The Baroness Misbehaves
Chapter 248: Don’t Scare Me Like That!

Chapter 248: Don’t Scare Me Like That!

"Madeline!"

A sudden gasp tore from the little girl’s lips as she heard her Mother call her name. She had proceeded to climb a tree in order to jump out from the fence despite her Mother’s disapproval, and the sound of her name being called had startled her, leading her to fall from the branch down to the leaves that had been gathered on the floor, saving her from the fall.

Her Mother stood at the entrance of the backdoor, watching her daughter who tried to hide away by burying herself into the leaves, but her husband showed up behind her and hurried to his daughter whom he had seen fall off a tree from the window.

"Maddie!" Her Father was quick to help his daughter stand up, and his eyes that held panic immediately softened when he saw her alright. He crouched on one knee to her level, dusting off the leaves and dust that got attached to her hair, face and the collar of her dress.

"Naughty girl, what if the leaves weren’t here to save your fall, you’d have a broken leg, and you’d leave your Mother and I worried." The Father softly queried his daughter who dusted off the lingering sands from her shoulder.

"I am fine." Madeline responded with a smile before pointing her small index finger to the top. "I wanted to see if I could cross the fence like last time, I wanted to follow the examples you made, Father."

"Ahh... you wanted to be a champ my little princess." Her Father ruffled her dark messy hair before looking at his wife who hadn’t said a word and just watched them from where she stood.

"She’s as naughty as you."

"Don’t use it as an excuse." His wife coolly said, "I specifically told her myself not to climb the tree, but she never listens to anything I say. You taught her this things, and it’s improper for a girl who needs to be prim and proper"

"Father didn’t do anything, you said choices bring consequences and I wanted to test it out." Madeline spoke up, meeting her Mother’s equally dark orbs. "I climbed the tree cause I needed to get to the other side, it was my choice, but the consequences of it led to my fall."

"When will you learn to talk your age?" Her Mother sighed, placing a hand to her waist. "Why would you use a tree when the front door is there?"

"Because there are no consequences," Madeline responded to her Mother. "I am trying to learn. In times of difficulties when only the fence is an option, one has to make the choices regardless of the consequences too."

"Are you saying you’re going to find yourself jumping through a fence? This child.... I am genuinely worried about your lifestyle if you no longer have your Father and I around with you."

"Where are we going?" Madeline’s Father suddenly lifted her in the air, making her sit on his shoulders while she giggled at his playful actions. "You worry too much my darling wife, we’ll be right here with her, I still have to find a good man who will take care of our viking princess when she comes of age, and not just any man, someone who will love her the way we do. Am I right?"

"Mhmmn." Madeline nodded her head in her Father’s favor, and she heard him say. "Even if we aren’t around, she’ll live for us, and become strong, independent, just like you. She’ll make us proud." He winked at his wife who rolled her eyes, but failed to hide the smile that graced her lips, there was a strange look they both exchanged, a sad but assuring look that only appeared for a minute.

"Yes!" Little Madeline’s voice broke them from the little trance, "I will live by the rules I make for myself."

"Exactly, keep doing what you know how to do best."

"I am not surprised," Madeline’s Mother finally joined in. "You find opportunities to side with your daughter everytime I try to make her change her ways. Look at how she speaks to me like she’s already an adult."

"Father always said the way I act has nothing to do with my age, it only means I’m ten times smarter, and ten times stronger." Madeline vouched for herself, and her Father smiled.

"That’s the spirit princess! Now come, let’s see if the ring shop is open today, we’ll need to buy your Mother her favorite jewel to appease her stone heart before we leave tonight." He whispered, ignoring the fact his wife can still hear him, and Madeline nodded her head, unable to hold back a chuckle.

When she opened her eyes, she was met with the familiar ceiling above. Her brows wrinkled, and for a second, she could barely remember why the environment had changed, but before she could settle down to think, the images of what happened at the choosing ceremony flooded her head, the chase, and then Jeremy.... He had taken her away to a strange dark cave.

The image of his bared fangs sinking into her skin made her grip tighten on the bed with her knuckles white, but it was out of panic, and her eyes snapped wide in horror, the pain she felt, the way he didn’t stop despite her attempts to save herself.... He....

"Maddie." In the midst of it all, as though her body had been electrocuted to life, she turned her head slowly to see Cassian staring at her, but the horror in her eyes was still there.

"Just look at me, nothing happened okay?" His voice was unexplainably soothing as he took her sudden panic into consideration, and Madeline nearly flinched away when he brought his hand forward to touch her head. When she felt his hand on her head as he tried to pet her, her tensed body involuntarily calmed as she tried not to react to the feelings clawing at her.

It felt more like she had forgotten herself for just a split second, and her eyes gradually softened. Madeline’s gaze shifted around the room, and she sighed when it dawned on her that she was back in the house, with Cassian.

"Maddie." After regaining half of her senses, his voice that sounded like the best thing she had heard all day, made her look at him again, and the relief in his eyes, the way watered like he was holding back tears stung her heart.

"Cassian?" Her brows creased worriedly, and her hand found his cheek, "what... What happened? Why are you.. sad? Did something happen? Is Inna alr....??"

A sudden gasp escaped her lips when he hugged her out of the blue. It left her dazed for a few seconds, but in the end, her hands embraced him when she felt his body tremble against her, and she patted his back lightly.

"Don’t ever scare me like that." She heard him say, sounding vehement as he refused to let go, and Madeline’s were equally filled to the brim, knowing she must have scared him for him to say something like that.

"I’m sorry."

"You don’t have to apologize, it was my fault, I failed to reach you sooner." He pulled back to meet her eyes. "You can punish me if you wish but don’t leave me like this. You are my world, Maddie, everything about me revolves only around you, I won’t be able to handle it." His voice weakened with emotions as he wiped the lone tears that planned on escaping from her eyes.

She said nothing and hugged him once again, and she pushed her weak self up into a sitting position. "I lost my ring." She said to him, forcing her voice to sound more audible.

"I lost my wedding ring." She uttered again, nearly breaking down into another round of tears, but they stopped when Cassian pulled out the same ring from her his pocket.

"This ring?" He asked, watching her eyes grow wild in bewilderment.

"Yes, how did--" she wanted to take it from him, but Cassian didn’t give. He placed his palm forward, motioning she offered him her hand.

When she quietly did so, he slipped her ring back into her dainty finger before kissing her knuckles with so much affection, Madeline could swear her heart melted.

"I found it, actually... it found me." He answered, "without the help of the ring, I wouldn’t have found you in that cave. I’m so sorry..."

"You didn’t do anything." Madeline stopped him with a weak, but gentle smile on her lip, and she couldn’t hide the joy and relief at the thought of her ring being brought back to her, and is now in her hand.

"Jeremy is the one responsible, not you." She shook away the memories from her head. "It feels like the days have gone by in just a night."

"A day?" Cassian arched a brow at her, "you were out for a week!"