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WD - Chapter 170: Petropolus Manor
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 15:38:41 +0000 UTCFifty kilometers before reaching Ajax's house, Fester had to part ways with the group. He quickly said goodbye to everyone, somewhat reluctant to separate from his dear niece and from Natasha. He believed his relationship had improved with the beautiful redhead, but business was business.
He needed to take care of some unfinished business and then fully involve himself in the exciting war that was brewing.
"Remember, Wednesday, I taught you everything about how to go unnoticed. Once you have that evidence, the real fun will begin," Fester said with a smile.
"I know," Wednesday replied flatly.
“N-Natasha… I hope we see each other soon,” Fester stammered, looking at Natasha.
“Whatever,” Natasha said, nodding slightly with a serious expression. For some reason, Fester grinned foolishly, satisfied with such a reaction. Previously, Natasha would only respond with a nod, not even saying a word.
“Luke,” Fester said, now looking at Luke with his sunken eyes.
“Fester,” Luke replied, meeting his gaze.
The bald man had saved Luke's life, and for that, Luke was very grateful. Still, dealing with him was very, very difficult. Like most Addams, but twice as hard.
"I’d appreciate seeing Galadriel one last time," Fester said after a few seconds.
Luke's expression shifted to one of disgust. “Gross, dude,” he said, taking a step back.
“Get lost,” Wednesday said coldly, giving Fester a hard kick in the rear. He let out a horrible laugh and sped off.
“And here I thought I would have an emotional farewell,” Luke said with a faint smile as he climbed back into the car.
They resumed their journey, and with the speed at which Luke was driving, it didn’t take long to reach the Petropolus mansion.
The mansion was surrounded by tall, dark trees. A large double door made of dark wood, decorated with snake carvings, was the only visible entrance.
Luke stopped the car right in front of the massive double doors, which, after a few seconds, opened on their own with a low, deep creak, granting them passage.
The Audi moved forward along a stone pathway. In the distance, a mansion came into view: an imposing gray stone structure with black marble details, crowned by pointed rooftops.
Statues of human figures flanked the path. “I hope they’re criminals,” Luke commented with a lazy expression as he observed his friend’s home.
“Sometimes your morality surprises me,” Wednesday replied in a neutral tone, though her lips curved slightly.
Luke raised an eyebrow. “Why? I’ve never killed an innocent person. Only those who deserved it. I was even a famous vigilante for a few days,” he said.
“Yeah, whatever you say,” Wednesday replied, not in the mood to start a conversation that would go nowhere.
“Ajax’s father mentioned a statue garden,” Luke said. “I wonder what it’s like.”
“I hope they have more variety. These are a bit repetitive. Terror and despair are fine, but I’d like to see some creativity. Surprise, agony, maybe even resignation,” Wednesday said, tilting her head slightly.
“Always so demanding,” Luke said.
“I just have standards,” Wednesday replied as she observed a statue of what seemed to be a girl her age, her mouth open and her face frozen in terror.
The car moved forward to a small roundabout situated in front of the mansion’s main entrance. At its center stood an elegant fountain, dominating the space.
“Well, here we are,” Luke remarked, turning off the engine and glancing at the line of people who seemed to be waiting for them.
It was six in the evening. The party wouldn’t start until nighttime, so it was clear they were the first to arrive.
Among the group, Luke recognized Ajax, his two brothers, and their father. There were also three women in elegant dresses, and lastly, a few others dressed similarly, who were likely servants.
The three of them stepped out of the car and greeted everyone.
“Happy birthday, man,” Luke said, giving Ajax a firm handshake. Ajax grinned before they shared a friendly hug, complete with hearty pats on the back.
“I never thought I’d live to see the day you’d say that to me in person,” Ajax replied with a wide smile, happy to see his friend.
“Hey, I wished you a happy birthday last year too,” Luke said.
Ajax raised an eyebrow, his smile growing as he crossed his arms. “Yeah, right. Via text. And with the detailed, heartfelt message: HP. I assume that was meant to stand for Happy Birthday.”
Luke chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “This year, I came in person. That should earn me some points.”
Ajax introduced Luke to his mother and stepmothers.
'Three wives... Seeing is believing,' Luke thought to himself.
Luke also introduced Wednesday, who maintained her usual blank and emotionless expression.
Natasha, after greeting everyone, took the Audi to the private parking lot used by the Petropolus family, guided by one of the numerous servants.
“Luke—”
Before Sthenon and Ajax’s brothers could speak to Luke, Ajax interrupted them.
“Wait, everyone. What did you bring me as a gift? I’m curious,” Ajax said, knowing his family was eager to bombard Luke with questions about the Blood Moon incident.
“Oh, right. A great gift,” Luke said, suddenly remembering and glancing at Wednesday.
Wednesday was wearing a small black backpack. Seeing Luke’s look, she took it off her back, opened it, and handed a gift-wrapped object to Luke.
Ajax eagerly took the gift and quickly unwrapped it, excited to see what it was. His brothers and the rest of the family watched from the side.
“The Shining?” Ajax asked, looking at the cover of a hardcover book.
“Yes, my—”
“The next book in Luke’s career!” shouted Isidro, Ajax’s younger brother, his eyes shining with excitement.
As a fan of Luke’s, he knew that just a few days ago, it had been announced that Luke’s third book would be released in about ten days.
“Exactly,” Luke said with a satisfied smile. He liked Ajax’s younger brother—much more than Pugsley.
“The first edition, and a special, unique edition that only you’ll have. In the future, it’ll be incredibly valuable,” he added.
“Awesome!” exclaimed Isidro.
“Back off, it’s my gift,” Ajax said, placing his hand on his brother’s face and pushing him away.
Ajax was thrilled with the gift. While it might seem a bit narcissistic of Luke to give his own upcoming book as a present, Ajax didn’t see it that way. His family was wealthy, and this gift felt far more meaningful.
“Here,” Wednesday said, pulling a small glass jar out of her backpack and handing it to Ajax, who took it with a puzzled expression.
Inside the jar was a tongue floating in a clear, thick liquid.
“A tongue…?” Ajax asked, staring at the jar with a mix of discomfort and confusion. The others around him shared similar expressions, but Wednesday seemed utterly unfazed.
“Yes, a tongue,” Wednesday replied in her usual neutral tone, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
“Whose tongue is it, if I may ask?” Ajax inquired, seeking some form of explanation.
“It’s better not to know,” Luke interjected quickly.
“Well, it’s definitely... unique. Thanks, I guess,” Ajax said with an awkward laugh.
“Don’t guess. It’s a gift. Say thank you and move on,” Wednesday retorted.
“Thank you,” Ajax said obediently. It was incredibly difficult to communicate with or understand this Addams girl. He couldn’t fathom how Luke managed to date her—or how they seemed to get along so well, considering they had lived in the same house throughout the holidays.
After that, they were invited to enter the mansion. There were still a couple of hours before the party would begin and the other guests would start arriving.
Ajax went to make preparations, as he would be using the mansion’s right wing. Meanwhile, Luke and Wednesday were invited to have tea with Sthenon, his wives, and his children.
The conversation was pleasant and, fortunately for Luke and Wednesday—who weren’t the most sociable people—it didn’t last too long. It was mostly a courtesy, as the family was eager to hear directly from them about what had happened on the night of the lunar eclipse.
