Damien shrugged his shoulder. WIthout imparting any words to reply or exchange, he started to walk out of the mansion. His footsteps taking him on the lonely bridge that stood in the air.
When Grace returned, she walked inside as if she had done nothing wrong today. Like her day had been of bliss if it weren't for her brother who returned back to only slap her amidst the crowd. She gritted her teeth. She had been shamed in front of people, in front of the higher-ups like the Lord and the Duke, the very same man whom a few months ago she had been chasing.
And all because of that mere slave who was nothing but worthless. How could he slap her for a mere slave of no value? Someone as negligible as that girl who was a girl who came recently while she was his sister. Blood-related! She couldn't wait to tell it out to her father. Knowing well how her father didn't take well of physical abuse on her.
Once a maid who had been cleaning while she was in the kitchen had split a boiling pot of her from her hand which had fallen on her. That day her father and mother had the maid's back whipped to teach her not to drop anything in the house, especially hurting their child. These maids were nothing but born out of the filth. They didn't deserve the kindness the higher up showed them.
With that thought in her mind, she headed inside. Walking through the wide hallways, she just entered further when she felt herself suddenly have her back against the wall with a loud thud.
"What are you doing, Damien?! Let me go!" Grace shouted as she struggled to get him off of her. By age and strength, Damien was much stronger. Enough to overpower the young vampiress.
"Hmm? Why should I?" he asked completely oblivious.
"Because I said so! Let me go! Mother! Father!" she yelled where her parents came out of their room and so did Maggie. His young step-sister was causing a ruckus but he didn't mind it one bit. Rather he smiled and continued to enjoy seeing her struggle while trying to push him away.
The family came to where they were, the ruckus inviting some of the servants who lurked to only be glared back by Senior Mr Quinn to not interfere with their family matters. Family matters were meant to have only family members while not to have any outsiders involved where they could see, hear or speak about it.
"What are you doing, Damien? Let your sister go," Senior Mr Quinn spoke to Damien in a grave voice.
"That cannot be done this time father. Grace deserves this one," Damien responded back without turning to look and speak to his father right now. How could he miss the opportunity to torment his most favorite sister? Times like these never came often and if they did, neither Grace or Damien missed the opportunity on it.
"I don't do things without a reason."
Their father looked at his children and his wife, a grim expression on her where she gritted her teeth, "Take your hands off Grace. She hasn't done anything she was not supposed to do," said Fleurance for Damien to finally turn around.
"Are you sure about it?" he squeezed his hand around her neck which had Grace now thrashing against him.
"Let's speak it out calmly, Damien. Put Grace down and we will discuss what the matter is-" his father started for him to sigh.
"Trust me this one doesn't need a table discussion. Why don't you ask your beloved wife or daughter on what happened?"
"Grace can speak if you remove your hand around her!" Fleurance took a step forward to hear Damien say.
"Don't," one word of his was enough to have her stop right away.
When their father turned to Maggie as she was the most reasonably considered to the rest of the three in the hall right now, she shook her head meaning to say it wasn't Damien's fault. Curious the man asked,
He turned to his wife, facing her to demand answers, "What did Grace do, Fleur?"
The older vampiress pressed her lips as if wondering how to put it in the right way where her child would not be subjected to any punishment or threats, "She took his slave out today."
"Is that all, it is?" asked Damien, his voice turning cold.
"Yes, that was all. She's too young and needs to know how to handle slaves-" the woman went on to defend but Damien was in no mood to listen to her. Picking Grace by her neck where the girl had to walk on her toes to keep herself balanced and not hanging in the air.
"How funny that is. After several numbers of times, I have warned not to touch things that people belong to me, how hard is it for your brain to understand that part. Or you," he looked at his step-mother.
"Careful with how you speak to me, Damien," Fleurance gritted her teeth, anger spiking up with her own pride being taunted at.
"Why? If you were my mother, you would have known that Maggie hates oysters in her food which you favorably bring it on our table. If you were my mother, you would have taught some sense to have Grace learn some decent manners which I see she has none. Which in turn comes to the point to show you know nothing about us. Do you?" he taunted her.
"Come to the point, Damien. What did Grace do?" asked his father not wanting things that weren't directly connecting it to come out like a thread being pulled from a cloth which would lead to endless argument.
"She did everything she must not do. Didn't you, sister?" Damien patted her hair while still keeping her at an arm's length. Finally, she had stopped thrashing around and stood still.
Grace stared back at Damien and before he could start spouting his own nonsense, she decided to voice out, "I barely took her for a walk in the Isle Valley. I am sure she was sick and tired being cooped up in that room of yours."
"Oh?" Damien offered her surprised expression, "What has the day come to that you think about someone other than yourself? But what came to you not touching her? Let me tell you, father, on what she and your sweet wife who is standing next to you did. I don't know which one did what but one of these two slapped the girl who I now have in my room. They kicked the girl, hit her, put a collar around her neck when I being her master didn't resort to such things. But that wasn't all, Grace took a bite from my slave. If there is one rule to follow it is to keep up the words and not cross your lines in the world of the pureblooded vampires. And even if you do, one should know to not leave tracks but I don't blame Grace for it. For someone who thought I would return after two days she believed the wounds she gave to the girl would reduce and turn as if she had done nothing and had never taken a bite from her."
Looking at the gulp which Grace took, Damien smiled. His eyes crinkling with amus.e.m.e.nt that didn't reach his eyes.