It's been a month since we visited the Marquess' manor. During this time, Claudius continued to bully me as always. Thankfully, I managed to escape his antics and stay safe until now.
Today, a lot of letters arrived, and Father seemed unusually excited. Claudius also appeared energetic, so much so that he didn't even acknowledge me when we passed each other in the hallway.
While I was studying in my room, a knock sounded at the door. "Young master, the master has summoned you to his study." Father had never called for me like this before, which made me wonder what he needed.
I stood up and walked to Father's study, which he used as his personal office. When I entered, I was taken aback by the disarray. Papers were scattered across the floor, and there were broken vases. My father, with messy hair, looked at me with hostility.
He was seated in his chair but stood up slowly and approached me. "You..." he began. Huh? Did I do something wrong?
Before I could ask, he slapped me across the face. "HOW DARE YOU STEAL FROM YOUR BROTHER?!"
What? What did I steal from him?!
I touched my stinging cheek, hearing a ringing in my left ear. He grabbed my clothes and lifted me off the ground. I didn't know what had gone wrong with this man, but I couldn't fight back; I feared I might accidentally hurt him.
He shook me hard while I dangled in the air. "F-Father, I didn't steal anything from my brother!"
He threw me to the floor, and my back hit the wall. Pain shot through me, and I coughed, clutching my chest.
"How dare you talk back to me!" he shouted, advancing toward me and slapping my face again. I looked up at him, tears welling in my eyes. "You didn't steal anything from him? You didn't?!"
He kicked me in the stomach. I struggled to breathe, my small body wracked with pain. My face throbbed, and my stomach hurt intensely.
"Didn't I tell you those girls from those families are supposed to be your brother's candidates for a fiancée?!" Huh? What was this insane man talking about?
"I-I didn't—" I started, but he kicked my stomach again. I growled in pain, feeling like my body couldn't take much more.
"You didn't? Really? Then how the hell are the Stellard and Chrysalis families asking you to be their daughter's fiancée rather than Claudius?! How can they choose such a failure like you?!"
I hadn't expected things to turn out this way. In the novel, Oliver had no fiancée, while Claudius was engaged to Aeryn. I didn't understand what was happening or why this was all unfolding.
Father grabbed me by my clothes and lifted me up again. "I didn't ask for a son like you. Should I just kill you right now?" I struggled, my body still in pain, gasping for breath.
I looked down at my father, who grinned wickedly. He was crazy! He really wanted to kill me! Claudius' twisted personality must have come from this monster!
As I squirmed, the door suddenly burst open. My mother stood there, eyes wide with shock. Anger and hatred filled her gaze. Without hesitation, she rushed toward Father and punched him hard in the face, causing him to drop me to the ground.
After that initial blow, she delivered a roundhouse kick that caught him squarely in the face, making his nose bleed. Father fell to the ground, cradling his nose, frowning in disbelief. "You crazy bitch! What are you doing?!"
My mother's emerald green eyes were cold and terrifying, a look I had never seen before. "All these years... I've endured everything, Arthur. Everything!" She clenched her fists and lifted Father up with her left hand. She punched him again, making him spit out blood.
"I've endured everything, and you dare hurt our child?!"
Father, now with a swollen and bruised face, laughed as if he heard a joke. "Did I ever say I wanted him to be my child?!"
My mother's fury grew, and her fists struck faster and harder this time. A tooth flew from Father's mouth—no, from Arthur's mouth. I could only watch in shock as my mother pummeled him, leaving his face unrecognizable before finally dropping him to the floor.
"You don't deserve to be a father, and you never will..." My mother raised her foot and axed kicked Arthur's groin, making him scream in agony.
"Y-YOU CRAZY BITCH, YOU'LL F*CKING PAY FOR THIS!" Mother pressed her foot harder against him, making him scream even more.
She chuckled like a villainess, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "Oh Arthur, Arthur... You're wrong. You will be the one paying." With that, she kicked his stomach before turning to help me stand up.
"Oh, my poor child..." She hugged me tightly, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
It hurt me to see her like this. I hated seeing my mother cry. To me, she was the most important person in the world.
I comforted her with a smile. "You didn't do anything wrong, Mother. I'm fine now." She looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears.
"But it's my fault for letting things get this far..."
I touched her wet cheeks and kissed her forehead to comfort her. Back on Earth, my mother always kissed my forehead when I was sad or crying. It was the only method I knew, and it made me miss my mother back home.
Mother stopped crying and held my shoulders, looking into my eyes with determination. "We're leaving this place. You and Claudius are coming with me!"
Arthur, overhearing her, shouted, "You can't take Claudius with you! I won't allow it!" He coughed.
Before Mother could respond, the door swung open again. Claudius stood there, shocked at the mess around him. His gaze shifted from my bruised face to Arthur, who lay on the ground.
"Father! Who did this to you?!" Claudius rushed toward Arthur, tears welling in his eyes as he held Arthur's hand.
Arthur coughed again, feigning innocence. "It was your mother... She wanted to leave and take you and Oliver! I didn't agree, so she did this!"
"What are you sa—" Mother's anger flared at his lies, but before she could finish, Claudius shouted, "Shut up! I won't go with you!" He glared at our mother, tears streaming down his face.
Mother looked devastated. "Claudius..."
He pushed her hand away as she reached for him. "Don't touch me, woman! From now on, you're not my mother! Leave!" He pointed angrily at the door.
Mother bit her lip, on the verge of tears. "Claudius... Please don't say that..."
"Go away! Don't touch me!" Claudius shouted, his fury evident. "I am not your child! The only child you love is him!" He pointed at me, anger radiating from him.
"That's not true! I love you both! Believe me..." Mother pleaded.
This time, Claudius stood up and shoved her. "I said go away! Leave!" He pushed her again, and she nearly fell.
It made me furious that I could only stand by. I punched him in the face, not using all my strength, but it still sent him flying five meters away from us. Claudius touched his bleeding nose, shocked.
"Mother always wanted to bond with you! You're the one who keeps pushing her away, you idiot!" I shouted, unable to contain my anger.
Mother was shocked, holding my shoulders while crying softly. "Stop, Oliver... It's okay..."
"I let you hurt me all this time, but hurting our mother? How dare you!" I broke free from her grasp and approached Claudius, delivering a weak slap to his face, as strong as a seven-year-old's slap could be.
"One last piece of advice for you, Claudius: being with Father is the worst choice you'll ever make. Mother loves you more than you ever knew."
I returned to my mother, who was still crying, and took her hands in mine. "Let's leave now, Mother."
She sniffed, tears still in her eyes. "But your brother..."
I sighed and shook my head, squeezing her hand gently. "He wants to be with Father. Let's take him if he ever changes his mind. For now, I don't think that will happen."
Mother half-heartedly agreed, tears still streaming down her face. We left the manor, riding away in a carriage without taking any of our belongings.
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was feeling a bit upset today, which influenced the tone, and I apologize if it became unexpectedly violent. I'll try to avoid this in the future, and I appreciate your understanding.
Thank you for reading!