“Of course not!” Maximillian abruptly answered and it was late when he realized he reacted. He looked down before diverting his eyes in the other direction.
He did not said anything so Maxineirah did.
“Do you despise me for killing our birth mother?” Maxine asked out of the blue. That was the only thing she could think of a reason right now since the Countess lightened up her mind about their mother’s death.
“I never despise you!” again, Maximillian replied without thinking because of what she said. They were both taken aback by the sudden answer of Millian.
He do not despise his sister but his father.
Maximillian never hated his sister.
The reason he could not approach his sister was not solely because he was melting with her smile or afraid that he might put his sister’s life in danger again but instead, he was guilty.
The day the youngest was born and the Duchess’ death, he did not and could not do anything for his sister. He was a coward for letting their father throw his sister out of the window.
It was traumatizing for him, if it is not for their Aunt who visited on the Manor incidentally, Maxine would not be here infron of him right now.
Maximillian was regretful to himself.
He was the oldest and yet, he had no powers back then. His trembling knees had always got ahead of him.
Fear overpowered him. And he thought that the maturity he had back then was just for a show.
It was already too long ago, he was just a child back then, an eight-year old child but he already thought that he was matured at that age that he could not move on.
“Then why do you keep avoiding me?” Maxine asked innocently calm.
Maximillian was startled on his sister’s question.
He stared back to his sister for hee did not know if he should confess that he really was guilty or lie about it.
He was not sure whether his sister would understand him or not.
He always thought Maxineirah as an innocent child, too young to know nothing but if his sister knew he was avoiding her, then maybe, she was not that narrow-minded at all.
After hesitating, battling with his mind for seconds, he decided to tell her what he really wanted to say.
“I am scared.” He finally said but Maxine seems to be troubled by what it means.
“You are scared that you might threathen my life-“
“That is not it.” Maximillian immediately cut her words before she could misunderstand it.
“I am scared that I would be unable to protect you again.”
“What do you mean by ‘again’, Brother?” Maxine did not know what his father did to her when she was born because Sir Jetarom did not mention anything other than her mother’s death.
Instead of answering the youngest’s curiousity, he continued.
“I am not afraid by the responsibility, what I am afraid of all this time was I might fail to save you if wou will need me the most. I can not deny that I fell for your smile and losing you is frightening.
“ I was afraid that I might not see your smile again. I am going insane. I do not know what to do anymore.” Maximillian bravely said.
He leaned infront of him and grasp to pull his hair in frustration with his elbows on his legs.
This was the first time Maxine saw her brother so disturbed and troubled so much that she could see his brother almost going crazy.
A warm palm touches her heart. She was moved.
She had her skin hairs stood up for stopping herself to tear up.
Maxine went down the couch and went infront of her brother. Maximillian raised his head and looked at his little sister with a welled up eyes.
Maximillian blinked his eyes twice to make the tears back inside.
Maxineirah climbed up between his brother’s legs and leveled her face with the latter and cupped her brother’s face with her little hands.
Maximillian was frozen on the spot in surprise but he did not do anything to hurry back and let his sister do what she wants with him.
Seeing his sister’s face close up made his heart thumped faster than the usual and his face started to heat up. The cold air from the open balcony of the room seemed warm for him as his sister wiped his supposed to be tears and hugged him tightly in his neck.
He lifted his trembling hands and it landed on the young one’s back. He felt Maxineirah tapping his back as if she was comfortung him and he instantly felt relaxed and the anxiousness he felt suddenly gone away.
“I beg of you, Brother Millian. Do not avoid me anymore. If you do not trust yourself to protect me then do not do it. It is not a big deal anyway. I also do not want you to risk your life for me.”
‘You have done enough for me in the past already. The tyrant wanted me to be sent in the war to be the war strategist but instead of my place, you went the battlefield yourself. You brandished your sword for my name, did you not?
The Crowned Prince waged the war himself to lure me in the trap but you yourself went to the trap made for me. You have done enough, Brother… You have done greater. You already sacrificed a lot.’ Maxine continued inside her mind for she could mot say it loud to his brother.
She felt the agony screaming inside her core. It was weakening and grieving.
She hugged her brother more tightly as she remembered the past when she heard the news how her brother died that day. The memory was still fresh on her mind like it just happened yesterday.
She turned a blind eye and that lead to her brother’s death.
No. No. He would not let his Brother Maximillian go to war, never again.
Losing them one by one was heart and mind wrecking and ate her sanity little by little as the day goes by.
Being unable to mourn or cry for them, it all piled up to her chest.
“Even if I could not protect you right now, I will assure you that I will muster the courage to myself and protect you soon. I will be stronger than Dad.”
Maxine chuckled on his last statement.
“You sure you can surpass Daddy?” Maxineirah teased.
“I will. Not now but soon. Wait for it to happen.”
“Then, I will be waiting to see Dad’s reaction when the time comes.” They both chuskled at Maxineirah’s statement.
Her other brothers came to the room exactly as the time Maximillian calmed down. The four of their brothers immediately knew what happened inside the room as they enter because of the light atmosphere unlike the heavy atmosphere they always felt around their Brother Millian.
Maximillian glared his younger brother, Maxlein as soon as he saw him.
Maxlein had goosebumps when his elder brother glared at him and he instantly knew why.
Maxlein felt as if his soul wanted to leave his body and go up to Frite (name of their God).
Maximillian was not the only one glaring at him all the time. He could also feel his Brother Maximo's deadly stare pricking his back right away after they dealt with the crazy Countess that made his hair on his nape standing all the time.
"Maxlein Zachrono." it was just his name came out from Maximillian's lips but he already shuddered.
The only persons he fear the most were his two older brothers and their father whom surely could scare away beasts alone with the way they glare.
Maxillary and Maxwell giggled at him.
He got irritated by the two but they immediately rushed beside Maxineirah when they saw his annoyed face looking at them while he remained standing with two pair of eyes piercing his soul.
"I forbid you from going with Maxine alone." Maximillian said coldy.
It was chilling and he was also startled when Maximo suddenly placed his hand heavily on his shoulder.
He staggered and felt going dizzy from the nervous. He gulped.
"What did you do?" Maximo asked smiling but obviously had dark aura around him.
Maxwell and Maxillary were giggling, satisfied on what they were seeing while Maxine had this pity smile on her face. She was still sitting on her Brother Millian's lap who seem to got closer with her.
"I-I-I-I-" Maxlein stuttered. he could not bear to glance over his shoulder and look at his Brother Maximo's frightening face. Obviously angry at him but still smiling despite of that.
Maximo's facial expression when mad was more scarier than her Brother Maximillian's face. Smiling yet his eyes brings doom.