The Journals of Candece Sinclair

January 5th 1780

It has become quite clear that Mother hates me. She is trying to talk me into marrying that damned Prince Ares! That obnoxious idiot deserves my blade, not my heart!

But, no matter. I will deal with him the next time he visits. I do not give a damn what Mother thinks; Ares is a nuisance.

I spent a bit more time in Father's study today. I was mostly reading about our family history and keeping quiet even though he had been gone most of the day. I was reading about my grandfather. He was quite boring to me actually; he just sounded too nice and forgiving.

But... Willow said something quite strange at dinner this evening.

She had been quiet all throughout our meal until Father was about to leave the table.

"Father... I feel I must tell you something." She said softly.

"Make it quick, I have work to do." Father said with his usual glance of boredom.

"I... I think I met grandpa." She said and looked up at him for the first time that evening.

Mother quickly tried to convince Willow that what she had seen was clearly just a dream, but my foolish sister pressed on.

"I know what I saw! It was him! He kept me safe from the other ghosts when they were bothering me last night! Please, I'm not lying!" She shouted.

Father's face immediately grew darker as he glared at my sister. Mother noticed and quickly stood.

"How about I walk you to your study, William? Or perhaps I could get you another glass of wine before you get back to work?" My idiot mother asked.

Father clearly looked like he was ready to slaughter someone, but he just grabbed my mother by the wrist and dragged her upstairs silently.

Willow looked at me in horror. "I-I was just telling him! I thought he'd be happy! Wouldn't he be happy?!"

I sighed. "Father is touchy about Grandfather, Wil. You've screwed up bad. Mother's going to have to pay for your foolishness now."

Willow's golden eyes began to water and she whimpered. "N-no! I didn't mean to..."

"You're lucky Mother would skin Father alive if he hurt you. He would've seriously injured you just now if she didn't." I said as I rose from my seat and went to my room.

My room is down the hall from my parents', but that doesn't mean I don't hear them when they're screaming at each other. I heard the constant battle I hear every week.

"You are their Father! Hurting them is no answer, William!" My mother always shouts.

"Do not talk back to me, Arachne!" My Father will shout back and I'll hear the sound of a slap.

On this night in particular I heard something I was not expecting.

I heard a scream and a squirting sound... But it was not as if they were having sex.

Was this the night he was to kill her? Like he had done with his past wives?

I was not worried, just startled at the turn of events. If Mother was injured, I did not care. She should listen to Father and stop being such an annoyance.

Well, if she isn't dead then she'll definitely have learned something.