Amelia put her fork down and folded her napkin up, setting it on the table. "Can I be excused please?" she asked, not looking at anyone. "I'd like someone other than Emily to escort me back to my room." She added the second part firmly, especially not looking at Emily.

From how things were going earlier, Bradley just knew in his heart that either of those two would only lead to more trouble.

That's when the room turned cold and quiet, Eric looked at his father for a brief moment and saw the look he was giving Amelia. Brotherly instincts took over as he motioned for Amelia to be quiet. Fear radiated from those actions, whatever problem Eric has with Amelia was either shelved or dead at this exact moment. The man in front of them was not their father, not the one Amelia was used to. Kira noticed that Richard's hand was wrapping tighter around his knife as a free hand was tapping the table impatiently.  Fear for her own life, and Amelia's if she didn't comply, filled Kira as she slowly sat down. Once more...she felt like the enemy staring at the King her father warned her about so many times over. The kind man that took her in...he left the room.  

Emily was shaking feeling this pressure in the room. She couldn't explain it, but the way Richard sat, the way his grip was almost...playing with the knife, just a blank expression that spoke nothing and said everything, and the way he just took every single word of Amelia yelling at him. Her body wasn't moving, she wanted to get ready to defend Amelia but her body wasn't moving. Why wasn't her body moving?! What is this...this...feeling? Fear? Was she...was she that afraid?

As if reading their minds Richard stabbed the cutting knife straight into the table next to him, which caused Vxal to even jump a bit. He hasn't seen that in months, It was one of the go to signs to just leave and leave now. Anytime he had to tell Richard that Alex made an escape, or gained a territory, or killed a trusted general, or many more bad news from the war. It was Richard's go to sign that it was time to go. However, Vxal realized that this was unlike back then. They couldn't run, they couldn't leave Amelia alone with the devil that briefly possessed Richard's every action at the moment. Unlike Emily, Vxal was able to move but he was hesitating...was Richard slipping...could he slip? WOULD he even dare? He kept telling himself that he wouldn't, not to Amelia, not to his precious Princess. However, Vxal also knew that Richard's malice when focused does not spare those he cares about.  So his hand was at the ready, though like his daughter he was shaking.

Richard finally spoke only one word, one commanding word, one word that made Eric, Vxal, Emily, and Kira's blood run ice cold. With hoarse tone of gritted teeth her simply said "Silence" and motioned to Amelia for her to stay right where she was never looking away from her from even a single moment;. 

Amelia jumped as the knife was stabbed into the table, watching it quiver there for a moment with wide eyes before looking back to her father again as he spoke. Her own frustration and anger eddied away into emptiness, replaced by mounting fear. She barely recognized him, and the way his demeanor changed frightened her. She hadn't even said anything downright awful, she didn't think. Sure, she might've been throwing a little bit of a tantrum, but she's done that several times before. She didn't know what...this was. Who that was.

Bradley continued to watch, his grip tight as he thought about how easy it would be to just end the tyrant's life here and now. Would it change anything? Unlikely, the princeling was the same brand of scum his father was, he just hadn't had a chance to get a taste for blood on a mass scale yet.

"Father, you're treating us like..." Eric started.

"You don't have the right to say anything" Richard barked at his son making him cower. "Am I angry at Amelia? Yes, I am. However this is release for me, because of your stupidity. You are supposed to be the next in line to take over Elodus, yet you act like a petulant child!" Kira got quiet at that as Eric just took this verbal lashing. "Despite her failing, your fiance has acted more like family than you ever had these past few months. I can forgive Kira because at least she is making an attempt to make sure this family isn't falling apart. She isn't hiding like a coward!"

Kira wanted to speak up, she wanted to say something, anything! However she was choking, she's never seen this side of Richard, only heard about Richard's furious side. Is this the man her father warned her about...the demon in human form?

"You're a failure, Eric." Richard stated looking back at his meal as he yanked the knife from the table "And that's all I'll see you as until you prove to me otherwise."

"How could you say that?" Amelia demanded. "Eric does nothing but everything you ask of him, and a sibling quarrel is no reason to label him a failure!"

Bradley was somewhat surprised that Amelia came to defense of her brother, though at the same time it seemed very fitting of her. As spoiled as she clearly was, deep down she seemed to be the most genuine person in the room.

Eric looked at his sister in relief and clear gratitude. She saved his life!

Vxal looked at Richard though, him getting more and more silent as he visibly put his hand on his head. Anger induced headache, a whiplash effect from going from furious to calming down. Praise Greka, that man he saw during the war was only making a cameo.

Richard looked at his food and ate it quietly then said "Amelia, to what you were saying earlier. I'm not comfortable for you being all alone, even here, because I fear spies coming in to hurt you" he finally explained "That's the price of having these sympathizers around. They aren't some rift raft, they are organized...they are smart to put in spies or to poison loyal soldiers with honey words."

"That's why I'm so unwilling, to let you be by yourself" Richard admitted him getting more and more calm. "and why it has to be Emily. I don't want to lose you." especially since she brought him back to reality. His voice was filled with shame, shame she ever had to see that side of him, and shame that this side of him still exists. His anger, the one that turns into malice...he thought he was passed this!

Amelia was still frustrated, still felt trapped in her own home, devoid of freedoms. Anything she wanted to actually do, she had to sneak around it. But she couldn't bring it up now, not for fear of...that happening again. "Okay," she said quietly, just looking down at the table as she tried not to cry out of frustration.

Bradley continued standing guard, as was his job.