Lord Winterborne watched as one of the maid’s escorted Michael out of the now tarnished library, his gaze complicated. It wasn’t until a few moments later that he finally composed himself, turning to the young Charles nearby.
"How is your injury?" he asked with concern.
Charles Gray pushed himself to his feet, his youthful face still a little pale, "I’ll recover," he stated, pausing slightly before speaking again, "I-I don’t understand how he’s alive..."
The Lord raised his hand, stopping him. "Go get yourself cleaned up and meet me in my study," he stated, turning to a nearby maid, "fetch Melody and Mary. We need to have a discussion about our newest employee..."
Once he gave the orders, the room was cleared, leaving him alone in the ruined library. His eyes scanned the place, a frown creasing his brow, making him look older than he was.
"How can a child that only knows chore magic cause such destruction?" he asked, barely above a whisper.
Half an hour later, Brian Winterborne arrived at his study. Like the library, this place was filled with books, but a large ornate desk sat on the north side of the room with a fireplace in the south.
In the center of the room was a set of lounges surrounding a small table in the center. At his arrival, four figures stood up, greeting him.
Charles, Mary, Melody and short figure with a well-trimmed white beard stood to attention, their gazes filled with mixed emotions.
"F-Father..." Melody’s small voice spoke up, her vulnerability evident.
However, Brian didn’t comfort her.
"Sit, we have much to discuss." He said, his tone almost cold.
No one dared to disobey his words. Melody sat down beside her mother, her head lowered.
"Charles, explain what happened from the beginning." Brian ordered, taking his own seat on his designated arm chair.
"Yes, Lord Winterborne."
Charles dove into his explanation, speaking about the first exercise where he intended on testing Michael’s ability to manipulate mana. He spared no detail, even mentioning that the boy had exposed his soul.
Brian listened impassively, right until Charles mentioned Melody’s involvement.
"You said what?" His gaze snapped to Melody who shrinked back.
"I-I... I was just repeating what you said, father." She replied meekly.
The lord brought his hand up and massaged the bridge of his nose, trying to ease the headache that was beginning to throb relentlessly. "So let me get this straight... You insulted the one who taught Michael chore magic?" he asked dangerously.
"Y-Yes. I promise I wasn’t making fun of him!" she exclaimed.
"You brat..." Brian spat through his teeth, his brown eyes staring furiously at his daughter. "Don’t you know what you’ve done!?"
Melody let out a squeak, quickly moving into her mother’s embrace. It was clear that her father was incensed, something that not many within the manor had been exposed to.
"Who do you think taught Michael how to use magic?" he asked, his tone dangerous.
The doll-like girl fidgeted, opening her mouth to speak but nothing came out.
"Oh, so now you can’t use that mouth of yours?" He spat.
"Honey... Try not to be too harsh," Mary said, pulling her daughter closer.
Perhaps the lord might have chosen to relent like he always did in the past, but not today. As he looked at his daughter, his expression went through a myriad of emotions.
"Melody, the person who taught Michael was most likely his mother or father." Brian stated, his gaze never leaving her. "To insult a boy’s deceased parents... How cruel do you have to be?"
At his words, even Mary seemed to realize the gravity of the situation. She moved back from her daughter, no longer comforting her.
This caused the young girl to stiffen. With nowhere to hide, she could only turn to her father, tears already streaming down her face. "I-I didn’t mean to... I promise!" she cried, almost hyperventilating.
The sight was pitiful, even hard to watch. Yet Charles and the man with the white beard watched on impassively, fearful of interrupting.
This continued for a while before Lord Winterborne raised his hand, "I believe you, or at least I want to..." he stated. "Next time you see Michael, I want you to apologize properly."
"Father..." Melody clenched her hands into fists, anger creeping onto her face. "Why do I need to apologize to him!? He yelled at me and destroyed the library, but you’re punishing me? Do you love him more than your own daughter?" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ nοvelfire.net
The girls words were harsh and grating, met with only silence.
Before he could respond, the girl stood up and began to storm out of the room.
Brian’s eyes flashed and the room turned frosty. Just before Melody reached the door, a deep blue ice wall appeared from the ground, blocking her from leaving.
Charles sucked in a breath, his face painted with shock, "Silent casting!?" he muttered.
"Who said you could leave?" Brian asked, his tone dangerous.
Melody turned, her expression showing her panic and shock at her father’s actions. This was not the first time she’d stormed out, but he had never prevented her from leaving before.
"It seems that I have failed to discipline you correctly," he added, a sadness underlying his tone. "Mary... please take our daughter to bed."
Mary wordlessly stood up, her features gloomy. When she arrived beside Melody, Brian waved his hand, causing the ice wall to disappear. The two then silently left the study, closing the door behind them.
Lord Winterborne’s gaze lingered on the door for a while before he let out a sigh, his body sinking into the arm chair.
"I apologize that you had to see that, Charles, Vaughn."
"There is no need for an apology my lord," the one named Vaughn bowed his head slightly. "I am glad that you are making strides to discipline the child while she is still young."
"Mmm, it was due to my negligence that she has turned out . How unsightly..." Brian added with a self deprecating chuckle.
"Now, shall we discuss the most prudent matter?" he asked, his gaze falling upon Charles in the nearby chair.
Charles nodded, his expression stern.
"Michael showed signs of mana corruption... Likely triggered by Melody’s words." Charles explained.
"Mana corruption..." Brian repeated, a frown creasing his eyebrows. "Could you possibly be mistaken?"