“The territories that were created at the beginning of the kingdom, while small considering the whole, are still expansive. I’m not sure if you know this, but my territorycovers more area than any other. The Dusburn Branch, the original main branch, is five hours from here by vehicle. Ten for the Sodan one. A great distance in the old days. That distance I felt created a chasm, a weakening of bonds.
“When I was awarded my position, corruption was running rampant. For many, it was too sweet to ignore. It was dangerous to risk allowing such poison to affect those who were meant to bring justice. It was during the early years of King Adrian’s reign that I set things in motion. What I did was unheard of. And in part, it may have been fueled by my own selfish desires. Some in the group were furious that I, a stranger, an outsider who had led for only four years, dared to change tradition.”
“An outsider?”
“When the previous leader died, I was working for a different group. I was young and ambitious. So when I heard of the death, I put my name in the basket.”
“How young?” Cecil asked with interest.
“Nine hundred and two.”
“But that’s…I mean…I thought all of you were super old or something. Like with age comes wisdom, and some ageist shit like that. Isn’t there a rule that you have to be old as dirt or something?”
“Cecil…” He huffed. “No, there is no rule, but to be given such a role at my age, it was unheard of. I was just as surprised as everyone else. Despite the plans in my head, my dreams, I expected nothing to come from it.”
“Bet people were pissed.”
Sin laughed—that was an understatement. “Yes, many were. But King Kade still ruled at the time, so there were too many other things to worry about.”
“Wait, so you took over right before the old bastardkicked the bucket? Man, that must have been a mess. I mean, the year following his death was the period of mass executions, and famine was still widespread, and like only two years after King Adrian ascended, there was the attempted revolt and riots...”
The riots were not something he liked to think about, but as Cecil continued to tell him all about that period of time, Sin couldn’t help but smile. He was thrilled that he had finally found what Cecil was interested in. The young man spoke with such excitement and knowledge. Well, his words were accurate, if you believed all that was written down in the history books.
There was much that the people did not know. The historians could not be faulted. They hadn’t been told the truth, nor would they ever be. Some secrets were better left buried.
“Anyway, it must have been insane,” Cecil said, finishing his history lesson.
“Yes,” Sin chuckled. “It was, as you say, insane.”
“But wait, so if you took over and weren’t related to the other guy…” Cecil paused and frowned. “You know they don’t really give us much on the history of the Vadin Zaytari groups, it’s just about, like, function and roles and whatnot.”
“The ‘other guy’ is Zel Katro.”
“Yeah, him. Why is it called the Draven Zaytari Group when you just took over?”
“For many years after, it was still the Katro Zaytari Group. However, about two thousand years ago, the members gave me a great honor. They changed the name.”
“I see.”
Sin smiled softly at the fond memories of that day. He finally felt like he had truly come home.
The room filled with silence once again, and Cecil returned to just staring at him. After a minute of it, Sin announced, “Well, I probably should get back to making dinner. As it is, I believe I will be finishing late.” Standing, he returned to preparing the beef stew, turning away from the young man.
“Do…”
At that soft, hesitant word, he peered back. Cecil was fidgeting, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt, and a faint flush was spreading across his cheeks.
“Yes?” he asked with a raised brow.
“Do you want some help?”
Cecil peaked into the kitchen, eyeing Sin's back while the vampire stood near the stove. There were multiple pots in front of the man, and the ovens were clearly already on. Cecil had to admit, the smells coming from the room were mouthwatering.
He wasn't certain what Sin was making, but Cecil was pretty sure he smelled bread—fresh bread. Which was not something he normally had the chance to eat. Well, actually, before being dragged here, Cecil had never eaten fresh bread. For one, it was more expensive, and two, it didn't last as long as pre-sliced packaged bread. Not that non-bakery bread didn’t mold, it did, just not as fast as the other. At least, that was always what he’d assumed, based on the expiration dates he’d seen.
Cecil walked in and took a seat on one of the stools at the island. He could only assume by now that the man didn’t care when he watched him cook, or was too polite to say anything. Either way, he figured Sin wouldn’t shoo him away, regardless of how he really felt.
“Need something, Cecil?” Sin asked, which was something he often did, without looking back, as he continued stirring the multiple pots currently on the stove. From this close, it appeared to be some type of sauce.
