"Eins!" Their mother screamed, having seen the whole event, running over and nearly tripping as he stood still, unmoving. "Call someone! The doctor! The duke! Anyone!" She sobbed uncontrollably, kissing his forehead as she shoved him into her chest, whispering it was going to be okay.
Even she herself felt tears prickled at her own eyes, watching the scene unfold. This psycho of a child just stabbed her little brother in the eye because he didn't give her the reaction she wanted. "Penelope!" The second wife called, a hint of anger in her voice. "How dare you shame me?" She yelled, slapping the girl harshly across the face with the fan, hard enough for her to draw blood.
The girl who once looked like a monster became meek and scared, trembling as her maids looked between one another, and her mother's maids tried to help Isaac. "You ungrateful brat! Think about my reputation, right before meeting Damon!" She yelled, another harsh slap towards the girl, turning to the maids. "Take her away now!" She screeched, mimicking a banshee.
Although trying to console Isaac, it looked like her mother needed it the most as she trembled so hard even he grabbed at her hand. "I'm okay, mother." He assured, still not lifting his head to look at the seized Penelope or the second wife. "Eins…" she whimpered, apologizing to him.
"I'm so sorry, Cyrille. My daughter has just been so misbehaved lately." The second wife said, raising her fan to her lips and hiding her smile, although her daughter would be punished, it was easy to tell she was happy that he got hurt. Seeing Cyrille's face distorted and filled with tears filled her own heart with overwhelming happiness.
Her mother couldn't say anything as she trembled, still holding her sons until the doctors came. It was only then that she was remembered, when Isaac told their mother where she was, who almost instantly picked her up and hid her in her chest, letting the doctors do as they needed.
The novel was focused on the heroine, that would be normal. The original novel's author didn't care about the villains family, not enough to share about their past. It's just that they were crazy, she already knew that. She swore, she would get revenge on her brother's behalf as soon as she could, even at the risk of her pride, even her morality. The only way to survive in this family of psychos was to become a true villainess.
Glaring at the second wife, she engraved her face into her memory. She will never walk all over her mother or brother in the future, and especially not her. As the situation died down, the second wife excused herself, her own mother heading to the infirmary with Isaac.
She could barely listen to anything being said, but a half hour passed and Isaac found himself with an white eyepatch, and they were still forced to attend the dinner as the entire family would be there, such as Penelope and Belle, sitting casually right next to each other, far from the Duke.
"Seventh wife," the Duke called upon their arrival, "Sit and explain." He demanded, his voice cold and his facial expressions never showing a single hint of what he thought.
The only seats available were right next to him, at the head of the table, her mother nervously sat as she opened her mouth. "Sister Penelope stabbed me in the eye. She said father was taking her inspection." He responded for her, speaking for the first time since the garden.
He really wasn't a pushover, as their mother was scared to explain he looked the Duke in the eyes, completely unwavering. "Sister Penelope also claimed that it was due to her high level wind magic she showed me, by removing a branch from a tree and stabbing me in the eye with it for being unimpressed by her basic level spell that the maids praised her for," he paused to take a small drink of his juice.
"If I were that aware being unmoved would hurt her delicate ego as a late bloomer, I would of let her believe she was that talented. I don't enjoy kicking sad animals." She couldn't believe her ears as the dinner table fell silent, not even their mother speaking. She really underestimated him for being quiet, he was not a pushover.
She wished she could memorize the second wife's face. "Really, that one did?" Duke asked, glaring at the girl at the end of the table. "If you are going to lie using my name, and claim to do something, you will back it up until the end? Show me your magic, I will make my decision then." She wanted to laugh, the humiliated look on the girl's face mixed with the wife's anger she was trying to hide for her brother.
Confidently, Penelope lifted her arm up as a gust of wind blew, setting out a single candle before her, a bead of sweat forming on her head. Isaac didn't react or even watch as he continued eating, the other curious wives had to withhold their laugher, as the children soon burst out in a fit of laughter.
"Seventh brother was being too kind by calling it basic. Even a dog could do that in its sleep." She heard someone snicker, followed by more insults amongst the kids, who all looked like predators about to pounce on their prey. "I remember being impressed I did something like that at three, how old is she, nine? ten? what a disgrace!"
The humiliation continued as the Duke and wives ate, allowing the children to have their fun. "If you're so good then show me your magic, ingrates!" she screeched, breaking as her mother tried to interrupt. Standing from his seat, Isaac wiped the sides of his mouth with a napkin, sighing.
Running a hand through his hair, he turned towards the girl. "Maybe my mother raised me right, but I truly do hate beating animals that are dead. However, I still am an Argyris." Without the need to raise his hand the napkin went flying straight as an arrow into her stomach with enough momentum to shove her flying into the sky.
Afterwards, her nearly untouched plate with hot food dripping down was flying into her face, her screaming how it burned as the cutlery danced around her and stabbed into her clothes but only surface level to not break any skin.
"This is basic." He said while taking his seat again the kids hollering and wheezing at the table. "Is fourth sister Lope all sad her mommy won't protect her cause she's saving her own self?" She heard someone say, she couldn't tell who but wanted to pat the kid on the back. "Enough." The Duke broke his silence at long last, standing up and snapping his fingers, she was about to receive her punishment.