The Challenge (2)

A low-pitched voice, full of absolute authority and dominance, hushed the disagreement between mother and son. An instant silence reigned over everyone in the dining room. All eyes focused on the grand duke, still and unhurriedly waiting for his words. Just from this alone, Raven experienced the true meaning of the grand duke's power.

''Yes...father.'' Raven struggled a bit to call out this title. This body really had a funny reaction to addressing the grand duke as father for the first time.

'My name?' Raven eyed the man who had never paid attention to her existence. To be more specific, the true owner of that name and this body.

Raven wasn't the only who thought like this. Every person also questioned about the grand duke's act of calling her name in their hearts. This should be the first time they heard him calling out her name.

''What do you want?'' The Grand duke asked, ignoring the prying gazes on his figure.

'What?' Raven looked at the grand duke, puzzled by his words. What does she want? Why was he asking about her desires?

''What do you mean, father?'' Raven asked in return.

''I am asking if you want to take this challenge or not. The fifth young master seemed not to understand what Hibro said in the last battle on my behalf.''

Edwin's face flushed red in embarrassment upon the words from his father. Right. His father's personal butler really did say something about the battle between him and his fourth sister.

'But...' Edwin's hands curled up into a tight fist. His unwilling gaze settled on Raven. Why did his father ask this weakling? When has she ever had a say in this family?

Not accepting his father's action, Edwin tried to argue, forgetting himself for a moment. ''Father, fourth sister has no say in this battle. She disrespected mother...''

''Grand duchess, I don't think I need to say what displeases me right now.'' Ignoring Edwin's words, the grand duke glanced at the grand duchess in warning.

''This wife apologizes deeply for not educating her children well, your excellency.'' The grand duchess forced a smile on her lips. Under the table, her purple skirt was clutched tightly as she tried to reign in her anger against this foolish mother and son.

In the Langston grand duchy, she was the grand duchess, the first and original wife of the grand duke. That also meant she was the mother of his children, even if they were not her flesh and blood.

In the respective manors of each wife, the children are allowed to call them mother. But when they are out in the open, they must address her as mother, and their own mothers by their titles.

This wasn't only practiced in the Langston grand duchy, but the entire empire. It was common in a family of a nobleman with many wives.

No one knew how much the grand duchess loathed hearing other children of the grand duke apart from her son calling herself mother. For the sake of her reputation and her son's future, she had calmly endured every moments of hearing that word 'mother' from a child, not from her flesh and blood.

Now this stupid child spoiled her previous plan of making herself look like the pitiful first wife against a disobedient fifth wife in front of the grand duke.

If looks could kill, Fifth Madam and Edwin would be ten feet underground because of the grand duchess's swift and sharp glare.

''Raven, I don't have much patience to begin with. Will you be accepting this challenge or not?'' The grand duke's words focused everyone's attention back to the quiet and calculating Raven.

''....Yes...I will accept this challenge, father.'' Raven replied after a pause. She didn't avoid the grand duke's piercing but probing gaze, and welcomed it all with a smile hanging on her lips. She also could feel the gazes from her siblings and their mothers on her small figure. The sixth madam was included as well.

''Hibro, schedule a life and death battle between the fourth young lady and fourth young master. Hibro will visit your manor to tell you of my decision about the date.'' The grand duke referred to his butler, that stood as silent as a dead mouse just behind him.

''And Raven...'' The grand duke called out once more.

''Yes father?''

''You need to improve on dinning etiquettes.'' The grand duke's words pointed out Raven's sitting position.

Again, his action left everyone in the dining room bewildered and somehow defensive. If the second young master was around, it wouldn't have been surprising to them when the grand duke spoke to him.

However, this time around.... He was speaking to the weak fourth young lady, an embarrassment to the Langston family. The Grand duke was not one to casually speak to any of his children. Only the first and second young master have the privilege of speaking with him alone without the help of their mothers. Something must have happened for the grand duke to speak to the fourth young lady. Him speaking to her was also the same as acknowledging her existence in the family....and the succession battle.

'Very controlling.' Ignoring the inquiring gazes of others, Raven remarked in her heart, while sitting upright of her chair.

'Not my taste.' Her new father's way of having everything in his order left a bad taste on Raven's tongue.

It was sour, not sweet. Definitely not her taste.

*****

''You weakling!''

It didn't take a second before Edwin ganged up on Raven once they stepped outside the dining room, leaving their mothers with the grand duke.

''...'' Raven was trapped, behind his taller but tiny figure. This cute elder of brother of hers was very troublesome. Anyway, she predicted that he would come to look for trouble, but what exactly did she do? She only defended herself against his troublesome and shameless mother, yet, he was angry that she didn't suffer?

What kind of concept was that?

She, the actual innocent one, should be in misery, but he and his mother shouldn't?

Should she gouge the malicious eyes fixed on her? No one who stared at her like that had lived to their old age in her former life.

''Who do you think you are? Do you think you are something because father spoke to you? Even if you can participate in the succession battle, you will be the first one out, just watch!''

'I wonder about that...' Raven stared boringly at the boy yelling in her face.

'Yuck...his saliva.' Raven felt something moist on her face. Her entire being almost shuddered in disgust. Immediately, she pushed her way out of that enclosure. It seemed she needs to pluck that pink tongue off his as well.

This cute elder brother of hers was not cute at all.

In her front, Raven noticed the absence of her other siblings, which wasn't a surprise to her.

''Hey! Where do you think you are going?!'' She paused and side-glanced to the hand on her shoulder, stopping her in place.

''I am still talking!''

'One.' She began to count how long she could hold on to controlling her true self that was threatening to break through the barrier she set for herself in this world. Raven was a very impatient person, who hated waiting for anyone, unless she was willing and not forced.

''I am not done with you!''

'Two.'

''Are you deaf?! I am talking to you weakling!''

'Th—'

''Fourth brother, leave fourth sister alone. You are in father's manor, not on the street gallivanting like a bandit.'' Raven did not look back further to see which of her sibling intervened which was a first. From the original owner's memories, the siblings looked down on her, so this person's intentions of standing up for her was definitely not sincere.

''This is not your business, Estelle!'' Edwin barked back to the twin sisters behind himself and Raven.

''Ha! I am just trying to help you, but you don't seem to appreciate the efforts. Father will decide a date for you and fourth sister's battle. Why can't you be a little patient, fourth brother?" '

''Like I said...hey!'' Raven was not interested in listening to a conversation with people that treated her like she was invisible. Not looking back, she walked away from Edwin's clutches and one of her siblings called Estelle.

''He didn't even hold his back...'' Raven mumbled, only audible to herself about her shoulder that was aching after she released herself from Edwin's grasp.

Edwin was a child with strength and agility of a grown-adult.

Raven knew this from her memories of him bullying the original owner. Now that she has experienced this, she knew Edwin's power was no joke. Her shoulder seemed to have been crushed under those tiny hands.

''Look what you did!'' Her ear caught Edwin's yell. She hastened her steps a bit to create a long distance between them. The boy should not think of coming after unless she might do something.

'Eegan, Izer, Ian, Iona, Estelle, Estella, Edwin, Raven.' Listing the names of her siblings in her head, Raven chuckled, noticing that the original owner's name did not rhyme with others.

As if she didn't mean anything to the person that named her.

'The grand duke and sixth madam.' Raven thought of the two people that were likely to have given the original that name.

Raven.

The name of a blackbird.

Did they see her as a bird?

A bird that was trapped in the cage they created for her?

''Even If she is their caged bird, they didn't give her proper care...'' Raven noticed how no one asked about her health. She had fainted on the battle grounds, and they had watched every single moment, meaning they were aware of her health problems, yet none of them bothered to show concerns.

One of them greeted her with a thrown plate and challenged her to a battle.

Another asked if she wanted to accept the challenge...No, practically force, because even if she denied his challenge, Edwin would have found a way to make her participate whether she liked or not.

Nothing was about her health.

'Very unfeeling...' Raven said to herself. Perhaps it was because of the original owner's memories that she could see how the original owner really suffered in this family, as a result of her foolish innocence.

All of a sudden, Raven's walk came to a stop in the quiet hallway. She raised her head up to a particular area of the wall, her gaze engrossed and conniving.

'Hm....' Raven recalled the gazes she felt at the entrance of the main manor. Now that she thought of this, was it not strange that she felt a gaze from a wall? Like the person, the assassin was inside a wall.

Was that even possible?

Assassins hide in places that are not very visible to the human eye. That did not mean they could become one with the wall.

'Unless...' Raven recalled how something struck her mind during the moment her gaze came in contact with the grand duke's gaze.

'I wonder....' While in thoughts, Raven's ears were sharp to catch the sound of footsteps heading her way. Instantly, she knew her siblings were almost near her, and she wasn't in the mood to be playing with delusional children.

'I'll think about this later.' Raven decided in her heart and removed her gaze from the wall before continuing her step in haste.

>>> Here you go! Be expecting updates next week! Enjoy and post soon!<<<