Ascension Of The Villain

His good mood, however, screeched to a halt when his ears were assaulted by a sound so horrifying, it could only be described as nails on a chalkboard.

He froze mid-step, his expression morphing into one of utter horror. "What in the name of all things holy is that noise?" he grimaced, feeling his soul leave his body.

A frazzled maid, Sara, hurried to him, eyes wide as if she had been through battle. "Lord Clyde, Master is attempting to play the piano!"

Clyde slapped a hand over his face, stifling the immediate urge to groan. "You have got to be kidding me. What possessed him to think he could suddenly become a pianist? The man couldn\'t handle a piano lesson last year, and he had a teacher!"

"Please," Sara begged, looking over her shoulder like she was being haunted by the sound, "do something. He must be stopped. Even Benedict has failed to get him off the bench." Behind her, a few maids nodded vigorously, as if they had already accepted Clyde as their savior from this musical hellscape.

Clyde took a deep breath, his heroic duty clear. "Fear not, brave souls. The auditory torture shall cease! I will go put an end to this madness."

He marched toward the living space where the grand piano resided. Each step brought him closer to the cacophony of clashing notes, off-key disasters, and random pauses that made it sound like the piano itself was begging for mercy. It was less a melody and more a crime against sound.

Entering the room, he found Vyan hunched over the keys, face scrunched in concentration, fingers flailing like they had no clue what their purpose was.

"Good morning, my lord!" Clyde greeted with forced cheer. "What have we done to deserve this incredibly lovely piano performance so early?"

Vyan glanced over his shoulder, offering a small wave, as though he hadn\'t just been committing a serious offense against music. "I am trying to learn this particular piece I used to love listening to when Iyana played it. But I can\'t seem to get it right."

Clyde sighed, both amused and sympathetic. "Ah, Vyan, my dear friend. There are things we are good at, things we are bad at, and then there are things we are catastrophically terrible at. And, let\'s be honest, the piano falls into that last category for you." He stepped forward, placing his hands on Vyan\'s shoulders, giving them a playful massage.

"You have got the musical talent of a potato, and finger dexterity? Well, I have seen better coordination from a toddler."

"Oww, oww, oww!" Vyan winced, swatting away Clyde\'s hands from his shoulders. "What is wrong with you? Trying to murder me with your hands now?"

Clyde pouted dramatically. "Is this it? Are you pushing me away because I am leaving in a few months? So soon?" He clutched his chest, feigning heartbreak.

Vyan rolled his eyes. "Look, if I am bad at piano, you are atrocious at massages. So just… don\'t!"

Clyde broke into a wide grin. "Fair enough! I will stop torturing you if you promise to stop torturing the piano. Deal?"

With an exaggerated sigh, Vyan turned back to the keys and tapped a few more disjointed notes, making Clyde wince visibly. "No can do," Vyan muttered. "I am anxious. This is supposed to be relaxing."

"And torturing the poor ears of every resident in this manor is your idea of relaxing?"

"No, it\'s the song," Vyan replied, matter-of-fact. "Listening to this song helps me relax."

Clyde raised an eyebrow, the corner of his lips quirking up. "This is a song? In what universe?"

Before he could say anything else, Vyan\'s elbow jabbed into Clyde\'s guts, making him double over in an exaggerated display of pain.

"Okay, I am sorry! Mercy!" he groaned dramatically, clutching his stomach. "Do you at least know the name of this musical disaster? Maybe I can play it for you if it\'s that important."

Vyan shook his head, looking almost wistful. "It\'s a song Iyana created herself. There is no written version of it."

"Oh, so you are the only person who knows it exists?" Clyde deadpanned.

"Technically, yes."

Clyde let out a heavy sigh. "Well, then. Good luck, maestro. I will be out in the manor, distributing earplugs to the unfortunate souls who made the mistake of signing an employment contract with you." He threw his hands up in mock surrender and turned to leave.

Vyan just shrugged. "Sounds fair."

Clyde was halfway out the door when Vyan\'s voice stopped him. .net

"Hey… I am sorry about yesterday."

He turned, surprised, to see Vyan still facing the piano but no longer playing. His shoulders looked a little more slumped, like he was finally thinking outside of whatever was causing him to be anxious.

"I shouldn\'t have blurted it out like that," Vyan continued, his voice quieter. "It\'s a sensitive topic for both of us, and I was on edge because of… well, you know, black magic and all that. But that\'s no excuse." He sighed, clicking his tongue in frustration. "Things are about to change, and even though I have only known you for sixteen months, it feels like I have known you my entire life.

I am just… trying to adjust. Honestly, it\'s kind of hard."

Clyde felt his throat tighten, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the sadness in his eyes.

"And yet," Vyan glanced over his shoulder, offering Clyde one of those rare, genuine smiles, "I am not mad at you. Even if it sounded like I was taunting you yesterday. Actually, I am happy for you. So happy."

Clyde chuckled softly, blinking away the moisture in his eyes. "You do realize you are stuck with me for the next few months, right? It\'s not like I am getting married tomorrow."

Vyan laughed, the sound light and genuine. "Oh, I know. It\'s going to be the wedding of the century. You have got to plan that for at least half a year, right?"

"That\'s not what I meant," Clyde laughed, feeling his mood lifting along with Vyan\'s.

"Well, the date doesn\'t matter. The only thing I care about is being your best man," Vyan teased, singing the words like it was some grand proclamation.

"About that…" Clyde started.

"What? I am not your best man? You are picking your asshole brother over me, aren\'t you?" Vyan shot back, squinting like he had uncovered some huge betrayal.

"When did I say that?" Clyde laughed.

"You were just about to!" Vyan pointed an accusatory finger, his face all mock seriousness.

"No, I was going to say I haven\'t even proposed yet, so maybe stop planning the wedding before I do!"

Vyan rolled his eyes. "Please, like that\'s going to take long. You will be on one knee by the time Thea gets crowned."

Clyde opened his mouth to argue, but Vyan cut him off, waving him away. "Anyway, get moving! Go distribute those ear plugs. I need to get back to creating my masterpiece."

Clyde grinned, shaking his head as he turned to leave. "Alright, alright, maestro. Keep up the fantastic work." With that, he skipped his way out, the discordant music following him like a chaotic soundtrack to his morning, but somehow, the noise felt warmer now.

"Oh-hoh, here comes the reason for My Lord\'s anxiety," Clyde teased as he spotted Iyana strolling gracefully down the corridor, her pastel pink gown floating around her like a soft, elegant cloud.

"Good morning, Lady Iyana!" he chirped, grinning from ear to ear.

Iyana\'s lips curved into a gentle smile. "Good morning, Clyde. How are you?"

"Oh, I am fabulous!" Clyde declared, placing a dramatic hand over his heart. "Except for my ears—they are practically bleeding, but thank you for asking." His exaggerated grimace earned a soft chuckle from Iyana. "By the way, you look absolutely stunning, my lady."

"Thank you, Clyde. I did put in some extra effort today," Iyana admitted with a small, pleased smile.

"And it shows!" Clyde declared, giving her an appreciative once-over. He noted how her dress, hairstyle, and accessories seemed perfectly coordinated as always—but there was something extra about her today. A certain glow.

Clyde usually prided himself on being the kind of guy who noticed these things, always ready to dish out compliments like candy, which is why the ladies loved him. He had always felt a pang of sympathy for those poor women with partners too stiff to say anything nice. Luckily for Vyan, Clyde had trained him well. At least Vyan had learned how to compliment the one girl he liked, if not everyone.

"I will get going then," Iyana said, nodding politely.

"Go on and have a lovely time!" Clyde wished her with a wink. "I will make sure no one disturbs you two. Just do me a favor and please stop him from making that dreadful noise, would you?"

Iyana\'s laughter was warm as she waved him off, heading toward the living space. Meanwhile, Clyde clasped his hands together like he was sending a prayer to the heavens.

Whatever Vyan was nervous about, Clyde hoped—prayed—it would go well.