In that split second, Alex wasn’t able to react, Mother and Father stared with astounded eyes. Aaron’s aim wasn’t accurate, so I stayed still in my seat. However, it seems like I’m a little out of touch, too. I thought it would completely miss my face, but the knife, with its serrated edges, slightly brushed my cheek before hitting the wall, bouncing off and falling to the floor.
“Aaron Jasper Warwick!” In the next second, my father’s voice thundered across the table. “What the hell are you doing?!”
Alex had stood up and was in front of me. I was still in my seat and looked at Aaron. His eyes were strange, but the moment father yelled, he seemed to regain his bearings and his eyes shifted back to normal. By normal I mean the usual Aaron.
“Oh, that… I didn’t mean to.” Aaron’s face was flushed. A bewildered expression crossed his face. He looked at my wounded face, the knife on the floor, my older brother and father, then lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Alice. I didn’t mean to. All of a sudden…”
“Aaron Jasper Warwick,” a cold, low voice sounded.
Mother finally got up from her seat. She had placed the napkin down on the table and was looking at Aaron with such a heavy stare. Father can be scary when he gets angry, but Mother is more terrifying. After all, a mother is usually on the emotional side. She can quickly get angry, and even dismiss things easily. Even if she makes a fuss, she can turn back to an elegant aristocratic madame the next moment. But when my mother is truly, genuinely furious… I feel like I can see a dark, looming thunderstorm behind my mother.
I was still the only one sitting, so I nimbly got up behind Alex and hid halfway and peeked at my mom. Aaron stood still with his head bowed.
“Yes, like you said, I don’t like Princess,” she began, her voice low and measured. “That’s a personal grudge but not to disparage the royal family. It is undeniable that the position as secretary to the heir to the throne is a good position. If you were honest from the beginning, I would have put my feelings aside and thought about how the position would help you in your future… And probably agreed.”
Aaron glanced at mother as if he now had some hope. But her fair face was terrifyingly strict, like an archangel who brought the final judgment on humans.
“But you lied to us. You tried to deceive us, you accused the Grand Duke, my cousin, without any proof, and displayed that you would choose someone else over your own flesh and blood,” mother said slowly.
“In that case, the Princess is also our kin…” When Aaron spoke in a low but rebellious tone, mother’s moss-green eyes became even darker, like a damp shrub or coniferous color of the deep forest without sunlight.
“You see it that way, and you have shown that you would choose the Princess over your younger sister. To the point that you’d hold a knife to your sister.”
From my mother’s cold, cutting words, it only seemed like realization dawned on Aaron too late. Yes, brother, not only did you hold a knife to me, but you spilled blood.
“It was a mistake,” he said, his voice a mixture of many feelings.
“When the knife had struck Alice’s neck, you would dare say it’s also a mistake? Should we forgive you because it’s a ‘mistake’?”
My little brother shut his mouth and bowed again.
“Go to your room. We will talk about this again tomorrow. I do not want to see you now. The fact that you were born from my womb makes me furious. Think about what you’ll explain to me and your father tomorrow,” then finally, Mother said, “If you will act again in this way, you will be treated appropriately. Do you understand?”
Aaron bit his lip, but eventually nodded and headed for the door. He didn’t look at me. Whether he’s refusing to look at me because of guilt, or because he doesn’t think he’s doing anything wrong – worse, he’s in denial of reality – I didn’t know. Though, I have the slightest suspicions that it was the third. Finally, Mother turned to look at me
“I will have to call a doctor to treat it. The wound on the face may bruise.”
Mother pretended to be cool, but I could see the slight tremble of her hands and voice. I sat down again. We were in the middle of eating after all.
My father was next to voice out his concerns. “Is it fine if you don’t wipe it off immediately? Does it hurt?” Father aske, worried.
I shook my head. “It’s not that big of a wound. When the doctor comes, we can treat it so it doesn’t leave a scar,” I said.
I didn’t overreact, so Mother and Father were a little relieved. As they sat down, Alex sighed and followed after. The butler would have already ordered to call the doctor, without mother having to ask him to do so.
“I don’t understand why that child is acting like that…”
Father frowned as he rubbed his temples. Mother’s lips were tightly pursed. It still looks like a thunderbolt was looming behind her head.
In that split second, Alex wasn’t able to react, Mother and Father stared with astounded eyes. Aaron’s aim wasn’t accurate, so I stayed still in my seat. However, it seems like I’m a little out of touch, too. I thought it would completely miss my face, but the knife, with its serrated edges, slightly brushed my cheek before hitting the wall, bouncing off and falling to the floor.
“Aaron Jasper Warwick!” In the next second, my father’s voice thundered across the table. “What the hell are you doing?!”
Alex had stood up and was in front of me. I was still in my seat and looked at Aaron. His eyes were strange, but the moment father yelled, he seemed to regain his bearings and his eyes shifted back to normal. By normal I mean the usual Aaron.
“Oh, that… I didn’t mean to.” Aaron’s face was flushed. A bewildered expression crossed his face. He looked at my wounded face, the knife on the floor, my older brother and father, then lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Alice. I didn’t mean to. All of a sudden…”
“Aaron Jasper Warwick,” a cold, low voice sounded.
Mother finally got up from her seat. She had placed the napkin down on the table and was looking at Aaron with such a heavy stare. Father can be scary when he gets angry, but Mother is more terrifying. After all, a mother is usually on the emotional side. She can quickly get angry, and even dismiss things easily. Even if she makes a fuss, she can turn back to an elegant aristocratic madame the next moment. But when my mother is truly, genuinely furious… I feel like I can see a dark, looming thunderstorm behind my mother.
I was still the only one sitting, so I nimbly got up behind Alex and hid halfway and peeked at my mom. Aaron stood still with his head bowed.
“Yes, like you said, I don’t like Princess,” she began, her voice low and measured. “That’s a personal grudge but not to disparage the royal family. It is undeniable that the position as secretary to the heir to the throne is a good position. If you were honest from the beginning, I would have put my feelings aside and thought about how the position would help you in your future… And probably agreed.”
Aaron glanced at mother as if he now had some hope. But her fair face was terrifyingly strict, like an archangel who brought the final judgment on humans.
“But you lied to us. You tried to deceive us, you accused the Grand Duke, my cousin, without any proof, and displayed that you would choose someone else over your own flesh and blood,” mother said slowly.
“In that case, the Princess is also our kin…” When Aaron spoke in a low but rebellious tone, mother’s moss-green eyes became even darker, like a damp shrub or coniferous color of the deep forest without sunlight.
“You see it that way, and you have shown that you would choose the Princess over your younger sister. To the point that you’d hold a knife to your sister.”
From my mother’s cold, cutting words, it only seemed like realization dawned on Aaron too late. Yes, brother, not only did you hold a knife to me, but you spilled blood.
“It was a mistake,” he said, his voice a mixture of many feelings.
“When the knife had struck Alice’s neck, you would dare say it’s also a mistake? Should we forgive you because it’s a ‘mistake’?”
My little brother shut his mouth and bowed again.
“Go to your room. We will talk about this again tomorrow. I do not want to see you now. The fact that you were born from my womb makes me furious. Think about what you’ll explain to me and your father tomorrow,” then finally, Mother said, “If you will act again in this way, you will be treated appropriately. Do you understand?”
Aaron bit his lip, but eventually nodded and headed for the door. He didn’t look at me. Whether he’s refusing to look at me because of guilt, or because he doesn’t think he’s doing anything wrong – worse, he’s in denial of reality – I didn’t know. Though, I have the slightest suspicions that it was the third. Finally, Mother turned to look at me
“I will have to call a doctor to treat it. The wound on the face may bruise.”
Mother pretended to be cool, but I could see the slight tremble of her hands and voice. I sat down again. We were in the middle of eating after all.
My father was next to voice out his concerns. “Is it fine if you don’t wipe it off immediately? Does it hurt?” Father aske, worried.
I shook my head. “It’s not that big of a wound. When the doctor comes, we can treat it so it doesn’t leave a scar,” I said.
I didn’t overreact, so Mother and Father were a little relieved. As they sat down, Alex sighed and followed after. The butler would have already ordered to call the doctor, without mother having to ask him to do so.
“I don’t understand why that child is acting like that…”
Father frowned as he rubbed his temples. Mother’s lips were tightly pursed. It still looks like a thunderbolt was looming behind her head.
