The girl couldn't stop herself from bombarding him with questions. She enjoyed asking others questions about everything that came to mind, but she disliked being in a dismal group of people."What's the status of your painting classes? When are you going to draw me again?" The girl grinned. She adored it when he drew her. It made her feel incredibly loved and valued, especially because he sketched her. It was his method of expressing love, just as it was for their mother. He learned how to sketch from her. Marina, on the other hand, lacked skill. She was brilliant at playing the flute and dancing, but neither of these activities made her happy. Dancing was pleasurable, but it didn't satisfy her sufficiently. When Rocco, on the other hand, picks up a brush or a pencil, it feels so natural to him. His strokes appeared to be quite pleasant and graceful. He liked to go outside in nature to acquire ideas and see what he could sketch next. He called his sister or Mia to come be his muse whenever he ran out of ideas. Marina was unconcerned; in fact, she enjoyed messing around and posing in odd positions for reference.. 

"It's actually going well. He sighed, "I just completed painting Amelia yesterday and wanted to deliver it to her today. But, oh well, I'll most likely give it to her tomorrow." He made a pout and blew away a strand of hair that had fallen on his face. Marina gave a warm grin. She enjoyed watching her brother so enamoured with a girl.

They made it to the kitchen in no time. Their parents were already seated at the table, talking about their ambitions for their job as well as their children. As they entered, their mother rose up and moved closer to her beautiful children, hugging them both and kissing them on the cheeks. Marina snickered and wished their mother a good morning, while the boy whimpered at her devotion.

"Mother! Please, it isn't even ten o'clock yet."

"So what? Am I not permitted to show affection to my own children anymore?" She had a gloomy expression and crossed her arms. You could notice a resemblance in each of them when they were standing next to their parents. The curly-haired girl resembled her father, who was similarly olive skinned, short for a male, and shared her hair texture and colour. Her brother, on the other hand, resembled their mother in appearance and behaviour. He was as pale as she was, albeit she was even paler. Despite the fact that Rocco was more focused on his mother and Marina on her father, they both possessed the eyes of their respective parents. The daughter had her ocean blue eyes on their mother, while Rocco had the same emerald green eyes on their father. The fact that they both had something that showed a little bit of their parents was quite lovely to see. Marina's only weakness was that she possessed their father's anger, which was quite unpleasant. Hers was more steady, but Mr. Rivalli's rage issues were so severe that it took him years to settle them down. 

His wife, on the other hand, is wonderfully peaceful and compassionate just like their son. She gradually tried to tone down his anger issues after they married and got to know each other. 

Rocco approached Marina and pulled the chair away from the table, inviting her to sit and assuring her that he would assist her in sitting more comfortably. She smiled at his brotherly devotion and relished the opportunity to be spoiled. When they were both seated, their father put down the newspaper he had been reading for the past twenty minutes, placed it on the table, and proceeded to fix his pipe, puffing a few breaths of smoke. Even when he wasn't supposed to, he gave the impression of being intimidating. Mrs. Rivalli begged him to quit smoking at the table, saying that she couldn't stand the smell of tobacco so early in the morning, especially when she was going to eat breakfast. 

A maid entered the room, softly pushing a trolley loaded with a variety of dishes. It smelled wonderful, and it made everyone's stomachs turn. Marina sat close to her mother, admiring her beautiful blonde hair, which was fashioned in a high, massive bun. She appeared to be quite young, and she would chuckle when people misjudged her age. Regardless, she liked it since it allowed her to feel young and beautiful. She stared at her pipe-smoking husband and warned him that if he didn't put down the pipe, she would shatter it and him. He shivered at her intimidation and gave it over to a maid who was standing next to him, setting the table. He didn't want to irritate her so early in the morning.

When Marina's parents fought, she couldn't help but snort. They made her burst out in laughter, especially when her mother became enraged which made everyone tremble. 

When the plates were brought to the table, everyone began to eat. Marina swallowed her spit as she stabbed a cooked egg with her fork, just as her father opened his mouth and stated, "You're slicing food wrong, do it as a lady for goodness sakes." Marina to that mumbled "Sorry papa." In a quiet voice. "I heard what happened at the event." She was afraid he would bring up the subject, and now that he had, she was at a loss for words.

"It's all right. It's not a major issue."

"It's not a major issue? I won't tolerate others laughing at you!" he said, puzzled.

"You're only saying that because you worry about our image." Marina was hesitant to hear her father say all of this because he had always encouraged her to calm down for certain things so that others wouldn't think she was crazy or God knows what else. He admired her feistiness, but feared that others would not. Rocco was debating whether he should join in the conversation or go about his business and eat his breakfast.

"I am not. I just don't want other people to make fun of you."

"It makes no difference to me. At the very least, I'll be more relevant than anybody else in the room." Hearing that, Mrs. Rivalli choked on the wine she was sipping and began snickering at what Marina said.

Her father sighed, unsure what to do with his defiant daughter any longer. He recognised her easy going attitude, but he knew there were some things he needed to do. "Plus, no one seems to notice. Even though I was calm, you saw what they did to me last night." As she lost her appetite for food, the girl exclaimed while looking down at the plate with food that was getting cold . She was upset by what she remembered from the night before and couldn't believe it had happened. All she wanted was for everyone to stop talking about it and go on with their lives. With worry in his eyes, the man gazed at her. "Yes, what they did last night was heinous, but you also have to mature and learn not to act on your emotions. I'm sick of you always moaning about others." he added. The girl exclaimed loudly, took a big breath, and prepared to defend herself when her mother entered the conversation.

"You are seventeen years old, he is right. You should begin solving difficulties independently. At your age, I was already courted by your father."

"We're telling you this because we care about you." As he bit into the steak, the man exclaimed.

Marina was overly upset by everything and mistook their assistance in the wrong way. "How could you say that? The other girls poured a gallon of wine all on me. They ruined my dress... as well as my hair and shoes... That day, I even felt more confident and attempted to initiate interactions with others again." As she grabbed a fold of her dress and squeezed it, a tear began to fall from her rosey cheek. "I just don't understand what's wrong with me." she said. Her brother fixed his gaze on her "Oh please you're such a hypocrite. I heard you spread an ugly rumor about Letitia sleeping with her first cousin. You could've damaged her image for good." The girl remained deafeningly quiet. "Marina." While keeping her eyes down, fully focussed on one location, she heard a faint sound of someone calling her name in her mind.

"Marina!" The sound has returned.

Her father clapped his fingers in front of her face, jolting her out of her reverie and bringing her back to the present. The girl apologised for ignoring him and glanced at him. "As I was saying. Are you sure that they poured wine on you just like that? It seems, I don't know. Out of nowhere. Rocco is right, you do tend to act a bit... rude sometimes. And I really hope you never said such a rumor." 

Marina became enraged. "What came out of nowhere!? Rocco is making it up! I never said such thing, it's nonsense! Papa! I was standing in the corridor talking to a boy when those—those gals appeared out of nowhere and made me look like a fool! Everyone began to laugh at me! I've done nothing to them, and they even threatened me the last time I approached them, saying that if I approached them again, I'd make everyone else hate them and that I'm a curse. Is that sufficient justification? Is it necessary for me to tell you what else they did to me? What about when—" Rocco cut her out "Will you stop playing a victim? I saw what you did which isn't the first time. Your crying won't work on our parents anymore."  The girl lied, constantly to her parents and brother. She pretended to be innocent in front of her parents, but her brother has seen what happened and knows what she's like. Marina kept exaggerating the scenario and portraying herself as a victim, despite her initial insults to the other girls, and even meaning them. The young lady groaned. She thought to herself, "Of course." No one has tolerance for her, and she sometimes wishes she had been born as dull as she was, content to spend her entire existence at home, reading books and smiling at anything anyone said. Or simply not speaking at all, which would make everyone pleased since whatever she said, was seen as an insult.

She decided to be mature and simply finish the vexing topic by switching to a new one and asking "Is it okay if I accompany Rocco to the city this afternoon? I heard there was going to be a festival today, and— "her father snubbed her "Certainly not. You had a disaster last night and you act like a brat, and now you expect to be able to do whatever you want?" Marina's eyes widened as she felt trapped and broken. She had been looking forward to going on a stroll with her brother all morning, only to be reprimanded for something that was not her fault. The girl didn't even try forcing her father to say yes, because they were both going to say no because of what had transpired the night before. It was unjust, but she couldn't help but listen to her parents because they knew what was best for her. 

But she can't help but think they've been in the wrong a couple times. She never asks for anything when it comes to wishes. Unlike any gleaming jewels or the most delicate outfits that most girls her age would desire, a simple flower is all she needs to brighten her day. Although she never asked for such things, she did abuse their kindness by constantly ungrounding her which at times was worse than asking to buy her things. As a result, she never understood why she couldn't, for example, go outside alone. She never realized that her parents were too scared of a young woman to go walk alone in Naples, especially when night came. It was far too dangerous. Marina was aware that it is customary for a lady to be escorted when stepping outside, which she accepted. Whether she was alone or with others, all she wanted to do was see new things. Her brother placed his hand on her shoulder and told her that they would go for a walk later.

"Besides, Rocco, you have a ton of work to do with me." Mr. Rivalli went on to say.