power, but come out mostly unscathed.” The Pope slightly adjusted his robes and stared directly at Shuri. “But in a duel of honor, judgment will be absolute. If you lose, you will not only suffer from the misdemeanors brought to your attention today, but also judgement from God.” There was a glint in the Pope’s eyes that reflected the image of something much more evil and merciless than God as he spoke his next words.
“The Church will not be lenient to the house of Neuschwanstein when it comes to passing God’s judgement.”
Jeremy knew this was an attempt to scare Shuri, but he found it a meaningless tactic. He would win the duel of honor. There was no other outcome he would allow.
“Your Holiness, if I may.” A bishop stands forward from the stands. “If Marchioness Neuschwanstein wishes to continue towards the duel of honor, the Church must not allow Jeremy von Neuschwanstein to participate. He has allowed blood to spill within these holy chambers! In the ways of the Church and of God, such a person has lost the integrity to participate as a knight in the duel of honor!”
The room around Jeremy seemed to slow down as the bishop spoke. All Jeremy could think of was how impossible this all was. Him not participating in a duel to protect the Neuschwanstein honor? His family? A spark of anger flamed within him. This had all been part of the Church’s plan. They wanted him riled up and agitated. They would bribe the only woman tied to Shuri’s old life to craft lies and stories in order to leave no options available, to let the Neuschwanstein family squander.
Jeremy had not been trustful of the Church, but he did not expect such irony. An institution led by a symbol of mercy committing acts of treachery…he itched for his blade.
However, a sudden announcement grabs the Church’s attention and reveals Prince Theobald taking a stand to speak on the marchioness’ behalf. He steps into vision, and Jeremy is taken with confusion. He looks towards Shuri. She acknowledges the prince, not because she has to, but because there was a mutual understanding between the two. It frustrated Jeremy. How did he not know? This wasn’t a variable he and Shuri had discussed. What else was Shuri not telling him? What else should he have been prepared for? The expression on Shuri’s face was complex. There was a mix of hesitance, reluctance, and resignation. A look that made it seem like Shuri had no other choice but to take the hand of a boy who wanted to keep her in a cage forever. Was he about to lose Shuri von Neuschwanstein, the current head of the Neuschwanstein family, a mother to his siblings, and a woman he dearly respected, to a spoiled boy who knew nothing about her trials and tribulations?
When a drop of despair threatened to disperse within Jeremy, the door to the room tumbled down with the guard that was in front of it. Jeremy’s line of vision was obstructed, but he caught a glimpse of blue that settled him with relief and annoyance. Where had he been up until now? Why did he disappear when Jeremy needed him the most?
Jeremy put his initial frustration to rest and focused on the meaning of Nora’s entrance. He tried his best to convey “do NOT harm anyone” with his body since speaking it would do no good. It took a bit of crossing his arms into an “X” and shaking his head vigorously while pointing his chin towards the holy guards, but Nora seemed to understand the rushed message.
“There is no need for more discussion. I, Nora von Nürnberger, am willingly stepping forward as an honor knight to participate in the duel of honor on behalf of the house of Neuschwanstein.”
Nora had stood confidently, but his arrival brought a sense of calm and stableness to Jeremy. His words had caused a brief moment of silence that collapsed into a complete disaster of shouting amongst everyone else. However, through it all, the Pope had remained with his annoying smile and calm demeanor. Jeremy knew this trial would not end in their defeat today, but the Pope’s calm nature hinted towards a bigger obstacle coming their way. The Church, through the Pope’s decision, had agreed to the duel of honor, but Nora’s involvement wasn’t something that would be easily accepted. The knight stepping forward for the duel remained undecided at the trial’s dismissal.
The Neuschwanstein family went home in silence. There was still much to think about and to prepare for even if today didn’t end in failure. But a single thought seeped into all the children of Neuschwanstein. Jeremy silently went to his room, washing up the blood that had dried up on his forehead and reviewed the day in his mind.
He had been too vulnerable today at the trial. Shuri needed him to be calm, and while such defamatory at the hearing should’ve never been spouted, Jeremy should’ve stayed unaffected. Nora would do anything to protect Shuri, and Jeremy knew that, but the Nürnberger family would have dissenting opinions on the matter. Nora would need his father’s support to quell any dissatisfaction from the rest of the family. That might prove to be impossible at worst and cost a sacrifice on Nora’s end at best. Either way, Jeremy knew Nora’s position wasn’t something to guarantee. So it should’ve been Jeremy participating in the duel. It should’ve been him, a calm and collected version of him in that trial to prevent anything like this happening.
Jeremy sighed, frustrated. He could only hope that Nora would be able to make the necessary sacrifice on his behalf.
Jeremy began to change into clothes of leisure, shedding his dirtied coat and retrieving himself a loose white button up. Many thoughts were discarded, but the single thought from earlier lingered on his mind. Letting his body be possessed by this hindrance, he walked to Shuri’s room, hovering in front of the door that was slightly open.
It seemed his younger sister had already reached Shuri, so Jeremy stood there in the distance. He felt odd watching the two of them. There was a numbing feeling taking over his body, but before he could process it, the conversation between Rachel and Shuri reached his ears through the small crack in the door.
Shuri’s voice gently spoke. “Rachel, mother’s original family are people who would lie about anything if it benefited them. That’s why I never introduced you to them, and why you shouldn’t let what they said trouble you, alright?”
Rachel’s voice was quiet and hesitant. “I didn’t believe everything but…” Jeremy saw Rachel hug Shuri tighter. “Mom, I thought you might’ve wanted to leave here, not because of dad, but because there must’ve been so many things that were hard for you.”
Jeremy let the hand that was on the door fall to his side. The thought everyone had been thinking when they heard Shuri’s mother…Rachel had said it. Emotions that Jeremy wasn’t accustomed to welled up within him.
“That’s why I felt guilty, and I think that’s why Leon, brother Elias, and brother Jeremy were all quiet as well. Because we had all felt the same way…that maybe we could’ve been the reason you were having a hard time. But I’m happy you’re my mom.” Rachel’s voice began to quiver as tears had begun shedding down her face.
In a muffled voice close to Shuri’s chest, her heart, Rachel asked, “...were you happy meeting dad, mom?”
Perhaps in any other family, a question like that asked by the youngest child would be one of innocence and childish curiosity. But for the children of house Neuschwanstein, it was one of reassurance and desperation to understand that their mother had not gone through all these hardships for naught.
Knowing this, Shuri reminisced of her childhood and of her first arrival at the estate, and in the softest voice Jeremy had ever heard her speak, she replied.
“I…was very happy because I got to meet all of you.”
Jeremy did nothing but stand there for a moment upon hearing Shuri’s response, yet while his body did not move, his tears came falling down. They felt heavy, and he had no desire to wipe them away. Did such a question have to be asked between this family? And did Shuri’s response have to move him this much? He stepped away from the door and headed back to his room. He dragged his feet while looking only at the hallway floor.
“Young master? Should I tell the madam you were here?” A simple question by a maid passing by, but Jeremy’s decision felt complex.
“No, don’t tell her anything.”
Upon being in his room, Jeremy’s facade faltered.
Nothing had gone his way from getting the nobles to form an alliance against the Church, to dealing with Nora’s father, and…
This stupid trial. This utterly useless trial that proved nothing and knew nothing of Shuri’s effort. The trial that knew nothing of his feelings. It was failure after failure for Jeremy starting with Elias’ situation in the gambling house to now having to defend his step-mother from infidelity allegations with himself and some other man in the past he didn’t know of. It was absurd, but most frustrating of all, Jeremy didn’t know what to do with all these feelings of his. His feelings for Shuri were complicated, yes, but the love he had for Shuri was something that no one around him could comprehend. It was something more than what a son felt for his mother because Jeremy didn’t see Shuri as a mother. But he respected her for the effort, the hardships, the emotional turmoil! How could any single person in this trial understand any of the love and the respect he had for her? He would never put his feelings first when it came to Shuri. He would never let a love so shallow take a hold of him because Shuri deserved more than that from him, from the family. She would never take the role his birthmother had, but she would also never be the beholder of such romantic fantasies.
Love, fondness, respect, and care. Those were all things Jeremy had felt when he looked at Shuri, and he knows it's different from the love these baseless accusations are making because he has seen Nora.
Nora, who loves with all his heart out in the open, makes a clear difference between the two of them. Jeremy could never do what Nora does and never love the way he did.
Because Jeremy is the eldest son of Neuschwanstein.
And he used to long for the title to become “Head of Neuschwanstein”, but such dreams had faded. He wanted to take the burden off of Shuri, but what burden does Jeremy know of? He knew his interaction with Shuri’s brother, Lucas, could paint an image of what the rest of her family was like, but he didn’t imagine his own family to play into her pain. He had a suspicion that things between Shuri and his father were not as kind as it seemed, but he did not predict something as awful as this. Jeremy wanted to believe everything was a lie just like Shuri had said, but he wasn’t that naive. Amongst her lies, Shuri’s mother spoke of a truth that Jeremy didn’t fully know of. A tale was spun, but what part exactly was the tale? Was it Shuri running away? Was it her mother treating her kindly? Or was it his father treating her poorly that she needed to leave the house? Or was it Shuri concealing her pain to protect the family?
And what about the pain he caused her when they were younger? Shuri was fourteen when she was brought to the house. Jeremy was young and stupid, but Shuri…she was young, innocent, and beautiful. She should’ve been out there picking flowers in the field, making friends with other girls in the village she was from, and in the arms of a family who spread warmth. But Jeremy had been awful to her. He was stubborn, refusing to accept an outsider (a child!) as his step-mother. He knows he hurt her, but she doesn’t speak of it and only does the best she can for this family.
He was pathetic. He would never be good enough to give Shuri the happiness and love she deserved.
Jeremy had walked in front of his mirror. Blonde, dark green eyes, and a strong frame.
He looked exactly like his father. It pained him more than he wanted it to. He sometimes wished his eyes were a lighter green like Shuri’s. If their eyes had resembled more, would their closeness seem less artificial? Would he be more like the son he desired to be and less of a man who harbored complex feelings of love? But with his dark green eyes that resembled his father, he stood in Johannes von Neuschwanstein’s shadow. Did Shuri see his father every time she saw him? How much pain does she feel whenever she sees him growing more into the man that put her in this terrible position?
Jeremy wanted to respect his father, but the reality was that something did happen between him and Shuri. He would never know the truth because Shuri would have it so, but Jeremy could imagine the possibilities. Would his anger that sprouted today to defend Shuri one day be anger used to hurt her? Would this sword given to him to protect the Neuschwanstein family be used to discipline Shuri?
Would he be his father’s son, tainted by a love he could never be allowed to feel and a pain he could never understand?
Or would he continue to be the eldest son of Neuschwanstein, who knew nothing of Shuri’s burdens and knew nothing to ease her pain.
Jeremy looked away from the mirror, disgusted with the image.
He was much younger than his father, but Jeremy knew that surely one day, his small naive steps would fill his father’s shoes.
Because he is the eldest son of Neuschwanstein.
Because he is his father’s son in love and image.