Chapter 300: Think Of Me
Carmela had not foreseen a straight-out declination from the child. His quick-witted response had left her unexpectedly speechless, to the point where all she could do was gaze at Marius who seemed just as taken aback as she was. The children in the cage watched from the corner where they had been huddled in, stupefied to their wits by the child’s unbelievable guts.
He looked merely about four to five years of age, but he just stood there, unsmiling, whilst his Amber-brown eyes that mirrored the setting sun, kept glancing at the surroundings he had found himself in. His lack of fear was what had Carmela and Marius pondering for some seconds, but, however, Carmela narrowed her eyes and simply assumed she had to sound more strict with her assertions– afterall, he was nothing more than a child.
"Are you listening to me at all? I said stand in the center," she repeated audibly, sounding more stern that it sent shivers down the spine of her captives, "this is not a request, child. You’re in my fortress, so you’ll have to listen to me."
"You’re not my mama! I don’t have to listen to you." Alain’s expression remained humorless as he retorted sharply, but it was almost comical to Marius, as he had never witnessed such an intriguing scene in his many years of living. Rather than fear, the little boy seemed irked that he got separated from his Mama and Papa. "I want to go back home, take me back."
"Do you defy the Queen’s orders? She can do horrible things to you if you keep up with your attitude. Haven’t you been lectured on the temperance of witches?" Marius crouched before the little boy, hoping to instill a little fear in him, but Alain simply folded his arms and tilted his head to the side, his Amber-brown eyes critically locking with the darker ones of Marius.
"I’ve heard about witches. They’re supposed to be all scary and stuff. But you’re not a witch, neither are you scary, you’re just weird. Like her." He pointed at the bewildered Carmela, and Marius struggled to suppress a smirk, unable to restrain his bemusement. Could it be that the little boy was never really afraid from the start? From his attitude, Marius could differentiate what he had seen from what he was seeing now.
"Perhaps a touch of fear would be in order." Carmela scowled through gritted teeth as she made her way to the little boy, and she grabbed his arm roughly. "You will listen to me, or there shall be consequences! Do you understand?"
"Consequences? Like turning me into a toad?" Alain’s pupils dilated critically, catching Carmela off-guard. "That would be cool. Then I can hop away from you." He deadpanned.
At this point, Marius couldn’t help but chuckle at the boy’s impressive audacity, he was tempted to keep him alive, but when he looked at Carmela who was torn between frustration and irritation, he knew he had to keep his opinion to no one but himself. The captives, who were initially terrified, found themselves stifling laughter at the unexpected absurdity brought by the child who refused to be cowed by magic or intimidation.