Lost Faith

Chapter 6

It's been three weeks since Cale came back. There was no improvement in his relationship with his previous friends. He refused to eat whenever he was given food. For some unknown reason, Cale doesn't really get hungry though he is getting thinner and thinner each day.

Cale finally went back to his family home in the Henituse Territory. Choi Han, Ron, Vicross, Raon, Ohn and Hong came back with him. His family and friends were trying to get close to him but Cale only responded with a hum or nod. He didn't even come out of his room ever since he got back, he didn't even come whenever he was invited to eat with them.

"Orabeoni, have you eaten?" Lilly asked, day by day she would come to his room and talk to him. Cale just blankly looked at her.

"No, I don't have any appetite," he answered. Lilly smiled when her brother answered her. That was the longest sentence Cale had said ever since he came back.

"We should eat, Orabeoni! Let's go," Lilly offered her hand to her brother. Cale looked at her hand and to her face. He reluctantly held her hand which made his little sister happy. Cale has always been weak against his siblings.

Lilly and Cale walked towards the dining hall hand in hand. Ron smiled seeing his young master finally opening up to his siblings. The servants were looking at the redhead in confusion, they did not know who the red-haired person was. However, their master knew him. He called him son. The young master and lady called him brother yet the servants didn't know the existence of another young master. This was the first time they had seen him.

Cale was seated adjacent to his father. Deruth offered Cale plenty of food. The redhead didn't eat, he kept slicing the meat into pieces until nothing could be eaten anymore. This made Violan frown.

"Hm? No small rocks in my meal this time?" Cale asked.

The redhead remembered the times when the servants of their household would mistreat him. When his father neglected him, the servants started mistreating him. They would put small rocks in his meal, which made his teeth and mouth ache. Sometimes, they would hit him and punch him. His time in this household wasn't a good one.

"Wh-What do you mean, Cale?" Deruth asked. Cale blankly stared at his father's face.

"Nothing. I just remembered something interesting during my childhood. I remembered your servants putting small rocks in my food," Cale answered as he smiled, yet his eyes were empty.

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?" Deruth asked in fury. Cale laughed, even his laughter contained emptiness.

"Do you even have time looking after me? Oh yeah, you don't have time for that. You were heartbroken that time and as your son I have to be strong for you. I have to be mature for my father who seemed unfit to act like a father to me," Cale answered, mockery was obvious with his tone. This made Deruth flinch as memories resurfaced.

"Cale, stop disrespecting your father," Violan reprimanded. 

"Sure, then don't dare invite me again here while pretending to be nice to me," Cale responded as he stood and walked away but he halted when he felt something heavy on his right cheek. Deruth slapped him on his face.

"How dare you treat your parents like this? Why are you being so ungrateful?!" Deruth yelled. Cale slowly turned his head to look at his father. Lilly and Bassen stood to come in between their father and brother but Violan stopped them.

"Now you're calling yourself a parent? Are you serious? I don't even remember when you acted like a parent to me," Cale raised his voice, tears were forming in his eyes which made Deruth calm down and realized what he had done. He could see his son's right cheek red and blood dripped from his lips.