Chapter 4: CHAPTER 4: THE MEETING

The time has come for the emergency retainer meeting. I have Delic running the last few things on the checklist before ushering the arriving retainers into the meeting room. I begin mentally preparing myself for what could be an endless road of money pleads.

 

"My Lady, we are finished now. What do you think?"

 

Due to the former patriarchal rule of the Winter Family, there was never any female leader clothing, so I had the ladies take the old traditional leader clothing and tailor it to a more feminine piece of clothing. The Winter Vessel is seen as a person akin to God, so when a meeting or public function is happening, the vessel must where such attire that matches. As I take a look at myself in the mirror, I examine the essential pieces that make the outfit stand out as it did with the male leader's clothing. Sky blue fabric. Snow white draping cape with white fluff accent on the bottom. Dual snowflake pendants. Everything is there.

 

"Oh, my Lady, don't forget the staff."

 

The Winter Staff. A family heirloom passed down from one Winter Vessel to another to show that they have the snow and ice power and complete leadership of the Winter Family. Although I haven't told anyone that I possess this power, everyone unanimously agreed that I should wield the staff as I am the new head of the Winter Family. I firmly take hold of the staff, gazing at its almost icicle-like appearance for a moment, and make my way to the door where Delic stands waiting for me.

 

"All of the retainers have arrived and received lunch, Master. Shall we wait until they finish eating or proceed as planned?"

 

"We will proceed as planned. Those who don’t know their place do not deserve the luxury to enjoy something given by the person that they don’t see as their master." I give off a sinister smile as I stand in front of the door to the meeting room. "Let's do this."

 

Delic opens the door, revealing the men who used to follow my father, and I walk inside. The retainers don't stand at first until they notice me in official attire. They choke on their food and quickly stand as if a fire was lit under them. Secretly enjoying their shock, I make my way to the head of the table.

 

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. You may be seated." As everyone takes their seats, you can feel a sudden tension build up in the room. The air of hesitance and uncertainty suffocating their every move. Using this to my advantage, I take this chance to make them drop their guard. 

 

"I apologize for sending out an emergency retainer meeting on such a short notice. I hope the lunch is to your liking. I don't have all of the original workers yet, so the food may not be up to par like it used to be." I give a sweet innocent smile.

 

One of the lower-ranked retainers drops his guard first. "The lunch is wonderful, Lady Viola."

 

I look over at the leader of the higher-ranked retainers and continue to give him an innocent smile. "Is it to your taste, Sir Brian?"

 

Hesitantly, the fat man takes a singular bite from the food. "Yes, Lady Viola. The food was cooked perfectly." The strain in the fat man's voice as he said my name proves that he was entirely reluctant to acknowledge me as the new head.

 

I readjust myself in my seat, and Delic places a glass of water in front of me as well as the agenda for the meeting. "I understand that you all must be curious as to why I have called you here all of a sudden. Well, I won't sugar coat anything and start straight at the point. Who here is uncomfortable with me being the new head of the Winter Family? It is alright to be honest. I promise that I won't do anything to you. I just want to hear what everyone has to say."

 

The room stays quiet for a good while. The men trade glances at each other, but no one utters a word. I look over at Delic, and he signals me to push forward. "Okay, let me rephrase it. Who here does not think that I am capable of being the new head? Is that better?" I tilt my head and give a fake smile. I can sense that some of the higher-ranked retainers are starting to get annoyed at this point. Finally, the fat man raises his hand, so I gesture to him that he may speak.

 

"I do not think you are capable enough to manage this family or its mafia. You are too young, too inexperienced, and especially the fact that -"

 

"I'm a girl. Right?" 

 

The fat man is shot down in fear as he sees the evil in my eyes.

 

I stand and begin pacing around the room. A menacingly cold aura permeates around my body as my excitement and anger rises. "If I am correct, you all are in complete agreement that I am unfit to be the leader of this family because I am a girl. Not because I am too young or that I am too inexperienced, but because I am a girl, and girls can't lead a family let alone a mafia. Am I correct?" The retainers stay silent. "Don't be afraid to answer. I won't bite."

 

I give them a few more silent minutes to let them think it out in this awkward atmosphere. They are trying to be careful of what they say because if they say the wrong thing, they might miss out on getting money. That's when one of the lower-ranked retainers spoke up.

 

"If I m-may add, the Winter Family is normally head-headed by males who possess snow and ice abilities." He stammers over his words a bit, but he finally comes out with it. "Seeing that you are the complete opposite of those qualities, someone else should be seated as the head of the family."

 

I slowly look over at the retainer who spoke, and he starts sinking into his chair. As I pace around the room, I stop behind one of the higher-ranked retainers and place a singular finger on him which causes him to jump.

 

"So you are saying that a male member of the Winter Family who possesses the ability of snow and ice should take the seat as the family head? Do you agree with that statement, Sir David?" The stocky man shakes as I lower my head to his ears. My ever growing menacing aura surrounding him like a snake wrapping its prey. The man nods his head ever so slowly as if a sudden quick movement would kill him.

 

I release my finger from the man's shoulder and continue pacing around. I take another glance over at Delic who is still standing by the door. He gives me the okay to proceed as planned. Walking back to my seat, I calm my menacing aura and play manipulatively innocent.

 

"What should I do?" I say as childishly as possible. "The whole Winter Family was killed with only me remaining. You all should know this right? If I wasn't the only one remaining, you wouldn't have continued to come by the estate day after day after day banging on my doors demanding money that you so-called deserved." 

 

By now, I am sitting on top of the table with all of the retainers in shock. "How can there be a male heir to the family if there is no male member in the family to begin with? Hm... what should I do?" I pause to look at Delic once again. He showcases one of his more innocently evil smiles.

 

Standing up on the table, I glare down at the men below me. "I may not be a boy, and I may not have white hair, but I am the rightful heir to the Winter Family."

 

Finally aggravated by the whole situation, the fat man Brian speaks up. "You are not the heir to the Winter Family, and you never will be! Only a man who wields the power of snow and ice will become the heir. A girl with no power can never become the head of a family."

 

Clasping my hands together, I try to hold the urge to kill him. "Then what should I do, Sir Brian?" I ask from the other side of the table. 

 

"Since there is no male heir, the retainer of the highest rank should become the leader! In other words, I should become the next head of the Winter Family!"

 

"But you don't hold the name of Winter. I do." I saunter over to where the fat man is proudly proclaiming his fake role and squat down to his eye level. He tenses up as my chilling aura becomes more present. "And you don't wield the power of snow and ice. I do." Reaching a breaking point from the anger I’m holding, I form an icicle close to the fat man's throat. "I wouldn't move if I were you. You could get seriously injured, and no one would want that. Right?"

 

The rest of the men around the table are frozen in fear as they witness me using my snow and ice powers.

 

"That's impossible! Only selected male members of the Winter Family are born with those powers. How did a girl get it?"

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"Who knows? Maybe I was born to be different. I am the daughter of your late benefactor." I push the icicle closer to the fat man's throat. My eyes narrow in on my prey. "Are you going to continue to deny me becoming the head of this family?"

 

The fat man begins panicking as the icicle closes in on him. Delic then appears from behind me in his wolf form growling.

 

"A wolf spirit... impossible... it's the high-ranking arctic wolf spirit..." mutters the fat man. Noticeably trembling, he quickly throws his hands in the air. "Lady Viola is the rightful heir to the Winter Family!" he shouts as he tries to avoid the icicle. "I acknowledge her power and will obey her rule! Please... spare me..."

 

I release the icicle, and it dissipates into thin air. I stand back up and examine the rest of the men. Meanwhile, the fat man faints and slides onto the floor from his chair.

 

"Is there anyone else who disagrees with me being the head of the Winter Family?"

 

As quickly as that sentence ended, the men stand and bow their heads. "Lady Viola is the rightful heir to the Winter Family! We acknowledge her power and will obey her rule!"

 

Delic returns to his human form and lends me his hand so that I can get down from the table.

 

I face the men who are still standing and present an innocently evil smile. "I hope we can continue getting along. Oh! Let's keep this between us. If you ever tell a soul what you saw here, there will be serious consequences." With that, I dismiss myself and leave the room.

 

"Delic, keep surveillance of these men. I don't trust them with a single ounce of my body. The moment they make a move, kill them."

 

"As you wish, Master."

 

We proceed down the hallway and into my room where Delic changes my clothes into something more comfortable. Now that the small rats have been dealt with, the only thing on my mind is my revenge.

 

After Delic finishes changing my clothes, I find a relaxing spot on the couch and drink the tea that he has prepared for me. 

 

If I want to get my revenge, I need to become stronger. I can't depend on my powers whole-heartedly. I have to build up strength and endurance in order to survive a drawn out fight. 

 

At that moment, Edward comes to mind. If I can have him train me again, I can build up the necessary strength and endurance.

 

"Delic, call Edward over. I need to speak with him."

 

"As you wish, Master."

 

Only a few minutes pass by when Delic returns to my room with Edward behind him. I gesture for Edward to sit down, and Delic pours him a cup of tea. I let Edward take a few sips of tea before I ask.

 

"Edward, if I recall, you were the head of the martial arts class when my late father was around. Correct?"

 

"Yes, that is correct. I was the one who trained all incoming mafia members. Why do you ask?"

 

"I would like for you to teach me martial arts. I never got proper training because of how strongly my late father felt about me not learning to fight. I can only perform half-decent maneuvers from what I watched on the sidelines. I practiced in my room when no one was around, so I am not good at it whatsoever."

 

Edward takes another sip of the tea and pauses to think. "Why do you need to learn martial arts when you can recruit capable fighters?"

 

"As the head of this family, I do not want to put any more shame upon the Winter name. I do not want to rely solely on manpower. I want to fight next to my people if ever the time comes just like how my late father did."

 

Suspecting that there was more to my request, Edward sets his cup down and properly faces me. "Okay. I understand. But what is your real reason?"

 

"Real reason?"

 

"Yes. The reason you gave is a very reasonable and noble one. But I have been getting the feeling that you are hiding something. Can you tell me what your real reason to learn martial arts is?"

 

I debate whether or not to disclose my powers to Edward. It is common knowledge that the Winter Family has the power of snow and ice, but only boys who are born with the power. However, I have a feeling that Edward probably knows that I’m the Winter Vessel since a vessel is needed to keep the city the way it is, and I am the only Winter that’s alive. He’s been with the family since my father was a child, so he’s quick to pick up on things.

 

I dart my eyes back up to Edward. "I do not want to solely rely on my powers of snow and ice. I need to build up strength and endurance in order to proceed with my revenge on the gang that destroyed my family."

 

Edward's eyes widened. "You have the snow and ice abilities, my Lady? I mean, I had a hunch, but I didn’t want to ask and possibly offend you in the event that you weren’t the Winter Vessel."

 

I display a flurry of snowflakes around Edward as his eyes widen even more. "You must not tell anyone of this until I say so."

 

"I fully understand now. I will teach you all of the knowledge that I know. I must warn you though. I am a tough instructor. Just because you are the leader does not mean I will go easy with you."

 

I stand up and extend my hand. "It seems we have a deal."

 

"It appears that we do."

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