After that day, Little Jean was allowed to barge inside his Big brother's office even though he was busy. Little Jean had nothing to do, and he wasn't in the age of studying yet, so all he did was picking up some flowers and then gave them to his Big brother daily.
Maximillien didn't reject it most of the time since it was just some flowers anyway.
Besides, he was always busy. The presence of Little Jean running around broke his concentration, but watching how Little Jean hopped around pleased his eyes… sometimes.
Maximillien was busy today because he had to prepare a casual meeting with the Emperor. The latter would come to the Palace of Eau Saumont for a visit. The Emperor of Argent seemed to have warmed his relation with Archduchy Eau Saumont after Archduke Raoul's death.
A few weeks ago, the Emperor refused to meet Archduke Maximillien due to his young age of fourteen. He refused to sit as equal, feeling that the young Archduke wouldn't qualify as a good ruler.
But Maximillien could prove that he was competent, and the Emperor finally agreed for a friendly visit.
As long as nothing wrong happened, the cooperation between the Empire and Archduchy would smoothen and strengthen Maximillien's position.
"Big brother! Jean brings you Daisy!" Little Jean hopped and skipped as he entered the office. He saw his Big brother was still reading some documents while eating a small cake with a fork.
Maximillien glanced at Little Jean and frowned, "Daisy? We don't plan daisy in the garden."
"Oh! This is not from our garden!" Little Jean walked towards his Big brother's seat and then shoved the flower into Big brother's hands. "Jean um… Jean trades!"
"Trade?"
"Yes! I asked a maid the name of that beautiful flower I see in Mama's painting is, she said it's a daisy! So I asked her if I can get a daisy. I will give her my Rudolph soldier!" Little Jean explained.
"Rudolph soldier?" Maximillien tried to remember what Little Jean meant as the Rudolph Soldier. He thought it was just Little Jean's imaginary friend because Maximillien also had one when he was a child.
"Un! Rudolph is my soldier! He always protects me from harm at night! But he is not with me now!" Little Jean said.
Maximillien tried to grasp what this kid meant. Then he realized that Little Jean always carried a toy soldier in his hands before he went to sleep when his Duke and Duchess parents were still alive.
That toy soldier called Rudolph, Little Jean's first gift from his dad, Late Archduke Raoul.
Little Jean treasured that toy soldier so much, he didn't want to lose it.
But now he traded that toy soldier for a bucket of daisies?!
"What are you doing?!" Maximillien raised his voice in front of Little Jean. "That toy soldier is important for you, right? Why would you trade that soldier for flowers like this?! Tell me, to which maid you gave your toy soldier? I will retrieve it back!!"
Little Jean's smile cracked when he heard his Big brother raising his voice. He gulped and took a step back.
"B—Because Jean doesn't need it anymore, Big brother…." Little Jean explained, "Rudolph is Jean's guardian, but Jean has a new guardian now…."
"New guardian?"
Maximillien thought that Little Jean had found a better toy, but then again, he didn't remember ever buying a toy for Little Jean.
"Yes!" Little Jean pointed at his Big brother and said, "Big brother is Jean's new guardian! I don't need Rudolph anymore because I have Big brother!"
"Guardian…" that word permeated in Maximillien's head. Technically, Maximillien would be the legal guardian for Little Jean once he reached the adult age of eighteen.
Because both of them were still underaged, they were under the legal guardianship of the state since they had no branch family or relatives.
Although, it changed nothing since Maximillien still had the full right to be the Young Archduke and had complete control over everything.
Maximillien looked at Little Jean, whose eyes glimmered with admiration. He still tried to distance himself from Little Jean, but this kid was so oblivious that he didn't understand how much his 'Big brother' disliked him.
Maximillien steeled his heart. He knew that he couldn't be too close with this kid. He was planning to discard this kid as soon as he reached the young adult age of eighteen.
But knowing how much this kid didn't seem to understand that he wasn't welcomed here, Maximillien had to find a way to get rid of him.
Maximillien clenched his fist. His heart was in pain that he had to say this, but he didn't want Little Jean to be too hopeful. They were not brothers in the first place. It was Little Jean who insisted on calling him Big brother.
'Maximillien, remember, this child is cursed. Don't get emotionally entangled with him.'
"I don't want to be your Guardian," Maximillien said.
The cracked smile on Little Jean's face completely vanished in a matter of seconds. He gazed at his Big brother but was unable to say anything.
"I don't need your daisy either. Remember, I will take care of you until you're eighteen, and then maybe I will give you a new house in the city or throw you to the academy."
"But I want to stay with big brother…."
Maximillien gave the daisy back to Little Jean's hands, "Go play somewhere else. Don't worry about your Rudolph Soldier, I will buy you a new one. If you want, I can buy you a box full of toys."
…
"Big brother… I don't need Rudolph Soldier anymore…." Little Jean's eyes started pooling with tears. "Big brother is my soldier. I have Big brother now…."
Maximillien stared at Little Jean with a nonchalant gaze. His heart was quivering right now. In fact, the moment he saw that Little Jean was about to cry, he wanted to hug this little boy and gave him something to coax him so he'd stop crying.
But he shouldn't think with his heart. He was the Archduke. He had to think with logic.
After getting no response from his Big brother, Little Jean couldn't hold his tears anymore.
"BIG BROTHER IS A MEANIE!" Little Jean yelled and then rushed out of the Duke's office.
Maximillien's gritted his teeth. Somehow, when Little Jean called him a meanie, there was something inside his heart that had been crushed.
But he shouldn't let his heart take control over his logic.
He took a deep breath as he picked his document again and continued reading, trying to ignore this crushing feeling in his heart.
"It's okay, Maximillien. He is just a kid from the orphanage. You have no obligation for his emotional support. All you need to do is to make sure he survives until eighteen years old and kick him away."
…
An hour passed, and this tumultuous anxiety in Maximillien's heart still hadn't dissipated. He clenched the document in his hand and slammed it to the desk frustratedly.
"Ugh, fine!" Maximillion got up from his chair and decided to search for that kid.
[Pupa: Ding! Maximillien Eau Saumont's Fatemeter increases to 15%.]
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