Selene's stomach dropped the moment Magnus turned toward her fully. His scarlet eyes, usually sharp but steady, were now burning with a faint, unnatural glow.
Her breath hitched. Oh no… not again.
The Ravencroft Madness.
It was an illness whispered about in both history and hushed gossip. Every descendant of the Ravencroft bloodline carried it like a curse. At first, it always began the same way, an obsession. An anchor of fixation so powerful that their lives would start to orbit around it.
For some, it was harmless. An ancestor who obsessed over painting. Another who hoarded books until his estate collapsed under the weight of them.
But the moment that obsession was threatened… that was when the true horror revealed itself. Their minds snapped, and the madness flared, transforming them into beings who would stop at nothing to eliminate the obstacle in their path.
And the sign, the unmistakable, terrifying sign was when their irises glowed red.
Without hesitation, Selene slapped him hard on this back.
SMACK!
"Snap out of it, you idiot!" she yelled.
The sharp crack echoed across the stunned gathering. Even the knights and children froze, mouths hanging open.
Magnus staggered forward slightly, .
Magnus staggered forward the crimson light flickering in his eyes before dimming back into his usual scarlet and with a sharp hiss, his hand shooting to his back. "Argh! Why did you hit so hard?!" He turned his head, wincing, his face twisted between pain and disbelief. "You could've just… tapped me!"
Selene planted her fists on her hips, glaring up at him. "Tapped you? As if that would work! You were about two seconds away from strangling Lucien to death, in front of God and everybody!" She flung her arm out toward the stunned crowd: wide-eyed children clutching their guardians, guards frozen in place, knights stiff, priests and clerics whispering nervously. "What were you thinking?!"
Magnus grimaced, rubbing the sore spot on his back. "I wasn't going that hard on the boy."
Selene's right eyelid twitched. "Not that hard?!" she repeated, incredulous. "You had him dangling by his neck like a sack of flour! What if something happened? What if you killed him on accident?"
Magnus frowned, his voice calm but unyielding. "I made sure nothing bad would happen. If anything had, it would've been his own bad luck."
Selene's jaw dropped. Her face twitched, then without a word she reeled back and smacked him again, harder this time.
"AAARGH!" Magnus yelped, actually dropping into a crouch from the sting. "Selene!"
"That's what you get!" she shouted, her cheeks puffed with anger. "Control yourself, Father! Or I'll make sure to snap you out of it every single time, even if it means breaking my hand in the process!"
Magnus groaned, clutching his back, but through the pain he caught the sight of her furrowed brows, her fiery little glare, the way she stood in front of him as if shielding the entire world from him.
Magnus straightened slowly, rolling his shoulders as though the stinging blow hadn't nearly folded him in half. He dusted off his cloak with deliberate, measured movements and leveled his face into that familiar stone mask.
"As I said," he muttered, voice clipped, "I wasn't going to kill him."
Selene narrowed her eyes. "Oh, so now you're calm? Convenient. Where was this version of you two seconds ago?"
Magnus crossed his arms. "Your dramatics are unnecessary. I had everything under control."
"Under control?" Selene jabbed a finger at him. "You had him flailing like a fish! If I hadn't smacked the madness out of you, we'd be explaining to the crown prince why one of the Falkenrath heirs was found flattened on the tea party lawn!"
A muscle ticked in Magnus's jaw. But instead of answering, he turned slightly away from her, as if to ignore the little tyrant scolding him in front of everybody.
"I told you, I had everything under control," he muttered, voice even.
Selene narrowed her eyes. "Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that."
The silence that followed stretched until the whispers began.
The guards shifted uneasily, exchanging glances as if debating whether they should applaud Selene's courage or keep pretending they saw nothing. One of them muttered, "She slapped him twice. The Duke of Ravencroft…" His voice trailed off, awe mixing with disbelief.
"I'm surprised. Even though she's a dark priestess…" another whispered.
"…he still loves and protects her."
A priestess leaned toward her companion, her voice sharp with disdain. "Hmph. She's still a cursed child."
Magnus's head swiveled. His scarlet gaze pinned her with a glare so sharp the priestess recoiled mid-sentence, color draining from her face. The priest beside her tugged at her sleeve in silent warning, and she bowed her head quickly, lips snapping shut.
The priest clutched his rosary, whispering prayers that don't turn his anger to them.
The children, however, had no such restraint. A cluster of them giggled behind their hands, pointing. "Did you see that? She hit her dad!" "And he didn't even yell back—he just took it!"
Lucien, still rubbing his neck, glared venomously at the scene. Leo's eyes darted between Selene and Magnus, calculating, unsettled.
"I'm going to tell my parents what I saw," one boy whispered, eyes wide with awe.
Another boy nodded quickly. "Same here. Father said to watch how Duke Magnus treats his daughter. That's the whole reason they sent me here."
A girl rolled her eyes. "Mine too. Honestly, if I had a choice, I wouldn't have come to this low-ranking noble girl's house for a tea party."
"Same!" several other children chimed in, puffing their cheeks. "We only came because our parents wanted to see how the Ravencrofts behaved."
Selene, from several paces away, heard every single word. She dropped her face into her hand, dragging it down slowly with a groan. Great. So much for laying low. Guess the rumors are going to explode by tomorrow.
Beside her, Magnus's lips curved—just slightly. A rare, quiet snicker slipped out.
Selene's head shot up, her eyes narrowing. She raised her small hand threateningly, fingers twitching like she was about to smack him again.
Magnus immediately flinched, straightening his posture and coughing into his fist. "…Don't you dare."
Selene slapped him again.
Meanwhile, Miranda, pale and tear-streaked, blinked at Selene's defiance and almost laughed through her sorrow. "You're the first person I met who would dare to hit your father," she whispered hoarsely
Magnus, now rubbing his back mumbles "Enough noise. The matter is settled."
Selene scoffed. "The matter isn't settled until you admit to what you did."
His crimson eyes slid to her, flat and unreadable. Then he turned his head away,
"No."
Selene groaned and rubbed her face. Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless.