"Hey kid! Don't be late otherwise the duchess will be mad." A guard hammered her room's door rapidly as it irritated Aefia into a complete lose of temper. She slammed the door open and acted as she if didn't see or hear anything. The wooden door caused the guard's nose to get banged against it as he cursed under his breath.
Aefia slowly turned around with a shocked face while noticing the bloody nose. "Oh sorry, didn't see you there. Maybe next time knock on the door more nicely...so it doesn't try to take a revenge back on you." She spoke as she gave an intoxicating smile. Serves you right...although I actually want to do it again.
She turned away and walked away towards where one of her own guards asked to follow her. I don't need this stupid accompany in this castle I already hate. She thought while trying to keep her anger and irritation at bay. The red carpet reminded her about the events where actors received rewards for their acting.
The duchess was sitting at one end of the dining table, with three familiar faces were seated next to her. The lady smiled with a very anticipating tone as she slowly prepared to break the news to the other three who were seated. "Good morning Aefia. How has your day been?"
"It's been good your majesty." She replied as her face stayed expressionless and she bowed while holding her hat. "May I ask how has your majesty's been?" Aefia put the hat back on her head. Of course it will be happy, because you finally get a toy you can mendle with, knowing it isn't yours.
The duchess stared with a harsh look at Aefia with the eyes that almost matched hers expression-wise. "Haven't I told you before, it's mom starting this moment. But I really appreciate how you went out of your way to acknowledge my power, and make sure you are reminded about what I can do the next time."
"Yes, sorry mom." Aefia spoke while looking down, but her eyes were actually glancing towards her right, where a guard came running with a bloody nose. And he couldn't come at the right time? I already know the rest of my days in this castle will rip parts of my mind away from me. But I have no other things to say to myself, except good luck.
"Your majesty! This servant of yours has slammed the door on my face and now my nose is broken!" The guard complained while continuously wiping his nose in rapid motions. Aefia stood standing with a straight face which meant she dared the duchess to a new bait.
"Is that true Aefia?" The duchess spoke as she glanced at the teenager who came into this place just a day ago, clad in an all black formal appearance with silver ornaments and purple accents around the sleeves and the hems. She had always expected her to be very soft hearted and weak, but there showed more power than the owner of the house herself.
"I will be straight forward, yes, I slammed the door into his face because he impatiently knocked on the door which made me burst into uncontrollable anger. I wanted to teach him a lesson, so I slammed it hard enough to break his nose bridge." Aefia spoke with a very chilly gaze and a smile.
"Well then, that explains it enough." Duchess Smod stood up. "I, Duchess Emily Smod, shall sentence the guard to the prison under the castle. The reason would be for trying to assault a royal member, specifically the next in the line for the throne." She declared while slamming the table in front of her.
The guard stayed silent while dropping the handkerchief on the ground in front of him. Before words left his mouth, Aefia spoke while walking in front of him. "What are you going to say next? I am sorry I repent! I didn't know she was part of the royal family? Nevermind that, it is a very common thing to hear at the palace, am I right mom?" She glanced at the duchess. Take the bait woman! You have a chance to send me away.
The head of the house sat back down at the high chair as she nodded and placed her hand against her chin while resting her elbow above the armrest and the other hand stayed against another. "Then let's not waste time because we have another thing to go through right now. Breakfast is getting a little too cold for now."
Hold on...what? You are going to let me be?! This woman is...nevermind it...
The guard got taken away while a maid came by, picked up the dirty handkerchief and disposed it at a nearby trash can. Aefia glanced at the empty chair next to the right side of the duchess. Seriously? Now everything is designated for me, right next to the crazy, insane woman. Welp, but I have no choice.
She walked over to the chair next to a younger child with dark purple hair and dark eyes. He looked to be around seven or eight years as he mendled with his cutleries. The ones in the royal housing were shiny and sharp, although it were actually a very dangerous thing for things to play around with.
"Should I start with introducing the rest of you? As you can tell, you are all now siblings. Hopefully you will co-operate with each other because the rest of the days at this castle will have to be normalized to a new medium with a new member." The duchess picked up her fork and knife just to eat a piece of bread.
Dam...that's literally craziness we are speaking about if you are using cutlery to eat a piece of bread?! I can never adjust to this new life, definitely not. How did this new plot twist get into my life just like that?! Wish Puppet were here so it could teleport me out. I am nothing without my socializer...
"So...you decided you could pick up a stray child you meet at the street?" The face in front of Aefia spoke as she tried to copy the duchess into trying to eat the bread the royal way. "She doesn't know royal etiquette to began, did she come from a poor family?"
Aefia silently choked on her first bite, not just because of the words that felt like insults, but how the bread was absurdly hard. Even if it were a toast, it would have been much softer than this. She clunked her cutleries on the table and leaned against her chair. "I have a complain, why is the bread so tough as a rock?"
The duchess let out a sigh as she stayed in her usual position and looked at her with a side eye and glancing back at the bread in front of her. Suddenly, the child next to Aefia pushed the plate in front and into the crowd of food aligned nearly at the centre. "I actually agree, my teeth shake with the intensity of the hardness." He spoke.
"I too agree that it is hard, let's have them moved." The duchess spoke as she set down her cutleries too. "The younger child next to you, is Henry and he is eight years old. He is a bit sensitive towards when someone calls him names, so don't urge to call him nicknames."
"I don't see a space to fit in an extra name where Henry is best as a stand alone." Aefia replied while glancing towards the young kid. Wow, he is actually so much similar to my younger brother back at Earth. I might be able to adjust to this new life after all. "Does he attend school? Or is he homeschooled?" Aefia asked a short time had passed. Nevermind, this is awkward.
"He does go to school. The same school you will be attending." The duchess added back. Hold on! I am already going to a 'school'! Then this woman is trying to break all connections between me and the others. I am impressed, duchess, you have a very insightful brain after all.
"But mom, I do attend school if you don't know yet." Aefia replied. "Don't worry, it's just a form of extra classes. You need to attend a school which is publically known if you want to stay in this family. And you know you don't have a choice." The duchess replied with a cold smile.
"So I still get to attend my usual school?" She asked just to confirm as the duchess nodded. "And the fun part, I won't accompany you there. But the bad part, the guards will have to follow you." She continued as the maid servants came to collect the dishes.
"Alright, I guess I am fine with it." Aefia spoke as she handed the plate to the maid, which left them astonished. "You weren't supposed to help them collect the dishes in the royal family." The duchess spoke as she gave an angry stare at her.
"But your son just said that you had picked me up from the streets and I was poor, so I just did that to make his expectations come to life. Even back where I actually stay, maid servants work. You will be freaked out to know that I belong to a middle-high class family." Aefia spoke while folding her arms.
"Yes, I was about to get to that part. That was my eldest son, he was supposedly the next on the line before I got you to live with us and claim that position." The duchess spoke. "He is well known as George by the other governors. At home we call him whatever we want."
"I prefer brother George. But if that isn't going to be alright by you, then I will proceed to call you Duke George. I also like to leave a room for suggestions." Aefia politely responded while looking towards the person opposite to her. He had the same dark purple hair as Henry and wore glasses with a spectacle string. He looked to be in his twenties.
"I would suggest you go for the first option. It's more family friendly, and Duke George sounds disrespectable to co-operate with." He spoke while glancing at the newspaper. "I am glad to hear that, brother George." Aefia spoke as she looked towards the duchess again. "I am sorry but you have one more member to introduce."
"Right. That one sitting next to George is Lewis, and is the most misheivious one. He is the middle child and I hate him because of his father's genetics that he has gotten." The duchess stared with a hatred look at her own son, as the person looked away.
"Why would you hate someone just because they look like someone you know?" She spoke as she looked her gaze with the duchess. "You still gave birth to him, so he still deserves a little bit of your attention after all." But as soon as she said those words, the duchess seemed violated and absurdly co-operating.
"Yes, let's just see where this chance goes at the end of the day." The duchess spoke as she looked towards the silver haired teenager next to George. Aefia noticed how the family distanced after her arrival and decided to step outside. "Sorry mom, but if the introduction has been finished, can I leave? It's not like I am hungry to begin with and I really want to take a walk around the garden or explore the castle to adjust in this new environment." She stood up.
"Alright, you may leave." The duchess waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. A few guards stepped forward to accompany, but she held out a hand to stop them as she walked towards the large garden at the back of the palace.
In the middle of the garden sat a large fountain made of carved stone. Water sprayed high into the air and fell back down into a wide pool with a soft splashing sound. The pool had a shape like a flower with rounded edges that shimmered under the golden light of the sun.
A few of the water droplets fell on the ground surrounding it, turning it slippery. She wasn't used to wearing heels, but these were low so she could hold her balance while accidentally slipping sometimes.
The garden stood as a wide and open space where green grass and colorful flowers grew in neat lines. Low hedges formed circles and squares around the paths made of small gray stones. Tall trees lined the far edges of the yard and blocked out the rest of the world.
Everything looked very clean and kept in place by many workers who must have labored there for hours. The sun hung low in the sky as it slowly climbed and cast long shadows across the ground. It was a place built for peace and quiet walks during the early hours of the morning, and it was one of the places where Aefia could just stop to think.
A short moment had passed before something seemed strange around her. Magic wave, a deep blue which represented water. The thing was, it wasn't coming from her, but rather it was appearing from behind her as the magic wave tried to wrap around her limbs and wind around her throat.
Aefia was able to break free from the skill as she immediately spun around to see the source. It was astonishing, but she had known it might have happened from the time she was offered this position in the royal house. "Nice to meet you again brother, although we hadn't had a proper conversation back at the dining hall." She spoke while trying to be polite.
"You must have done a very bold move trying to get mom into getting you adopted." Lewis spoke as more blue hands appeared from behind him. "What is it that you had to enter this family?"
"I am afraid none. I was forced to join this family and had to sign a contract. I never really had an intention where I would actually informally have to meet her." Aefia replied with a normal expression.
"I don't believe in lies." Lewis formed a hand gesture and a clawed hand was sent flying at her. It's always a hand or a claw. Aefia thought as she closed her eyes and stood still.