"What sort of joke is that Rhiannon?" he said, laughing uneasily.
Rhiannon's smile slowly fell, and then she went back to the soup served on her plate to dig in. "I'm sorry for that uncle, that was just a joke," she said calmly, giving her usual smile and concentrating on her meal. She could feel the heavy gazes on her as she ate, but Rhiannon didn't feel deterred. Her mind was racing with different thoughts on how to ruin this breakfast.
"Very well the reason I called you here was to inform you that we have an important guest coming_," the king began, but Rhiannon quickly cut off his words.
"You mean another marriage alliance?" she interjected, her gaze boring into his.
The king frowned. "You are interrupting me," he said sharply.
"I'm sorry, Uncle, but I couldn't resist asking," Rhiannon replied, going back to sip her soup.
The king's frown deepened, and he leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on Rhiannon. "You seem to have a problem with our family's tradition of forging marriage alliances for political gain," he said slowly. "May I remind you that it is a duty that we all must fulfill?"
But before Rhiannon could reply to the king, her cousin quickly chirped in. "Papa is right, sister. Adding to that, you are no longer getting younger and you have no backing..." Her cousin trailed off as she examined Rhiannon's expression, which was cracking and revealing one of anger. "I mean, as a woman, there's no excuse to continue to dwindle in the castle while you could be put to better use," Ariadne said, relishing the expression of anger found on Rhiannon's face.
Just as Ariadne finished speaking, Rhiannon suddenly broke into giggles, which stunned the trio in the room. Her giggles turned into laughter, and she covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle it. Ariadne and the king exchanged a confused look, unsure of what was so funny.
"What's so amusing, Rhiannon?" the king asked, his frown returning.
Rhiannon shook her head, still giggling. "You're right, Ariadne, it's bad for a woman to dwindle around. But sister... How about you? Oops! I forgot you're like a garbage bin, been disposed of by different lords of different fiefdoms, all in the name of finding alliances for political gain? I'm sorry, sister, I won't fall so cheap as you."
Rhiannon's words flowed effortlessly as she spat venom at her sister, which shocked the king and Lilith and made Ariadne flare up in anger. With just a step, she threw the mutton chops on her plate at Rhiannon, staining her beautiful gown with gravy.
Rhiannon gasped with shock as she hadn't expected the quick and physical attack on her. The room fell silent as the gravy dripped from her gown onto the floor, and Rhiannon's eyes burned with fury.
Rhiannon was taken aback by the sudden attack, but without missing a beat, she grabbed the nearby pot of hot soup and flung it at Ariadne, deliberately aiming for her hair. The steaming liquid splattered across Ariadne's scalp, causing her to scream in pain, shock, and fright. The scent of scorching hair filled the room, making Ariadne's parents gasp in horror.
"Ahh!!!". Ariadne stepped back as she kneeled on the floor, touching her hair as her hands trembled from the pain and tears rolling from her eyes.
Lilith, Ariadne's mother, rushed over to her daughter in a frenzy, blowing on her hair to try to cool the scalding soup. She shouted for a maid to bring ice, but Rhiannon stood her ground, a defiant expression on her face.
"You brought this on yourself," she said coldly, watching as Ariadne writhed in agony.
The King who had just recovered from the shock was furious at the disruption, and he stood up from the table, his eyes blazing with anger. "What madness is this, Rhiannon?" he demanded. "How dare you pour soup on your sister!". He thundered.
But Rhiannon remained unmoved. "I will not stand by and be insulted, Uncle," she retorted. "Ariadne provoked me, and I simply defended myself and she's not my sister! I have only a brother.
"I did not!" Ariadne protested, her face red with anger and then she broke into her usual crocodile tears. Turning to her mom, more tears flowed. "Mama it just feels like I'm dying".
As Lilith examined Ariadne's burned scalp, she shot a venomous glare toward Rhiannon. "You are a disgrace to this family, Rhiannon," she hissed through gritted teeth. "Your despicable behavior has no place in this palace, and I will make sure that you face the consequences for each word and action you have let out today. " Despite her anger, Lilith continued to tend to Ariadne's burns, knowing that her daughter's well-being was of the utmost importance.
Rhiannon then slowly turned to look at her uncle with a little smile. "Why bother with politics when you can't even control your wife and daughter, Your Majesty?"
The king's face turned red with anger as he bellowed, "How dare you speak of the king in such a disrespectful manner! Get out of my presence this instant!".
Rhiannon felt a little hurt as she reminisced how she had been pampered by her parents before their demise, her parents had never attempted to sell her off in the name of political gains, always putting her and her little brother's joy first.
She shot a meaningful look at her uncle, the monster who had deprived her of her joy and had killed her parents, and took a few seconds to examine him before turning on her heels to leave, banging the door as hard as she can.
She didn't whimper or cower, instead, she walked in high and elegant steps which further infuriated her relatives. Ariadne gritted her teeth in hatred as she stared at her cousin's retreating view. She had failed to humiliate Rhiannon and had instead been humiliated in return.
The king turned to look at his daughter, his eyes narrow and his expression darkening. "You have failed me, Ariadne," he growled. "I expected you to put Rhiannon in her place, to remind her of her station and her duty to this family. And yet, you let her turn the tables on you. You let her humiliate you in front of everyone."
Ariadne and her mother Lilith exchanged nervous glances, their faces twisted with fear as they braced themselves for the king's anger. They knew how vicious he could be when he was displeased, and they both knew that he would take out his frustration on them.
"Father, I- I'm sorry," Ariadne stammered, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean to let her get the best of me. She just caught me off guard, that's all."
The king sneered at his daughter, his lip curling with contempt. "You are weak and foolish, Ariadne, unlike Rhiannon. Aren't we meant to break her, until she gives in to our demand? Instead, she broke you. You have no spine, no strength of character. You are a disgrace to this family as well and to me as your father."
Ariadne and Lilith both flinched at the king's words, their faces paling with shame and humiliation. They knew that there was nothing they could say to defend themselves, nothing they could do to appease the king's wrath.
Ariadne's mother, Lilith, trembled with fear as she stood silently beside her daughter. The King's wrathful gaze shifted to her. "And you, Lilith, I expect better from you as well. You are her mother, yet you let her fail me like this? You are lucky I have other uses for you, foolish woman!". He sneered, the ugliness of his expression making both women flinch.
"You are both dismissed," the king said coldly, waving a hand in their direction. "Leave my sight and don't let me see your faces again until you have something to offer me that is worthy of my attention."
With a final glare at his daughter and her mother, the king turned and stalked out of the room, leaving them alone to face the shame and anger of their failure.