Fear danced like twinkling stars in all the women's eyes, their mother pleaded with Malorie with her eyes to just tell the truth, but Malorie shook her head. Her defiance was something she got from her sister and late mother.
"I... I can't tell you. You'll kill him." Malorie managed to say amidst her fat tears and she was right. The only other reason she wouldn't say the name is if she loved the father of her baby. Which made Valerie think. Did she love the man who got her pregnant?
"Of course not, darling." He chuckled, "Is that why you're scared? I know you mean something to him so I wouldn't touch a single strand of his head."Ethan said with a sweet smile and if the girls had not been raised properly by their late mother, they would've stupidly believed his lies.
"I can't... I can't..." Malorie shook her head, Valerie held her tighter, their mother cried harder.
The maid entered with the monstrous thing called a cane. It was what their father liked to use sometimes to walk. The thing was fat and long and one strike on the head was enough to leave you unconscious.
"You... You can't hit Malorie with that, father." Valerie said with all her nerves spiking.
"Shut your mouth, Valerie. You don't have the privilege to speak when I'm speaking. If you don't want me to hit your dear sister, tell her to say the fucking name." Ethan glowered. The smile off his face.
"No... You'll kill him." Valerie said and it was time Ethan had enough. He stood up with the cane and approached the girls. Their mother cried harder but she dared not intervene or else she would be beaten to death and they would have a third mother. It was what exactly had killed their late mother.
Ethan Valencia had killed her because of the monster he was.
"Get out of my way, Valerie dear. I'm going hit you along with her." Ethan warned but Valerie shook her head defiantly.
In a flash of anger, Ethan dropped him cane and grabbed Malorie by her hair and pulled her up, slapping the girl across the face so that she toppled down on the ground.
"No!" Valerie screamed and went to cover Malorie's body with hers the same time their father raised the cane and hit Valerie on the back—thinking she was Malorie. Valerie groaned but didn't scream.
"Get out of my way, Valerie." He said but Valerie shook her head, still covering her sister's body with hers although her spine pain was starting to affect her. Ethan raised the cane again and they could tell he wanted to hit them again but the door opened with a knock and the guard stepped in.
"Your Grace. The Vampire Grand Duke of the East has arrived for the meeting. He is here with his wife and request you come with your own wife." The guardsman relayed the message and bowed before leaving the space.
Ethan sighed and tossed the cane to a maid; "Return it back." The maid moved quickly, probably scared of being the next beaten with that disastrous thing. Ethan looked at his wife who was a crying mess. "You'd better get yourself up from there and wipe your face, Cynthia. I don't want to be late for my meeting." He said and the woman ran out of the sitting room, using the backdoor that led directly to the staircase, avoiding the eyes of the vampire Grand Duke who was probably standing at the hallway.
Ethan made a show of adjusting his purple robe, he then looked down at his daughters. "I'm not done with you yet, Mal." Without a final glance, he left the sitting room.
Valerie allowed herself a deep breath and got off Malorie who had stopped crying but her eyes remained red and her face sticky with tears. She looked up at the maids and guardsmen, no one of them wanted to help, sje glared at them and lifted Malorie herself, holding onto her as they used the backdoor to climb up to their room.
There were tons of rooms in the five floored mansion but the girls shared one of the biggest room. The room was shared in two, two beds on each side. Malorie loved the colour Rosy Pink and her side of the room was clad entirely in that, while Valerie loved the colour Mauve. Her bed covers, wardrobe and dresses were clad in that colour too.
Valerie led both of them to her bed which could contain three. She sat them down inside, adjusting their lengthy dresses as they lay face to face.
"Mal?" Valerie called out, raising her left hand so she could caress Malorie's blonde hair. "Are you okay?"
Malorie gently shook her head, "Yeah. It's not like I was beaten so bad. I'm sorry, he had to hit you with cane instead of me."
"It's alright," Valerie shrugged with a small smile, "It's not like it hurts anyway."
Malorie narrowed her eyes on her, "It does! How can you say that monstrous thing doesn't hurt, it's going to leave a scar!" Malorie sat up, "I'm going to get the first aid kit." She jumped out of the bed and walked to Valerie's wooden mauve wardrobe, opening the lower drawer and bringing out the first aid kit. "Sit up and turn your back to me." Malorie ordered and Valerie did exactly as ordered. She sat up and untied the front of her dress, taking out both her hands and holding the dress tight against her chest. "This is so horrible." Malorie choked out, tracing the fat long line along Valerie's back.
"It's alright, Mal, really. How about your cheek, does it hurt?" Valerie asked once Malorie began with her back.
"No, it doesn't really." Malorie shrugged, continuing her work. "What will happen now?"