After having breakfast together for almost half an hour, Marilyn and Elena got up from their chairs and started gathering the bowls from the table.
Caius watched his mom and sister with a smile, just sitting there in his chair observing them.
"Isn't this a rare sight? Seeing Marilyn actually helping Mom? I mean, Marilyn's lazy—"
SMACK!
Marilyn quickly threw a tablecloth she grabbed from near the bread basket in the middle of the table.
"Shut it! Keep talking and I'm canceling that ice cream, you jerk!"
BANG!
Caius slammed his palm on the table, annoyed.
"No way! You can't just break a promise. Remember the number one rule in this house!" he snapped, standing up and glaring at Marilyn who was carrying a bowl in her left hand.
"Haaa!!! I made that promise outside this house, idiot. In front of some old noble's mansion, to be exact. So don't get it twisted, big brother!" Marilyn shot back, ready to fight him like cat and mouse.
Elena, who had been watching her two kids argue, gave them a cold glare that was enough to make Charles bolt out of the kitchen the moment the fight started.
"Marilyn. Caius. Do you want to stop fighting… or stop living?" Elena threatened. Her flat tone hit them like an icy blizzard.
"S-sorry, Ma."
Both Marilyn and Caius bowed their heads with guilty, scared expressions.
Elena just let out a deep sigh, then exhaled with a tired look and turned around, walking toward the sink on the left side of the kitchen.
Seeing their mother walk first, Marilyn quickly followed her. Meanwhile, Caius got up from his chair and walked out of the kitchen, wearing the same expression.
Through the corner of her left eye, Marilyn saw Caius walking out with his head down.
"Big brother..." she mumbled, before lowering her gaze toward her mom.
She watched Elena slowly turn the faucet on, grab the dirty bowls, and start rinsing off the leftovers.
"M-Mom. Are you mad at me and Caius?" she asked.
Elena let out a heavy sigh, ignoring Marilyn's worried and scared question.
"M-Mom. Please say something, if you just stay quiet like this I won't know what to do," Marilyn said, staring at her mother who didn't even glance at her.
She kept trying different ways to get her mom to talk, but Elena just ignored her and focused only on washing the bowls.
Once Elena finished washing everything and placed the bowls on the right side of the sink, she exhaled softly again.
Marilyn noticed and lowered her head, her eyes welling up with tears. But before they fell, Elena suddenly burst out laughing so hard that tears came out of her eyes.
"Ahahahahaha!! I can't hold it anymore, oh god ahahaha!!"
"M-Mom??" Marilyn looked at her in confusion, not realizing Elena had just been messing with her.
"Oh dear, why were you about to cry, my daughter? Were you that worried I was mad? Ahahaha." Elena laughed her heart out, hugging herself.
Marilyn still looked at her with confused eyes, tears not yet wiped away. "Wasn't she mad?? Why is she laughing?"
She kept wondering for a few minutes before suddenly remembering something.
Her mom, Elena William, had the exact same personality and habits as her brother Caius—both of them loved pretending to be angry or sad just for a prank.
It had been going on for years, ever since Marilyn was little, and even now at 22 her mom still loved messing with her by faking anger.
Marilyn glared at her with a sulky face, her cheeks slowly turning red from a mix of irritation and embarrassment. She gripped the hem of her pajamas and twisted it with her fingertips.
"I hate you, Mom," she muttered.
Elena didn't hear Marilyn's tiny voice, so she leaned closer with a smile.
"What is it, Marilyn? Finally admitting it? Ahahaha."
Marilyn's face grew redder. "I hate you, Mom."
"Huh? What did you say, Marilyn?" Elena asked, moving her face even closer.
Seeing her mom's happy smile, Marilyn stomped her foot on the floor.
"I HATE YOU! I'M GONNA GET READY FOR WORK NOW, DON'T COME LOOKING FOR ME!" she shouted, turning on her heel and storming out of the kitchen with the sulkiest, cutest pout.
Elena froze, wide-eyed as her daughter screamed and left the kitchen.
Marilyn hurried straight to her room after saying that, hoping her mom wouldn't get mad and instead apologize. But Elena yelled back from downstairs:
"GOOD LUCK AT WORK, SWEETHEART, I LOVE YOU!" she shouted, grinning happily for no reason.
Marilyn's face turned even redder when she heard it.
"NO! I HATE YOU, MOM!" she yelled back.
"BUT I LOVE YOUUUU!" Elena shouted even louder than Marilyn.
Marilyn slammed her bedroom door shut and collapsed against it, covering her burning red face with both hands, mumbling over and over, "I love Mom, I love Mom, I love Mom sooo muchhh!" grinning like crazy.
But in the middle of her flustered happiness, she hadn't noticed Caius had been sitting in her room the whole time, munching on a snack.
"Knew it. You really do love Mom, Marilyn. Ahaha," he said, popping another chip into his mouth.
Marilyn's ear twitched at his laugh. Her feelings flipped instantly from embarrassed and happy to full-on angry and annoyed.
"Since when were you in my room?"
She pushed herself up, dropped her arms to her sides, and stormed toward Caius.
"Oooh~ since earlier—eh?"
GRAB!
Marilyn grabbed his collar, lifted him, and hurled him with all her strength straight out the wide-open window.
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM, YOU STUPID BROTHER!!!"
"Uwaaaahhh!" Caius screamed.
He flew right out of Marilyn's window, plummeting down and crashing straight onto Charles, who was casually sitting cross-legged and smoking.