Her own decisions

Baffled and aggravated— those were the perfect words to describe Seraphine's emotions right then. There was no way both of them would stay beside her for that long.

Calming herself with the thought of how impatient Lyle's personality was— which meant that he would leave soon— she decided to keep on the act for a little longer despite of how uncomfortable it was.

°°°

A yawn escaped from Seraphine's mouth as she opened her eyes. It appeared that while she was waiting for the boys to leave, she had accidently drifted off to sleep.

Feeling refreshed after that nap, she stretched her hands, and her body felt barely uncomfortable. Although the story took place at the ancient setting, it seemed that they were quite effective when it came to medicine.

This worked almost as good as modern day digestive medicine.

Wearing a smile on her face, she turned to her left, and that's when, she was caught off guard due to two figures. A gasp escaped from her mouth right then while her eyes widened.

In front of her was both Lyle and Clayton, and their eyes seemed to have brightened after seeing her response. 

As Seraphine jolted back, her heart was beating rapidly within her chest. Seeing them first thing after she had woken up gave her quite a scare.

It felt akin to waking up in the presence of someone who was going to murder her soon.

Don't tell me that they have been waiting for me? What the hell?'

Seeing her shocked expression, Clayton grinned and said, "You don't need to be thankful about seeing me, Pipsqueak."

"P-pipsqueak? Wow! This boy had gone too far! How dare he!?'

"Do I need to be thankful about getting a heart attack? Why should I see your scary face after waking up? Leave. I am already sick and don't want to throw up from seeing your face too much."

Clayton was rendered speechless for couple of seconds at her words. Her articulate words managed to surprise Lyle as well, and the boy pushed his glasses slightly.

"Since you are sick, I won't be strict with you, but we need to work on discipling you. It appears that you are getting worse," Clayton threatened.

It aggravated her how powerless she was. There was no way she would be able to trap Clayton because all the chess pieces lied in his hand and he was the controller.

She was merely a disobedient piece in his eyes now.

Targeting and plotting against him would be of no use in a place where no one cared about her. Clayton was held at great importance here despite of his age, and the priority he held wouldn't allow to go against him.

Finding angered due to how unfair this was, she decided to be transparent instead of playing tricks. If the novel's Seraphine was obedient, she will just be the opposite— regardless of who it was. 

Even if the results turned out bad, that didn't matter to her. Wanting to live her life to her satisfaction, the future did not bother her.

Probably for a four year old, she was little disrespectful. However, the fact that she was the only one was getting scolded and that Clayton was getting left out was enough to disregard that.

"I don't care," she voiced out, "Now, get out, both of you! Honestly, I don't even understand why I have to see you both when I am sick! Get lost!"

Caught off guard by her sudden outburst, Lyle expressed, "Look at how you're behaving. It seems that you have grown a lot of courage over this period of time. Do I need to set you straight?"

Since Seraphine no longer felt discomfort in her stomach, she stood up on the bed. Her body felt slightly weak, but that was something she could disregard.

Picking up the pillow, she threw it at Clayton's face and spoke out, "Do you not understand what I said? You are really stupid for your age."

Seraphine didn't have the tendency to get violent easily, but both of them in front of her pushed her to this point.

However, due to his quick reflex, Clayton grabbed the pillow, and his face darkened due to her act. While his eyes sharply stared at her, that did little to frighten her.

Before Clayton was able to vocally react, Lyle placed his hand on Clayton's shoulder and said, "It seems that the maids here need to be disciplined, seeing how you have gained bad manners. Clayton, leave."

Seraphine clearly understood what Lyle implied. Yes, she did feel guilty for getting the innocent maid servants involved in this, but that did not mean that she would get rid of her plans. 

She wasn't someone who put others before her. To Seraphine, her own happiness was the most important thing although that made her completely selfish.

In the beginning, the brothers might kick up a fuss, but soon enough, they have to get used to it. That's why, she had to go strong from the beginning.

Moreover, a four year wouldn't have the thoughts of protecting all of her maidservants.

As Seraphine folded her hands over her chest, she watched as both the boys turned their back on her and left the room.

°°°

"Lady Seraphine, you are not permitted to go out. I apologise," the maid, who went by the name Jennifer, spoke out.

As Betty had some problems in her hometown, she took two weeks break, and during this time, Jennifer was assigned to temporarily take care of Seraphine.

Just thinking about it was enough to put Seraphine in a bad mood.

Jennifer was far from being as warm as Betty, and for the most part, she had this professional image. Even after Seraphine tried her best to act cute, Jennifer's strictness remained, and there was not even a smile on her face.

How was she able to remain so composed in front of an adorable child such as herself?

Even she squealed at herself everytime she stared at mirror.

Then again, seeing how Jennifer was assigned to her by Lyle, she wasn't surprised. After the incident last week, he took the effort to replace the maids around her, and the place felt quite cold after that.

All of the maids made her feel as if she was in a work place filled with cold superiors.

Seraphine knew that all of them were best at their job, but since it was just taking care of a four year, they shouldn't have gone too far. There was nothing to applaud them for it regardless of how cautious she was.

"Why not?'" Seraphine questioned— a pout starting to form on her face.

Anyone would feel stuffed after staying at one place for one week straight— or maybe it's just her— and with nothing other than unpleasant faces at her, she believed that she needed a breath of fresh air in order to keep her sanity.

"Going outside is not good for you, Lady Seraphine," Jennifer concisely said.

Seraphine held her urge to roll her eyes.

'Maybe I would have believed you a little more if you didn't have that impassive face on. It is obvious that you were taught this.'

Seraphine might have not been familiar when it came to taking care of kids, but one thing she was sure of that there was nothing negative about a child wanting to go outside. Moreover, she was completely fine.

Wasn't it healthier for a child to interact with the nature? Plus the air outside was pollution free.

It was crystal clear to the girl that Lyle must be behind it. This was most likely his way of punishing her after her act the previous week. 

Clenching her hand into a tight fist at the thought of it, she didn't understand the need to take this behaviour from him docilely. 

There was no way he should disregard a four year old like that.

Recalling how her oldest cousin's child acted, she stubbornly held her stance and said, "I don't care! I want to go outside right now! If you can't, I will go off on my own!"

Throwing tantrums was something Seraphine specialised it, and there were some memories from her childhood that surfaced— even though the endeavours from when she was small was barely successful.

Jennifer just silently stared at her.

'This is awkward.'

Although slightly humiliating, the motivation within her made her look past that. Putting on her best acting skills, she feigned tears at the corner of her tears.

As they started to fall down her eyes, she voiced out, "I don't care about anything! I want to go outside! Ah! Someone take me outside! I don't want to stay at here!"

With that, she took a step forward and grabbed on to the maid's thigh, catching her by surprise. Seeing how Jennifer's eyes widened made Seraphine pleased for she was finally able to see a response.

Knowing that Jennifer couldn't push her away, Seraphine started to shake her leg and vocalised, "I want to go outside. I want to go outside!"

Seraphine wasn't foolish enough to not be aware that Jennifer was in a difficult position. No matter what Seraphine did, Jennifer might not be able to let her outside since she followed orders from someone else.

Maybe that's why, Seraphine wanted to punish Jennifer slightly by this method. Maybe she wasn't a four year old, but if a four year old were to go through this method of treatment, they would definitely be psychologically affected.

Seraphine had no idea what they were thinking when they put Lyle on charge because he was a child as well. 

Who in the world was stupid enough to get a child to take care of another?

No matter how much excellent the boy was, he wasn't even in his teens, and it goes without doubt that he was completely immature.

Since these people underestimated taking care of a toddler and took it to be a piece of cake, she should try to show them how harsh the world was. 

Since she was four, nothing Seraphine does could be deemed wrong because she isn't old enough to think properly.

She was curious to see how they would deal with this.

Of course, this was her just trying to justify her actions. If she had to be honest, she was merely doing this because she wanted all those made her unhappy feel the same dissatisfaction.

Seraphine was well-known for how petty she was after all.

Unable to take it with her shaking, Jennifer placed her hands on her shoulder, causing Seraphine to stop for a second. Raising her head, Seraphine stared at the lady with teary eyes.

Seeing the troubled expression made it difficult for her to hold back her smirk. After all that torture Seraphine had gone through, this was truly rewarding.

"I apologise. Please understand I can't let you go outside," Jennifer voiced out.

"Why nor? I want to go outside! You are so mean! I don't want you! I want Betty! Where did you take, Betty!? I want to have Betty! She was so much better than you!"

Seraphine would have never put on this act if it was Betty because of guilt.

"I do not want to deal with you as well, Lady Seraphine," the maid mumbled.

Her words reached crystal clear into Seraphine's ears. Seraphine could relate to how she felt; even Seraphine would want to get away from a child if she was too annoying— just like her.

But there was no way she sympathised with Jennifer.

"Lady Seraphine, even if you cry, you wouldn't be able to leave," Jennifer sternly stated.

'Damn! Shouldn't you try to bribe the child with something else in this situation? Wow! This is frustrating! Sorry, I am a four year old, and processing those words of yours is hard for me.'

"I hate you!" Seraphine exclaimed, "You took away my toys! You took away my chocolates! You took away all of my delicious food! Now, you are not allowing me to go outside! You are horrible!"

"Lady Seraphine, those are not good for you. Now, let's get you freshened up, Lady Seraphine. You have classes with Lord Lyle to attend."

Seraphine clenched her hand into a tight fist. 

There was nothing more absurd than the fact that a four year old wasn't given any toys or chocolates. Moreover, she was made to follow a strict diet routine.

When she was at an age where she could eat whatever she want without worrying and play around freely, she was made to go through these routines— which might be too pressurizing for a small child.

This frustrated her to the point she wanted to shed tears.

Taking a step back from Jennifer, Seraphine turned and ran towards the wall. The next time she did managed to shock everyone in the room; she started to bang her head against the wall.

No, Seraphine wasn't someone who enjoyed selfharm. Even now as she hit her head against the wall, she cursed at herself for going down this path. But what was she left to do when she was this helpless?

This was the most dangerous weapon.

If harm came to her body, everyone would be punished for not taking care of her, and with a place being as obvious as her forehead, it wouldn't fail to reach one's eyes.

This might be unfair to many inside the room, but with this, Seraphine would finally be able to get what she want. After all, all these maids were worried about their own life.

Not wasting a second, Jennifer rushed towards Seraphine and held her shoulder, pulling her back. Due to that, Seraphine was only able to hurt her forehead three times but put enough strength to cause it to redden and swell.

Knowing that she had classes with Lyle after a while, without a doubt, the maids were scared. They wouldn't be spared if one thing went wrong. 

If Lyle were to be told the truth, probably Seraphine would be disciplined and he would be stricter with her in the future.

But she wondered if anyone had the courage to do that. This did imply that they were incompetent and would not be free from the punishment, regardless of they were innocent.

Being aware of how Lyle was, he would probably demonstrate it through the maids.

Wasn't that what he did last time around? Isn't that why all the maids were so cold and professional? It was because of the gossip how the maids were dismissed because of her.

Probably word would travel through the kingdom on how she was a trouble child, but such a reputation wasn't something she cared about in the first place.

If she wanted to be well known for being mannered and virtuous, she would have followed novel's Seraphine's footsteps from the very beginning.

But this was her, and she wanted to stay true to her character. Only then would she be able to enjoy every day of her life and not be filled with regrets.

She could feel how Jennifer's hands were shivering while she opened her mouth to say, "Lady Seraphine, what do you want to eat? Chocolates? Caramels? Cakes? I will get them all for you. That's why, please don't harm yourself anymore."

Seeing how that facade of Jennifer had finally broken down pleased Seraphine. Since Jennifer couldn't tie her up, this was the only way she was able to compromise.

'Perfect!'

Even Seraphine herself was amazed at how things turned out to be although it was a pity that her forehead ached terribly.

Wearing a smile on her face, she nodded her head and said, "I want to eat lots of delicious food."

"Alright, Lady Seraphine," Jennifer said before ordering, "Get the ointment for Lady Seraphine quickly!"

°°°

Having her stomach filled with delicious food and her tongue appeased, Seraphine smiled while she stepped into Lyle's room. This totally felt as if she had gotten a victory over the boy.

Was there anything better than this?

Even though Lyle thought that he was able to control her, this wasn't the case right now, and while she stood in front of the boy, she appeared to be completely smug.

As for the bruise on her forehead, she was amazed at how the maids were able to cover that with her bangs. Moreover, the medicine used was quite impressive as well.

Inside the room currently— which seemed to be more like Lyle's office— there was only both of them, other than two guards who stood beside the door, making sure no one enters.

The chair was already pulled back for Seraphine, and swiftly, she sat on it. In front of her was a table filled with documents and books. Opposite to her was Lyle, and he closed the book.

Creases appeared between both of his eyebrows, and he questioned, "Did you cry?"

Although her forehead could be hidden, the same wasn't for her eyes. But that wasn't enough to bother Seraphine. 

"Is that any of your business?"

A sigh escaped from Lyle's lips, and he voiced out, "You attitude seemed to have worsened. As a punishment, you have to finish copying all of this."

Seeing the pile of sheets he pointed at, she stared at her, wondering if he was absurd or not. It was crazy to imagine a four-year old write all of that.

'As if I will go through something as ridiculous as this!'

Staring at the boy with determined eyes, she stated, "I don't want to."

Her eyes displayed how she was clearly challenging her and pushing his buttons. She was curious to see what the male would come up with next. There was limit to how far a seven year would be able to do.

Maybe he would resort to physical punishment. After all, that was hinted at the novel. The novel did not go describing the punishments to a great detail, but it was enough to make the female lead frightened.

To make a child obedient from a young age, the teaching methods were strict without a doubt.

"Well, it's your wish. But do know that you wouldn't be able to leave the room unless you're done with them. There would be no meals for you as well."

Curving the corners of her lips upwards, she wore a smile on her face and said, "Fine."

'Tch! As if that would make be obedient!'

Hunger was terrible thing to feel, and any child wouldn't be able to bear with it. It was too much for even her sixteen year old self, but her strong pride kept her against accepting the punishment.

'If that's how you want to play along, let's do this. It's not like you will be able to starve me to death.'

It truly fascinated her how a seven year old could be that cruel, but when it came to novels, nothing was impossible.

She wondered what all tricks did the boy have up his sleeve of this was just the beginning, and moreover, his methods will only get worse as he grew up.

Getting down from the chair, Seraphine made her way over to the couch and sat on top of it. Folding her arms over her chest, she then stared at Lyle strongly.

After shaking his head slightly, the boy looked away and turned his attention to the documents.

Seraphine would not have this repulsed to this if this was considered to be a norm here. But no other child her age in the novel went through such strict training.

In the novel, while everyone happily chatted about their childhood, the only thing Seraphine was able to do was smile from the sidelines and observe it.

Lyle and Clayton was both out of ordinary and talented for their age. While one devoted himself to the office work, the other one trained hard with the knights. Both of them started doing so from the young age.

It was expected for their sister to be similar as well.

But there were no customs that forced her to be like them. Just because they had passion towards succeeding from a young age did not imply that Seraphine should be the same as well.

Seraphine wanted to make it clear to them that she was capable of making her own decisions and choosing the path she would be happy at.