"Personally, Your Highness, I think this boy had an amazing pain tolerance because of abuses he experienced before. You should treat him well, or it might also affect his mental state in the future."
The doctor bandaged Little Jean's hands and then excused himself, leaving oblivious Little Jean and distressed Duke Maximillien alone.
Little Jean stared at his big brother, who looked so concerned for no reason. He jumped out from the sofa and then walked towards his big brother with his small legs.
He realized that his hand had been fully bandaged, so he couldn't grab his big brother's trousers. So he hugged his big brother's leg instead.
"Big brother, is something wrong? Jean wants to help you!"
Maximillien's heart quivered when he lowered his head, staring at the thin but beautiful little boy who hugged his leg, depending on him as if he was the best human on earth.
Little Jean didn't seem to remember that Maximillien was yelling at him and ignoring him for the whole week up until today.
Maximillien felt guilty because of his verbal abuse of Little Jean, but he was filled with so much hatred before, so he couldn't accept Little Jean in his life. Especially since they've only known each other for two weeks, with his parents' death in-between.
Maximillien closed his eyes to remember what that traveling fortune-teller said to him after his parents' death.
'There is a certain orphaned child that cursed your parents and inflicted them with a mysterious illness. If you keep this child, then you'll also be cursed with a heart curse, where you will die after you've fallen in love for real.'
"Ehehe, Big brother, Jean wants to hug you more!" Little Jean said as he tightened his hug around Maximillien's leg.
[Pupa: Warning! Maximillien Eau Saumont's Fatemeter decreases to -10%.]
Maximillien opened his eyes and then kicked Little Jean away in reflex.
The little boy was thrown after his big brother kicked him. He rolled, landed on the floor with a loud thud, and rolled few times.
"Wuuu…" Little Jean was grimacing in pain. His big brother kicked him by flinging his leg, thus throwing Little Jean up in the air and landed on a hard floor.
Maximillien realized what he did just now. It was all a reflex because of that fortune-teller's words that sounded so convincing. It put Maximillien in a reactive state, where he would hate this kid when he remembered that fortune-telling.
[What the fuck, bro?! Why did you do that to me?!]
[Pupa: Easy mode, he said.]
Little Jean looked hurt, but it wasn't his body that made tears welled in his eyes. It was his big brother who suddenly kicked him as if he was so disgusted with him.
"J—Jean, are you okay?"
"Big brother, it's okay if you hate Jean so much. Jean has been beaten a lot by uncles and aunts in Jean's previous home…." Jean said as he mentioned his orphanage. "But Jean loves big brother… please don't beat Jean…."
"No, I didn't mean that—"
Maximillien took a step to help Little Jean, but Little Jean retreated immediately. He ran towards the door that was still opened after that doctor left and then ran as fast as possible to avoid his big brother.
"Wait—" Maximillien stretched his hand, but that little boy was so quick on his small feet.
Maximillien sighed. He never believed in his life that he could actually kick a four years old toddler, and that toddler was meant to be his little brother that his parents adopted.
Maximillien sat on the sofa, lamenting about what he did just now. He knew that kid knew nothing, but because of the innate hatred inside him, that made Maximillien so defensive.
'I should apologize….' Maximillien thought.
**
[Pupa: Ding! Maximillien Eau Saumont's Fatemeter increases to 0%.]
"Hmph! I won't forgive him!" Yunyu went inside his room and used a stool to climb the sofa. He sat on the sofa while looking at the garden scenery in front of him.
Pupa materialized in front of Yunyu and commented, "I'm not sure, but he seems to be regretting it right after he kicked you. Maybe there is something in his head, like a breakwater?"
"Whatever that is, it's not a reason that allowed him to kick a four years old toddler! What kind of sick bastard are you? Are you my dad who likes to kick me when I was a kid? Hmph!"
Of course, Pupa knew that Yunyu had a bad childhood with his dad. His dad was a strict parent who'd kick him if he made a mistake, and he would also beat him if he dared to fight back.
Although his dad's abuse lessened after he grew older, he must've had a great animosity for people who hurt little kids.
So Pupa didn't want to intervene much about Yunyu and his animosity. It just hoped that Yunyu could be a bit more forgiving, knowing there was definitely something wrong with Maximillien.
"Maybe we haven't know the true fortune-telling other than the fact that you caused his parents' death."
"Hey, it's not even confirmed that I was the cause!" Yunyu retorted.
"Anyway, what are you going to do now?" Pupa asked.
"I will continue my tantrum for a while and then see what will happen next. I think Maximillien will try to act as if nothing happened and then continued with his verbal abuse on me," Yunyu predicted.
Hours passed until it was dusk. Yunyu was sleeping all day long on the sofa, refusing to eat lunch or dinner.
He was so hungry, of course. But he just had no mood to meet with his big brother right now.
Yunyu looked at the clock, and it was already seven at night. His stomach was grumbling due to hunger, but he had nothing to eat for now.
"Pupa, can you like… become Doraemon for a second and give me food? I'm hungry, you know."
"I can always give you my meal."
"Oh? Your meal? What is it? Kids meal from KFC?"
"Oil."
"…"
Yunyu stared at Pupa and rolled his eyes, but before he could continue insulting his system, Pupa suddenly turned invisible.
[Pupa: Groups of maids are coming.]
Little Jean looked towards the door that was opened from outside. Then a group of maids came with a big bucket of warm water, a trolley full of food for dinner, and also a new set of clothes fit for him as a toddler.
The old head maid came and announced to Little Jean, "Under the order of His Highness Archduke Maximillien Eau Saumont, you will be served by maids for your bath and your wardrobe fitting every morning and evening."
"Wha—"
The maids grabbed his hands and then stripped him off his clothes. Little Jean tried to struggle a little, but his arms were raised after a warning from the head maid, "Be careful with his hands. Duke Maximillien said that Young Master Jean got hurt today."
Thus, Little Jean was bathed by the maids, and then he got dressed in silk pajamas.
He sat on the bed, still dazed by what happened just now.
The maids called him Young Master Jean for the first time and fed him with a delicious dinner.
"Young Master Jean, don't forget breakfast with His Highness Archduke tomorrow morning."
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