"Angelica Chiara Rivethans you malapert, ungrateful, insolent daughter of an immoral woman, what did you do!" Dariel's voice thundered in the room, his eyes burning in rage.
Angelica who had been sitting in the armchair by the fireplace simply closed the book in her hand and gracefully stood up.
She turned around and was met with her father's icy and yet hot gaze. She was not surprised to see him here and in such an horrendous mood, no, not after she had heard the maids gossiping about the strange, unexpected visit of the crown prince to their home.
It was that moment that she prepared herself mentally and physically for the confrontation of her father.
"Dariel! Dariel unlock the door!" Ohara screamed from the outside, her fists banging on the door relentlessly. Dariel would have to be mad to think that she would leave him alone in that state with their only child.
Both Dariel and Angelica turned their heads to the door, neither said anything.
"Dariel!!! Dariel, my God, I beg you unlock the door, unlock the door!" Ohara cried more earnestly, her fists aching as she hit the door with all her strength. With tears streaming down her face the silence she could hear increased her terror each passing second.
She did not trust Dariel one bit, no, not when he was in such a state, she feared the worst, she feared that he would do the unforgivable.
"Dariel! Listen to me, open the door now! Open the door now!!" she called out even louder than before.
"Oh for goodness's sake get me the locksmith now!!" she shouted.
"Yes my lady." replied the maid, she hurriedly rushed to find help.
"Answer me you ungrateful wretch, what did you do?" Dariel turned his attention away from his crying wife outside to his quiet daughter inside.
"I did what this family needed to survive." her soft yet resolute voice resounding.
"Dariel, my God, I beg you, open the door, open the door please." Ohara's cries had turned into sobs, her banging on the door less frequent. She finally gave up, she slipped to the ground, her back rested on the door as she sobbed.
"You talk about survival as if you know what survival truly means!" he retorted. Angelica was smart enough to not be fooled by his calm temperament at the moment, she had to remain on guard, her father could at any point in time find something dangerous to throw at her.
"You, you went out to shame this family by asking the enemy for help!" he shouted.
"I did what needed to be done." Angelica replied taking a step back as much as she felt like she had the upper hand, provoking her father even more was the last thing on her mind.
"You do not know what needs to be done!" he replied.
"Do you not see how this proposal will solve all our problems father?" she asked him, genuinely wondering if he could not put aside his pride, rage and prejudice for a mere moment just to consider that this was not a shame but a blessing.
"Who are you calling your father?" Dariel mocked; Angelica ignored his hurtful words knowing fully well that he was just upset.
"What do you know about problems?" he spat out.
"I am not an ignorant child father! I am a grown woman." she replied, almost shouting. She was quick to reduce the raucousness in her voice.
"For years I have seen the wealth of our family decrease from a dinner table full of various delicacies to meals with only one ingredient."
"From many workers to only a few. The dishonour our family has faced for years has finally deteriorated to a point that you cannot ignore it any longer father. You cannot pretend that it does not exist. We are finally going to lose everything, and I am not about to let that happen" she replied gravely.
"You make it seem like I am blind… I am not blind; I know fully well all our struggles."
"Should I applaud you for being so daft as to go to the enemy to ask for help?!" he sounded even more furious than before.
"You see it that way because you refuse to acknowledge how beneficial this is." She did not know how she managed to keep her voice soft, but she did, and she was unsure if the reality that she was still speaking without a bloody mouth or the red print of his fingers on her face from an awful slap meant that he was actually listening for once.
"Do you not know the power you will carry if you are a son in law to the king?" she asked him.
"I do not care about that! To hell with that title! I will be damned before I succumb to their ploy!" he shouted.
"No father, what would really make you damned is if you try to solve this problem your own help without any help from me or mother!" she said.
"Watch your tone you wretched girl, this is still my house! I will throw you out on the streets for your disobedience!" he shouted.
"We both know that you cannot do that. This is as my home as it is yours." she replied.
"Father, it is clear that you are too heated in the moment to think clearly." she said, not in provocation but in sensibility. They would not reach any agreement if they continued this way.
"And who do you think you are to tell me that?!" he shouted.
"I am your daughter!" she shouted for once, her voice matching his.
"You should start treating me like one instead of an animal you can punish to your will." she replied, there was hurt present in her voice Dariel was just too angry to hear it.
"Say whatever you want to say, but I will never and I repeat never agree to your sham of a marriage!"
"In fact, get out of my house, from this moment on you are disowned, if I dare lay my eyes on you the moment I return you will regret ever being born." And with those fiery words he turned around and unlocked the door.
Ohara fell back as he did, she quickly stood up, rushing into the room. Her eyes landed on Angelica, she scanned her for any bruises or cuts and shielded her in her arms.
"Dariel are you mad?! What is wrong with you!" she shouted for what she felt was the first time in their entire years of being married.
The maid who had been sent to the locksmith had just returned afraid to tell her lady that the locksmith had refused to return with her. However, to her surprise as she approached the room she saw that the door had been unlocked and the entire family was in one room.
The maid, who thanked the heavens that whatever had been going on had become calm quickly slipped away into the darkness. Heaven knew she did not want to be involved in this family matter at all.
"Why are you like this? Why are you always so angry? Why Dariel? Why?" she cried holding Angelica protectively away from his gaze as if she would melt if he laid her eyes on her.
"Ask your daughter woman." he said spitefully and with that he turned around and left.