***The events in this chapter are all in a distant Past***
"Honestly.. you're so..."
"I know.."
The young boy smiled at the dry tone of the response.
"Josh are you done tending to him?" A young girl in her teens with beautiful black hair and dark big black eyes approached the two boys.
"Ah, Raina... Not really, the instructor disciplined him hard.."
Josh spoke while tending to the little boy around seven to eight years whose arms were full of purple welds that appeared to have formed after being constantly hit by a whip. His back and torso were the most effected areas other than the arms.
"Why won't you just agree with the instructor kid, that way atleast you won't get hit..." The girl called Raina suggested.
" My name is Hiromitsu Akio ,not Naoyuki Akio! It's my parent's name! They won't be able to find me one day if I change my name! " The little boy went off at the two of them.
Both Josh and the girl looked at him rather gloomily considering they both knew he was abandoned at the orphanage along with that name.
" The more you act defiantly, the more you get punished by them, just act like you agree with them, you don't have to actually agree you know?" Josh suggested, though the little boy's eyes went all sparkly and filled up.
" Aa a a , he's about to cry! I can't stand crying children!" Raina commented though little Akio blinked hard and controlled those tears somehow.
"I'm not crying, you're crying!" He said and pushed the older boy who was tending him. He wore his shirt and ran off.
"Should I get the brat?" Raina asked.
"No need, he's probably gone to see his friend, his mood will improve once he's with him" Josh stopped her.
" Heh, but isn't his friend the real son of our master? That's dangerous,we were told from early on to stay away from him" Raina argued to which Josh smiled a bit.
" It's Akio, he even gets beaten up for wanting to keep the only thing he ever got from his parents, do you really think he'll care about that?" Josh asked to which Raina shrugged.
" Don't know but sooner or later this might cause something bad to happen to him, besides we're all omegas here, isn't that kid an alpha? We should stay away"
Raina suggested though she knew Josh didn't have much say in this, he was just nice enough to tend to Akio everytime he was beaten. Josh himself was humble and nice to all.
"Come to think of it, I heard you've been assigned to a difficult customer this time?" Josh asked changing the topic.
" Ah totally, did you have any customers like that? I'm having a hard time getting this deal done, ah ah I wonder if I'll get punished for it" Raina spoke whilst biting her nails.
" What seems to be the issue?" Josh asked and Raina moved to sit next to him as if she'd been waiting long to talk about this.
"You see, there's a guy from one of my previous deals, who's obsessed with me, he keeps popping up and ruining this for me" Raina whispered.
" An admirer ?" Josh asked to which Raina nodded.
"I thought sleeping with him once would help me get rid of him but damn he's persistent" Raina sighed.
" What!!" Josh almost went loud enough that Raina had to move forward to cover his mouth tightly to stop him from doing so "Raina san, we're not allowed to sleep around" Josh whispered.
" I know I know keep your voice down" Raina told him.
" We're omegas, we have to be careful, otherwise there will be consequences" Josh warned her.
" Okay okay, it was one mistake anyways, its not like keeping your virginity will do any good, sooner or later they will sell us off to make profitable deals" Raina argued.
" Still, what if you end up with a child ?" Josh asked with a concerned face.
" A virgin like you wouldn't understand what protection is" Raina shrugged making Josh go red in the face.
"I- I just want to save it for the right person!" He spoke rather taking it personally.
" You haven't heard, have you?" Raina looked a bit surprised at his response.
"Heard what?" Josh asked.
"Master's decided to sell you off into marriage" Raina's words made Josh go into a bit of a shock.
" Huh..." Josh was at loss of words, though he'd known sooner or later a time like this would come.
"What...are they like...."
He whispered with a rather gloomy expression.
"Uh I don't know but it's probably a branch family, Ivan Strauss..is his name I guess..."
Raina tried to recall
" He's...not an old man...is he ...?" Josh asked clenching his fists onto his trousers whilst bending his head.
Raina smiled and shook her head " I think he's the same age as us, marriage is just a way for them to keep their kids on the right track so that they don't end up in scandals and to get heirs early, so don't worry he's not that old"
Josh relaxed a little, though he still seemed a bit worried.
"Cheer up, it's gonna be ok" Raina put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in.
" But .... "
" Don't worry, if you don't like it... I'll somehow help you"
"Eh..."
" Just put your trust on me"
************Time skip ************
" Strip "
"Huh?"
Josh's eyes widened at the demand of this boy who appeared younger than him.
" If I'm going to marry you, I'd atleast like to check the product in advance"
The boy spoke to Josh crossing his legs, sitting on a chair with an unimpressed air about him.
Josh stood up clenching his fists but started to undress though he stopped at the lower garments, being unable to do it.
"What are you shy about? Come on" The boy looked rather amused humiliating him in a room full of his servants.
"Sir Ivan Strauss, he's not accustomed to that kind of thing so" Raina tried to speak up for Josh to which the boy got up from his chair and walked to Raina instead.
He lifted her chin
"If he can't do it, then you do it"
************Time skip ************
"It's okay, it's okay... No...I can't ..."
"Move"
Raina pushed Josh away and took the matters to her hands. Josh simply stood in the corner sobbing with his head against the wall.
The rest of the thing was dealt by Raina.
"It's my fault" Josh couldn't help but sob.
"It's not your fault" Raina tried to calm him down.
"If I had stopped Akio from getting involved with that boy from the start, then this wouldn't have... " Josh's heart was sinking, he felt overly depressed.
On the bed, Akio was put to sleep with a bandage rolled around his neck and under the bed there was a bin, cotton swabs full of blood filled it up.
Raina had cleaned him up providing the required aid that she was trained to do. Josh couldn't really do it, he was too devastated for it.
"... Master is enraged..." Raina told him.
Josh helplessly pulled his hair being frustrated.
" We have to get him out, Master will kill him... We have to somehow... " Josh argued.
" Josh " Raina came over to him and gave him a hug, rubbing up his back trying to calm him down.
"Please... Please help Akio..."
************Time skip ************
" No way... "
Josh didn't blink, his eyes were static and he felt rather frozen.
" He's just ten...!!" Josh argued.
"The master spared his life, on account that he'll stay to please the young master in a wedlock and give birth to his children, I'm sorry that's all I could do to keep him alive for now..." Raina told him.
" You're telling me to let him marry his own r-p-st!??!!!!" Josh pretty much yelled.
"This is the only way to save his life, listen give me some time , I have a friend she'll help me get Akio out of here somehow but for now keep it down, if the other siblings find out about this, I'll be in trouble" Raina whispered to Josh.
" Raina... " Josh mumbled.
" But you have to convince her, I cannot go and meet up with her , if Ivan finds out I met up with another alpha, he'll beat me, besides..."
Raina put her hand over her stomach
" I need her help with something else too ..."
He somehow buckled himself up.
"Who do I have to meet"
"Her name is Clara Hughes"
************Time skip ************
He walked into the traditional styled mansion with a pond on the right side and a greenhouse garden on the left side.
The place was huge and pretty much full of green, he had a long way to walk before he'd reached the mansion with a wooden flooring. He was received by the caretaker of the house who led him to the traditional styled guest room where he sat down on a cushion on the wooden floor infront of a table.
His gaze automatically went outside since the door towards the pond was open and the summer breeze was flowing in along with the fresh smell of jasmine.
"Sorry for the wait"
His eyes turned towards the direction of the beautiful voice and he was taken in awe by the beautiful girl that stood infront of him. Her beautiful curled black hair locks rested upon her bosom, she had gentle grey eyes and a cat like look to her face.
She assembled her skirt before sitting down infront of him.
Though Josh's mouth was hung open by the time she did.
"Raina sent you right? How's she doing? I haven't seen her since she got married, how's life for her? "
The girl had too many questions.
" About that..."
Josh ended up telling the girl about the whole story.
"I see, so she married in your place and is now expecting but her husband is abusive"
The girl had listened patiently, she looked concerned too.
"I shouldn't have let her do this...I should've been the one... she's saved me so many times, I can't even-" Josh's voice cracked up.
" I will help her" Clara Hughes spoke without a second thought.
Josh's face lit up.
"What about the boy?" Josh asked.
"Akio kun was it? I'll arrange for him too but getting out of there depends upon him, it'll take alot of courage to run, can he do it?" Clara asked.
Though Josh became silent at this question since he knew well that Akio wasn't even in a state of mind to help himself. He'd given up on talking, smiling or even taking care of himself. Moreover the young master was always around him. How was he supposed to make something like this happen? And how would Akio live on his own in the capital..?
All of the questions rushed in his mind and he found himself completely confused.
"It's okay I'll help him when he's ready, for now I need to help Raina, is that okay?" Clara Hughes asked
Josh just ended up nodding.
"What about you?" Clara's question caught Josh's attention and he raised his head to look at her.
"What about me?" Josh felt perplexed.
"You want Raina's baby to make it out of that hell, you want to help that boy Akio..what about you, don't you want to make it out?" Clara Hughes asked.
Josh became silent for a moment and lowered his head.
"It's okay" he mumbled rather with a smiling face which made Clara a bit surprised.
"As long as the people I care about make it through, I'd have no regrets" He spoke with a lightly red tinted face and a smile.
Clara Hughes blinked a bit, being somewhat unexpressive for a little and then she smiled at this beautiful redheaded boy infront of her as well.
"You're kind"
************Time skip ************
"Akio can't do it"
"I thought so..."
Raina sighed in, she gently rubbed her hand over her protruding stomach.
"I have thought some names" Raina spoke with a smiling face
"If it's a boy then either Alexander or Ian and if it's a girl then Natalie or Ciara"
" Pffft What's with those old fashioned names?" Josh laughed a bit though at the same time one of the maids arrived.
"Ms. Raina, Sir Ivan is here to pick you up" The maid bowed her head.
" Ah I'll walk you out" Josh got up
" Ah Sir Joshua, master has asked for your presence" The maid stood in Josh's way, who looked at Raina.
She placed her hand on his shoulder, assuring him that she can go on her own.
Josh ended up watching her leave from afar as he waited to be called in by the master.
"Come in"
The servant told Josh and he came in sitting on his knees without lifting his head and bowed.
"Master, is your health better?" He asked without lifting his head.
" It is well" The old man replied "Today I've called you here to introduce you to someone, raise your head"
Josh raised his head only to be shocked because next to him a girl came over and sat down, behind her were two maids.
The familiar girl turned her head towards Josh and made a slight bow.
"Naoyuki Joshua, I would like to ask for your hand in marriage"