Surviving As A Cannon Fodder

CHAPTER 7

Four years later.

Spring was around the corner in the Ashford territory.

Camellia flowers were blooming as bright as the sun, covering the plains in a carpet of red.

The garden in the Ashford mansion was filled with butterflies fluttering their wings feasting on the nectar in the flowers.

Songbirds were merrily singing by the pond and the squirrels were coveting bush berries while trying not to get caught by the gardener.

It was a perfect day for a tea party.

Countess Ashford had long arranged this gathering with meticulous effort. It has been a while since she had met her close friends.

Life in the Ashford territory has been busy for the past few years. To be precise, it has been busy since the arrival of her daughter.

"You look troubled Rosaline. Is something bothering you?" asked Baroness Vanessa Howard with a worried face.

"You do look troubled" commented Viscountess Maze Hathway.

Countess Caroline Norton was sipping her tea as she nodded to her statement.

Vanessa, Maze, Caroline, and Rosaline have been friends since they were young. They were a team and always had each other's back no matter what the circumstance.

The group hadn't met each other in months due to the distance between their territories. Planning this tea party to match everybody's schedule took time and effort. They also used this opportunity to arrange a playdate for their children so that they could befriend each other.

"I'm worried about the children" Rosaline heaved a sigh.

Although it was she who sent them, she had been worried ever since the children went on their own to play.

"If you're worried about Angelica since it's her first time meeting the other kids then don't be. Haaaah, just thinking about that little Angel is enough to make my worries go away" exclaimed Viscountess Maze in a merry tone, not knowing that what she had just said was wrong on so many levels.

"It's not Angelica that I'm worried about" Rosaline corrected her.

"Then are you worried about the older kids?" countered Vanessa. It was unusual to see Rosaline gloomy at a tea party, especially at a party that she had arranged.

Baroness Vanessa Howard was Rosaline's sister-in-law. She was married to Baron Malcolm, who was also Rosaline's twin brother. She had two children Tristan and Elliot who were also twins at the same age as Clive.

Vanessa had a rough idea of what was going on Rosaline's mind since she frequented the Ashford residence compared to the others.

For one thing, her children and Angelica were always at odds with each other, while Clive stood a neutral ground.

"Angelica has always been a bright child" Rosaline put down her teacup.

"Even when she was a baby she never cried unless she was hungry or needed to be changed. And when we talked to her or read books she always listened keenly.

She started writing when turned one and caught up to Clive in no time. We were happy that she was a prodigy.

But ever since she started to walk, she has been behaving bizarrely from time to time."

"Bizarre?" asked Viscountess Maze Hathway. She tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand Rosaline's concerns.

She wondered what kind of antics did the quiet Angelica do for Rosaline to worry so much.

"Yes, bizarre" Rosaline leaned back in her seat and began narrating her story.

"Bizarre like the one time when she was two years old. She was playing with Clive in the drawing room when suddenly she collapsed to the ground. Clive tried to wake her up but she didn't move. And didn't breathe for a while. She turned the entire household upside down in a fraction of seconds" Rosaline took in a deep breath.

"And what do you think her response was?"

"What?" Maze, who was invested in the story, asked curiously. She took a bite of the chocolate placed on the dessert table and waited for Rosaline to continue.

"She said she 'played dead' to see how her brother would react to it"

"Oh my!" Maze gasped. She had never heard or seen children act in such a way. Her eyes twinkled with curiosity.

This was getting more and more interesting.

"Go on. What happened next?" She urged Rosaline to continue.

Vaness's shoulders were shaking unnaturally. She was holding in her laughter so as to not burst out.

On the other hand, Countess Caroline Norton listened to their conversations without interrupting. She continued sipping her tea while occasionally glancing at the trembling Vanessa.

Vanessa covered her face with a fan to avoid Caroline's gaze.

"Then a few days later Angelica told Clive stories about how monsters sleep under his bed and that they would eat him if he ever gets down in the middle of the night" Rosaline massaged her throbbing head.

"Later that night, she sneaked into his room and pulled his feet from under the bed, and tried to drag him down"

"Clive screamed the entire mansion awake. He refused to sleep alone for a month. We had to bring a priest and have his room blessed to calm him down"

"Pfft...! Ahem, continue" Vanessa corrected her throat, trying to act as casually as possible. She was already at her limit.

Vanessa averted her eyes when she noticed Rosaline glaring at her. It was not her fault that she continued laughing. It was the scenario that made her unable to control herself.

Rosaline glared at Vanessa before continuing, "Or how she takes all his desserts."

"She doesn't particularly like sweet things. But she eats them just because they belong to her brother"

"Haah" Rosaline signed again.

"But the most bizarre one was the incident last week. Just thinking about it is making my head spin" said Rosaline, recalling what came to become one of the most traumatic incidents in Clive's life.