I have found myself upon a strange new pedestal after that whole incident. Their eyes gleamed with newfound respect, pity, and the dashing speeze of a newfound exhilaration at a daring challenge.
After parting with them for a short while, I went back to my day-to-day life of nature frolicking and life-saving exercise. I heard through some bushes that while I was busting down quests and filling my rewards in the hidden compartment, lots of people had been trying to get random family members to 'test' it out.
Some of the adults just drank it without looking and ended up spitting it everywhere. Some were wiser, seeing the expectant look in their children's eyes and instantly caught on to the tomfoolery taking place.Their reaction varies greatly with the shining sacrifice of Zephyr and Aaron, who got played into drinking the whole cup themselves after getting finned by their parents.
Moreover, it seems that they also tried to pull it on Olivia and Amber, but their history with Dawn made it so much easier for them...
... To flee.
They ran the moment they saw that cup, proving its rightful might.
Within the span of their week-long havoc, a surprising conclusion that most of them came to was to bury my room in gifts and bizarre treats from their expenditure.
Although Selinus packed most of them off as potentially hazardous for a person's health and safety in general but still let me keep the more...normal ones, with combined begging of me and the gift givers (the aunts and uncles).
He even partnered up with my own lady-in-waiting to restrict my intake of all and any matter of consumables.
Traitors! I even shared some of Dawn's candy with them.
Should have just kept them for myself:'3.
Anyway...
Surprisingly... Or not, they managed to pull a big hit as well.
That night, during dinner, it was another one of those family gatherings again where everyone is here with food flooding the table and disappearing at the same speed.
There were occasionally sympathetic glances headed my way, seeing the medicinal terror bearing down behind my neck. Anyone could see that the sludge seemed to have embodied some devilish aura haunting its entire being and the cup it was being held in.
They could only sigh as they remembered their own defeat against that terror, experiencing the word 'expelled' in 4K while their own children couldn't bear to look in their eyes, trying to stop themselves from rolling on the floor like a fish out of water, laughing maniacally as a shared experience was created via suffering.
Of course, the bill for the wasted medicine came straight out of their own pocket.
Still, with a face the size of a number longer than the size of their head, they still seem pretty jolly about the whole ordeal.
The amount of sludge left for me to drink was abundant enough to lend them a good bit, albeit very diluted to increase the prankability of it.
The bill tho...
Even I felt like crying a little, seeing them empty their accounts without a second thought into mine. Seeing what I initially thought was a number on a billion-dollar contract, I felt a bit faint, maybe from excitement, potentially fear.
However, I hardly think they feel even a tinge of guilt subjecting their own parent to the sludge.
And... It seems like they try their hand at the last high before they were forced to stop.
By the time the next family meal comes by, they have already set up a whole thing with the butler's help, preparing this whole thing.The sound of chatter and clinking of dishes sounded chaotic, which probably should be the first sign of the impending disaster.
Most, having caught on to their shenanigans, started glancing around at their tablemates and swirling their glasses to check for the impending trap lurking.
*Cough*
A violent chair shift sounded as the chosen victim fell helplessly into it, having been running back and forth between different territories, serving as an inspector for the Royal family. Not quite having caught on the things going on.
They got the Duke to drink it.
Anyone in the room could hear the desperate attempts to hold back his own siblings' wall-shattering laughter and satisfaction as they pretended like they didn't repeatedly fall for that same old trick.
Father's face paled as he sounded like he was trying to fight invisible enemies. The reddened veins in his eyes evidently showed his suffering, clearly retelling his effort not to become a fountain in his own dining room.
"Haha, very funny." He gritted his teeth through the sludge.
Mother passed him a handkerchief, her face turning away from him, clearly trying to hide the smile creeping up her lip.
I would laugh along with everyone as well if the sludge itself wasn't in my mouth right now. To be honest, I would hurl right now if given the chance.
At that moment, the Duke's eye met mine as I attempted to chew my way down the cup. His intended motion of spitting out the diluted medicine halted.Having changed my consumption method lately after choking on it just yesterday, I now use a giant spoon to scoop it out of a big glass, pretending like I'm eating a dessert instead of… whatever this is.
"... You don't have to swallow it, you know?"
I finally catch on to the expression or intention(?) in his eyes.He looks almost relieved, like a child being spared bitter medicine, but his gaze drifts toward the giant half-emptied cup(?) vase(?) bowl(?) in front of me. And with that, he steeled himself, maybe wanting to act the part of the fatherly figure he set out to be; he picked up his boobytrap cup and drank it in one breath.
Feeling… inspired should be appropriate for such action, but with him looking like poison is streaming in his veins, I felt kinda bad.I acted the part of a good daughter and patted his back, helping soothe him as the stomach acid fought with his throat.
Ahhhh....
It does feel kinda nice having someone share my sentiment about this cursed medicine.
I stuffed my hand into my pocket and pulled out two marbled candies in shiny wrapping and put them in his hand.
At this speed, I might have to get Olivia and Amber to take me to meet Dawn and beg her for more of these. I have been distributing them to the victims of the prank faster than I have been eating them myself.
And it has barely been two weeks since she left for work.
The giant jug barely has even half of the candies left in it.
Hmmm…
It is time to put a stop to the pranks.
It was fun while it lasted.
Hehehe:D