That night Renald was having dinner with his wife and son. They were eating at a small family table for a more intimate meal inside a private dining area of the mansion on the third floor. Donel and Mihael were present as well but were standing at the side of the room. For this occasion they were not dressed formally as it was just a normal family meal like any other day when they didn't have guests.
Renald's wife, Sarah, was as beautiful as she always was. Every day she would spend a lot of time on her appearance and it showed even now. She carried herself well for being the Mistress of the family and even Renald had to be cautious of her.
Joshua's nose had already been healed with the help of a Healing Pod and the clothes that had been stained with his own blood were nowhere to be seen. That was normal though as he had to change into his academy uniform to head to class and then he changed out of that when he got back too. His appearance wasn't slovenly though as his personal butler wouldn't allow for him to be dressed motley, even though he didn't care about his appearance himself.
The large dinner they were having was filled with Sarah's and Joshua's favorite foods. It was unusual for that to be the case but Joshua didn't pay it any mind. His wife, however, noticed the strangeness and was giving him an inquisitive look as she ate in silence.
Her stare seemed to cause the air to be heavy, not that Joshua noticed.
Renald took a sip of the win before him before putting the class down. He had yet to inform his wife and son about accepting Altair into the main family line. The only people that actually know about it were Donel, Dave, Ben, Noel, and Stacey. Everyone else was in the dark still.
He was a little concerned about how his wife would react to the news. If you asked any servant or guard in the mansion who was the real power in the family, they would all tell you the same thing: while the Master takes care of daily tasks and meetings, the Mistress runs the house.
Even though Sarah had married into the Marnithok family, Renald had deep mental scars from their time growing up. Sarah looked like a prim and proper noble lady. She even carried herself as one. But her war for the love of her life when she was younger had deeply corrupted her heart black. She was actually an extremely twisted and scheming individual that would make Renald seem like a baby by comparison.
And she had lost the war for her love even with her ability that grew by an explosive degree.
If she reacted badly to the news then Renald would have a lot of trouble going forward. But, no matter what her complaints may be if she doesn't like it, Renald would not bend on this issue. He was already determined and prepared to spend years sleeping in another room.
Altair's worth was too great to ignore and he was ready to sacrifice his peaceful married until he was able to tell Sarah the details. He was sure that she would come around instantly once she knew Altair's value.
He watched his family eat in silence for several minutes before her cleared his throat to bring their attention to him. He hoped that serving them their favorite foods would soften the blow a little. He had to show them that he still cared about them deeply and was doing this for the future of the family.
Sarah gave him a look of impatience while Joshua looked at him curiously.
Renald gave them both a warm smile as he started to speak, "How do you feel about us having another child, Sarah?"
Sarah's hands froze as her expression turned neutral and unreadable.
Joshua looked at him with eyes filled with excitement and quickly asked, "You mean I'm going to be a big brother?!" Joshua was always jealous of the other kids who had siblings. He felt like he had always been missing out. He felt like he was about to get the best gift of his life.
Renald didn't say anything else and waited to see Sarah's response.
Sarah took the wine glass before her and took a long, slow sip. It was as if she knew what he was thinking and was purposely drawing out the silence to make him uncomfortable.
If it was her plan than it was working as he was starting to break out in a cold sweat.
Joshua was completely oblivious to the mood that his mother was setting as he rambled on, "I can't wait to teach them how to fight and to stand up against all those arrogant nobles! Oooh, to be able to have a younger sister or brother use my name to strike fear into their classmates who bullied them… I can't wait!"
Sarah turned her gaze to Joshua and asked, "So, you want a younger sibling, Joshua?"
Joshua's entire body twitched reflexively under the sudden question from his mother. He mechanically turned his head toward Sarah and gave her a weak smile while hesitantly replying, "O-Of course! I can protect them and I promise you I will do everything to make their life the best!"
A gentle smile came to Sarah's face that seemed to make her look like a plotting demon, "Do you want a sister or a brother then?"
Oblivious to the rope that was slowly tightening around his father's neck, Joshua eagerly replied, "Well a little brother would be fun to have. I could teach him all about being a man and how a man should act. But I think having a little sister would be better! I could spoil her and protect her from all the boys she comes across. No one would be good enough to marry my sister!"
"Is that," Sarah started before she closed her eyes and deliberately paused for a long moment before adding, "So?" Her head then snapped to the side towards Renald. Her eyes slowly opened before she asked, "So YOU've decided that we'll have another child, have you?"
Her meaning was clear to Renald as he swallowed hard. His throat suddenly felt like a desert and he picked up his glass before him to take a sip. It wasn't to buy time to think about how to reply to that without making things worse. He had already made all the arrangements and preparations. Altair had already moved into her new room on the second floor and was already added to the family registry. Only Renald or his father could remove her now and there was no chance he would do it. Still, he could tell that Sarah's mood had bottomed out.
After he took a longer than usual drink to sip a smaller than ever amount of fluid down his throat, Renald put his glass back down and spoke in a doting tone, "It's not what you are thinking, my Dear."
Joshua deflated with his words and quickly complained toward him, "Eh? You mean I won't have a younger brother or sister now?"
Sarah ignored his response as she slowly asked, "Then what do you mean, R.E.N.A.L.D?"
Renald could tell he was walking on thin ice. His words had done little to appease Sarah. Even the two stewards at the side were cringing secretly at how things were going.
"I know how much you did to bring Joshua into the world," he started with the same doting tone. In an attempt to smooth over the problems as much as possible he decided to bring up the past troubles that Sarah went through. "I am well aware how tiring such an endeavor was and I wouldn't dream of putting you through that again without asking you first. I was actually planning to adopt a child into our family, my Dear."
Sarah narrowed her eyes at him while Joshua's expression became confused. Sarah gave Renald a knowing look that sent a chill down his spine before she asked, "Does this have something to do with the girl you moved to the second floor?"
Dread overcame Renald's heart. 'Impossible! How could she have found out?! I made sure that all of her personal maids and servants were busy elsewhere in the mansion when she was moved there!' He had no idea that Sarah had noticed that. Just what else had she noticed that he was clueless about all this time?
Joshua looked at his mother with an expression that slowly changed to anger as he realized what was being talked about. He quickly shot to his feet while slamming his hands on the table and shot his father with the most intimidating glare he could manage before shouting, "That servant girl!? Are you out of your mind to accept such a lowly thing into our family?! She doesn't deserve to be my sister and I will never treat her as family even if you do that!"
Since it seemed that he had been caught with his hands on the birthday cake, Renald decided he might as well come clean now. He straightened his posture while looking at his son and saying, "Yes. Aria is going to be your little sister Joshua. It doesn't matter if you like it or not, the fact is she will be. She already knocked you down with one hit, which is an amazing feat when you consider she hasn't had any formal training and has amnesia."
Joshua's expression turned unsightly as he complained, "I wasn't ready for that! She was obviously a lot weaker last time I-"
"Enough of your pathetic excuses," Renald interrupted. "You have gotten too conceited and full of yourself. You've had all the resources we can spare and you still lost to a girl who was younger than you. You have no right to question me when I decide to add such a gem to my family!"
Joshua's expression looked like he was about to burst out crying. He was a stubborn and prideful child and wouldn't actually let anyone see him do something so un-manly. He turned around and fled the dining room without looking back.
Donel and Mihael seemed to be trying to merge with the wall so that they would go unnoticed as Sarah and Renald were the only ones left in the room with them.
That night Renald was having dinner with his wife and son. They were eating at a small family table for a more intimate meal inside a private dining area of the mansion on the third floor. Donel and Mihael were present as well but were standing at the side of the room. For this occasion they were not dressed formally as it was just a normal family meal like any other day when they didn't have guests.
Renald's wife, Sarah, was as beautiful as she always was. Every day she would spend a lot of time on her appearance and it showed even now. She carried herself well for being the Mistress of the family and even Renald had to be cautious of her.
Joshua's nose had already been healed with the help of a Healing Pod and the clothes that had been stained with his own blood were nowhere to be seen. That was normal though as he had to change into his academy uniform to head to class and then he changed out of that when he got back too. His appearance wasn't slovenly though as his personal butler wouldn't allow for him to be dressed motley, even though he didn't care about his appearance himself.
The large dinner they were having was filled with Sarah's and Joshua's favorite foods. It was unusual for that to be the case but Joshua didn't pay it any mind. His wife, however, noticed the strangeness and was giving him an inquisitive look as she ate in silence.
Her stare seemed to cause the air to be heavy, not that Joshua noticed.
Renald took a sip of the win before him before putting the class down. He had yet to inform his wife and son about accepting Altair into the main family line. The only people that actually know about it were Donel, Dave, Ben, Noel, and Stacey. Everyone else was in the dark still.
He was a little concerned about how his wife would react to the news. If you asked any servant or guard in the mansion who was the real power in the family, they would all tell you the same thing: while the Master takes care of daily tasks and meetings, the Mistress runs the house.
Even though Sarah had married into the Marnithok family, Renald had deep mental scars from their time growing up. Sarah looked like a prim and proper noble lady. She even carried herself as one. But her war for the love of her life when she was younger had deeply corrupted her heart black. She was actually an extremely twisted and scheming individual that would make Renald seem like a baby by comparison.
And she had lost the war for her love even with her ability that grew by an explosive degree.
If she reacted badly to the news then Renald would have a lot of trouble going forward. But, no matter what her complaints may be if she doesn't like it, Renald would not bend on this issue. He was already determined and prepared to spend years sleeping in another room.
Altair's worth was too great to ignore and he was ready to sacrifice his peaceful married until he was able to tell Sarah the details. He was sure that she would come around instantly once she knew Altair's value.
He watched his family eat in silence for several minutes before her cleared his throat to bring their attention to him. He hoped that serving them their favorite foods would soften the blow a little. He had to show them that he still cared about them deeply and was doing this for the future of the family.
Sarah gave him a look of impatience while Joshua looked at him curiously.
Renald gave them both a warm smile as he started to speak, "How do you feel about us having another child, Sarah?"
Sarah's hands froze as her expression turned neutral and unreadable.
Joshua looked at him with eyes filled with excitement and quickly asked, "You mean I'm going to be a big brother?!" Joshua was always jealous of the other kids who had siblings. He felt like he had always been missing out. He felt like he was about to get the best gift of his life.
Renald didn't say anything else and waited to see Sarah's response.
Sarah took the wine glass before her and took a long, slow sip. It was as if she knew what he was thinking and was purposely drawing out the silence to make him uncomfortable.
If it was her plan than it was working as he was starting to break out in a cold sweat.
Joshua was completely oblivious to the mood that his mother was setting as he rambled on, "I can't wait to teach them how to fight and to stand up against all those arrogant nobles! Oooh, to be able to have a younger sister or brother use my name to strike fear into their classmates who bullied them… I can't wait!"
Sarah turned her gaze to Joshua and asked, "So, you want a younger sibling, Joshua?"
Joshua's entire body twitched reflexively under the sudden question from his mother. He mechanically turned his head toward Sarah and gave her a weak smile while hesitantly replying, "O-Of course! I can protect them and I promise you I will do everything to make their life the best!"
A gentle smile came to Sarah's face that seemed to make her look like a plotting demon, "Do you want a sister or a brother then?"
Oblivious to the rope that was slowly tightening around his father's neck, Joshua eagerly replied, "Well a little brother would be fun to have. I could teach him all about being a man and how a man should act. But I think having a little sister would be better! I could spoil her and protect her from all the boys she comes across. No one would be good enough to marry my sister!"
"Is that," Sarah started before she closed her eyes and deliberately paused for a long moment before adding, "So?" Her head then snapped to the side towards Renald. Her eyes slowly opened before she asked, "So YOU've decided that we'll have another child, have you?"
Her meaning was clear to Renald as he swallowed hard. His throat suddenly felt like a desert and he picked up his glass before him to take a sip. It wasn't to buy time to think about how to reply to that without making things worse. He had already made all the arrangements and preparations. Altair had already moved into her new room on the second floor and was already added to the family registry. Only Renald or his father could remove her now and there was no chance he would do it. Still, he could tell that Sarah's mood had bottomed out.
After he took a longer than usual drink to sip a smaller than ever amount of fluid down his throat, Renald put his glass back down and spoke in a doting tone, "It's not what you are thinking, my Dear."
Joshua deflated with his words and quickly complained toward him, "Eh? You mean I won't have a younger brother or sister now?"
Sarah ignored his response as she slowly asked, "Then what do you mean, R.E.N.A.L.D?"
Renald could tell he was walking on thin ice. His words had done little to appease Sarah. Even the two stewards at the side were cringing secretly at how things were going.
"I know how much you did to bring Joshua into the world," he started with the same doting tone. In an attempt to smooth over the problems as much as possible he decided to bring up the past troubles that Sarah went through. "I am well aware how tiring such an endeavor was and I wouldn't dream of putting you through that again without asking you first. I was actually planning to adopt a child into our family, my Dear."
Sarah narrowed her eyes at him while Joshua's expression became confused. Sarah gave Renald a knowing look that sent a chill down his spine before she asked, "Does this have something to do with the girl you moved to the second floor?"
Dread overcame Renald's heart. 'Impossible! How could she have found out?! I made sure that all of her personal maids and servants were busy elsewhere in the mansion when she was moved there!' He had no idea that Sarah had noticed that. Just what else had she noticed that he was clueless about all this time?
Joshua looked at his mother with an expression that slowly changed to anger as he realized what was being talked about. He quickly shot to his feet while slamming his hands on the table and shot his father with the most intimidating glare he could manage before shouting, "That servant girl!? Are you out of your mind to accept such a lowly thing into our family?! She doesn't deserve to be my sister and I will never treat her as family even if you do that!"
Since it seemed that he had been caught with his hands on the birthday cake, Renald decided he might as well come clean now. He straightened his posture while looking at his son and saying, "Yes. Aria is going to be your little sister Joshua. It doesn't matter if you like it or not, the fact is she will be. She already knocked you down with one hit, which is an amazing feat when you consider she hasn't had any formal training and has amnesia."
Joshua's expression turned unsightly as he complained, "I wasn't ready for that! She was obviously a lot weaker last time I-"
"Enough of your pathetic excuses," Renald interrupted. "You have gotten too conceited and full of yourself. You've had all the resources we can spare and you still lost to a girl who was younger than you. You have no right to question me when I decide to add such a gem to my family!"
Joshua's expression looked like he was about to burst out crying. He was a stubborn and prideful child and wouldn't actually let anyone see him do something so un-manly. He turned around and fled the dining room without looking back.
Donel and Mihael seemed to be trying to merge with the wall so that they would go unnoticed as Sarah and Renald were the only ones left in the room with them.
