CHAPTER 9: The Outrage Of The Baroness

"Oh, Durell," Baroness Meleena wailed at the pale figure laying on the bed of their chambers.

Aella and a disheveled Aurelia stood behind her as they looked down at their father's motionless body without a word being said.

Their faces were like reflections of the other. Sad and dejected.

"It seems he had gotten a great shock which had resulted in his heart failing. We will have to wait further to see but I doubt he would be able to return to normalcy anytime soon," the doctor said to the family.

"Oh, why, Durell? Why?!" the Baroness cried even further at the doctor's words.

Aella held her mother's weeping figure as she tried to soothe her, even though she felt like her world was crumbling.

Her father, Durell Glatimor, was probably the best person she had ever met in her short life.

He was kind to everyone, regardless of their status, which made him the favourite amongst the servants.

He worked so hard to take care of the affairs of the estate day and night just so he could leave an inheritance for his daughters and despite that, never once had he shown a sign of fatigue towards his family.

He was always supportive and wise to his daughters, especially to Aella who liked to listen to his stories by the fireplace when he was feeling wistful.

Even though he wasn't pleasant with the fact that she had taken up a sword instead of a fan, he had never once reprimanded her harshly which augmented the love she had for him in her heart.

Now, seeing that strong and optimistic personality laying so fragile in the bed tore her apart more than she could ever handle.

The shock that he might have lost the estate he had worked so hard for all his life was too much for him to tolerate which resulted in his heart failure.

Aella didn't want to break down in tears so she gritted her teeth tight as she consoled her devasted mother.

"T-Thank you, doctor," she somehow managed to utter with great difficulty

The doctor could do nothing but nod solemnly, seemingly not happy either with the news of the honourable Baron's unconsciousness.

"I'll be on my way now. Call me if he shows any signs of awareness," the doctor left the room after packing his things in a bag as he was escorted by a servant.

"Oh, Durell! Please open your eyes, you can't leave me like this, not this period!" the Baroness fell down close to her husband in despondence.

"Move," Aella hissed under her breath as she grabbed Aurelia's wrist out of the room.

"What do you want, Aella?!" Aurelia snapped and shoved her hand away as they got to the corridor.

"Don't you realize that is all your doing?! You are responsible for all of this!" Aella clenched her fists as she barred her teeth.

"How is this all my fault?! What are you even saying?!" Aurelia frowned, in deep hurt of being accused.

"You-"

Baroness Meleena moved in between her daughters as she regarded Aella with a stern look from her brown eyes.

"That is enough!"

Aella moved back a little as her mother snapped out in her face.

"I will not let you both continue with your madness any further!" 

"Twins from other households are inseparable and can barely even harm each other but both of you?!" the Baroness gestured to her daughters at each side.

"I don't know where you came from! You're always fighting and at each other's neck! Even at this crucial moment when your father has fallen sick!! What are you?! Cursed ingrates?!!" Baroness Meleena blasted out with clear exasperation.

Aella had never heard her mother talk out so brutally in her life, even when she had disobeyed her in the past.

The misery she found herself must have been too much to bear, resulting in the full blown anger.

"I-I didn't do anything! She is the one who always behaves like a total riffraff!!" Aurelia spat and hid behind her mother.

"Nothing you say? You are the one who touched a gem that was not yours and gifted us with a curse!!" Aella hissed out to the shock of both females in front of her.

She didn't want her mother to find out like this but since Aurelia was hell bent on playing innocent till the end, she figured there was no need to hide it anymore.

Maybe now they would understand why she smacked her sister mercilessly.

"P-Pardon?!" the Baroness held her chest and narrowly escaped collasping just like her husband.

"Yes, Mother. Your daughter touched a jewel that belonged to the Great Witch, Lumen Caramel while we were out today and that gem lays a curse on whoever holds it without prior notice to the owner,"

"I-Is that credible?" Baroness Meleena turned to her younger daughter.

"Y-Yes but I didn't know it was a curse!" Aurelia let out, slightly shaken by the information her sister had not so kindly said.

"That still doesn't change the fact that you touched it and brought a damnation on our family, Aurelia!" Aella gritted.

"N-No, that can't be," the Baroness shook her head, not wanting to believe the dreaded truth.

"Do you think it is such a coincidence that we lost everything the same day she touched the jewel? I visited the witch earlier and she told me that this is only because of her! What more are we going to face because of her stupidity?"

"I should just kill you to end this misfortune!!" Aella stepped forward to grab her sister but her mother held her back.

"You will not lay a finger on her! If you what you say is true then we should be finding a way to resolve this, not clammering on each other's necks!" the Baroness rebuked her daughter.

"Y-Yes! She is right!" Aurelia chipped in meekly from behind her mother as Aella glared at her.

"How? How is she going to fix this?" Aella threw her arms in the air.

"Can you go back there to ask the witch? There should be a way to this, maybe to sacrifice an animal or anything, there always is a way to reverse a curse," the Baroness said.

"Why should I be the one to go? She is the reason behind this so she should go and find out herself!" Aella bellowed.

There was no way she was going to the witch's den twice in a day! What was she? A regular customer or what?!

"I-I can't go there! Do you want her to kill me and use my bones to make a flute?" Aurelia shook her head vigorously.

"I hope she does-"

"Aella!"

Aella clamped her mouth shut when her mother threw a warning look at her.

"You know your sister is too faint-hearted for that, and she is right, the witch might try to harm her if she goes there. You must do this for us," her mother's eyes were pleading.

Aella tightened her hold on her dress as she merely gritted her teeth without an answer.