章 23: Lucas 1
The girl he just met looked exactly like the boy who brought him here. Her long red hair fell gently on her back and those familiar gem-like blue eyes. However, she didn't have the verse mischievous glow in her eyes: A nonchalant look that caused others to be particularly obvious about themselves, the kind of eyes that only focused on one thing and when they finally find it, they never look away from it.
"I do not want this gift." Her eyes remained solely on her brother.
It was the first time that a person had ever been so uninterested in him. Everybody he had met all through his life wanted him for something, and the girl could be no different, however, she didn't even look at him once: more like, he was not worthy, not useful enough to gain her attention.
As he silently muttered a prayer in his mind, for the first time in his life, he was answered. The girl had reluctantly agreed to keep him.
He bit his lips in self-derision. Never had he thought that he would pray to be taken in and used by someone.
"Fine." The girl muttered and finally casted her eyes on him. Those hateful blue eyes that expressionlessly stared at him.
However, contrary to his expectations, she never showed up after that day. The maids came and went, providing him with daily necessities but never bothered him. He protested as much as he could but no matter how much he did, she never showed up, not even once.
Hence, he went further, taking his protest up a notch. Knocking down a vase first, then throwing every breakable object down to the ground. And after a few hours, she arrived.
Her eyes held rage, an expression he had longed to see. Those once nonchalant eyes had an angry expression in them as she charged towards him. He peeked slightly from underneath the covers, and watched as she raised her small hand and he closed his eyes, wincing as he expected a sudden pang of pain, however what landed on his head was what felt like a small pat as she thwacked his head in annoyance.
She then angrily pulled off the duvet and dragged him up, "Clean this place up and get me a medicine kit from the physician."
"Are you out of your mind?"
The strange girl pulled him up by the collar, and instead of a slap that he had expected, she gently let him rest his back.
"What if you had gotten injured? Do you want to die?"
Did she care?
"Do you know how much of a turmoil I'll be in if you die?"
No, she didn't. She didn't care about him, at all.
"Ha!" She sighed, running her fingers through her hair in annoyance.
Just as selfish as the rest of those blue-eyed people.
* ~ *
Lily sighed in exasperation, the child really had a death wish. Plus, he just wordlessly stared at her without saying a single word in his defense.
"Did anybody treat you badly?" She asked but was ignored as he looked away.
Scoffing at his silence, she walked to the door where Mary was standing.
"Come in." She opened the door, "Treat him to the best of your abilities." Giving a short order, she sat on the couch and rested her head before moving her eyes back to the pair.
"Give me your hand please." Mary stretched out her hand to the child who was leaning further away from her.
"Your highness, the barbarian child-" She turned to Lily, who interrupted.
"What is your name?"
"Huh?"
"Not you, Mary. Him. What is your name, child?"
"..."
Met with silence again, Lily sighed and turned to the door, then back at Mary, "You can't keep calling him barbarian child... Leave us." Mary took a slight bow and left.
"I don't know how to do this, but you'll have to bear." She said, picking up a cotton wool. A physician would have been better but the physicians in the palace would not treat a slave even if it was an order from the princess, well, unless it was a direct order from the king.
She started cleaning from the cuts on his face down to his hands, then after a short moment of silence, she asked again avoiding his red eyes that peered into her soul, "What is your name."
The child remained silent before grumbling underneath his breath, "I don't."
"Huh?"
"No name."
Lily shook her head at his attempt to speak as little as possible.
"Then I'll give you a name." Her finger hovered around her lips for a while as she pondered for a name, "Ah, I think...maybe Lucas? Yes, Lucas." She affirmed, pushing the cotton wool back to his lower lip.
The child bit his lip, Lucas was a name that was once popular in the Obelian empire. During the reign of the first emperor, a knight named Lucas fought alongside the him to create the empire - Sir Lucas, the bringer of light.
Lily lightly hit the child on his head again, "Don't bite on your wound." She reprimanded before asking, "Do you like the name, Lucas?"
"Hmm." He made a slight sound of affirmation. After all, who wouldn't like the name of an old well-known hero.
"Great. Then Lucas, the next time you mess up your room, you will be in big trouble." She finally looked into his eyes as she issued a stern warning.
She then noticed the pieces of cotton wool on the surface of his lip wound. Wait, wasn't treating injuries supposed to hurt? He didn't even wince once.
She stared at the dry cotton wool in her hand and let out a shallow breath before picking up a small bottle of alcohol steralizer and dipping the cotton inside of it.
"I'm terrible at this." She murmured underneath her breath.
* ~ *
Things went surprisingly well for the next few days. Vianka visited every now and then, and sent gifts on days she didn't come by. Perez was handling some issues with the king hence he never came over too, Camille and the second queen had also been oddly quiet. Except for Lucas who was now allowed to follow her around, nothing else was out of place as nobody bothered her. Therefore, it was time to visit the Langsher land.
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