Family Comes First- ASOUE

Chapter 9: Raising More Than Just the Stakes

*Klaus' POV*

I had stayed up all night reading, which was usually something I loved doing. I used to hide a flashlight under my pillow so I could read at night underneath my covers. Sometimes, someone would even find me asleep in the morning with my glasses still on and the flashlight and book still in my hands. But this was a different circumstance, and it was a much more desperate one than needing to read the next chapter. I was not reading for my own enjoyment, but to try to rescue my sisters and the Quagmires from a terrible predicament. I sat by the window in my room, squinting at the words on the pages of Nuptial Law as I tried to read in the moonlight. The book was not interesting at all if I'm being honest. It was long and difficult, even for me...

I occasionally looked over at my roommates. Violet was sleeping fitfully and Sunny had wormed her way into the curtains. Isadora was sleeping peacefully and still, unlike her brother, who was tossing and turning every now and then, but not as much as Violet. I would quickly get back to my reading. I found myself reading the same sentence over and over. I found myself reading the same sentence over and over. I found myself reading the same sentence over and over. When I realized I was doing so, my mind immediately flashed to the horrible, gruesome things that would happen to the five of us and I would wake right back up, refocusing on the reading. I had found a receipt that I tore up to mark important pages with.

By the time the sky grew lighter with the approaching sunrise, I had found out all I needed to know and my hopes rose with dawn. I smiled proudly at the page where I had found my answer, shutting the book and carefully leaving the room. I went to the dining room to wait for Count Olaf. I didn't have to wait long before he stomped down the stairs in the next room.When he walked in, he smirked when he saw me.

"Hello, orphan," he said. "You're up early."

"I didn't sleep." I replied. My heart was beating fast, but I looked and felt calm on the outside. "I've been up all night reading." I put the book down on the table, letting it make a loud noise.

He ignored me, pulling out a bottle of wine. "My morning glass of wine..." He hummed to himself. "I would be having coffee but I can't seem to find the sugar bowl." He told me, glancing at the title of the book. His eyes widened slightly as he read it, and he sat down.

"I've found out your plan." I told him, trying to stop a proud smirk from appearing on my face.

"Is that so?" Count Olaf asked, his one eyebrow raising. "And what is my plan, you little runt?"

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the insult and opening the book to where a scrap of paper was marking my place. "'The only nuptial requirements are a statement of active acquiescence by both participants, utilizing in loco parentis if necessary, in the presence of a judge, and the signing of an explanatory document in the bride's own hand.'" I sat back in my chair triumphantly.

"Let me give you a piece of advice," He said, taking a sip from his glass, "If you use fancy-pants words first thing in the morning, you're going to end up a very lonely man."

"My future relationships are none of your business, frankly, and you're not understanding my point!" I exclaimed. "You're not going to marry Violet figuratively, you're going to marry her literally." My guardian looked at me like I was speaking gibberish.

"Which is literally again??"

Part of me wanted to reply with 'You're literally the dumbest person I've ever had the displeasure of knowing', but I figured insulting him would not end very well.

"So literally would be an actual marriage," I explained, "whereas figuratively would be marrying her for the purposes of theatrical entertainment. If my sister says 'I do' and signs a piece of paper while Justice Strauss is in the room, then she will be legally married. This play shouldn't be called The Marvelous Marriage. It should be called The Menacing Marriage!"