'Poor people becomes poorer and rich people become richer' that was the common saying that was too obvious in this almost modern society.
I walked normally towards the old tree's direction where I heard most of them were hidden or should I say, most of the rustles.
Was not Brother Lein resides there?
When you give something to a person, they would not be satisfied and would ask for more and when you give them two, they were still not satisfied because they would only want more.
When I reached where the old tree was situated, I found out what was wrong here.
I was stunned when I saw Lein tied tightly in a rope as if he was tied not just some brats but by some adults.
Everyone was greedy but nobles and aristocrats were greedier.
Normal people only satisfy their greed when their needs were tended while on the other hand, nobles amd aristocrats did not know how to stop being greedy. They would take everything within their reach even if it was not need.
He was sitting with his cross legs and tied hands were behind him with a rope snaking his upper part.
He looked so angry right now and murmuring something under the cloth tied on his mouth. He was trying to say something but he could not talk properly because his mouth were sealed with a fabric.
They made him looked like an old and medieval prisoner, a dog who was tied the way they tied my brother due to dread that the dog might go bersek and bite them off.
My blood boiled and it almost rose up to my head. Those stinky brats were pissing me off, trying to cut my thin thread of patience I had left for them.
I could not help but to clench my hands and tightly shut my lips while my teeth were gritting.
I could not believe that they even used their own maids to this kind of 'play' and the maids acted like they were pets the way they obeyed their master's words without trying to stop their dumb acts.
"Surprise!" one-by-one, the kids went out from their hiding places with their nannies, smirking arrogantly.
Of course, they totally outnumbered us and no one would listen to what we have to say if we would turn them over because they ganged up against us.
I first approached my brother with a blank expression while untying him and let the kids blabber while the nannies with them only laughed at us as if they were someone high and important.
My teeth were gritting and I could feel wrath building up inside me.
"Did you liked our surprise?"
"The 3rd brother monster has caught! Yehey!"
"We should have threw him on the river at the back so we could see the witch swim for him."
I had hard time untying my brother because of my delicate and small hands that were scathed because of how the rough ropes were tightly tied.
"Maxine...!" Brother Lein gasped when he saw my almost wounded hands but I ignored his whimpering and continue to untie him.
Just when I was done, I heard what the latter said that made me threw my head to her and glared at her with my piercing eyes.
"You f*cking brats!" Brother Lein could not help but to growl at them and was about to launched but I immediately stopped him. I saw how their servants moved to protect their masters in case Lein would try fire at them.
"You want to hurt me!" the same kid who raised his finger towards me a while ago said and raised his finger again at Lein this time.
My vision got darker because of what he did. I did let his finger raised at me once but that did not mean, I could tolerate him again for the second time.
"Are you looking down in House Zachrono, Young Master of Gringe?" I asked coldly and I saw all of them flinched on my tone even Brother Lein behind me. I could feel his stares at my back maybe, thinking something.
I let them look down to me in the past and whatever they did, I always let them go unharmed but not for the second time.
If I let them look down on me until now, our name would be in shame again but I would not ever let that happen again just because of my cowardness.
If in the past, I overlooked their foolishness, this time, it was different now. Our Household was obviously far more superior than them so why would I let them taint my name?
We were a Ducal House and this children's Houses werre only from Counties.
Why would I let some low level creatures with tarnished souls overrule our House?
Instead of puting his finger down that was pointing to brother Lein, an annoying grin plastered on his face.
However, how much he faked his bravery, I could still see him fearing me from how he refrained his trembling knees.
I felt like I instantly returned to my old self. The cold blooded Duchess of Zachrono.
"It seems like all of you does not know the proper etiquette but it deem to me that the Young Master of Gringe is far more thoughtless of it." I snickered
He clearly know what could happen to their house tomorrow for being rude to me and yet he just would not back down and let his pride win over him.
Yes. Their House had power but he was alone did not have any.
"W-we were j-just play-ing, are w-we not?" he asked nervously with a shaking voice.
"In what part can we call this playing?" I bombarded
"W-we were playing hide and seek! W-why are you making us bad?!" one of the girls butted in
'I am not making you bad. You are already just awful yourself.' was what I would like to say. Good thing, I stopped myself.
"In what part can we call playing when you tied my brother with a rope just because and asked your servants to do it?"
"W-we, we... -"
"What if I tie you up too because you see this shameful thing as a part of our game?" I asked with an ominous smirk plastered that made their faces turned pale.
"U-uh. Y-you are just a brat like us, w-what can you e-even do? You think too h-higly of youself a-and you are just a small stupid feeling like D-uchess!" Young Master of Gringe House exclaimed and that pressed my button. Was he really asking me what I could do to them?
When did I ever just feel like a Duchess? Never in my ENTIRE life I boast my standing in this society!
I was boiling albeit, I surpassed that feeling. Never would I stoop down low to some gay -guy like him who only know how to blabber in spite of being a male.
I have encountered many discrimination in my life and my first dicrimination did not go too well and that led me to conclusion that firing them back with anger would do nothing good.
I would be the only who would be seen in the wrong, so as for long as they do not hurt me physically, I also would not hurt them physically. Words are for words and physical for physical.
But my belief did not seem to be in similar way for my brother's point of view because before I even know, he was already holding the boy's collar up and its feet did not meet the ground anymore.
"What did you just said, brat? Take it back." he commanded. I could see his expression yet I could sense his killing intent in this distance by just hearing his gloomy tone. It was chilling and I could see the grew up old him in the past.
The Vice Captain of the Palace Guards.
The girls started crying because of fear of Lein. They were holding tightly on their nanies' skirt as if begging them to leave here but even their servants were rooted to where they were standing, trembling in fear.
The kid looked as if he was having a hard time breathing, frightened and speechless because of my brother whom they tied up.
They took their steps back and distanced their selves from us except for the maid of the boy that Maxlein was holding in the collar. The maid was now kneeling on the ground, trembling in fear, begging to let her Young Master go.
He tried to touch Brother Lein's lower garment but the latter gave him a burning glare, a warning that none of his parts must be touch.
I become anxious, someone might see them.
"Y-you are killing me!" the boy shouted from the grasp.
"B-brother Lein, put hin down, please." I pleaded but he only glanced at me for a moment before tightening his hold to the boy's collar. I stepped forward towards him but immediately stopped on my track when I heard him say something.
"You know that we do not back down Maxine. Huh. What can this brat's County House even do with us Ducal's? He is neither the Count and the Count." he spitted, repeating the kid's remarks venoumously.
I could guess that he was smirking angrily infront.
"Even if I kill this brat this instant, his father can only protest but he can not touch us. We are a Ducal House. You are indeed the Duchess and whatever you do would be forgiven. F*ck the bashful words that could arise, I can also kill those who spout nonsense. Whether you tell a lie or the truth, the descision is always yours, so should I already kill this brat?" he asked blatantly as if he was talking the kid's life as a simple thing.
"No!" I exclaimed and quickly ran towards him when I saw him unsheathed his sword from the scabbard hanging beside his leg.
Graces! How could he raise his sword here?! I know that he was ruthless in the past but I did not expect him to be like this too in our younger days!
I also want to kill that kid with my own hands right now but we could not because we were in the other's teritory and not ours.
"M-MOMMMYYYYYY!" the kid bursted up crying, shouting to call for his mother out of fear for rescue as he peed on his pants because of too much dread.