Dinner with the family

“Listen here,” tell me what is going on with me,” Katherine commanded looking at her reflection in the mirror and the make-up artiste drew her head back sharply, her position still bent as she had a soft blush brush in her hand, in the process of passing it across Katherine’s cheeks. But Kat paid no mind to her or the other two assistants that were with her, glaring at herself in the mirror. No answer, the hissing voice had remained silent. Terrified is not even beginning to put her feelings in words but Kat had to put up a brave front. Sheila looks at her wordlessly and this helps Kat’s nerves, knowing she has this i***t here to prove something to. Why doesn’t Sheila like her when everyone else does? With that on her mind, she looks down and coaches her breathing into some sort of calm. ‘Great, now I have a voice in my head that isn’t talking back.’ [We will speak, after dinner. You are weak-minded, so I cannot rush you] Kat’s eyes widened as she gaped at the porcelain floor beneath her bedroom slippers, raising her head up to look in the mirror. Nope, her lips did not move so she isn’t possessed- it’s definitely a voice inside her head. ‘I am not weak.’ “We’re done,” Sheila says and with a nod of her head the other two immaculate dressed females of white long-sleeved shirts, with black skirts and shoes, hair in tight buns on top of their heads, moved with grace as they started picking up the brushes and packing them back in the cases they had been taken from. Sheila stroked her cheeks with the large make-up utensil and stepped back, giving her famous tight-fake smile. ‘Weak? I am not weak. Hello?’ But the phoenix was silent. Throughout dinner, Kat stayed by Oscar’s side, remembering to enter the seat from her left and exit to the right. She felt that she could do that much at least since she kicked the king’s girlfriend out from dinner. She’d been told that the queen; always sits directly opposite of where the king sits at all formal gatherings. Kat had been too riled up with Nuwa’s presence then and had replied with, “Dinner with my husband is not a formal gathering, is it?” His aunt Fen had simply raised an eyebrow at her response and stared, her slightly wrinkled eyes showing her disgust by Katherine’s disrespect toward her. Tonight, however, Fen didn’t even bother with Kat’s choice of seating and instead started drinking her wine as soon as Kat took her seat. Kat really hated the fact that dinner always only was served after she and Oscar were seated. She felt as if the family should be allowed to eat when they wanted to, whether she was there at the table or not- it was also one of the reasons why she skipped dinner with them. This was just too much at times. But tonight, she was feeling a bit vindictive and to Fen she says, “How very unroyal and distasteful to be such a fan of alcohol aunty,” and she smiled the way Sheila did at her, minutes before. Before Fen had even enough time to think of a reply Kat continued on, “Let me guess, it’s the Jesus kind?” “Katherine!” Oscar’s hiss was meant to cut off her foolishness and Kat turned to look at him. Yes, indeed it was a childish thing to say but nothing counts as ordinary in this place, so whatever Kat thinks. “Yes, husband?” His scowl softened and he simply said, “We don’t believe in Jesus.” She felt it then- a soft glow swimming inside her entire being. That definitely was not her blushing beneath Oscar’s soft gaze. “Mother really, are you seriously drunk already?” Yichen’s voice reached her ears but Kat couldn’t turn her eyes away from Oscar’s grey ones. It was as if he was calling to her soul and she was answering. Oscar’s royal family members were looking at them Kat knew but all throughout dinner she couldn’t help but smile with him and make small conversation. Mostly Oscar and her talked while the others gawked. “I haven’t visited with your father-” “Ah, Katherine. He will see you in the garden tomorrow?” Oscar said sweetly and Kat heard a utensil falling against a plate. “Okay, this is weird. What is going on?” Amelia piped in and Katherine turned to smile at the girl. “Vampire charm, obviously,” Lichen's words were meant to be bitter but his sister’s next words were the ones that broke the spell Kat seemed to be under. “Ah, are we getting a little one?” The entire room became silent then, all eyes on Shancai- including the servants who stood behind them, hands clasped at their fronts. “Shancai! How many times have I told you about that senseless mouth of yours?” Fen, her mother scolded and stood up, looking at Oscar who gave a nod of his head, granting her permission to leave. Kat could only look on as they discussed her, her eyes swiveling from one to the other. “No?” another princess, Ting questioned, looking at Oscar who only smiled. “She’s pregnant?” another royal, Ai gasped out, standing up. “Goodness, I knew immediately when you threw Nuwa out. Hah, I said it didn’t I?” She was pregnant herself and would pop if she continued on this way, Kat thought when she saw an overly excited-looking vein on her forehead, looking as if ready to join in the discussion too. This is baby number three for her and mother to the ten-year-old boy, sitting next to her. ‘What?’ “No woman I had said does something so bold unless she thinks she has the right to, I said it, didn’t I, Hao?” she continued on, looking at her husband who give a little nod of his head but small enough to go unnoticeable, indicating his reluctance to partake in the conversation at hand. He had not stopped eating and bent his head as he placed more food into his mouth. “Of course, there is no baby,” aunt Fen declared, pulling Shancai’s hand as she turned to leave. “No baby? But why?” Oscar’s ten-year-old, non-titled cousin voiced in his childish way and kept his mouth open, staring at Kat from across the table where he was seated. “My boy, I assure you we will work on it,” she heard Oscar playful boasting and her eyes widened but she did not look back at him and once again the room was silent. ‘Eh?’ Katherine is certain her ears are playing tricks on her now. Work on- no- never. She did not want a baby- let alone his. Is he insane? They don’t even have s*x, so how could they even produce one? Isn’t that step one? “Wait till your father learns of this,” Fen snapped as she walked to the door dragging poor Shancai with her. “I assure you, aunty, he will be pleased,” Oscar mocked her and she turned back to glare at them both. ‘Chr*st! I need to talk to Dominique.’ Then Oscar did the unthinkable- he reached over to her hand that was still holding the salad fork and covered her hand with his.