"U-Uh no! I uh, I just simply think that mistress should go see the madam and mister along with your brother before leaving," she stammered, her voice trembling with a hint of urgency.
Rebbecca hummed softly, her gaze shifting to the butler. With a serene smile, she rose from her seat and glided over to him, her delicate hand gently patting his head.
"My dear butler here has graciously informed me that I am to have some sustenance before my departure," she announced, her smile widening as she turned to address her family. "Therefore, I would like to request the pleasure of the company of my beloved parents for this occasion."
Her words hung in the air, filled with a sense of anticipation. Though the butler was visibly taken aback, a shiver running down his spine, he composed himself and cleared his throat before responding.
"Y-yes, madam... I will see to the necessary arrangements. However, your carriage is scheduled to depart in a mere four hours. Do you comprehend?"
His eyes lingered on the radiant girl before him, her smile never faltering, her demeanor poised yet slightly enigmatic.
"Yes~ I'll make it swift~"
Felona seized the opportunity to jot down some notes as she trailed behind Rebbecca and the butler, their forms disappearing down the hallway.
As they departed, other maids emerged from the shadows, swiftly attending to the task of finalizing the packing of luggage, their movements silent yet purposeful, adding to the mystique of the scene.
The butler guided them into the dimly lit dining hall, a space usually bustling with familial chatter during meals. But as Felona and her mistress entered, a peculiar mood settled over the room, casting an eerie ambiance.
It felt as though she had stumbled upon a crime scene, the perpetrator locking eyes with her as if daring her to interrupt.
Despite Rebbecca's entrance, the subdued murmurs ceased abruptly, save for her brother who remained engrossed in conversation with a nearby maid, seemingly oblivious to his sister's presence.
Taking her seat at the far end of the oval table crafted from rich burgundy wood, Rebbecca's abyssal black eyes swept across the room, her unsettling smile widening incrementally.
Yet, she uttered not a word, her attention fixed solely on the procession of maids emerging with an extravagant feast. Her family exchanged glances, a silent exchange of uncertainty, before her mother tentatively broached the topic of Rebbecca's imminent departure.
"Darling, have you packed your belongings? Are you looking forward to your journey? I hear your quarters boast a magnificent vista," her mother inquired, her gaze drifting away, seemingly unable to meet Rebbecca's penetrating stare. Felona recoiled inwardly at the insensitivity of her mother's words.
'Excited? oH iM SOoOoo hApPY gOiNg tO aN iNsAnE aSyLuM! Like what? You're saying bye-bye crazy! To your daughter...like really happily at that...'
Casting a glance at Rebbecca, Felona observed her master's vacant expression, her abyssal eyes swirling with an unfathomable depth. She then sighed as she thought, Was this a figment of her imagination, or was her mother content with sending her child to an asylum? Like this nonetheless.
Even her father appeared uncomfortable, though her brother remained impassive, focused solely on his meal. Rebbecca's response cut through the uneasy silence like a blade.
"Why yes, I am very thrilled to be assigned to an asylum by my-dear-old-parents," Rebbecca retorted with a touch of bitterness as she sounded the words slowly and meticulously, her gaze shifting to her brother, who continued to dine nonchalantly. "And how delightful to encounter an unexpected visitor before my departure. How are you, dear brother?"
As she rested her arm on the table, with her head leaning on it, a maid was preparing a plate of food for Rebbecca. The entire room became quiet again, with her father shaking his head in frustration.
"Rebecca, please stop this act," he interrupted sternly. "Stop these outbursts and finish your meal."
Her mother closed her eyes to maintain her composure while continuing to eat. On the other hand, her son's anxiety was evident as he ate. The butler, despite the uncomfortable environment, kept his cool and showed no signs of distress.
Felona couldn't shake the feeling of unease that permeated the room, her thoughts racing as she desperately sought distraction from the unsettling tableau unfolding before her. 'Damn...this is awkward...'
As the maid finally finished fixing Rebbecca's plate, she placed two chicken wings and a slice of turkey on it, drizzled with a honey-jam sauce that was a bright shade of red. Despite her efforts to avoid eye contact with Rebbecca, the maid couldn't help but feel intimidated by her presence. She held her breath, afraid that the fork she had in her hand would end up lodged in her throat.
Rebbecca let out a sigh of annoyance before picking up her fork and eating her meal in silence. She closed her eyes and hummed an eerie tune, the sound echoing in the stifling air. The entire room was filled with an oppressive atmosphere, and even the servants felt like running away, despite the risks.
As the servants cleared the remnants of the meal, Rebbecca's plate was left untouched. The room was silent, except for the occasional sound of utensils clinking against plates. It was only broken by the father's attempt to redirect the conversation.
"Son, how is your training progressing in the martial art you've devised?" He asked with a soft yet authoritative tone. The boy looked up from his plate, his expression one of quiet pride.
"Father, I'm happy to report that my project is progressing quite well," Charmelion said, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. "Although it's not yet complete, I am making steady progress." The father nodded, his expression betraying a mix of approval and caution as they continued their conversation in hushed tones.
Charmelion was considered the "star child" of both the Smirda and Patmonia families. Unlike his sister Rebbecca, he possessed a more golden hue to his eyes, and his skin was darker in tone. He sported locs for hair and had a handsome face that exuded a prideful attitude, although he maintained it in a controlled manner.
"Hey, why don't you show your sister your progress? She might be able to learn a thing or two from it," the mother suggested, causing Charmelion, and Rebbecca to freeze momentarily. Although the boy's eyes betrayed a hint of fear, he quickly brushed it off and turned to his sister.
"Haha! Mother, your jokes never get old. But you know as well as I do that no matter how hard someone tries, they won't learn something if they don't have the talent for it," Charmelion chuckled, trying to mask any lingering unease.
As Rebbecca sat quietly eating her food, the mother couldn't help but notice the young girl's unusual black eyes. Despite her initial frown, the mother soon sighed and looked up at Rebbecca. She wondered what had caused her daughter's eyes to turn black this time.
"What have you done to your eyes this time, Rebbecca? Is this some new trend or are you just seeking attention again?" the mother asked, her eyes fixed on Rebbecca's dark abysses. "If it's the former, I don't care. But if you think you're getting any attention with your black eyes, then you have another thing coming, young lady."
Rebbecca replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "My dear mother, what do you mean? Why are you asking me? Aren't you just glad you're getting rid of a failure for good?"
She said in a soft but intimidating tone. The father seemed to cough up food as he looked up at Rebbecca and then at his wife. She, stunned, got up from her seat and spoke, "Why I never! Do not ever talk to me in that tone you ungrateful little shit, I'll have you know if it was up to me you wouldn't even be here you little cunt-"
The mother was abruptly interrupted by a loud crash emanating from Rebbecca's side of the table. Meanwhile, her brother was in the middle of talking to his father when he suddenly jumped out of his seat.
The boy's voice shook the room as he confronted Rebbecca. "You dare talk to our mother that way? I know you're insane, but do you think you can say that to the one who gave you life? The one who brought you into this world?" The maids felt an oppressive aura and struggled to breathe, but they knew they could not show any pain, or they would face his wrath. Felona, who was recording the events, wanted to stop but knew her job and life were on the line. She sucked it up and kept writing. Rebecca, watching her brother's goldish glowing eyes, sighed.
As Felona observed the unfolding scene, she remained silent, her hand shaking slightly as she recorded everything in her notepad. Although the situation was happening too fast for her to process, her pen continued to write as it always had.
With a firm hand on the boy's shoulder, the father noticed Rebbecca standing there in silence. Charmelion felt a subtle pull on his mana, his father's way of telling him to calm down. Rebbecca tilted her head with a smile on her face, but the boy continued to speak his mind boldly. "You never cared about this family. All you do is make Mom cry and Dad disappointed. Your very existence is a disgrace to our family name...pathetic! How dare you even call yourself a Smirda!" The father looked at the boy with a sense of pride and determination as he looked down at Rebbecca, his aura, thick and heavy escaping some. "Rebecca, we will not tolerate your behavior any longer. You have caused enough pain and suffering to our family. If there was a way to disassociate your name from Smirda, we would do it just to protect our family's honor." He looked at his wife with a sense of determination in his eyes, ready to take charge and make things right, with her face away from theirs.
Rebbecca sat at the dinner table, her eyes darting between the mother and the father. As the conversation progressed, she began to realize the true reason she was called here for a 'dinner' with the family. It was a last-ditch effort to bring the family together before she left forever, probably something her mother thought would work. A family of four couldn't get along for one meal, and Blood Queen couldn't help but feel disappointed, not for the fact it can't, but for the fact, that it was a waste of time and resources to even do something like this. She nudged Felona, who was frantically writing notes, as she tried to capture every moment of the tense dinner.
Rebbecca turned to Felona and asked her for her opinion. "How about you? Felona my dear, do you think the Smirdas is a family worth living and dying for?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. Felona, taken aback by the question, gulped nervously. She had never expected to be brought into this kind of conversation. Witnessing the tense scene unfolding before her was one thing, but being asked to contribute her opinion was an entirely different matter.
However, before Felona could even muster a response, Rebbecca's mother interjected, her voice booming with anger. "Rebbecca, come out of your persona and talk normally to your parents!" she snapped. "Rebbecca, you're the insane one here! To even ask such a question- how idiotic is this!"
As she spoke, Rebbecca's mother slammed her fist down on the table, leaving a huge crack in the wood. The force of her blow caused a visible wave of sound to ripple through the room, taking everyone by surprise. The maids who had been standing by the door, besides Butler Hemiean, quickly left the room, wary of the tension that hung in the air. Rebbecca's father shot them a stern look, and they scurried off, leaving the family to deal with their issues alone.
Rebbecca stopped, her smile grew wide, and she tilted her head with her pitch-black eyes as she responded, "I thought that since they wanted a dinner with their daughter who will be gone forever, they would at least send a welcoming, warm a way's away gift...let's go Felona~" Rebbecca said as she got up from her chair, her chair getting knocked down by Felona, who quickly followed after Rebbecca. The butler looked blankly at the father. All he could do was pinch the bridges of his nose and sigh.
