Toujours Pur | Euphemia Black

Chapter 94 | Finally Free

"I'm not sure about this, Arcturus."

Cassiopeia Black was seated at the dining table on the first of September, her delicate hands wrapping their fingers around one of the impeccable, fancy teacups that had been handed to her by Tibet for breakfast. Her actual meal had been left untouched, as she wasn't feeling that hungry and she lowered her eyes to the golden brown liquid swilling around in the china.

Arcturus turned around from where he had been glaring out of the dining room window, his hand holding the side of the thick black curtain and he let it drop as he faced his wife, unimpressed with her statement, "Why aren't you sure? You seemed fine with it when we discussed it yesterday," he pointed out with narrowed eyes.

Cassiopeia squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, trying to maintain her ladylike posture despite the sinking feeling in her body that just made her desperately want to slump in her chair, "It's not right. Euphemia left for a reason....there's no point in trying to get her back," she told her husband as she took a sip of her tea for the sake of something to do.

Arcturus barked out a cruel laugh that didn't sound humorous in the slightest...in fact, it sounded more ominous, "She didn't leave. She ran away and that is the most shameful thing that could happen to this family. I brought her up so that she wouldn't be a pathetic coward and look at her now, hiding from us like a cowardly fool," he practically spat, dropping the curtain and stalking away from the window as Cassiopeia watched him nervously.

"You didn't actually bring her up though, did you? You left that job to me," she muttered underneath her breath, not intending for her husband to hear her but Arcturus span around sharply, a menacing aura surrounding him, "What was that?" Arcturus snapped and Cassiopeia blanched a little before repeating her statement boldly, mustering up all of her courage to do so.

Arcturus fell silent, glaring at his wife like she was the most disgusting thing ever, "Whatever," he glowered, "My point is that she belongs here, not wherever she is hiding as of now. And we will find her at the platform and make sure that she knows that," he slammed his fists down on the dining table, causing the breakfast plates to shake as the cutlery jangled on the tablecloth, like they were trembling in fear.

Cassiopeia sighed, the familiar sinking feeling resonating once more in her stomach and making her feel like she was being dragged to the bottom of an ocean - the entirety of the summer holidays since Mia had ran away had been like this. Arcturus' black moods had gotten worse and he had taken his tempers out on his wife whilst he attempted to come up with plan after plan to get his daughter back.

"What if she doesn't want to come back? Has that ever crossed your mind? Euphemia ran away from the wedding for a reason and I feel terrible about it, I've never hated myself more," Cassiopeia said quietly, her voice shaking slightly as she thought about Mia's terrified expression and how miserable she had looked throughout the day. Cassiopeia had managed to smooth things over slightly with her daughter but she would never be able to forget how scared and upset Euphemia had been.

"I don't care if she doesn't want to come back. She has a role and a duty to fulfil, she can't just stop being a Black because it suits her. She doesn't have a choice in any of this, I will make her come back if it's the last thing I do," Arcturus said in a threatening tone, so deadly serious that it actually unnerved Cassiopeia. She wanted her daughter back as well, of course, but this wasn't the way to do so.

"Arcturus, we can't force Euphemia to do anything she doesn't want to. We tried to and we failed. We made her miserable, can't you see that? I've seen the error of my ways...why can't you? I don't see why you can't realise how much pain we caused her, we can at least help her now by leaving her alone," Cassiopeia tried to plead with her husband, her grey eyes wide.