I'm as shameless as you are. So I'll ask again, post a 5* review and join the discord.
##--
"They're beating him brother." Amelia said, watching Benjamin kicking Leon.
"I can see that." Rio, just nonchalantly replied.
Amelia stared at her brother's lack of reaction and asked "Won't you stop them?"
"Why would I? It's his fault anyways." Rio replied.
His words confused Amelia, as she asked "How is it his fault? Those guys are just picking a fight with him, even though he can't fight back."
"It's his fault, because he's weak." Rio said, shrugging his shoulders.
"That's wrong. I'm weak too. Would everyone watch when someone talks to me like that?" She asked, a little annoyed, at how he was still watching the fight below instead of answering her.
Hearing her question, Rio turned towards her, finally taking his eyes off the drama and looking at her.
"They can try, if they don't love their life enough." He said in a cold tone, which made Amelia a little scared, but then he smiled and continued "You have me to save you, remember."
"Humph you're boasting again, instead of answering me." Amelia said, puffing her cheeks.
"It is his fault because he neither has the strength to back his actions himself, nor someone who can save him if something happened, like right now." Rio said.
Amelia, shaking her head said. "But he isn't wrong. Those guys were clearly the ones in the wrong."
Rio held her head, as he said while pointing towards everyone below "And who decides that. You heard him, he bumped into that big guy and ruined his clothes two times. Why won't he feel angry. And that little new guy, as he said the boy punched him and then ran away. So how is it their fault."
"But it's not fair. They're in groups and he's alone." Amelia said, a little reluctant and confused with his answers.
Hearing her question Rio shook his head, and smiled. He wasn't planning on teaching Amelia the ways of the world, survival of fittest or something like that. She was still a kid and was innocent and curious, and all that. He wanted to let her enjoy her childhood as long as she wanted, before thrusting her into the real world.
But since she asked herself, he decided to reply a little. If she understood something it's good, if not, then there's still a whole lot of time for her to learn all these things herself as she grows and experiences the outside world herself.
"The world's not fair Amy. He knew he was alone. Yet he acted on impulse and started a fight. He should've just been smart enough to understand his position and acted accordingly. Even after that, he could've left this hall, he could've left this party. But he didn't, instead, he was eating salad while sipping some juice, and here we are.
You can't just blame others and name someone wrong just because they used what cards they had for their advantage. You can only blame yourself, for you, weren't prepared for it."
"But…"
"Don't think much into it. You'll understand everything when you grow up a little, my little Lia" Rio said, stopping Amelia from asking many other questions that her little innocent brain couldn't understand.
"Humph. You know, you talk like some grandpa sometimes, when you're only 2 years older than me." Amelia said, making Rio chock on his popcorns, about how right she was. 'Well half right, since I wasn't her grandpa's age right.'
"Yeah, old lazy brother, that's what I'll call you from now on." Amelia said, with a smile, happy that she got one more nickname for him, as she pushed all her thoughts and questions aside in a second.
She wasn't friends with any of the kids anyways. She was just curious about why her brother was suddenly interested in watching some fight, and asked him about it. But since this old brother didn't say anything, she forgot it too.
And thus, both brother-sister pair started watching the protagonist getting beat up, while eating some popcorn.
"These are good. Where'd you get them?" Amelia asked, munching on them.
"I made them myself. Secret recipe." Rio said, proudly, while looking at the empty cone and Amelia's fists which were holding everything.
"You little shrew, how'd you even eat so much anyways." Rio said, pulling out another cone filled with popcorn from his ring.
"I told you. It's my superpower. Ohh look that's Rebecca right. Let me call her. Reb_aeh" Amelia was talking, when she saw her friend walking down below looking around, probably searching for her. So she wanted to call her but her brother covered her mouth and stopped her.
She looked at him with a questioning look that was saying 'why'd you do that?'
"We're at a party, dumbo. Why are you shouting so loudly? Look everyone's staring at you now, She'll come here when sees us." Rio said, but stopped as Amelia fiercely bit his hand that was still covering her mouth
"Don't call me dumb, I'm smarter than you." Amelia said, while pulling the popcorn to her side.
"Smart people don't do this" Rio said, showing his palms, which had her teeth marks carved on it. 'She really is a little shrew.'
"That's punishment." Amelia replied.
"Shrew," Rio said.
"Where's she going?" Amelia asked, making Rio turn to look downstairs, and a smile came to his face, as he saw Rebecca moving towards the scene where our dear protagonist was getting a beating.
'It really is the same as the novel.' Rio thought, as he focused only on the drama, trying to see everything clearly, about what she'll do and how everyone will act.
It was the first time he was going to see something happening which was written in the novel, in front of him. Surprisingly, he felt excited about how similar it would be to his knowledge.
-
Rebecca, who was getting bored at the main hall, excused herself as she came here searching for Amelia. But while she was looking for her friend, she heard some commotion, and saw some kids gathered around the area.
She was going to ignore it, thinking it was probably some magic show, or other games that were prepared for the event, but then she heard someone screaming and shouting, so she decided to take a look.
"What's happening here?"
She said in a stern tone, seeing 3-4 kids ganging up and beating someone. Who was curled up in a ball, hiding his face and head.
"Don't you guys know fighting is prohibited in the Royal halls."
Hearing her voice, those who recognised her immediately cleared a way and some even left the scene, not wanting to be a part of this drama any longer.
"It was nothing, your highness. We were just playing around." Benjamin said.
"Playing, it doesn't look like it. And why're you all standing there like statues." She said pointing towards the guards, who were still standing there silently. "Don't you see what's happening here, can't you guys stop them."
"Your highness, we were.." One of guards came forward to tell her that they couldn't act because it was not just anybody but sons of counts and other important people who were fighting a kid, but their words were cut short with Rebecca's warning.
"Save your excuses. You can tell them to the king. Now take this boy out of here." Rebecca said, pointing towards Leon who was still covering his head with his hands, she could see some bruises on his face and body, telling her what exactly was going on here.
She watched as the crowd started disappearing and the guards took the bullied boy out. "Give him some low grade potion or something." She said, while walking away.
-
"She stopped the fight brother." Amelia said.
"She did." Rio replied.
"You sound disappointed. Did you wanted to see it more." Amelia said, looking at her brother, shaking his head.
"Am I? I don't know." Rio said, thinking that it was actually exactly the same as the novel. He expected it, but it was still a surprise seeing stuff playing out like he knew it would.
"So what do you think?" Amelia asked.
"About what?"
Amelia clarified her question, by saying "She stopped the fight and everything's over now. So what do you think."
Hearing her question, Rio smiled and said "Nothing's over my sister. Do you think those boys will let him go just cause the princess asked to? This time the princess helped him, what about next time. When no one's around, Who's going to help him then?"
"You think they'll beat him later." Amelia asked, looking at the boy being picked up by the guards.
"Who knows. It might be the boy, who picks a fight with them again later. He got beaten by them in front of so many others, do you think he'll forget this insult." Rio said.
"But he's alone." Amelia asked, not understanding why would this boy pick a fight if he's weak and alone and knows he can't win.
"He's stupid. That's what got him in this mess in the first place. I don't think he learned his lesson, since your friend over there saved him." Rio said, clearly not interested in talking about how a protagonist's brain works. He himself doesn't know that. That's the great mystery that no one can solve.
"But Rebecca's right, right? It's her home so she stopped the fight." Amelia asked, when she saw Rio completely ignoring Rebecca and looking at the other boys going their separate ways.
"Rebecca's dumb. She didn't even know what was happening or who was in the wrong or right. She just went ahead without thinking anything and used her authority. That my sister is a dumb move." Rio said, while putting away his box of popcorns, after all there was still a second part of this drama coming after an interval. He needed to save some for then.
Amelia just stood there, thinking over what her brother said. She felt what her brother said made some sense, but then again, she didn't know why.
###
A/N - What's the rest of the event? Is it our protagonist's awakening and his revenge? Or is it the princess' awakening? Or are they both going to go at it in pair?
Read 𝓁atest chapters at fr(e)ewebnov𝒆l.com Only