Summary:

"Straight Flush." Hachuling, Maria and Marco cheered while jumping whereas Maschenny could be heard thanking the Tower's God. Ran, Aguero and Kiseia all exchanged a look revealing the existence of a hidden secret. Eduan had spent enough time around enemies, Khuns and not, to know that something had been planned. Something he had overlooked entirely.

"I tend to think that we're stronger together." Aguero told his father "The best card combinations in poker are achieved by pairing different kinds of cards. Even Full House has two different card types."

It's not a lie, Eduan thinks. But even if different types can give you the winning combination, they also can make you lose everything. It's a big risk, his thoughts continue, a risk not worth it from where he stands. And yet, his own words interrupt this pessimism because 'it's no fun without gambling'.

"Your strategy isn't bad, father." Aguero finally says "But the King never wins by itself."

Notes:

Etymology
From Ancient Greek ῥήξ (rhḗx, "king"), from Latin rex ("king").

Noun
ρήγας • (rígas) m (plural ρηγάδες)

(card games) king in a pack of playing cards

It starts in a way most horror stories do. The night is dark and chilly. The sound of leaves rustling can be heard in every corner. Two women dressed in blue cardigans, one lighter than the other, walk in the dark street side by side. The path gets narrower as they approach what appears to be a mansion. A thunderbolt stroke near them.

"Is this necessary?" Maria questioned quietly. Maschenny shrugged and continued walking. "Do you think it's a warning?"

"Father doesn't warn. He strikes."

"That makes me feel so much better, thanks."

"You need to relax. We'll be fine."

"He invited us to this place, we're certainly not going to be fine." Maria snapped back "We shouldn't have come unarmed. No matter what the letter said. Father isn't one to play fair."

"We agree on that." Maschenny pondered her next words for a while. "We are important, Eduan wouldn't try anything."

"Unless he had a reason to." Maria says. The phrase 'unless he knew we betrayed Zahad' goes unsaid but is heavily implied. Maschenny would lie if she said she hadn't thought about it. She hadn't focused on it too much though, Khun Eduan was many things and knowledgeable wasn't one of them. Maria seemed ignorant to that which explained her worry. Maschenny didn't mind. She could deal with her sister's paranoia. It was fi—

"What are you doing?"

"Opening the door."

"We should knock."

Maschenny looked at the mansion's slightly open door and then at Maria. Perhaps she had overestimated her own patience. "It's open."

"Not knocking would be rude."

"Ah, so you're certain that we're going to be killed, but you want to follow the savoir vivre."—Maria scoffs—"I'm not knocking."

"Fine, I'll do it." She announced proudly and knocked softly at the door. Maschenny didn't know Maria's family background, she knew she was an only child—in a way, a cruel fate for a Khun child—but that was as far as her knowledge went. She wondered if her mother had raised her like that, incredibly nice, or if it was natural. Hopefully the second one. Parents' lessons eventually fade out.

The door opens slowly and dramatically. Had this been a mystery book, maybe something revolving the supernatural, the door would creak while opening and reveal no one at all. Or perhaps a butler holding a single candle in a chamberstick. Instead, the door opened in a way all modern doors do—swiftly—and Maschenny came face to face with a scenario worse than any other.

"Marco Asensio," Maria states clearly awestruck. Maschenny snorted. There was a time, very long ago, that Marco used to look at her like that. With awe and pride. Maschenny can't pinpoint the moment Marco lost respect for her—and even worse, gained respect for Eduan—but she remembers the moment of the fallout.

She remembers screaming and lightning aimed at her and remembers the way the other Khun's stance declared them enemies and how she felt nothing but irritation. An irritation that was still there, lingering.

"Maschenny and,"

"Maria."

"Ah, yes, I should have imagined you two would arrive together." Marco smiles at Maria "Come in."

"Why are we here?" Maschenny asks "Even better, why are you here?"

"This is meant to be a gathering of some of the most notable Khun children. Some for good, some for bad. Naturally, I had to attend."

"To bark at those who misbehave?"

"To keep things peaceful."

Maschenny laughs. Loudly. Maria glares at her.

"How many people are we expecting?"

"Formally? More than one hundred."

"Informally?"

"I don't know, maybe four?"

.

Maria likes to think she's a good person with equally good relationships. She knows she has enemies. Mostly the families of the girls who had competed against her for becoming a Princess. It's an undeniable truth but Maria likes to stop herself from thinking about it. Besides, as a Princess, she isn't forced to face any of the people who don't like her or even worse, want her dead. At least, this was su—

Maria yelped as soon as the door to another room opened. She had known Eduan would try to kill them, she had even warned Maschenny about it, but she hadn't imagined that the sick bastard would make them kill each other. She had hoped the 'natural selection' of the Khuns stopped as soon as they got the family name.

"You bitc—" Kiseia yelled as she ran towards Maria. Maschenny stepped in front and grabbed the younger Khun's hand. She then turned to Maria.

"All this for an infant?"

"Kiseia? Oh no, she's horrible."—and it was true—"It's him I'm afraid of."

"I'm wounded!"

"Stab yourself and die, you asshole!"

"Marie, Marie, I expected better from you."

"I will choke you."

"Kinky."

"Filthy!"

"Stop," Marco yelled at both Maria and Hachuling. He walked to where Maschenny was holding Kiseia. "Weapons."

"I don't need a weapon to kill."

"Cute. Neither do I." Marco smiled "Now hand them over."

Kiseia scoffed and handed him two knives from her pockets. Maschenny let her go. The other girl tightened her ponytail. At that moment, Maria envied Aguero for not being here. It was bound to be an eventful evening.

"When will our dear dad come, I'm starving," Hachuling said with crossed arms.

"He's in an important meeting."

"That's a code for getting wasted."

"Watch your mouth. You're speaking about the Head of our Family."—Maschenny petted twice Marco's hair—"What?"

"I'm just rewarding you for being Eduan's bit—"

Marco went to reach for his spear but Maschenny managed to kick his hand before reaching it. Maria tried to hold Marco behind but the older Khun was stronger, resulting in him maintaining himself only half a meter away from Maschenny. Hachuling cheered for Maschenny while also shouting where she should hit Marco. Then, to make things worse, the door opened and Kiseia took her hairpin—which had, surprise, a small dagger on it—and threw it to the newcomer. Maria didn't witness the entire thing but she managed to see Aguero and Ran bending down, barely missing Kiseia's attack. The person behind them, however, didn't.

And so, Khun Eduan instead of the pride of the Khun family witnessed seven idiots. Really, it was his fault. No way this wasn't due to his genes.

.

The Khun family was many things, some bad and some good, but friends and foes alike could all agree in one thing; they were graceful. This was why as soon as Khun Eduan, the respected Head of the Family, appeared in front of his children, the comical fight from before stopped abruptly and they got in line. Ran, slightly annoyed, left Aguero's side and stood next to his sister as to state they were from the same branch. Kiseia didn't follow that example.

"So, it's just you," Eduan stated not focusing on his children but rather on the big hall behind them. He smiled slightly like a menacing cat. "Shall we start?"

Hachuling mumbled a "no" and got slapped on the head by Marco. Eduan, ignorant to the annoyed faces surrounding him, led his children to another room. An enormous chamber with multiple chairs and tables. Four small chandeliers hanging on all corners and one bigger at the centre of the room. Eduan approached a chair in the middle, something less spectacular than a throne, and went behind it to retrieve an object.

"He's going to get a gun," Hachuling whispered.

"He's a Spear-Bearer, not a Gun-Holder."

"Do all Princesses hate fun?"—Maria snorted—"I hope dad kills you first."

"I would hope the same."

"Father," Marco stated giving the side-eye to Hachuling and Maria "the reason we're here..."

"All very important,"—Eduan placed the bag he had taken next to him—"we're having a family night."

Aguero and Kiseia both took out their respective knives. Aguero chuckled with delight, "It's been so long since I've been in a family fight."

"Not a family fight." Eduan responded, "Family Night, with food, games and all."

The siblings blinked. Chaos erupted.

"We have important Princess' duties to attend—"

"I was kicked out, I don't need to be—"

"I voluntarily left this horrible place—"

"I would much rather stab Aguero in the eye—"

"Mum, come and pick me up, I'm scared—"

"Maybe some other time, say in a millennium or so," Marco tried to smile as he reached for the door. Eduan threw a spear at him.

"No, we're doing it tonight."

And thus, our horror story begins.