Chapter 8 - More to this messy family

The annoying duke stood in the doorway sneering at Jirael, who had stopped playing at his words.

"Duke Camellia". Jirael replied to him coldly.

"Carry on playing. I don't get to see you play like a child often. Please. Continue" he gestured with his hand.

If he couldn't be less obnoxious...

Jirael nodded, turning back to Edmund and continued their play.

"Well, aren't you going to welcome me?" I turned to the obnoxious duke to find his eyes on me.

Was he talking to me? Why?

"Hello?" I answered with a frown, looking away from my blank chalkboard.

"Just 'hello'? No 'thank you?' or 'uncle you're the best!' ?" He frowned at me.

W-What the...

"W-Why would I say?"-

"Duke of Camellia!" Edmund rushed over with a face full of smiles, he met my eyes for a second and glared at me, turning to the obnoxious uncle with the brightest grin.

Since when were those two so cosy?

Jirael had followed Edmund, he stood near me just as confused.

"Hey Eddy. You happy?" The duke seemed to actually smile, a genuine smile.

The boy nodded, "yes duke! I won't let you down!"

"That's my boy!" They high fived, while Jirael and I threw each other a long confused glance.

"I'm doing everything she says!"

Wait...

"Good boy!" He ruffled the boys hair.

"What is going on here?" I interrupted catching both of their attention. Edmund was as always, glaring at me and the Uncle... the Uncle looked at me like he was a big dog. A big dog that wanted me to pet it...?

"I told my brother you needed a friend. He's a bit rough, but I knew you'd come to like him", he answered with innocent pride.

I stared at him stunned before my eyes widened and my little fists started to shake.

YOU! YOU'RE THE REASON!!!!

Wait! calm down. This gives you a chance to avoid Mallory's bad end. But isn't this a bit too risky?

"Come on. You like him don't you?"

And this annoying bastard! Who told you to get involved! Hold it back! Hold back the anger! Just thank him. Thank him.

"...Yes. Thank you", I answered while looking back at the chalkboard.

Somebody just kill me!

"Y-You like me?" An innocent voice broke me away from my sulking to the face of an adorable flushed little five year old.

"Yes". I deadpanned.

"W-Well I- I don't like you! You're ugly! I don't like ugly people!"

"I know. I know. I'm ugly. Nobody loves me. I'm going to die alone".

This is such a headache.

"Sister!"

"What are you saying?!"

Jirael and Adrian said at the same time, both of them rushing towards my lifeless body.

"Sister. I love you! And you're not ugly! You're beautiful!"

"He's right. You aren't that ugly. Boys that age are just sensitive to girls they like".

"W-Who likes who?!" Edmund shrieked.

I really want to rest... even just for a moment... my head is hurting.

"My daughter!"

I bolted up at the unexpected voice that shrieked out of nowhere. There she stood, dressed extravagantly as always, face full of white powder, lips lined with a deep red.

"M-Mother?"

I expected a few years at least!

The woman rushed towards me, holding me in a hug full of more love Mallory was ever supposed to receive.

"Oh my precious daughter! You've made your poor mother so worried! You disappeared for a minute and I was so worried!"

It's been a month... still, sooner than I expected.

She hugged me in a death grip that had me gasping for air.

"To think you came to your fathers house and didn't even bother to tell your brother to come along", her hand started to painfully squeeze my arm.

Ouch! I get it now.

"S-Sorr"-.

"Your poor brother has been wailing for you all night and you didn't bother asking your father to bring him here. You naughty little sister" butterflies entered my vision. I couldn't breath with how tight she gripped me.

"Let go of my sister".

Jirael had grabbed onto mother's dress at some point and was tugging at it, my eyes widened at his thoughtless act. He had done this once to my mother in the book and she had hurt him very badly.

"Jirael! Move!" I yelled loudly shocking everyone including Jirael who became teary eyed.

Mother sneered at him, just as Adrian quickly grabbed a hold of him, pulling him away from my terrifying mother.

"Oh what a shame. You're so small. It's dangerous if you walk around so naively" mother spoke in sugar coated words.

"You're hurting my sister". Jirael didn't seem fazed at all by her malicious intent.

"Oh!" She looked at me with fake shock,"you must be the little prince then! You should come and visit Mallory sometime then" she turned to the door in sharp movements, swinging me dangerously along.

"How dare that bastard take one of my children like he owns them! Who raised them! Who didn't once visit them on their own accord!" She whispered furiously, eyes in a far away place.

Her grip on me tightened as she chattered on.

"W-Wait!" A shout stopped my mother's curses.

Behind us was Edmund. He looked at me in worry mixed with a call for help.

"Oh my", she stared at him with a mysterious face, a mix of pity and fondness on her face. I've never so much emotion on her face for someone other than Victor. "The Adrian boy", there was a rare softness in her voice.

"I'm that girls friend! I have to stay by her so can I follow you?", He looked desperate, behind him was Jirael staring at me with a longing, heart broken face and even the uncle seemed affected by the overtly emotional boys.

"Fine".

And mother continued on, until she got the ground floor and a loud voice rung at the bottom of the stairs.

"Let go of my daughter".

There he stood, golden hair bright atop his head, cushioned on it was his crown. The red coat adorning his shoulders screamed authority and most of all, his eyes that seemed to glow could make ones knees drop to the floor.

The emperor, Mallory's father, blocked our path. Behind him, knights followed closely and in them I spotted the scar faced knight, who had disappeared from earlier. I was actually hoping he'd save me from this insane mother.

"Ha!" Mother scoffed at him, not scared at the arms before her, "you didn't even visit either of my children when I birthed them. You didn't visit after that either! How dare you call them your children now!" She started to shout and despite knowing she was crazy, I couldn't help but find understanding in her words.

Even though she completely neglected me, she was the only parent who showed their face to me. Between the two lousy parents, she was the better one.

Father didn't speak a word. He stood silently waiting for her shouts to end and when they did he finally opened his mouth.

"You're right. I have no right to be called their father, but I'm planning on changing that".

"Change that?! How could you give back those four years you've taken from Victor! He doesn't even recognise you as a father!" Mothers face was a deep dangerous red. Tears gathered in the inner corner of her eyes and her began to shake. "How could you give that back?"

Fathers face fell. His eyes trained on the ground as if he was too ashamed to look up.

"You can take her, but I'll be coming to visit soon".

"Fine! Do what you want!" She shouted.

The guards made way for us, letting us pass through. Mother stomped her feet all the way down the long steps, until she got to the bottom. She stopped there, turning her head to give the castle one last scornful glare and from those eyes fell small crystal teardrops.

She had rubbed them away as quickly as they came, but I saw it.

The hurt. The betrayal. The longing.

So it wasn't just his children that he neglected...

Ooohh... this complex family will be the death of me.

I noticed the small, hurried footsteps behind us and caught sight of Edmund following behind us. From up here he really looked like a small child.

He looked scared. The situation must have frightened him a bit. We met eyes for a moment, but he looked away with a strange stiff expression.

Was that... guilt?