-*| The Cursed World |*-

Chapter Ten: New Standards

(A few hours later...)

The ride to his home went by quickly. In no time, I found myself sitting at a table, much different from the one I had grown up; detesting the pain there was to clean between the cracks in the old wood that made it up.

I shake my head. I should learn to forget about my old home, and everything that came with it. Clover's grip tightens on my hand.

Lord Sun sits at the head of the table. There are a couple other women around him, who I am gonna assume are his other wives. By the three wives, are five children.

The wives eat quietly, with a couple chattering back and forth. While, Lord Sun — What a weird name for a guy. Then again we all have strange names — plays with them. He seems to have no control over his hands. None of them give any effort to stop him.

The children are really loud. Two of the little boys are all banging their forks on the table and shouting at one another. The two girls yank at each other's hair, and one even pulled up the other's skirt before laughing wildly. I give Clover's hand a squeeze back.

One of the other boys, who is older than the rest, sits quietly at the table with a book in his hands. To me, he looks to be in between 8 and 16.

A couple of the people sitting around this table keep looking at us. Looking at me, moreover. Then they will giggle, and whisper back and forth. I look down at the hem of my dress.

"The dress matches her eyes," I catch one of the wives, with strawberry blonde hair, snickering to another with dirty blonde hair.

The other, with these intense blue eyes that also match her gown, comments back, "No wonder she was sent here. Her pa probably couldn't find anyone else to throw her to!"

The chattering continues. Clover is awfully quiet. Now and then I notice the lord looking at her. I itch the back on my head, and hold the front to keep the wig from slipping off.

A dirty-coat comes by, and sets down a couple dishes onto the table. He flashes me a smile, so I give him one back. Usually, the wives are the ones to prepare dinner. I guess since this is the "marrying dinner" they don't have to.

'I guess this is a nice way to marrying us off,' I think, besides from some of the rude comments.

Lord Sun, I laugh to myself as I say his name a couple times over, slams his hand down on the table once the plates are filed down. "The food is here, so fucking shut up!" He yells.

Everyone goes silent. From the gossiping wives, to the mischievous children, to Clover whispering words I can't make out. Even the boy reading immediately shuts his book, and slides it under his chair.

We open the silver lids over the plates, and serve ourselves. One of the wives, the one who made the comment on how my dad couldn't find anyone to marry me off too, goes to help serve the children. On her way over, she sends Clover and I a nasty grin. This time more to Clover than me.

Clover is really pretty. I heard a few times of models, and I know she would be one — Even without fully knowing what the word means. With her growing up from a girl to a woman, this beauty has only grown.

I hear her mumbling again. "Hebe, I really don't want to be here. Do you remember where the bathroom was on our way in?"

Her leg thumps on the ground in a repetitive pattern. Her green gaze continues to fleet across the room, from person to person; from item to item.

Clover squeezes my hand again to make sure I heard her, and then repeated her question. "Hebe, please, do you remember where the bathroom is? Maybe just somewhere we can go to, to get away from — here. —"

"I, uh," I play with some type of beef on my fork. "I don't know. I'm really sorry."

Amidst her distress, she still gives me a smile. "That's okay." Clover whispers back. "I think I see something over there,"

I look where she is looking. A small door farther off to the side. I nod to her.

We get up, but Lord Sun — Still a really strange-funny game in my opinion — stares at us and raises his eyebrow. "Uh, Lord Sun, may we be excused? I have to go to the lady's room," Clover murmured quickly.

He nods, and gets up too. Giggles between the wives fly up into the air. Clover and I exchange confused glances. Except Clover hints worry and fear. I take her hand again, and give it a squeeze. She clutches my hand for dear life.

Lord Sun almost trips over himself, but saves by holding onto the back of the chair. His two stout legs wobble to even himself out. Then he strides to us; flimsily holding a glass of wine.

He grabs Clover's free hand with his free hand. He gives us all a lazy smile, before tugging her forward. When Clover tries to pull back, to free herself from his grip, his expression immediately changes to anger.

He tugs her forward, harder this time. He pulls her forward, and away from me. I just stand there; stunned and not sure what to do.

Now having his prize, he grins again. He continues to pull her away. The laughing from the wives, and now some of the children, rises.

Clover mouths 'Help,' to me, over, and over again. Yet I stand there. Unsure what to do.

When she tries to bat him off, he slaps her, hard. They go up the winding stairs, and no where near that room she wanted us to go to. They enter the first room, closest to the stairs, and I hear the lock on the door snap shut after the door is closed.

I'm still standing there. One of the boys slaps my butt. I pull my dress lower, before sitting down again; finally regaining movement. This makes him laugh more.

"Mom," He laughs harder now. "Can I have this one? She's not much older than I am,"

I only realized how much older the strawberry blond wife was than the rest. The other two are still a good amount older than me, though. She laughs with her boy, before shaking her head and saying no.

I ignore them. "Where did he take my sister?" I ask the other two.

"Up to his room," The other smirks. "You should've done something to stop them if you wanted his claim instead of her,"

"I — What?" I am so confused. Is Clover alright or not? I really do not like these people. Something is just so... off about them all.

She shakes her hand in my face. "Dirty-coat boy! Get this girl out of here,"