Kalev’s POV
“My dear? Slowdown… Your brother won’t go anywhere…”
Today, I’m also going to the Aegean Estate- that’s what my brother named his house. It’s been a week since I’ve been to the academy either.
“But he always avoids meeeee…”
I whined, slumping half of my body on the dining table with a soft thump. I’ve been skipping class days for a while now just to visit my brother but whenever I do, he would look so annoyed and irritated as if my presence was not welcomed in his estate.
Remembering his grumpy face again I couldn’t help but pout in frustration.
“My dear, your brother has been gone for seven years, it is normal for him to express his dissatisfaction…”
I lift up my head a little and frowned at my mother’s words. She was a loving and caring mother and a strict and modest queen altogether. No matter how angry she is, she would always respond with serene words/actions.
But now, I couldn’t see a caring mother. I’ve always questioned her judgement over things but ignores it because she’s right. However, I only knew my brother’s face now.
“Mom, is brother really a royalty?”
It seems my question stunned her greatly. I mean, Sejin’s portraits were nowhere in sight, there was no image of him hanged on the palace walls. In the records of Varlette royalties from the past to the present even, my brother’s name wasn’t there.
Did something happen then?
Is that event the reason my brother expresses his hatred towards me so openly?
And the reason why he doesn’t want to live in here is because of what happened back then?
“Why did he disappear seven years ago?”
The silence in the dining room was deafening, the clutter of utensils stopped, and both my parents looked at me with a strange glint in their eyes- they were trembling.
Confused, I look at the butlers and maids standing in the corners of the room and they too, were silent. I could even hear their breathing from here with how still everyone is.
A sudden cough broke the ongoing tension in the air. Father, the current King, was a just and equally strict towards everything, we weren’t that close, just father and son by blood and name only.
“I will escort your mother to her chamber, you must not inquire about this matter in the future again…”
Father helped my ashen mother. The atmosphere in the room was weird, I couldn’t tell why they are avoiding my questions.
I pursed my lips.
“Do you understand.“
Father’s deep and hoarse voice dip in a frightening tone he always uses whenever he wanted to educate and punish my ‘wrong’ actions, it is to discipline me, he always said after every scolding and punishment.
It was his authority that I hated about him. He always refers to me as his son, but he treats me as his subject.
I reluctantly nod.
“Then, if you want to go to your brother, get ready now.”
He didn’t spare me a second glance and instead assisted my still speechless mother out of the dining room. The servants and their guards quickly followed after them and only me and the other kitchen servants were left.
Feeling ashamed of the silence, I steadily composed myself and quickly left the room after a few minutes with my own butler following behind.
Their actions were suspicious, I could tell. There was something that they couldn’t say in front of me.
I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Your Highness, please don’t harbor negative feelings for your parents…”
My face hardens, hearing a soft and serene voice from behind me. My butler, Aev, he was appointed to me by Father after my previous butler left for paternity leave.
It wasn’t the first time that Aev had interjected with my thoughts. After being with him for almost a month, I could frankly tell that he was a loyal follower of my father. Although he’s sincere in serving me however I couldn’t help but assume that he was planted beside me to monitor my movements.
“And onto what level do we align for you to have a say in my matter of feelings?”
I frowned seeing him flinch and lower his head, acting compliant and obedient towards my presence.
“Forgive me for my insolence, Crown…”
Crown..
My previous butler would always call me with that alias as I am the heir to the throne. However, recently I’ve come to hate that alias. My previous butler was a patient and humble middle-aged man and would always speak up for my sake. Thanks to him I’d survive my childhood without being turned into one of those good-for-nothing noble kids.
He teaches me better etiquette than my tutor, taught me various whims and tricks better than a jester and most of all, acted as a better father than my old man.
Now that he’s not here and this suspicious commoner dares call me with than tone of his.
Even my glowering face did not intimidate him.
“After today, do not ever talk to me again without my permission or if I’m not asking you something. And do not call me ‘Crown’ with those calculative orbs of yours.”
Lowering my voice in a threatening voice seems to work against him and his facade slowly unveils itself to me.
I knew it…
“If the King told you to monitor me, I advise you to know which side to take… Because in the last days that he would live, I, the Crown Prince, the heir to the throne, will stand high above all grounds of your imagination. I will be crowned.“
The butler visibly gulped, his pair of beautiful orbs trembling in fear. I wish I could gouge out those eyes of his. My father and I have always been at odds with each other but to think he planted such an ambitious person by my side, hah…
He’s stupid enough to let this beautiful fool serve me. Once this fool’s imagination and thoughts were fueled, he would bite the hand of the one that feeds him.
“T-the king never told me to supervise your motions, Your Highness. You are accusing this humble servant…”
There it is again.
Those pair of windows flickering with a disgusting glint. A pair of beautiful yet sinful eyes, as I thought- my brother’s blood red eyes are far more pleasing compared to this deceit filled eyes.
I tsked and smirk. This compassionless bastard dares to talk back to him in a roundabout blame. He dares make him look like fool and stupid.
“Such beautiful face,”
My butler blushed which I grimaced at.
“But an evil witch.”
He looked stunned for a minute before clenching his fist, he looked at me with a mad glint. Such bad egg was produced in my farm of chickens. Who was the one who planted this egg?
My father of course.
“I don’t care about your ambitions but if you use me or my position to achieve it-“
I closed in lowering my head, meeting him eye to eye with the same feral look, and whispering in a threatening voice.
“There would be no end to what I can do to you or your future generation.”
Feeling satisfied with his dumbfounded and trembling figure, I glared at him for the last time and walked away with pride. No one could match my halo, no one is fit enough to stand and be ambitious towards me other than my brother.
Thinking about my brother, I smiled slightly.
Brother… I have a brother~ he hates me, but I know he loves me~
I skipped to my room happily.
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