We're now in front of the table, eating our supper, when my uncle/adoptive father suddenly suggested something I never thought he'll ever say to me.
"You should get married. My friend thinks you'll be compatible with his son. You already know his son, he's your classmate in high school. Remember Matthew?"
The moment I heard that name, I suddenly wanted to flip the table upside down and scream from the top of my lungs.
"Sir, I'm still a university student and marrying was never in my mind," I said calmly as I drink some water.
"It's for the best sister, your boyfriend must be the one who's making you say no." the words my sister just spouted, made everyone in front of the table look at me with their glaring eyes.
"Pretending to be pure and innocent in front of us, saying marrying was never in your mind. Ha! But, here you are having a boyfriend at such a young age." My adoptive mother said venomously.
"Husband and boyfriend, I never had one of those. But, it seems like Ms. Allina knows me more than I do. She even knows I have a boyfriend that even I don't." I said while smiling. This family never changed, after that incident three years ago, I learned how to speak with my mask on. Only saying words that I know they'll only find a few faults.
"You! You're still denying it!"
"I'll forever deny it, Sir, as long as there are no shreds of evidence shown." Looks like I lost my appetite. The fork and spoon in my hands went towards my plate silently.
"Si-sister, I wasn't lying. I-I saw you with your boyfriend in your univ-"
"And why are you at my university? You're homeschooled Miss, you shouldn't go out recklessly with your condition. Were you with your mother or father to guide you?" I ask. I saw her flinch at my question. This woman in front of me, all her plans to frame me had always been so boring. All of her words that will get me in trouble always return to her.
"Allina? When did you go out? I didn't know this?" her mother suddenly questioned, Allina's eyes went towards me, I just tilted my head with my eyes laughing at her situation now.
"Did you ask Anton to drive for you?"
"No, I-I went alone."
"I see, don't do that again Allina. Although your operation was a success, we still need to be careful." My adoptive mother said worriedly.
"Sir, Ma'am. I would like to say something."
All eyes look at me, their expression wasn't interested in what I'm going to say, so I just let my mouth do all the work.
"I'll be an exchange student in America."
The moment those words went to their ears, my uncle/adoptive father slammed the table.
"You're not going." He answered like it's final.
"Okay." I shrugged it off, that everyone suddenly finds it odd. Of course, they'll find it odd, me letting this opportunity pass, who the heck will just say no to that opportunity.
"Think about what I told you earlier Arabella, you marrying that special child, will help our business. You'll just spend time with him when you get married, It's not that hard." The more he talks the heavier my heartfelt.
"Yes, sir," I answered without emotion. When my eyes wander towards Allina, she smiled triumphantly as she savors all her foods.
Smile all you want my dear Allina. You won't be able to wear that smile anymore...soon.
My mind went back to where I am when I saw a portrait of Arabelle Maguire hanging in her room.
Arabella Maguire. The only daughter of the Baron and Baroness Maguire.
She's the evil woman who carelessly raised the main lead in the novel I wrote. The father of the male lead was once a duke in an Empire, when his pregnant wife got kidnapped he immediately went out to search for her and rescue her. His love for her made him do the impossible just to rescue her, but tragedy still made its way between their love. His wife died while giving birth, where she was taken and the baby became the hostage in place of his dead mother.
When the duke arrived in the place where his wife was taken, all he saw was a dead woman, holding a bloody newborn baby. He almost turned insane and he almost killed all of the people who killed her wife, but when he heard the crying baby in his arms, he decided to kill them all after he gets his son into a safe place. He rescued his son and flees.
But, again there's no way no tragic event won't follow. The duke got shot by a poisonous arrow, he felt that he won't make it so when he saw a carriage on the road. He did not hesitate to block it. A woman came out of the carriage with a confused face, she got shocked when he saw a man who's white as paper and has bloodshot eyes, holding a newborn baby covered in cloth with blood.
He went down from his horse and went limping towards her. Without a single word he handed the newborn baby boy to her, she took the baby from him absentmindedly and he just smiled at her, then he suddenly fell down with a loud thud.
That woman was Arabella Maguire, she asked the coachman to check up on the man. But, he's already dead. Arabella looked at the baby in her arms and felt sad and confused.
She was about to ask the coachman to bury the body when they heard loud horses approaching. Arabella immediately went inside her carriage with the baby, leaving the dead man on the road. She asked the coachman to be quick and get away from there. The man must've been chased by those rascals who are trying to harm them. She needed to get the baby into a safe place.
Arabella wasn't able to recognize the duke because she's a timid and shy woman who doesn't go out and attends banquets. She had been living in the countryside since her birth and hasn't been to the capital. Her going out that day was because she's out to get her measurement in a boutique for her wedding dress. Arabella Maguire, a sixteen-year-old woman, getting married to save their household from getting bankrupt.
After going home, Arabella quickly told the maid to ask for their family doctor. Arabella almost cried when she heard that the baby boy is healthy and she doesn't have to worry. The next day, she went back to where she met the man with the baby. His body was nowhere to be found, when she was about to leave, she saw a gold coin glistening on the roadside. She took it and looks at it for a while.
It's a coin that has a crest embedded in it. Since Arabella isn't that familiar with crests she wasn't able to recognize that it was the duke's crest in the Empire of Krekar. The Crest of Duke Vresea. Busy managing their falling household, Arabella didn't have the chance to study about their empire and went straight to study about businesses. She didn't know that the crest she picked up that day, will be the key for her adopted son to be back in the capital and be the male lead and hero of the empire.
Arabella still hasn't registered the baby boy in their family, because she's not married yet. But, she didn't know that she won't be able to do that anymore. Because her supposed to be Fiancé, a Count, not the same status as her, broke their engagement and went to the capital and married a Countess. Arabella who deeply loved the man, break down and cried. The moment he broke their engagement, their household fell down. Their businesses got bankrupt and her world fell deeper into the darkness even more, when her parents met their tragedy going to the capital to get a loan. Their maids and butler left their mansion one by one since she can't pay them anymore. Until the only people left in their mansion was her and her soon to be adopted son.
All those tragic events happened when she was only sixteen, a blow like that could drive a woman into insanity. But she held on when the baby in her arms made a noise. When she looked down, she saw a smiling baby. She broke down in tears and smiled at him.
"Let's get you registered as my son, my dear Blaine."
The two of them lived happily, but Baroness Arabella suddenly changed after three years of living in the countryside with her adoptive son. Her ex-fiancee visited her with his wife. They looked at her with disgust and mockery. She was harvesting that time when the two snakes visited her. She was about to go back to her house and ignore them when her adoptive son, Blaine suddenly called her.
"Mommy! Look I found the flower you told me about the other day!"
The three years old Blaine happily presented the flower in his hands. The kid grew up to be a handsome, cute, and charming kid. His dark blue eyes looked the same as hers, with that you can't say that he's an adoptive son. Arabella is a beauty no one can resist, with her dark blue eyes and platinum blonde hair, she just looks like a fairy that came out of a book.
"Oh, I didn't know you already got married Baroness Arabella." the mocking voice of the Countess, made Arabella grits her teeth in anger. She turned her head towards them and smiled. She didn't say anything and turn her head towards Blaine.
"Let's go Blaine, it's time for lunch."
"Ignoring us again Baroness? Where's your husband. Looking at this kid, he must've been a very loving and handsome FATHER." this time it was the Count who spoke. This made Arabella's blood boil in anger. How dare them look down on her, when they were the ones who betrayed her.
"Mommy, what are they talking about? What's a father?"
The three years old smart Blaine, who can talk straight now ask. Arabella heard a loud exaggerated gasp came out of the countess' mouth.
"You-you're not married? What a shame, you-"
"Let's go now, Blaine. This isn't worth our time."
Arabella ignored them, even if inside her she wanted to take revenge on what they did to her. But, doing that will only get Blaine into a dangerous situation. She's just a Baroness who only has her title and doesn't have anything to offer.
After that incident, whenever Arabella went out to the market to sell her vegetables. People's eyes looking at her, made her frown and conscious. At first, she thought that she got something wrong with her dress or face. But, when she heard, the gossipmonger in their town, loudly gossiping about her. She then knew why they look at her with mockery and disdain.
'Unmarried woman with a kid'
She expected this. Arabella thought she's ready for this kind of rumor, but she's not. The moment she registered his name as her son, she thought it's alright and that will make the kid not an orphan and she'll make his life beautiful. For those three years, nobody knew that she had a kid in her care. But, now everyone is gossiping about it.
Every day she got tortured by their constant disgusted looks. Her mind became unstable and pours her anger on Blaine. Arabella blamed the kid and ignored him every time. She did that for two years, she even made Blaine call her 'Miss' instead of 'Mommy/Mother'.
That's the start of the villainess mother.