🪶 : Happy 2K reads! its nice to see that you guys are enjoying this Book/*bow*/ thank you for the votes, appreciated.
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Kaspian's POV :
Brother Lores has always been the one looking after us.He is firm, bold and honest; you might not believe it but Harake gets scolded the most when we we're young, yet every time his punishments get worse Lores would be there to appease our parents.
That's why we get away easily.. Younger perks..
He also has been looking after me in school, making sure no one is bullying me even though he is weak he has always been a strong individual.
He is quiet and was always passive, he is an obedient older Brother. If they tell him to come home eventually after classes, he would.
That obedience also became his weakness since then. He became one of the Fight Monitors because the Council President demanded him and he obeyed right away.
One day, Brother came home exhausted, although he didn't say anything we knew he was tired─ tired from projects, monitors and demands . He's not only a member of the Fight Monitors but also a member of the Elite Building Union.
He only ate a portion of his food and soon stood up and went to his room. He didn't even said goodnight as per usual like he always did.
So Roman and I stirred into his room and ask him if he was okay and he replied with a;
"Im Okay, Rom, Kas.. "
He reassured us with his light hearted smile and he......became a princess overnight~🥲🖐kidding.
The next day after, he greeted us with a small smile as if he has recharged, he wasn't giving us a cold shoulder like he always do so ofcourse we would be bewildered.
We thought it will only last for a few days but it looks like he turned into a completely different person.He would converse with Roman about astrology, talk about swords and strategies with Harake and even let me hugged him.
That unaffectionate person whose love language is violence and bluntness ACTUALLY let me hugged him!
He even sent Harake off after giving him a box of chocolates and what horrified me the most was how he even smiled like a lover bidding farewell to his partner.
You know when I accidentally saw Brother Tyres I thought he was one of the Kingdom's Princes because of the grace he emits. He had a shoulder length moss green hair and an Owl sitting on top of his shoulder like a king. Surely, it is his companion, it looked small and a burden..
However, all thoughts disappeared after he was introduced.
Rafael had a culture─ that children below six is not allowed to meet their older siblings until they turned at the age of seven as ages below seven have little control over their mana core.
I'm not allowed to meet anyone, I didn't even know I had two older siblings. The only ones who's allowed to meet me was Mother and Father so they could feed me their mana to stable myself. So upon turning seven I was so giddy because I can finally meet my siblings.
Mom escorted me to the dining hall whilst describing my brothers─ they sound wonderful and I can't wait to meet them─ that's what I thought. I held my chin up but when they opened the doors the floor suddenly became more interesting.I heard their chuckles and giggles and I was so embarassed but decided to lift my head nonetheless.
I was shock to say the least, the man I saw was right there looking at me quietly even though I can't see him I could feel the heating gaze he gave off. That dinner was one of my treasured memory.
'I can finally spend my next years with them.' , I thought.
I learned that he was my oldest brother and the one beside him is my older brother.
"Tyrespiel Lor, just call me Tyres if you want Kaspian."
His cold tone sounded uninterested yet the warmth of his welcoming contradicted his tone.
Brother Tyres was eleven and Brother Harake was ten then. Brother Harake was the loud one in the family, his jokes weren't the best but his laughs are contagious even he can make Brother Tyres giggle sometimes.
'Though now that he matured, he wears a resting bitch face'
I never saw his face─ no one did except Mom and Dad; he was always wearing that cover over his eyes, sometimes I worry if he can even see through that. i was curious about the reason why he hides his face that I ask him why he is wearing that over his eyes he only replied with a hum before he answers with a:
"If you see me, you might contemplate with these words 'a blessing or a curse?' "
I don't know what he meant by those words yet I smiled knowing that one day I'll understand. Months passed and when I was finally allowed to go out I never thought that I will hear all kinds of cruel words about him. He was the subject of every insult and disappointment of their conversations.
"The eldest Crosseart lost to a first rate mock battle, how embrassing..to think he was born in a powerful family, tottaly a cursed."
'Lost?my brother? The one who's always been good at holding a saber lost?'
When I came home I saw him sitting on a couch with Mother and Harake, they were treating his wounds. They were questioning him with worried faces but what they got was cold responses and they seem to just shrugged it off.
I stormed in the room with an angry face, what can I say I was only seven I don't know him much. I remember screaming to his face, how he was an embrassing older Brother and rude, how he can't even win a first rate mock battle.
He was just sitting there, lips formed in a thin line. Mother and Brother Harake did their best to calm me down but I continued screaming at him of how useless of an older brother he is.
I was trembling in anger, snarling at him and glaring at him with all I've got but all I got as a reply was:
"I lost."
I was dumbfounded as I finally snapped from my senses I was ready to scold him again but he calmy sat there stirring his drink and said:
"I lost not because I didn't tried my best, I lost because I'm not the only one who tried their best."
That day, I knew that if he is a Cursed like they say then he was a very beautiful Curse. He was a man who taught me losing wasn't something one should be ashamed of. He became my Role Model.
A brother who stirred me away from the wrong path and acted as if he was the goddess himself: wise, formidable, pure, honest and unbothered. I learned from him just as I learned from this family, all of them opened my eyes to the world's cruelest punishment, justice and humanities corrupted minds.
Whenever I get the chance, I would stuck closed to him ( but now I can't spend time alone with him since Roman was born,ugh ), asking advice and even got to the point that I would challenge him with the reward of seeing his face.
I always lost though..
He would smile when something amused him, he would laugh when something confused him. And maybe that's why I also thought he was weak. He didn't show what he's capable of rather he hid it, he's a paradox I can't solve even after he changed and suddenly betting his face, he became even more unpredictable.
Saying if we get high scores on our exams he will let us see his face so I started listening to my professors, started visiting our library to learn more, asking father about my lessons to get his perspective.
And I knew I had to work even hard when I suddenly overheard from the Professors that Brother Tyres will be participating in the PME as the opponent of the winner(s).
The battle against him is Five rated that's why even though I'm not sure of what his rank now I will study and practice two times my original regimen.
'I'll show him what I'm made of.'
[ end of POV ]
"Brother you've finally lost your mind..."
Harake said still shocked at the thought that his older brother who didn't even let him see his face his entire life suddenly think it's fun to just blurt something random. What about his trauma? What about his psychological shadow? Just like that?
"Why are so shocked? You always want to see my face, right? Then why do you sound like you disapprove of my decision."
They are inside one of the Palace's guests chambers so Tyrespiel can change his clothes knowing full well that their mother will have a full blast lecture if she learned what happened.
I mean she'll still learn about it but the news should be delayed a few more days.
"It is not like that brother, I am just worried. But what are you going to say to our Mom and Dad?"
"Hm nothing, let them know. Discover it themselves"
Tyrespiel said nonchalantly before gesturing a goodbye mannerism to Harake and exiting the chambers.He is tired and needed rest that was what Kevin told them so not long after Kaspian and Roman exited.
Harake gave out a exasperated sigh, now what should he do, his brother's beauty will be revealed and they will have to shoo his admirers by then.
"I guess I better prepare for the worst."
❝ accepting defeat was never a form of cowardness,