All eyes were on Henry as he took a bite. Riley was all riled up in excitement Raphael just watched with an uninterested expression while still sucking on his lollipop.
'She's a witch, a true demoness, she set him up so he wouldn't reject the cupcake. Here comes the exciting part, I guess Henry isn't as smart as I thought." Raphael thought to himself.
"Argh," Henry froze for a second before looking at them with teary eyes, making their heart skip a beat at his cuteness; how could they think of harming such a beautiful, fragile thing? And, of course, Raphael was the quickest to snap out of it; as a darkling, these types of emotions were a barrier. a
It was already done, he had already taken a bite of the cupcake infected with Riley's newest and most dangerous poison.
"This... this is so good, big sis. I'd like to have more?!" Henry said as he stuffed them in his mouth without waiting for a reply, they both stared at him in shock.
'Wha...what is this? What the hell is going on? Why isn't he rolling on the floor and clenching his heart –which is supposed to be wrenching in pain?!' Riley's inner expression was a mess, she was surprised and disappointed at the same time. But on the outside, she was smiley. "Yay! See Raphael, he likes it." She joked.
The cupcake was injected with her newest and most dangerous poison; although it doesn't kill – none of her poison does because she prefers to finish off her opponents herself– it was lethal.
The Poison was a mixture of Strychnine, but she used a spell to remove its killing effect. Despite not killing the opponent, the pain was enough to make the victim wish for death.
She was dumbstruck to see Henry happily eating the poisoned cupcakes without any reaction.
'Does he not have any powers? Is it the devil inside of him that is suppressing the poison? I doubt the devil's involved; he wants freedom, so I don't think he'll meddle in affairs like this, so what is it?
The only thing that makes sense is that the devil suppressed the poison, but why? Does he not like my tactics? Even if he had magic powers only very high magic users can suppress the poison effects, so what is going on?' Despite her mind being chaotic, she was pretty calm on the outside while she wore a smile.
~num, num, num~
Henry finished the last piece of cupcake in just three bites. He took a napkin, wiped his mouth, and saw his siblings looking at him.
'I messed up' he thought, because he didn't mind his manners when devouring the cupcakes.
"I'm sorry for my bad manners...oh," He said as he saw the cola, opened it, and downed it all in a few gulps.
~buurp~
Now his apology and the excuse of not minding his manners sounded completely ingenuine
"I offer my sincere apologies," He said, seeing the way Raphael was looking at him, he immediately interpreted the situation
"Uh...big brother, I'm sorry I ate them all. I couldn't spare any for you," He added. He could see the surprise in their eyes, but they both had calm expressions on their faces.
"No, it's no biggie, she would make some for me at home." Raphael immediately found an excuse not wanting to talk more.
"Wow, you two must be close. So, shouldn't we get to know each other, our likes and dislikes, just like a family should?" Henry suggested
"Yes, Our cute little brother is right. How about you start Raphael." Riley said.
"You're full of surprises you know that? Leading the discussion perfectly without making things awkward, I'm impressed but curious; let's save the introductions for later; for now, answer me this, Henry" Raphael's tone turned serious, but Henry didn't flinch.
Raphael was trying to intimidate Henry to get a reaction from him. If he had used a spell, an artefact or a skill, his reaction would have given him away, but as he didn't flinch, it made Raphael more curious.
"Ok, What might that be?" Henry asked.
"How do you find this place? Be honest," Raphael asked, although Riley was taken aback from the moment he decided to change the topic, this question was more of a surprise to her. Henry, too, wasn't expecting it, but he had no choice but to be honest.
"Well, it's far from feeling like a home, although I have only read how a home should feel in books, but at the same time, it's not too bad either. I'm already getting used to it here. I even found hobbies." Henry's reply carried a hint of sadness.
"A hobby? And what's that?" Raphael asked.
"It's... reading. I like reading a lot. Not just books, but everything readable." It didn't make sense at all to them but both Raphael and Riley decided to conclude it as him exaggerating how much he loved reading. But in the real sense, Henry meant what he said.
He loved reading, books, people's expression and their secrets. And most of all, invisible, giant records.
"Would you like us to help you make your escape from here," Riley asked a question that surprised both Henry and Raphael.
"Riley, what are you saying? Don't give him hope," Raphael said.
"No, Raphael, I mean it; I'd risk everything to save him. Tell me, Henry. Do you want your big sister to grant you freedom?"
"Freedom?" Henry echoed. He had stopped himself from thinking about things like that, the outside world and everything that wasn't in his curriculum.
"Heh, it sure sounds tempting. But no thank you." His reply shocked Riley. Raphael wasn't so surprised, he knew Henry was going to turn her down, especially after he had mentioned the danger it posed to her.
He knew Henry would try to be considerate and reject the offer. That was why he didn't make too many attempts to stop Riley.
"Big sis, I'm beginning to like it here." He said.