Patrick was staring at the marbled ceiling as he's laying on the large bed.
His arms were fully stretched out yet it didn't once overlap outside the mattress. With nothing much to do, Patrick reflected on the events leading up to now.
This was a new world altogether; he almost forgot where he was for a few seconds.
Memories of the locked door, gun, butler, the weird ass negotiation.
Patrick sat up, running a hand on his messy hair, still trying to process what the hell is going on with his damn life. The engagement, Valeria's crazy antics, and whatever the fuck Reidward was planning with that random land request.
Knock knock.
"Young master," The familiar sound of Reidward made Patrick walk up the door. "Breakfast is ready."
Opening the door, he asked Reidward where to go. "Do I even want to go? Why can't they give me the food in my room."
"Young master, do your best to make Valeria favor you this time." Reidward reminded Patrick about the reason why he was here.
"Oh right, that was the plan." I never talked to a girl in my life. How the fuck do I convince her to make babies with me.
Patrick got dressed in whatever noble bullshit was set aside for him. He followed Reidward down a long corridor, the marble floor reflecting the chandeliers.
When they entered the grand dining hall, Valeria was already there, sipping tea. She spared Patrick a glance as she cut into a croissant.
"Good morning, my dearest Patrick," she said, her voice laced with amusement.
Patrick sat across from her, folding his arms. "Yeah, yeah, morning. You gonna pull another gun on me today or nah?"
Valeria chuckled, setting her cup down. "You're still thinking about that? Patrick, darling, if I truly wanted to shoot you, I would've done it already."
"You expect me to trust that?"
She shrugged. "You expect me to trust you?"
The stare down between them lasted longer than necessary.
"Enough," Reidward intervened, placing a plate in front of Patrick. "Eat. No negotiations over breakfast."
Patrick grumbled but dug into the food. It was surprisingly good, though he still felt like he was being watched. He glanced up mid-bite to see Valeria smirking at him.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Liar.
Reidward suddenly spoke up, his voice calm but cautious. "Lady Valeria, I hope you understand that my young master will not be toyed with so easily. If this arrangement is to continue, I suggest you refrain from testing his patience."
Patrick blinked.
Damn, Reidward got my back for real.
Valeria tilted her head. "Oh, but what butler speaks in behalf of his master? You better shut your filthy peasant mouth." Valeria specially emphasized the words 'filthy peasant'.
Reidward simply smiled. He was the representative of the Bidi Company. However, he chose to serve as butler for the young master. Worried about his well-being. As for the guy who got the position of chief executive after he left, thats for another time.
"Hey, thats my buddy. Don't talk bad to him." Patrick tried standing up for whats right. It was justice.
Valeria narrowed her eyes but didn't respond. Instead, she calmly returned to her tea, a small smirk tugging at her lips.
Swoosh!
Immediately without warning, Patrick pounced Valeria. He jumped in front of the table so fast and slapped her.
Smack!
"You crazy bastard!" Valeria felt the stinging pain and cursed out.
Reidward watched it happen and was about to stop Patrick.
His eyes lit up as if struck with an idea; he then fell to the floor with his ass. He put his hand over his eyes and was about to laugh. He stopped himself from laughing and acted like he fell down unconscious.
The maids around them were panicking; the first thing they did was run to the nearest male butler in the palace. And some notified the guards to stop them. They didn't interfere firsthand, because it may be a political threat that who will protect whose, and will be put to the guillotine.
"You will regret thi-"
"Shut up bitch." Patrick then put his hands on Valerias neck and pushed her to the ground along with her seat.
Patrick took careful measure not to sit on Valeria's stomach. She's still a girl and he simply wants to teach this bitch a lesson, not crippling her ribs.
With his hands on Valeria's neck he tightened it in small increments of strength. Valeria on the other hand had her face pale and her eyes filled with fear.
Not knowing what to do, her hand was holding Patricks face and caressed it. Trying to make him calm down as she knew she couldn't physically overpower him.
Her eyes had tears in them; her body was at overdrive from the lack of oxygen. She gave a a mouthed out word as she couldn't talk.
She said in silent lips, "Patrick, I love you." Of course it was a lie; she wanted to try what would make him change his mind.
Patrick stopped choking Valeria but kept his hands on her neck. "Haaah... hnn... agh..." Valerias breathing was ragged as she took in air, her pale complexion slightly cooling down.
"Patrick, what made you do this?" Valeria's croaked voice entered his ears.
It was a gentle question; she was brushing up Patricks strands of hair on his bangs. The threat still existed, although Valeria wanted to escape as fast as possible; doing so will make the situation worse. She had to know his intentions.
"You... you talked bad to my pal." Patrick himself was also questioning why he did this; It felt like an impulsive thought.
He was a little angry of Valeria's harsh words to Reidward, but not this much.
Unconsciously he did not notice he returned to choking her; Valeria couldn't speak.
Reidward, still dramatically unconscious, peeked through his fingers and sighed internally.
This escalated way too fast. The guards finally stormed in, weapons drawn, only to hesitate at the scene.
The heir to the Bidi Company had the duke's daughter pinned to the floor, hands on her neck, while she gasped for air.
"Y-Young Master Patrick!" one of the butlers stammered. "You mustn't!"
Patrick slowly turned his head, his expression unreadable. "What?"
The room fell silent. The weight of the situation dawned on everyone.
They couldn't just intervene without knowing which side had more power. If they backed Valeria and Patrick turned out to be politically untouchable, they'd be dead. If they helped Patrick and Valeria's family took offense, their heads would roll just as fast.
Reidward, seeing that no one knew what the fuck to do, groaned and dramatically sat up, rubbing his temples. "Young master, while I deeply admire your hands on approach to discipline, might I suggest a more strategic method?"
Patrick looked down at Valeria. Her flushed face, trembling lips, and teary eyes were almost convincing. He finally let go, standing up and dusting himself off. "Fine."