Appetency

NINE

   Laurent was finally back in the Estierelli estate. After that whole ordeal with the grand duke, even going as far to stay overnight, he found solace in his home and was finally able to relax.

Of course, his brother was furious. Upon Laurent's arrival, Seamus immediately demanded of Laurent just what he was doing with the grand duke and if he had any idea just how worried he's been. As usual, Seamus received nothing but a snarky attitude and cold responses. The two of them had gotten into such a long and heated argument that the servants felt restless, unsure of what to do before Miss Belinda stepped forward to take Laurent away under the excuse of her young master feeling tired.

Laurent sneered at her, telling her to learn her place before attacking his brother once again and saying all sorts of mean things. Miss Belinda was used to the treatment, yet continued to lead Laurent away back to his own quarters.

For Seamus, he stands there by himself, heaving and in disbelief. He already knew Laurent's temper and the obsession he has with the grand duke, but it didn't mean he was used to the awful words his little brother said to him. It makes his heart hurt and head ache.

But Laurent can't take any of it back. The system demanded him to act his role properly.

In the end, Laurent steeled himself and thought of Seamus as nothing more than an NPC along with the other people here in this game. That man was not real. He shouldn't even care about Seamus.

And for a while, things were tense in the household. The brothers haven't talked to one another for some time, but Laurent knew if they did then it'd result in another argument that will leave them exhausted.

But then the two of them were invited to a family reunion out of nowhere. Except Laurent already knew that this reunion was nothing more than just a gathering of meetings between the Estierellis and the other branches of the family.

Laurent dreaded going. The families won't accept him and will look down on him.

Still, his brother and him went. It's not like they have any choice to decline, especially when the elders of the family expected their presence. More specifically, his brother.

But where they went was somewhere Laurent didn't really expect. They left the comforts of their territory and out of the empire, traveling all the over to the north until they reach a castle up in the mountains, and its surroundings were barren and hardly held anything else but snow.

Laurent was helped down by his brother from the carriage. He looked up at the castle, trying to remember this place from his memories while his brother fixed up his heavy coat.

"We'll only be here for three days. We'll head home right after," Seamus says.

Three days is too long for Laurent. Already, he feels like an outside in this place.

It doesn't help that when night came, Laurent and his brother were seated at a grand table with other members of their family. Already, they were trying to suck up to Seamus and get in his good graces while others looked at Laurent curiously.

Yet, the people Laurent was mainly worried about were the elders, sitting at the very ends of the table.

And the one leading them was Seamus' grandfather, the father of the late Marquis Phillip.

The Grand Duke of the North, Magnus Estierelli.

And he's the one who looks down upon Laurent the most.

There's no need to ask why. Considering Laurent's atrocious acts and the fact that he's done so many things to attract Grand Duke Clemonte, he was seen as an eyesore for this family. Especially with how he was adopted and not a true born Estierelli. They've only tolerated him this long because of his father and brother backing him up, but there's only so much they can do with Laurent.