Selene stood with her back straight, her expression wary as her arms instinctively tightened around the Miranda.
She clutched Miranda closer to her chest, the plush fabric brushing her chin, offering some measure of comfort as the oppressive air in the hall room thickened.
Victoria Bridge's eyes sparkled with interest the moment they locked onto the beautiful bear in Selene's arms.
"Is that… for me?" Victoria asked sweetly, voice lilting with practiced innocence.
Before Selene could answer, Victoria rushed toward her, arms outstretched like a spoiled child about to snatch it.
Selene's instincts kicked in. She dodged left.
Victoria stumbled, just missing her.
"Give it!" Victoria whined, turning quickly to snatch again.
"No!" Selene cried, stepping back again, narrowly avoiding the grab.
Without thinking, she darted behind Magnus, pressing her back to his broad frame like a chick hiding beneath a hawk's wings.
But Victoria didn't stop there.
Like a child possessed, she tried to circle Magnus and grab Miranda again—but Magnus swiftly bent down and picked Selene up into his arms as if she weighed nothing.
Selene blinked, stunned for a second at the sheer strength in her father's arms.
Wow…
But before she could get lost in that thought, Victoria began jumping and flailing, whining louder now. "I want it! Give it to me! I want the bear!"
A small voice whispered in her ear.
"No matter what… don't give me to her."
It was Miranda.
Selene nodded quickly, her voice quiet but resolute.
"I won't. I promise."
However, Magnus's patience was thinning rapidly. His grip around Selene was firm but protective, his magical pressure beginning to leak into the air like a choking fog.
He was seconds away from exploding.
Turning to the adults, he growled, "Kevin. Julius. Clarissa. Deal with the child. Now!"
Kevin chuckled like it was all a light joke. "Now, now, the children are just playing, Duke Ravencroft. Let's not get worked up."
Clarissa gave a light laugh and nodded. "Yes, yes, nothing serious. Besides, Victoria only wants to play with the teddy bear. Selene should learn to share, shouldn't she?"
Then she tilted her head like she had the brightest idea in the world.
"Well! Since the Ravencroft family is so wealthy, why doesn't Selene just give the bear to Victoria and go buy herself a new one? Or better yet," she beamed with pretend generosity, "Selene can buy one for Victoria too! Isn't that thoughtful?"
Julius took a quiet step away from the two buffoons he unfortunately shared blood with. He raised a hand to cover his face.
Idiots.
Couldn't they feel the pressure?
Did they not see the look in Magnus's eyes?
Plus, Selene wasn't the same spoiled, oblivious girl they remembered.
Julius still remembered the day Selene punch Elric, level 36, in the face and sent him flying across the from and she has the clairvoyance skill, he shivered at the thought.
This girl is no longer and ordinary child which is why he told these three baboons to behave themselves. He wonders if this was what Selene saw which was why she brought Magnus with her. If that's the case, then she certainly wasn't going to hold Magnus back when he finally snapped.
Selene herself was staring at the couple like they'd lost their minds.
She muttered under her breath, "Shameless… and bold, doing this in front of Magnus."
She turned to look at Magnus and froze.
His jaw was clenched. His brow twitched. The shadows under his eyes had deepened.
He was seconds away from exploding.
She was just about to whisper a calming word to her father when....
"AAAHH!"
A scream tore from her lips as a sharp pain pierced her leg.
Her head snapped downward.
There, crouched like a feral animal, was Victoria, her manicured nails sunk into Selene's leg. Blood welled where the claws had dragged from shin to ankle, leaving jagged, deep red gashes behind.
"YOU...!"
Selene's vision went red.
She ripped her leg free from Victoria's grip and, without hesitation, used the same leg to kick her square in the face.
Selene was level 45.
Victoria?
Level 6.
She might as well have been hit by a freight train.
The force of Selene's kick sent Victoria flying across the room like a ragdoll. She crashed into a nearby wall with a sickening crack, the impact shaking the portraits hanging above.
Victoria collapsed to the floor with a loud thump, twitching, dazed, her nose clearly broken and face beginning to swell.
Silence.
No one moved.
Victoria stirred, blinking slowly as consciousness returned to her. Pain exploded across her face, her nose throbbed, and every breath sent sharp jolts through her skull. She clutched her face with both hands and began to scream.
Everyone in the room flinched.
Kevin. Julius. Clarissa. Damian. Merly. The servants. Even Magnus's guards.
None of them had expected this outcome.
Sure, Selene had changed. She was sharper now, colder. But this? This?
They remembered the last time Victoria smashed a glass cup on Selene's. How Selene had dropped to her knees, begging Magnus to spare the Bridge family. How she'd starved herself for days just to protect them.
But this Selene struck back.
Even Magnus was stunned, his arms still holding his daughter as he frowned, confused and alarmed. From his angle, and, because of Selene's long, flowing dress, he hadn't seen what happened.
He looked at her and asked sharply, "Selene. What happened?"
But Selene was still fuming.
Without warning, she pressed Miranda's fluffy form against Magnus's face, her grip tight, as if trying to smother him with a teddy bear.
"LET ME GO!" she snapped. "I'm not done teaching that little brat a lesson!"
She kicked her legs, struggling fiercely in her father's hold.
Clarissa, snapping out of her horrified trance, screamed, "VICTORIA!" and ran across the room, practically skidding to her daughter's side.
"Selene, ENOUGH!" Magnus said, pulling the bear away from his face with one hand. "Snap out of it and tell me what happened!"
Selene glared at him. "Why should I?! LOOK WHAT SHE DID TO MY LEG!"
She yanked up the side of her gown, revealing the deep claw marks etched from her shin to her ankle. Several of them were still bleeding, the wounds raw and angry.
Magnus's expression darkened instantly.
Magic crackled in the air around him.
Clarissa, kneeling by her daughter, gasped at Selene's leg, then looked down at Victoria's swollen, bloodied face.
She stood, trembling with rage. "How dare you hurt my daughter like that?! You…"
One look from Magnus silenced her.
His piercing blue red fixed on her, cold and full of warning.
She looked at Victoria and muttered coldly, "She asked for it."
Clarissa swallowed her next words and dropped to her knees again.
As a priestess, she quickly activated her healing ability, chanting under her breath as golden light formed beneath her hands. Slowly, Victoria's swelling reduced, and her nose straightened back into place.
Magnus, without saying a word, extended his hand over Selene's leg and muttered a spell. A soothing glow surrounded the gashes, the skin beginning to mend under his magic.
Kevin hurried forward and dropped into a deep bow.
"Duke Ravencroft, I sincerely apologize," he said quickly. "My wife and daughter were out of line. Victoria is still young, she didn't mean to hurt Selene, and... well... since Selene retaliated… perhaps we could consider it even?"
For a moment, the room was silent.
Then Magnus turned to Merly. "Hold her."
The old woman calmly took Selene into her arms like she was light as a feather. Selene blinked, surprised by how strong the old woman was.
Then
"YOU THINK THIS IS EVEN?!"
Magnus's voice thundered through the entire estate, shaking the very walls.
Kevin nearly toppled over from the force of his aura alone.
"You think just because Victoria's face got bruised that this is equal to what she did to my daughter?"
Kevin stuttered. "I-I only meant…"
"You meant to save face!" Magnus roared. "That's all you care about. Ever since Victoria latched onto Selene, the Bridge and Bormont families have been using her like a pawn, to curry favor, to push business deals, to get close to me."
Gasps echoed around the room.
Magnus took a step forward, and the temperature seemed to drop.
"Let me make something very clear. If it weren't for the fact that Selene was mesmerized by that little demon in a dress, I would've never tolerated your presence. Ever!"
He looked down at Kevin with pure disgust.
"But now? I'm done."
Kevin's eyes widened in panic.
"I will no longer be doing business with the Bridge family. Or the Bormonts."
Clarissa's head snapped up. "What….?!"
"You heard me," Magnus said coldly. "We're finished."
Then, he turned his back on them, walking to Merly and gently taking Selene from her arms again.
"Come, Selene. Let's leave this cesspool."
Selene, though still furious, leaned her head against Magnus's shoulder with a small smirk on her face.
"Ah, this feels nice," then she remembered something, "Hey. Put me down. I can walk by myself."