Chapter 4

Skye growled and stood up. She grabbed her silver cup and raised her hand to throw it at the closed door, but Fiona wrapped her fingers around her wrist.

"Don't dare!" she snapped. "The noise it will make will be heard where Malcolm and Lennox are sitting. You have given us enough humiliation for today. That's enough!"

Skye winced. "Aunt, you are hurting me!" she said, trying to free her wrist, but aunt's grip was tight.

Before she let her wrist, Fiona grabbed the cup from Skye's hand and put it away from her. Then, without another word, she returned to her seat.

"I'm going to my room." Skye announced, but her aunt glared at her.

"No, you are not! It's a rule, have you forgotten?'

Skye sighed and sat back down. The truth was yes; for a moment, she had forgotten about that rule. She could do nothing more but wait.

She sighed again. Waiting was so annoying!

Her aunt suddenly started sniggering.

Skye turned and looked at her, her brows furrowed. "What are you laughing about?"

"I laugh because you gave Lennox the impression that you are a nonsense-talking fool girl. He is the first one who dared to insult you straight in your face." A pesky smile remained on her face.

"Oh, that," Skye said in a calm voice. "Yes, he did, indeed. At first, I was also surprised, but after…."

"There is no after," Fiona interrupted her. "Oh! I enjoyed it. He put you in your place."

Skye smiled. "Yes, you're right. So, there is no way he will agree to marry a fool girl, right?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Fiona let out a muffled scream, and her eyes opened wide.

Skye laughed. "That was exactly the look I was expecting to see."

Auntie's face turned fiery, and her cheeks puffed out slightly as she pursed her lips. Her eyes had become two narrow lines.

"Oh! You…you despicable little creature! Get out of my sight." she barked.

Skye turned her gaze away from her. "I can't. Have you forgotten the rule?' she answered, taking a blackberry with her fingers and putting it in her mouth.

Her aunt growled. "You have been born a peasant, and as a peasant, you will die. You are incapable of learning." she scolded her.

In response, Skye picked up another blackberry with her hand and ate it not because she wanted to but to annoy her aunt more.

Her aunt let out a sigh and turned her head away from her.

They waited for a long time, and Skye became unbearably bored. She wanted desperately to return to her room.

She rose from her chair and began pacing up and down the dining room. What were the uncle and Lennox talking about all this time?

A chuckle escaped her lips as she thought of the uncle stringing Lennox up with acts of kindness and accomplishments that he would now put out of his mind.

All these years she had lived with them, she had learned what kind of people they were.

On the contrary, the uncle and the aunt didn't even bother to know her.

Skye had stopped receiving love since the day she lost her parents. And she realized this when she came to live in the castle, and instead of two loving people, she met two pairs of cold eyes.

"Sit down, Skye. You made me dizzy," her aunt snapped.

Skye turned to answer her properly, but just then, the door to the dining room opened, and a servant appeared.

 "My Ladies, Lord Malcolm awaits you in the living room."

"Ah! Finally!" Skye exclaimed.

"Okay. Tell him we're coming right away," the aunt hastened to say and stood up.

Entering the living room, the two women found Malcolm leaning against the stone fireplace. As soon as he saw them entering, he took two steps away from the fireplace and stood upright.

"Well?" Fiona asked, entwining her fingers together, bringing them under her chin, and started biting her lower lip.

Uncle fixed his eyes on Skye. "Lennox refused to make you his wife," he declared, and Skye couldn't help the smile that came to her lips.

The uncle saw that and clenched his fists. "You have achieved your goal once again, unruly creature," he hissed, but Skye didn't even blink. The heart in her chest was beating wildly with joy and relief.

"But why?" Fiona insisted, taking a few steps towards him. "Why not? Since he made it clear that what Skye was saying was nonsense."

Uncle looked at her. "Yes, but he considers it a risk to make her his wife, and live his every day in an agony at what Skye might say while they have guests. The humiliation will be great, he said, and he does not want to enter such a situation. He says he wants to find a reliable woman who he can rely on to protect the prestige of the family, and not to be afraid of every day that dawns. He said more, but I don't remember them right now, but they all had more or less the same meaning. In a few words, he told me that if he marries her, he endangers the prestige of his family and he prefers not to do it."

Auntie's upright shoulders slumped, and she lowered her head, deep sighing.

"Can I go to my room now?" Skye asked.

Uncle gave her a darting gaze. "And don't think I didn't understand what you did with the servants. You warned them, didn't you?'

Skye didn't answer. She didn't want to answer.

The uncle's jaws snapped as he took a step towards her but stopped short.

Skye didn't move from her position. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin.

Malcolm clenched his fist and took a step back. Skye smirked.

"You may get away with it, but the servants will not. They will be punished as they deserve and there is nothing you can do about it," he growled.

Skye's smile disappeared, and her face suddenly turned red. She felt her flesh burning her. Her hands loosened, falling to the side of her torso, and she balled them into fists.

Her gaze pinned him. "No, you won't," she replied.

Malcolm chuckled. "Of course I will. I'm not even asking your permission. I will do what I have to do."

"Alright then, I challenge you. You can do what you think is right, and then I will do what I think is right." Skye retorted, giving him a challenging stare and lifting her chin.

Malcolm chuckled again. "And what are you supposed to do? What can you do?"

"I am old enough to go to the king and testify to him everything," she answered.

He straightened his stature. "You don't even know where to find the king."

"Yes, it is true; I don't know. So, it will be a great opportunity to find out, then," she said and turned around and left the living room. She quickly headed up the stone staircase leading to her room.

Malcolm followed her to the bottom of the stairs and stood there watching her climb up the steps.

He braced himself on the edge of the railing with one hand and raised his other hand toward her, clenching it into a fist. "A rule is a rule and must be followed."

Skye stopped short and turned to look at him.

"What about the promise you made to Lennox?"

The uncle smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes were shining.

"It was the word of a lord, and I am just a peasant, remember? It was your words." he scoffed.

Skye growled. "Monster!!" she yelled at him and quickly ran up the remaining steps.