𝕯𝖎𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖐 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘: 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖊

Chapter 45

Ayato definitely remembered the abuse.

It started when the boy started to advance towards adolescence. Not that he didn't experience anything traumatising before, but it wasn't as scary as this. He'd just started growing his new pairs of fangs, he'd been pretty active in sports, though he had been forbidden to join day school, or night school for that matter. Cordelia thought the outside world would corrupt him. How stupid she was.

He had been assigned teachers for basically everything he needed to learn. Perhaps it was more like what Cordelia thought he needed to learn. She thought that he needed to be thorough with war strategies and sword wielding, so he had a huge chunk of his day dedicated to that. He was forced into playing instruments because his sword master claimed it would help him develop dexterity in his hand skills. So he was put in front of a piano and forced to practice for excruciating lengths of time. He'd been assigned for science and history lessons as well. Along with his etiquette class, just because Cordelia wanted to rub it all into Beatrix's face that her son was capable of being civilised as well. Then with an hour of ballroom dancing in the morning, he'd retire to his tiny coffin.

Ayato bit through everything to please his mother though. He wanted to be an ideal son. He'd inherit his father's throne at some point of time, and he didn't want to disappoint his mother so early.

One day, he waddled into his mother's room, where she was getting ready for an evening event.

Cordelia looked at him sweetly, asking, "What is it, my son? Have you been practising your sword?"

Ayato gulped down, and said, "Yes, mama."

Cordelia scrunched her face up in disapproval. "You would call me mother. It's very insulting to me when you call me that."

Ayato felt a bit hurt. He shouldn't even be calling her mother, since she was anything but a monster to her children.

"Mother, why was Lai-chan thrown into the dungeon?"

Cordelia paused, her rouge poised in her hand, her eyes widening. He knew something bad had happened to Laito. And Cordelia was responsible for it, but somehow she had escaped her punishment, putting the blame onto Laito completely. Ayato had been told to keep quiet about the incidence in his mother's room, when he had walked in on Laito and Cordelia... doing things he couldn't understand at the moment.

"Do not speak of that person in front of me." Cordelia's words were bitten and curt. She started to rush with her makeup, painting her lips in a striking shade of red, completely contrasting with her purple gown. Purple was supposed to be a colour for royalty, and she always made sure the other wives were always reminded that Cordelia hailed from the house of the demon king and was not a commoner like them. Ayato squeezed his hand, feeling his pus filled blisters popping open, squirting straw coloured liquid from them. He wanted to tell her that the violin lessons were too much for him. That the geography never made sense. That he wanted to give his all to sports, but Cordelia might never listen to him. He wanted to stick to sword fighting because it was his mother's favoured sport. Maybe just that and that was all.

"What?" Cordelia shouted at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I want to see Lai-chan again." Ayato sobbed. "It's been weeks since we played together."

"You horrible child!" Cordelia walked furiously towards him, and delivered a tight slap across the face. His cheek stung so hard, he could nearly black out. But his fate was never too kind to him. She dragged his helpless body across the hall behind her, his tiny arms flailing as she pulled him by his hair. It was so excruciatingly painful and long, the moments only drawn out by her insults and ridicule thrown at him. He wished he could just shut her up. Silence her forever.