'Smile...Yes, happy birthday, Alyson.'

We were celebrating Alyson's tenth birthday in my room. The whole gang was present, and the joyous mood went in full swing.

They were also planning to hold a formal banquet tomorrow. Alyson kept begging George to let me join in on the fun while my mother, Maya, wore a downcast look on her face from the side.

Of course, it was nothing more than a child's tantrum, and being the gentle father that he was to his children, George was at a loss when met with Alyson's relentless requests. Fortunately, Byron, the head butler, was there to save the day.

With an easy and masterful play of words, he was able to make Alyson stop pestering George. And he did it by emphasizing my role and health.

After all, almost everyone knew what kind of existence I held in this family.

The prized child? No, more like the sore thumb of Dawson's love couple, the child that tethered between life and death in their eyes. That was the reason why they would get so overprotective of me.

Nowadays, the more active I get, doing this and that, they were able to relax their clenched fists a little. But that anxiety was still there, buried in their faces.

It is what it is...

Anyway, with Hannah, Byron, and for some odd reason, Renata's efforts, the ruined mood was salvaged, and the celebration went on. Well, not so much of a celebration but more like a family gathering, I guess...

It was cozy and relaxing. And since it was a special day, I decided to not grind too much and make them worry, at least not until this was over.

But, instead of limit-testing, playing games has brought a refreshing wind to my rigid routines, so I figured why not?

At first, I thought we were going to play the cup game again, but it seemed that my sister came prepared. She brought so many toys...It was more or less decided that we were going to play them all, at least until she was sick of it or the day was over.

We started out with jigsaw puzzles, spinning tops, and stereoscope viewing. Then, she wanted to do something a bit more social, so we landed on playing old maid as a result. Hence, we stumbled upon the sight where a ten-year-old Alyson was trying his best to explain how the game worked for me. I know how to play so it was quick...

'I choose...that one!' A card floated from her hand and hovered neatly in front of me. 'Damn it...'

Alyson's stoic look melted the minute when she saw my eyes widen after looking at the card, and from it emerged the annoying punk-ass grin that made my eyes twitch.

To be honest, I was tempted to cheat again. But since it was her birthday, I would be the bigger person...I just have to ignore her trying to mess with me...

After playing back and forth for a couple of rounds, she got bored since we were the only ones playing. So, following the birthday girl's suggestion, George and Maya joined as the other players and the family of four played old maids on my bed as a result.

It was weird in the sense that it didn't feel weird to me...It should be though...

I figured I wouldn't be able to find out the answer why and decided to bury it for now and just play. And boy, was I shocked.

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You would think that it would be this wholesome experience since the family gets to do something together, and I could learn a thing or two about connecting emotionally with this new family of mine.

Welp, it was emotional, indeed. But for a very different reason...

Apparently, Maya was someone who gets super competitive at games like this. And when she got rolling, her tongue also turned nasty. Man, she was totally like a different person, I tell you.

Alyson, who just wanted to pick the leftmost card on Maya's hand in peace was told that her left arm was chubbier than her right because she kept tilting on her right during her etiquette lesson.

Was that true? Did that even make any sense at all? Why was her chubby arm mentioned...No, why was her etiquette lesson mentioned in the first place? Maya's trash-talking was so next-level, it even got Alyson confused about what hand she should be using...

But the real question was, did it do the job? Well, splendidly so. Mentioning the chubby arm, her lack of focus due to skipping her vegetables, and other bullcrap she cooked up was definitely doing Maya good in the game.

So that's the gist of it, but I digress too much. What I meant by emotional wasn't simply because of how she got Alyson dancing in the palm of her hand.

Nah, the stage and the actors were different...

She kicked her antics up a notch when George came into the picture. Maybe Maya was warming her tongue up with Alyson as her victim before the real game, but it was definitely different with George. Obviously, excluding Byron, who, by the way, seemed to enjoy watching what happened more than we do, Maya was the one who had the most dirt on George.

At one point, both Alyson and I had lost and buckled up for the show. I could totally feel the pain in George's eyes when he saw us losing. I mean, the poor man was skillful but he clearly held no candle when it came to spewing bullshits like his wife. But how could he call it quit when he, as a Duke, had a reputation he needed to uphold as the family's head to his children before him?

Thus, the Duchess's carnage begins. And it was beyond brutal...

The clumsy flirting, failed mood-making, awkward skinship, embarrassing carriage moments, cheesy lines, and even the pettiest farting habit in the bedroom were not spared. She dug the Duke's black moments of life and unearth everything before us. All in order to mess with his head so would win a freaking game of old maid...

She was a devil in disguise. The woman's tongue knew no limit; I reckoned she would totally dominate a roasting bout no matter where she went...

Man, she was one crazy lady. The woman was completely nuts!

I was thoroughly impressed by the sight of George, who hung on for his last shred of sanity and was able to navigate his way through Maya's ruthless and sharp tongue and the rest of her mind games.

After rounds of enduring the torture that came from none other than his own wife, the Duchess, George was able to score a couple of wins and kept his back straightened. It was more like a desperate attempt to salvage whatever was left of his dignity.

Finally, the game was over, and everything could turn back to how it was. Or at least that's what I hoped so. Then again, I believed it would be close to impossible. After all, the damage was done...

Fortunately, the resting of the sun was there to spare the awkward ambiance. It was time for dinner and also for us to part.

Alyson, quick as a cat, shoved the cards into Renata's hands and told her to throw or burn them so she could never see them again. She then pecked me on the cheek before quickly exiting the room like a scared kitten.

Following that, George, red as a beet, ruffled my head gently while saying goodbye before making an almost similar exit to Alyson with Byron close on his tail.

As for the one who served as the reason for the two's behavior, she was simply back to her usual self. Seemingly unaware of the peculiarity that has transpired. It was almost like she had forgotten everything that happened moments prior.

Maya tucked me into the blanket carefully, checking everything before she landed her lips softly upon my forehead.

"Goodbye, Alex...See you tomorrow." With a smile, she exited the room.

'What a storm...' I sighed.

Thus the story of what had happened at Alyson's birthday.

Apparently, the grudge between the husband and wife has been too intense, and she gets punished a lot in the couple's bedroom because of her own doing if you know what I mean...

Yes. some time afterward, Maya was confirmed to be pregnant.

It seemed that we'd be welcoming a new addition to the family, and I was going to have yet another sibling...