Before the sun sets, the father and sons were already in the dining room, waiting for Maxineirah to arrive who still inside her room with Kathelina helping her to dress up. It would be a rare sight to see all members of the Ducal family to gather in one table so the servants were fighting for the positions who would serve and stay inside the room with their Masters to see how would the dinner goes.
“I am already hungry Dad.” Maxwell blurted out while Maxlein was secretly picking some grapes in the table. Maximo noticed him and immediately shoved his brother’s hand away when the latter was about to pick again.
“Ingh!”Maxlein reacted insurprised and glared at his older brother, Maximo before looking to their father to ask for help but after seeing his father with his fist on his chin and elbow on the armrest of the chair like a bored man, he quickly shut his mouth and backed out in his chair with silence, moreover, when he saw his father’s eyes looking at him seriously.
Maximo giggled on his little brother’s reaction.
The oldest son, Maximillian was quiet and fist on his chin jjst like their father’s position and looking at the table coldly. He might not be obvious but he was already starving like the rest of his brothers and his stomach almost growled in proof.
Maxillary started to runt for being hungry and for Maxineirah’s slowness.
The door silently opened like it was their intention to enter without a soun. Maxineirah entered with holding Kathelina’s hands who looked embarassed for the child’s behavior. Kathelina was flushed red, trying to calm her nerves down.
“Dad! Do we really need to wait for Maxine?” Maxillary grunted without thinking.
“Maxillary!” his father and brothers called in chorus to reprimand him. He was shocked with their reaction but afterwards, he realized what he had said.
“Sorry…” he apologized in a low tone and sincere manner, fidgeting his fingers. Maxine who just entered the room heard it all clearly.
Kathelina cleared her throat that made all of the people inside the room turned their heads on their direction. Her cheeks became redder when she remembered that her Little Miss was still holding onto her. When she looked down to her Master, she saw Maxineirah who almost wanted to hide her little figure to her’s, teary eyed.
Kathelina thought Maxineirah was like that because she was frightened by her brothers. Maxineirah’s family do have different behaviors but what Kathelina and everyone sees in their eyes, the whole family has a cold attitude that could be compared to the winter. Their facades even defeated the cold freezing weather.
But in Maxineirah’s eyes, her family was different. Everything she heard right after she entered the dining roon, the way her family reprimanded her brother and Maxillary apologized on what he had said, for her, it only proved that they really care for her feelings even though they did not showed it or she did not just noticed it immediately.
She wanted to hide on Kath and cry her heart out. She regret not noticing her family’s love for her so soon in her past. She knew it, just when they all died for her. She felt stupid. She hates herself for not noticing and for not showing how she loves them so much.
They saw Maxineirah’s complexion and worried attacked them. They thought she was about to cry because of what she heard from her Brother Maxillary. From sitting boredly, Maximus and Maximillian sat properly unconsciously on their seats.
Maxillary received a smack on the head from Maxwell who was just sitting next to him. He did not fight back and only pouted his lips in guilt.
Maxillary did not expect that Maxine already came in in the dining room before he said that detestful words. If he had knew, he would not have thought those.
“Milady…” Kathelina called out to the child beside her whose on the verge of crying.
Maximus eyed Maxillary seriously to give a signal, as if they talked, Maxillary got what what his father meant to say. He climed down from his chair and approached his sister with his hand on the back of his head.
Maxine looked up to him with her teary eyes. When Maxillary saw her little sister’s expression, he felt a lump on his throat and his cheeks reddened before diverting his eyes. He was trying hard to stop himself from smiling so he bit his lip.
‘She looks cute, though.’ Maxillary thought.
Behind Maxillary, his father and brothers were menacing, secretly eyeing him and he could clearly feel their stares that prickles his back right from where he stood. They were blaming him for making Maxine teary eyed.
“U-Uh… I-I mean, no, I d-din not mean to say those words.” Maxillary did not know what to say while his eyes were still somewhere. Maxineirah smiled brightly at him that made him immediatetly threw his eyes back to his younger sister.
“I am not angry with Brother Maxillary.” Maxine gently said to his brother letting Kathelina’s hand go.
‘She is too cute! Ugh! My heart!’ Maxillary said to himself. He felt like an arrow pierced his heart on how lovely Maxineirah is right now and he wanted to faint because of that cute smile from her that made his ears red too.
But he suddenly shivered and had goosebumps when he felt the his father and brothers silently staring at his back with fuming eyes again. They were jealous at him for receiving such beautiful smile from the youngest after what he said.
Maxillary grabbed his sister’s hand and escorted her to a vacant chair beside their father, that chair was reseved just for Maxineirah.
Maxine’s tears vanished from her eyes and was smiling while her brother was pulling her to her seat.
One of the servants pulled the chair for Maxine and helped her to sit properly infront of the table.