𝔐𝔦𝔯𝔯𝔢𝔫 flashed them the brightest and warmest smile she could muster and walked in with a straight posture and hands tucked in front of her abdomen, she walked in with a special type of elegance that no other could imitate. It was one of its kind.
The room was large with a long table in the middle, there were only 5 chairs present, as the Clemente family was not social as to say. Mirren smiled gently again and curtsied lightly, with little to no gesture. Her mother stared, there was concern in her eyes, cold and undiscerning. Her father turned to her and smiled and gestured for her to sit down, Mirren nodded and headed to her seat, which was next to her brother, the youngest of the Clemente household.
Her sister sat down in front of her while both Marquess and his wife sat across from each other at the table. There was a distance that could not be put into words and yet a closeness that could not be meddled with between the two. Mirren looked down at her meal in hidden joy. There was a long silence whilst she stared at her meal, no one spoke and no one seemed to make a single noise. You could almost hear the dust bunnies jumping from place to place.
"Ren, today is your turn." Marquis Clemente finally spoke, Mirren turned to her and nodded. Marquis Clemente was a refined woman who never showed weakness, the only time Mirren knows that her mother showed emotion was when her grandfather, Duke Lascaris, passed away. Mirren remembers that time as if it were yesterday, her mother laid on the bed overwhelmed, her sister-in-laws came over and tried to make the sadness dissipate, but Marquis Clemente remained in her own sorrow and wallowed in self- pity. Her mother's face had never cracked a genuine smile even before that day, to claim that Marquis Clemente is unpredictable is an understatement.
"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven, give us our daily bread today and please bless it so that it may provide nutrition and strength for our bodies. In the name of Jesus, Amen." Mirren prayed, it was what everyone did during their meal. Prayers are meant to be filled with joy or some type of emotion but to Mirren it meant nothing. It simply meant repeating the same script over and over again, she did what her parents wanted her to and followed the ten commandments, that much was enough.
"Ren, Would you please do me the favor of passing me the red sauce?" David smiled at Mirren as he asked, Mirren nodded nonetheless and handed him the red sauce next to her plate. "Thanks Ren!" He grinned at her, she nodded at him and looked down at her meal. It was meat, what kind? How would she know. All she knew was that food was delicious and helped edify the body. There was a sudden loud clanking noise that came from the right side end of the table and everyone put down their utensils except for the marquess.
"David, watch your manners. Careful with your words. We educated you better than that, be glad you're not born a pig in a farmer's pen." Marquis Clemente glared, it was cold and lacked sympathy. It wasn't the look a mother would give to her son, David gulped and nodded.
"I apologize, Mother, I didn't mean to make that type of mistake..." He replied as he sweated nervously, he had nice black hair with brown streaks that went down to his short ponytail that curled around his neck. He dressed and behaved like a grown man, though he was anything but that. Mirren knew anyways.
"Mother, he's only 7, we have more than enough time to teach him etiquette. Although he should learn to be sensible, but I fear that if he grows up and doesn't have a place to act like himself, he will rebel. Please think it through," Mirren stated still looking away from her mother, out of fear and contempt. Mirren had the habit of never making eye contact with her mother or father, it was due to the lack of something. Something she couldn't quite describe despite her empathetic nature.
"Don't tell me what to do. I am your Mother, not one of those ladies you give advice to. Remember that." Marquis Clemente glanced at the small lady that seemed to always stand tall. In her eyes, she was nothing but an arrogant doll dressing up like a fairy to appease the humans on earth.
Mirren gulped and sighed, "It was a suggestion Mother, not advice. I think you should still-"
"Don't tell me how to be a mother Mirren Clemente. Do not act like you know what it's like to deal with two pigs and a dimwit." Marquis Clemente banged on the table, there was a certain assertion she commanded everytime she spoke, it was with confidence and power that she could do that.
"I...I apologize mother. It was my mistake for behaving so ill-mannered." Mirren got up and bowed her head, she didn't know what was so wrong that she said, but she didn't want her taking out her anger on her brother. Never. Again.
"Espero y hayas aprendido la lección Mirren, no vuelva a pasar. Si vuelve a pasar te quitare todos los vestidos que tienes y los quemare, no me importa quien te los dio." Marquis Clemente stated coldly, she also had an elegance to her that seemed to keep others away, Mirren gulped and nodded.
"Si, Madre." Mirren replied almost earnestly to improve her mother's mood. Most nobles in the empire knew two languages, that is, the native language which is spanish and then english. Spanish was reserved for when there were poems to be written or stories to share, and sometimes when you wanted to express hate or love towards something or someone.
"By the way, Husband, I hired a new gardener, if you're alright with that." Mirren turned to her father as soon as she heard her mother speak, Marquis clemente wiped her mouth with a white cloth gently and looked at Marquess Clemente, who seemed to be eating at peace now despite the brawl that almost began.
"Alright my love, no need to ask me about these things, I always trust that you do a good job." He replied still munching on his food, as he finished he began to clean up and looked at his wife lovingly. "I will be at the palace again, the emperor wants to have a meeting so we can start on regrowing the crops in the east. I won't be home for a while, but if you ever need anything don't hesitate to call a servant to tell me," he tidied himself up like a cat and stood up, walking over to his wife and placing a peck on her cheek.
Mirren turned away as her siblings looked with rose-tinted glasses in awe. "Awww~ You both are so lovely~" Anais gushed, the marquis smiled lovingly at her husband, though her smile turned cold fairly quickly.
"Do not forget what I just told you, Mirren. Remember." Marquis Clemente furrowed her eyebrows, there was tension in the air, both Mirren's siblings sat there and turned away from their sister and their mother.
Mirren parted her lips to speak but then decided to remain silent. "You heard me, Right Mirren?" Her voice was now thick with anger at the girl's small gesture of silence.
"Yes."
"Good. And if you're gonna cry, don't make a spectacle. No más nos vas a avergonzar frente a los sirvientes," Marquis Clemente warned with a sigh, her husband turned to her and nodded, "be careful love, God bless you on your way out and be careful,"
Mirren simply stared at her mother and got up from her seat, she pushed her seat back in and began to organize her utensils. Everyone simply watched her at the dining table as she did so silently. It was the only way she could express her anger and discomfort.
The atmosphere became cold and rigid, Mirren's lips spread wide across her face into an eerie smile that was meant to be passed off as a happy one. "Mother," she curtsied and began to leave, when her thin and cold fingers wrapped around the door handle a voice began to ring in her head as she heard the word "REMEMBER."
The world began to turn around her as she stayed in one place, everything began to spin and the colors of the world began to blur into one another. The air became thin and there was intense ringing in her ears as they started to bleed slightly, she managed to remain in one place and maintain her posture.
"Mirren, where are you going?"
"I- Mother you told me that if I wanted to cry that I shouldn't make a spectacle, did you not? I am merely f-following your advice." She managed to breathe out, marquis clemente simply stared coldly and waved her hand as if to tell her to leave.
Mirren didn't need to turn around to know that's what her mother did, so she opened the doors wide open, as soon as she did she heard their voices.
"Ma, can we please get some cake this time? Pretty please?~" Anais begged, Mirren could hear even her brother's giggles and laughter. "Just this one time Anais, no more after that," Marquis Clemente nodded and her stiff face twitched a bit almost smiling at her young children.
Mirren didn't look back and instead stood there with her back to the large looming doors, the guards began to close them and the dining hall's lights began to dim in the background as it began to darken the hallway once more.
There was no one.
There was only turmoil and a jar full of purple goo. So dark and ugly that if it ever slipped out it would burn everything.
Mirren kept her composure and walked. She only knew how to walk. No one taught her anything else. There was no one to teach her more like. Not like she needed anyone. Mirren continued in the dark halls that kept her calm and soothed her before she threw a fit. Crimson liquid slipped down to her jaw from her ears, seeing endlessly as she walked with an elegant yet sloppy posture. There was a blank expression on her face, unmoving, unmotivated and distraught.
A hollow expression that can't be on the fairy's face. There cannot be something like that. So no one will ever know this expression was ever on her face.
No one.
-- Translations --
"I hope you have learned your lesson Mirren, I hope it doesn't happen again. If it happens again I will take away all the dresses you have and burn them, I don't care who gave them to you." Translation from spanish to english from Marquis Clemente's dialogue.
"Yes, Mother." Translation from Spanish to english; Mirren's Dialogue.
"…You're only going to embarrass us in front of the servants." Translation from Spanish to English; Marquis Clemente's Dialogue.