Chapter Seven: The Soup

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As Orianne traveled down the weathered path that led to Erik's house, she glanced down at the bowl that lay in the wicker basket. She paused her steps when she heard a few notes screeching through the basements of the opera house. Orianne let out a tired sigh as she began to rush toward the house. Opening the door, the young woman left the basket on the kitchen table before hurrying to the music room. She settled her hands on her hips as she looked down on Erik, who set the violin down. 

"Do you know how to play?" Erik curiously asked, handing the musical instrument over to his mother. 

"No, I don't. Neither do you," Orianne answered as she took it from her son. "Care to explain why you have a violin?" 

"I took it," Erik simply replied, his tone conveying that he did not hold any sort of guilt. 

"Erik, what in the world has gotten into you?!" 

"Why are you becoming upset, Mother? I really liked the sound of it. Don't you agree?" When he did not receive any sort of response, he added, "The violin was just laying there." 

"That was probably a musician's-" 

"At the very least, you did not have to use any of your money. I understand that we don't have very much." 

Orianne rubbed her temples before tucking the violin into the case that lay beside the piano.

"I am going to take this back to its rightful owner. If you ever want something, you can ask me for it, and I will start to save up for it. Now, go to your room. You will not be able to make any music for the rest of the day." 

Erik's eyes widened  in shock as he exclaimed, "I didn't do anything wrong, though!" 

"Do you not understand that stealing something is considered bad?" 

"What is bad about that?" Erik asked, head tilting in confusion. "I was merely trying to save some money for us." 

Orianne let out a groan as she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. "Why can you not be a normal child?" 

Erik's eyes snapped up to peer at his mother, his sensitive ears picking up what she had muttered. The masked boy let out a dejected sigh as he stood up from the piano bench and headed toward his bedroom. Orianne watched as her son exited the music room, clearing her throat to gain his attention. 

"Come over here and eat some of the food that I got for you," Orianne ordered as she placed the bowl on Erik's spot. She lowered herself onto a chair as Erik moved to sit down across from her. 

"Where did you get this food from?" 

"One of the little girls at the opera offered it to me," Orianne answered as a fond smile pulled at her lips. "She was such a sweet girl." Orianne gestured towards the food before adding, "Now, don't let her kindness go to waste. Stop talking and eat the vegetable soup before it becomes too cold." 

Erik's hand wrapped around the spoon that Orianne had laid out for him as he bent over the bowl. Orianne's mouth dropped at the boy's lack of manners, shaking her head in frustration. 

"Erik, don't you remember what I had said about your posture?" 

Erik's eyes moodily flicked up as he quickly straightened his posture as Orianne finally nodded in approval. 

"Be sure to not slurp as well. Your manners are a core part of your reputation." 

"If I am not going to interact with other people, then why do you have to worry about my reputation?" 

Orianne found herself without an answer to his question as she dropped her gaze to the table. 

"Could you hurry up and eat some of the food?" she requested as she rose to her feet, walking toward the kitchen. "When I come back, I want to have that bowl nearly finished." 

--- 

"Goodness, Kat! What in the world was taking you so long?!" Louise asked as soon as she watched the girl skip back into the room after a few minutes of anxious waiting.

"I just got a tiny bit distracted," Kat answered as she watched Louise's brows draw together in confusion. 

"And where in the world is the soup that I gave you, darling?" her mother asked, gesturing towards the small girl's empty hands. 

"Um, I ate it back in the kitchens. Papa gave it to me early!" 

"Oh, did he?" Louise's eyes flicked over to her husband, who tossed a look over at his daughter. 

Alexandre, recognizing his daughter's lie, squinted at Kat before glancing over at his wife. 

"Yes, she just seemed so hungry. I slipped her some soup while you were not looking," he quickly said, winking conspiratorially at his daughter, whose face brightened up. "I hope that you are not too angry with me, my love." 

"I don't see why I would be angry over you caring for Kat," Louise replied as she gestured toward the room. "Go get ready for bed. Make sure to study before going to bed, alright?" 

"Yes, Mama!" Kat grabbed ahold of her mother's dress, tugging on it. The woman, letting out a soft sigh, bent down and allowed the girl to place a kiss on her cheek before hurrying off to the sleeping area. 

At the sight of Kat getting to kiss her mother, her other siblings began clamoring for Louise's attention. The mother let out a soft sigh as she walked over to the table and tried her very best to settle down her other children. 

--- 

Kat's eyes flicked up as she watched Alexandre enter the room, a smile twisting her lips. Her father raised a finger to his lips as he closed the door behind himself, making a show out of his actions. 

"We only have a few moments before Mama notices that I am gone. Now, we must talk over our cover story," he said as he neared Kat's bed. "Why in the world did you lie to Mama?" 

"She would have gotten angry with me if she knew the truth..." Kat shut her books as she looked into her father's bright blue eyes. 

"And what is the truth?" 

"Do you remember that lady in the kitchens?" As soon as she saw her father nod her head, Kat added, "Well, I wanted to help her out, so I gave her my food!" 

"Kat, aren't you going to be hungry?" 

"Don't worry! Maria and I are going to have a really nice breakfast tomorrow!" 

"I appreciate that you are trying to help out others, but that does not mean that you should neglect yourself. That used to be a problem of mine as well." 

"How did you fix it?" 

"Well, I take care of myself, and I give out to other people. That's why I saved a small portion of the soup for you," Alexandre replied as he presented the bowl that he held behind his back. 

"Oh, Papa-!" 

"Be quiet, or Mama might hear. We would not want to be caught in our web of lies, would we?" 

Kat shook her head with a laugh as her father ruffled her curls and handed her the bowl. 

"Now, eat quick!" 

Kat gently took the spoon and ladled some of the soup up to her mouth. 

"Don't worry about your manners. Get moving, sunshine. We don't want your mother walking in!" 

Kat's smile only grew as she slurped down the soup, trying to not choke herself in the process. As soon as she had finished, she handed the empty bowl over to her father. 

"Thank you, Papa..." 

"No need to thank your old man. I would not have thought twice about it." Alexandre pressed a kiss against the top of her head before moving towards the door. "Now, calm yourself down. Your siblings are about to be coming in, and we want the lot of you to go to bed as soon as possible." 

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