Chapter 78: Chapter 78 - Domineering Alice
As she spoke, Spark watched Alice\'s angry face from the side, his hand thoughtfully stroking his chin. He raised his hand, signaling.
"Stop," Spark said, shaking his head, disappointment evident in his eyes. "That is not how you do it. You need to make your voice sharper and your expression angrier."
Alice nodded, her expression determined. "Alice will try again."
Spark\'s reading room was filled with the soft, warm glow of afternoon sunlight filtering through the tall, arched windows. As the breeze entered the room, Alice\'s twin tails swayed, adding to the effect of her fake fury.
Spark was rehearsing Alice\'s intimidating voice, trying to instill a bit of fierceness in her tiny frame.
Despite his blood running through her veins, she was too timid when dealing with others. Did she lean more towards her mother\'s side, or was this due to the environment she grew up in? He wondered. But this had to change, and Spark took the matter into his own hands.
Alice repeated the line with more disdain in her voice, her small fists clenched at her sides. Despite her efforts, her appearance, with her round cheeks and wide eyes, made her look like a cute, puffy ball rather than an intimidating figure.
A while later, Alice paused, thoughtful, her brow furrowed. "Father, why am I learning this?"
"Well, because this makes Alice domineering, and whenever Alice meets bullies, Alice can say those words, and they won\'t dare to bully Alice," Spark whispered, leaning in as if sharing a secret. His voice was soft yet firm, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Really?!" Alice beamed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Can Alice scare bullies with these words?"
"Yes," Spark nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "They will think twice before troubling you."
Alice\'s smile widened, her earlier timidity replaced by newfound confidence. She squared her tiny shoulders and took a deep breath, ready to try again.
As Alice continued rehearsing, the door to Spark\'s reading room suddenly creaked open. His mother, Sophia, entered, her presence commanding and her eyes glaring daggers at him.
"What have you been teaching Alice?" she demanded, her tone icy.
"Just some words of wisdom," Spark replied, avoiding his mother\'s eyes.
His gaze landed on the maid beside his mother. Pooella stood there, her hands folded demurely in front of her, but Spark could see in her eyes that she was the one who had informed his mother about their rehearsal.
"It\'s you," Spark muttered under his breath, recognizing Pooella\'s quiet betrayal.
"Just when I was out for a few days, you\'re already teaching her the ways of bad people," Sophia scolded, her voice rising slightly.
"I was just teaching Alice to defend herself against bullies," Spark explained, trying to sound reasonable.
"Um, Father\'s telling the truth," Alice nodded, supporting Spark. "Father told me Alice can become domineering with those words."
"What words?" Sophia asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked from Alice to Spark.
"Father said if I addressed others as monkeys, they would be scared away," Alice replied innocently.
"Tell me, what do you mean by monkey?" Sophia turned to Spark, her voice stern. "Who is she going to use this word on?"
"Well, I thought, in case she came across a bad monkey one day," Spark lowered his voice, feeling a bit sheepish under his mother\'s intense gaze.
"Hmph, Alice, let\'s go," Sophia said, turning away and extending her hand to the little girl.
"We were about to use those wor—" Spark began to mutter.
"Did you say something?" His mother\'s eyes bore into him, her voice like a whip.
"I said we were about to go on a stroll," Spark quickly corrected.
"You won\'t take Alice with you," Sophia declared. "Alice will stay here with me."
She picked up the little girl, her movements gentle yet firm, and exited the reading room, Pooella following closely behind.
As the door closed behind them, Spark slumped back on the couch, his eyes drifting up to the ceiling. His hair stirred gently in the breeze coming from the open window behind him, carrying the faint scent of blooming flowers from the garden outside.
"A day without adventure is like a book with blank pages," he muttered to himself, a wistful note in his voice. "This grandma poo ruined my plan."
"I wonder if there\'s anything fun to do in the city?" Spark muttered.
The door creaked open again, and Zhao Shi entered, holding an envelope in his hand. His presence was calm and composed, contrasting with Spark\'s restless energy.
"Young master, you received a letter from your friend Baros," Zhao Shi announced, extending the envelope towards Spark.
"Why did he send a letter? Can\'t he just come here in person?" Spark wondered aloud, his brow furrowing.
"Well, that—did young master forget what Lady Sophia imposed a few days ago?" Zhao Shi reminded him gently.
"Ah, I remember now." Spark scratched his head and laughed wryly. "My mother did impose something a while ago."
His mother, Sophia, had banned Baros from entering the mansion. She feared that if Spark and Baros spent too much time around Alice, they would influence her badly, and she couldn\'t take that risk.
From then on, Baros could no longer enter the gates of the duke\'s mansion and was forced to communicate with Spark through letters.
"What does it say?" Spark asked, gesturing towards the envelope.
Zhao Shi nodded, opening the envelope, and began to read.
"Sir Baros has invited the young master to the Coliseum," Zhao Shi said, his voice steady. "It says \'something exciting\' will happen there."
"That fatty loves to keep things in suspense." Spark stood up from the couch, stretching his arms. "I guess I\'ll go. It\'s been a while since I visited that place."
In Dwight state, there was only one coliseum, a place where bloody fights and gambling were normal and legal. Because of Alice, he hadn\'t visited the coliseum. His mother would scold him to death if he ever took Alice to such a place.
"Butler Zhao, prepare a carriage. I\'m heading to the coliseum," Told Spark.
"Yes, young master," Zhao Shi replied, bowing slightly before leaving the room.