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As if the heavens knew of the tragic incident that unfolded in a lonely prison cell, the skies were overcast with gray clouds, and before long it was pouring, enveloping the city with a wet mist.
In a small chapel on the outskirts of town, a young man was weeping for his deceased father. DM said nothing, simply offering his presence as a sort of reassurance, no matter how small. He placed a gloved hand over the trembling shoulders of the grieving man. After a few moments, the man finally composed himself, wiping off the last of his tears and getting up from his knees.
The man casts one final look at the coffin, gazing upon his father’s pained expression. He died of illness in prison, accused of a crime he did not commit, and DM need not ask to know how the other man must be feeling.
Frustration, regret, and the overwhelming despair at the cruelty of death. DM had also experienced those same feelings many, many years ago. He pushed the thought out of his mind, focusing on the young man instead.
His tired, golden eyes were filled with a dark hopelessness swirling within. And beyond that look was an expression of complete betrayal.
The nobleman was unsure what had possessed him to feel this way, but his cold heart seemed to ache at the sight. He was already all too familiar with the corruption and darkness that lurks beneath society, especially amongst members of the aristocracy where he came from, and it spread out like a plague on human nature to entangle and drag down other innocent souls with it.
“Norton,” he spoke in a hushed whisper. The man looked at his direction silently, fatigue evident in the way his body slouched as he tiredly observed the only other (living) man in the room - the priests and other funeral staff had been shooed off by the noble’s request - and he blinked slowly before opening his mouth as if to say something.
“…”
But nothing came out. The man desperately wanted to cry and yell, yet his voice had failed him, and he could only stare at the smooth stone floor below him.
The actor-in-training who usually carried himself with an unswaying confidence despite his background and appearance had been completely broken - worn down and eroded away by the unjust events that had transpired a few weeks earlier.
DM was there when Norton was still a student at the most prestigious School of Art and Theatre, and had received a most troubling letter detailing his father’s arrest. Naturally, DM was not one who would deny him from attending to an incarcerated family member, and personally accompanied him back. However, just when the ship had docked at his hometown, Norton had received even worse news at the prison - that his father had passed away - and he’d been in a state of shock ever since.
(Even more tragic was the fact that this might have been prevented - if and only if his father had some money to afford a doctor. Surely… Norton, who had been given the money to study abroad, must have been devastated.)
While preparing for the funeral, Norton had hardly eaten nor had a wink of sleep, going through his father’s old belongings in a deep state of thought, and DM never once regretted returning with him. After all… if he weren’t here, the young, innocent man whose future had been robbed from him would never find any sort of closure, and would be left completely alone in a world that hated him.
DM closed his eyes, and brought the distant man into a tight embrace, firmly holding onto him. To his surprise, the man mustered up all his remaining strength to lift up his arms and hug him back, and soft, strained sniffles could be heard from the other man.
“Everything will be alright, dear Norton… If you need anything, anything at all, you need only rely on me…” DM whispered, soothingly, stroking the trembling man’s back.
“Father…” Was all Norton could say, before the sobs took over.
That day, DM made up his mind.
———
DM had always known that Norton was a persistent man - one who would let nothing stand in between him and his goals. So he was hardly surprised when a few days after the funeral and the burial that he had come to him with a proposal.
“I would like to become an actor at the Golden Rose Theatre.”
“That might be somewhat problematic.” DM replied, however, he was smiling as if he found the man’s words to be entertaining.
DM was no fool, he had an inkling as to why Norton would suddenly want to work at the theatre that caused his father to die. Unfortunately, there were a few obvious problems and obstacles in the aspiring actor’s way.
Firstly… his surname - Campbell - was the same as his father’s, naturally. It would be safe to assume that the theatre’s director would be rather unwilling to take in a man with the last name Campbell, in fear of his crime getting exposed. Plus, he might even get branded as ‘the son of a criminal’ amongst those who heard of the news - which consisted of many members of high society, considering the status the victim, Lachesis, held for herself.
Secondly… Norton had cut his studies short to return to his home. In other words, he did not have any sort of certificate nor accomplishments to submit. Not to mention the Golden Rose Theatre was one of the most well-known theatres in the country, competition would be high.
“I know,” Norton said, clearly already thinking of the same things. “But Lord DM, you said that… if I needed anything, I could rely on you.”
“Indeed, I did say that.”
“So… I would like to ask for your assistance to help me become a different person.”
“To ‘kill’ Norton Campbell, and have you reborn anew? …Certainly, something of that nature is very possible.”
“I understand the risks. But I must become an actor at that theatre. I swear on my father’s grave that I will find out the truth.”
There was a small spark, a tiny flame burning brilliantly within those golden eyes that a few days ago were clouded with misery. DM put a hand on his chin thoughtfully, rather pleased that Norton had not lost the determination that had captivated him in the first place.
“Of course, I made a promise to you. I will see it through till the very end.”
“Then!”
“Ah, but it is much too soon for you to make your move. That accursed scandal is still fresh on everyone’s mind.”
“So you’re suggesting I lay low for a while?”
“Not just a while, but a few years… to be safe.”
“I will do anything.” Norton affirmed.
“Of course, you don’t have to worry about what to fill that time with. I have some connections that can help you become an amazing actor back in Nice.”
“Ah!”
“When you return to this country, you will return as a new man - as an established actor with years of experience under his belt. The Golden Rose Theatre would be a fool not to notice you.”
To cast one’s identity away was not an easy one - he would be leaving behind all his friends and family for a new life. But there might be a reason why Norton could make the decision so easily… if his only family had been taken away from him.
However, even for a nobleman such as himself, forging such important government documents could prove troublesome… Plus, keeping Norton’s whereabouts and activities a complete secret before his grand reappearance in who knows how many years… was he really going to go so far for one man? DM was even surprised at himself for readily going along with it.
Yet Norton never doubted him nor the seemingly unreasonable nature of his request. He nodded, eagerly, stubbornly, and DM knew that the man had what it took. He was motivated by a desire so strong that he was willing to go to such lengths - a dedication that few had. Perhaps even he could learn a thing or two from the young man’s tenacity.
In order to strike back at the darkness and bring justice to light, sometimes you had to become one with the darkness itself.
“I’ll do it. I’ll do anything.”
There would be no going back.
“Leave the preparations to me, dear Norton. In the meantime, shall we decide on a name?”
“A name… what about ‘Ronald’?”
“It has a good ring to it.”
“Father said that if I ever had a brother, he’d name him Ronald, after one of his favourite plays. But Mother died soon after I was born.”
“Ah, my condolences… but I’ve never heard of any play with a lead named ‘Ronald’.”
“Of course you haven’t. He wrote it itself - he really loved theatre, you know?” He spat the words out with a grudge. “…But I suppose Father’s writing wouldn’t matter much to others.”
“No, no, I’m quite interested in the tale of Ronald.” DM leaned closer, and was certain that he could make out a sliver of a genuine smile tugging on the aspiring actor’s lips.
The man who had been acting his entire time with DM, trying to fit in with the students at the school as a foreigner, trying to act calm and composed even at the news of his father’s death…
But now, he was simply a man who was proud of his beloved father.
“I’ll get the script.”
Saying that, Norton disappeared into a small room to look for the manuscript. DM looked around the humble house that had gotten dusty due to neglect - though Norton had only started to clean it the day before, reminiscing his time spent with Norton.
Perhaps these days of normality would not last long. For now, before DM allowed himself to fully get consumed by the abyss and take the man along with him as well… he wanted to enjoy his time with ‘Norton Campbell’, before greeting him years later on the stage as ‘Ronald’. A few ideas started to bloom in the nobleman's mind on how to expose the theatre's misdeeds in a most grand manner - one that would even rival the fall of Lachesis. DM - a lover of all arts - was also quite fond of such theatrics.
Norton soon returned with a few loose sheets of paper - slightly crumpled and well-loved. DM pushed the budding plan out of his mind as he reclined on his seat, turning his attention to the young man, who seemed all too keen to show and tell him all about his father's work.
———
Many, many years later, a young man who called himself ‘Ronald of Ness’ appeared at the Golden Rose Theatre, and charmed the director to make him the lead actor.
A few months later, the young man witnessed a tragedy that unfolded almost identically to the one some years back, and a fair maiden lost her life on stage.
A detective who happened to be at the scene uncovered the dark secret of the theatre, and unearthed the truth of the corrupt director who sought to use the death of others for his own selfish gains, pinning the blame on the innocent.
The 'truth' was published in the newspaper - the woman had died from a fall, caused by the director to commit insurance fraud! Such a scandal would land him in jail where he would rot and die alone. How ironic that he should live the rest of his days like the poor mechanic who was used as a scapegoat to cover his tracks!
…And that concluded the tale of Ronald of Ness.