"Isaac," her mother hummed, happily making her way over to him and patting his head. "You look so adorable." She gushed, as his cheeks turned red and he looked away, attention focusing on Theia.
Without saying anything, he reached up and tried to pick her up. Did he already hate her and want to drop her? "You're weak. I'll carry her." Shaking her head, her mother pouted and scolded him. "I'll be fine, darling." Ah so he wasn't trying to kill her by dropping her, he just wanted to help their mother, a comrade in the making already.
"Your health isn't good." The boy grumbled as her mother gently took his hand, overwhelmed with happiness. "You're just too adorable, Eins," she cooed. "but don't worry about mother. I'm perfectly healthy. Would you like to visit the gardens?" she insisted, there were still a bit before the dinner, it seemed.
What an affectionate mother, she thought as the boy nodded, listening obediently. The walk to the garden was accompanied by many of her mother's maids, and the halls were deathly silent. Things felt like time stopped and no signs lived in these halls as everything was silent until they arrived in the garden.
She'd never imagine the house of villains could have such a beautiful garden, covered in all types of different flowers. As far as she could see, which wasn't much, there was gorgeous flowers and the fresh smell of the garden was absolutely amazing. If she weren't worried about surviving her first meeting with the crazies, that was.
"Cyrille!" She heard a shrill voice, a woman with mid length black hair and golden eyes, her lower face was hidden by a fan, but she knew who it was, the second wife. Her mother twitched, forcing a smile and tightly holding onto her with one arm, the other onto her brother's. "Lady Belle and Lady Penelope! Good evening, a pleasure to see you here."
Although she smiled, her voice wavered, and the second wife knew it. "Please, no need for formalities, my dear Cyrille, we're both sisters at this point! Your children are mine, and my children are your's, too." The woman responded, arriving in front of them, a glare clearly directed towards her. She almost felt bad a grown woman was jealous of a baby.
"Isaac, why don't you go and play with lady Penelope? Take Theia with you, won't you darling?" Her mother asked, failing to notice the way Belle flinched after hearing her name. Nodding at his mother's cues, she felt herself being picked up by him, walking past the girl with only a "Let's go by the trees."
She knew why her mother did this, but she wasn't capable of defending herself! As one of the staff tried to follow, Isaac merely shook his head, do not follow. She couldn't tell what went through the boy's mind, why would he purposefully want to be alone with her and her maids?
Penelope Argyris, the only daughter of the second wife, she had jet black hair and silver eyes, along with a petite and tall frame. She was only nine at the moment, but her personality took after her mother's. She was quite a beauty, if only she weren't born into this family could she have been someone successful.
"Eins, it seems your little sister is completely healthy, so why don't you spend more time with your big sister?" She asked, breaking the silence as they walked towards the trees. "Which?" He responded, not even glancing in her direction, but his grip tightened and disgust filled him for being called his nickname by her.
Rolling her eyes she purposely Theia's feet with her elbow, interlocking her arm with Isaac's. "With me, of course, you know you should really be nice to me," she started, a wicked grin forming on her face as he stopped in his tracks. "Father invited me to do an inspection with him."
He paused, but she tugged him along until they reached the shade, where he finally sat Theia down, grabbing the other girl's wrist away and guiding her away from the tree. "How come?" He asked her, knowing Penelope wasn't the strongest of the siblings, she was just the child of one the most manipulative mothers. Even so, the second wife was nowhere in enough favor to manipulate the duke, there was no way she'd be taken out side the house.
Being able to leave the manor for an inspection was essentially a privilege, and a way of the duke claiming you are useful to him. "I managed to learn a high level spell!" She grinned, but Isaac thought of it as a bluff, she was by no means talented in that aspect enough to use a high level spell.
"Really? Then show me." He told her, staring up into her eyes. With a wide and cocky grin, she was more than delighted to show it off, raising her arm as the wind weakly blew a branch into her arm. As both Theia and Isaac waiting, they could hear the maids clapping with such a proud smile on Penelope's face.
"Haah?" Isaac's eyes went wide, it really was a bluff. "So you really aren't going." He commented, walking back towards the tree, hearing their mom shouting their names that it was time to return.
It was in that very moment Theia understood, she really was limited on time. Isaac was grabbed by the arm and spun around, pierced by the stick. Blood trickled down from the small boy's eye. The older girl enraged by his actions and words, as though he was belittling her. The sound sent shivers down her spine, she wanted to vomit, her fear was rising. one splat of blood turned into multiple, until it looked like he was crying a stream of blood.