Reflection

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"Hey, little brother. You don't need to be on edge around me. I won't hurt you, so relax." 

He tried his best not to agitate his little brother since he had gone through a lot and, as the oldest sibling amongst them, he couldn't help but feel responsible for what happened. 

His youngest little brother experiences something awful that he shouldn't have as a young teenage boy and to think it happens inside within their household is something that Altron couldn't shake off the feeling of being a helpless and irresponsible adult. 

'This could be the reason his attitude was so temperamental to the point he would lash out at anyone who dared to approach him in the slightest, and here I thought he was just seeking attention before. Who would have thought that these were the signs of asking for help?' 

He might not have a close relationship with his youngest little brother, unlike what he had with his other two blood-related siblings, it doesn't mean that he would turn a blind eye to this matter, especially this kind of shameless assault. 

Since he was young, Altron already heard some rumors about their mother, the current Marchioness Charlotte, that during her teenage years, she would often take a look at young children whenever she had time and others thought she was just being an affectionate-like mother since he was soon-to-be-married to their father, the Marquis. 

On the other hand, there were some vulgar rumors about her preying on the young children whenever she wanted and there were times he wanted to refute those who dared to slander her mother like that but whenever he tried to, his father would stop him silently and as an obedient child he was, Altron doesn't have a choice but to obey. 

As years went by and as he reached adulthood, those rumors seemed likely to die down, or so he thought. 

He couldn't recall the location, but he vaguely remembered attending a banquet in the past, hosted by an affluent noble family that the Empire recognized. 

He vaguely recalled being invited and going to the banquet with his two blood-related siblings and their mother. 

Altron, from that time, noticed his second little brother Harrison, who would observe their mother from a distance while she was entertaining some of the other noble madams and chatting with them like how their mother usually does whenever she's invited to a tea party or a banquet. 

At first, he was perplexed by his second little brother's attitude, and he just thought that his brother was just being a reserved person since he became a Knight Captain and a Baron at a young age. 

However, that was not the first time he got perplexed by his reserved attitude and as the heir apparent to their household, he couldn't help but notice the sudden changes from his second little brother whenever he was with their mother. 

It's as if Harrison is making a distance between him and their mother, which he finds odd at first. 

He just brushed it off since he didn't want to reprimand his brother how he usually behaves and from the looks of it, Harrison might be distancing himself from their mother for no apparent reason, but his second little brother wasn't that disrespectful towards her, so he just let it be. 

Sometimes, he finds his second little brother to be an eccentric type of person and even though he is a Knight Captain and a young Count, he sometimes has this carefree demeanor whenever goes that he feels jealous of it because of how he perceives the world around him like it is nothing but a normal routine for him. 

Well, as for his second little brother, didn't have to bear the responsibility of taking over their father's noble title because of his own peerage granted by His Majesty the Emperor. As the eldest and chosen heir apparent at a young age, they placed all the responsibilities of upholding the reputation of the Chevalier household within his shoulders to bear. 

« ... "Big brother, sometimes you need to look back and observe everything around you. Don't allow that person to manipulate you like a puppet. I am not saying this to be disrespectful to her, but there were times when even adults had their own faults that they didn't want to admit to themselves. Just always remember to be cautious all the time." .... » 

Harrison advises him countless times and he feels ridiculous about the set-up because it seems like their roles have been reversed but even if that was the case then, he never brushed off his brother's concern and tried to perceive what he had told him so. 

However, this time it seems like he failed to even observe the things or happenings within their household and to think that their mother would really do something so shameless to their youngest sibling at all. 

Altron knows no apologies can relieve the trauma that their youngest sibling had experienced and even though Felicity, their sister, wanted to visit Ezekiel and comfort him, however, Harrison stopped it once more. 

« ... "Felicity, I am not dissing you or something, but have you forgotten that if you went to Ezekiel with that appearance of yours, his trauma would just resurface? I know you're trying to help our youngest little brother at least, but for now, please make sure you won't appear in front of him in the meantime." ... » 

Harrison reminded them again of how their youngest would react if Felicity saw him and that makes their little sister resent her own features because she looks like the spitting image of their mother during her youth. 

"Ezekiel, little three. I know that we aren't that much closer to you, and it would be shameless for us to blame you for everything. In the first place, we were the ones who should be understanding since we were the older ones, especially me, as the eldest amongst us." 

The three of them just returned from the royal banquet after meeting with the Crown Prince and as they went home, Harrison proposed that one of us should at least visit their youngest little brother. Felicity was out of the question because of her appearance and Altron was thankful for his little sister's understanding. 

Harrison could be a better choice, but his second little brother needs to go back to his post and not only that, but he is also a Count and has responsibility for his own fief that was granted by His Majesty the Emperor himself. 

So, with no other choice left then and right now, Altron visited his youngest little brother to check on him and to at least keep him company for a while. 

"You don't need to feel guilty, First Young Master. I know you and the other two blamed yourselves, but that shouldn't be, since it was the Marchioness' fault and not the three of you. You guys shouldn't feel responsible for the crime that your mother did." 

Altron was snapped from his thoughts when his youngest little brother's voice was void of any emotions as he spoke, and he felt something that was pricked into his heart because of the state of his little brother. 

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