Chapter 34: Chapter 34 – Tallest Tree
Lady Hiliana got news about this incident and quickly rushed over to her aide. Seeing Feng being huddled by a bunch of kids, her heart almost stopped.
“What are you three doing? Are you planning on suffocating her, dear lord,” she lifted them up one by one. All of them had tears in their eyes, but her granddaughter was the worst. She was sobbing so loudly that her ears were ringing.
“Elle darling, my brave, brave girl, why don’t you help grandma and call Alvin here,”
Elle wiped her tears away and dashed to their room.
While Ethan and Aiden stood guard next to Feng.
“What happened?” lady Hiliana lifted Feng carefully onto her lap. The girl weighed lesser than she had expected, almost similar to a small bundle of sheets. “Tell me now, what happened?”
Ethan silently glared into the distant. He was not able to see the familiar shadow of the girl who hurt Feng anywhere. He was about to rush out, but Aiden held his hand and shook his head.
.....
{‘Feng needs us. We will deal with her later,’} Aiden silently warned him through their link.
Disgruntled, Ethan stood silently next to him.
“looks like my little wards are stunned by this incident. Does anyone else want to explain what happened right now? How was my dear Feng pushed into the ocean and who was the perpetrator?” Lady Hiliana sternly shouted.
The crowd flinched a little. She might be old, but her power and wealth still had a major effect in their economy and their business. One of the nobles stepped forward and whispered, “I saw Miss Mary from Gauis family confront your little ward. I am not sure what their conversation was about, but Miss Mary increasingly became angrier. She.... then pushed her over aboard,”
“Insolence!! How dare she!” Hiliana gently lifted Feng up in a princess carry. “Tell the Gauis family to meet up with me. I think their small business has been aided by us for far too long,” saying her piece as she stiffly left the deck.
While she was walking few of her maid rushed to her to assist her in carrying Feng.
“Don’t need, I want to you all to help my kids pack their bags. They are moving into our residence immediately. And tell Helios to prepare the adoption papers. They shall became my children now, well see who bullies them after this.”
Ethan watched this from behind with a frown. Aiden softly smiled at this.
{‘All is well brother,’} he went to hold his hand, but Ethan pushed his hand away. {‘What’s wrong?’}
{‘Don’t talk to me. I am pissed at you,’} Ethan growled through their mind link. He did not even bother to look at the sweet looking kid next to him.
{‘w-why are you angry?’} Aiden stuttered.
Ethan glanced ahead with a cold look in his eyes. {‘You stopped me from jumping. Why? Isn’t she important to us... no, to you? If I had jumped, I could have gotten her out immediately and she would not have stopped breathing for those dreaded minutes,’}
This was the longest sentence his brother has even spoken in his life. Aiden was startled, and slightly ashamed from his previous actions. {‘Ethan..... she is important to Me. but you are my first priority. I won’t let you get hurt even for her,’}
{‘That’s where you are wrong Aiden. Because she would to have hesitated even for a second to jump after us,’} Ethan finally looked his way with his puffy red eyes. He bit his lips and swiftly followed after lady Hiliana, leaving behind a stunned Aiden.
Back in the room, the maid had already prepared a small hot water bath for her. Lady Hiliana directly took her there. “Make sure she is warmed up. What about her clothes? Are they prepared? And also bring in a brazier; it’s getting breezy nowadays,”
“Yes, my lady,” the maid scurried about heeding to her orders.
Lady Hiliana tiredly sat in her wicker chair, facing the turbulent sky outside. “You both come closer,”
Ethan and Aiden walked up to her.
She finally turned over and peered at them. “That guy said you had talent, but I didn’t expect he was telling the truth. Awakening just at five, it’s an accomplishment. But it’s also a curse.” she said with a calm look on her face.
Ethan and Aiden understood that clearly. A lone tree that grows taller will face the storm stronger than the trees protected by the forest below. They were in the same situation right now. They had awakened to so early. Some might call it an accomplishment and revere their presence, but some would definitely envy their talent and might try to pull them down.
While Ethan silently looked at her, Aiden calmly stepped up.
“We understand that, but aren’t you there as our backing,” Aiden calmly whispered to her. His unwavering eyes met her steel-grey eyes. “You took a liking to Feng, and so did we. As her beloved brothers, you are bound to protect us from this so-called curse.”
Finally lady Hiliana had reminiscence if a smile on her face. “Well said, from today you shall become my official children, uncles to my grandchildren Alvin and Elle, and I shall protect you with all my power.”
“Wait!” Ethan stepped up. “We don’t want to get adopted officially,”
Aiden glanced at him in shock. “Ethan....”
Meanwhile, lady Hiliana had a full blown smirk on her face. “Why do you want that, young man? Just now, your brother was happy to have my protection. But you seem less thrilled,”
Ethan took a deep breath and whispered, “I don’t want us and her to have the same last name,” he mumbled softly, with his head lowered.
“What now? I couldn’t hear you, dear. Can you repeat yourself?”
Ethan lifted his head. His cheeks were fully flushed, and even his ears were red. “I don’t want Feng and I to be related in any way possible,”
“My, my, here she is treating you like her brothers and you don’t want that?” she teasingly glanced at him with her brows raised.
“I don’t want to be her brother, rather I want to be her man,” he proudly said, with his chest held high.
Lady Hiliana chuckled loudly. “Ha-ha, what a funny lad. I see determination in your eyes. Are you sure you don’t want my family name?”
“I don’t. Please find me some odd jobs in your house so that I can stay close to her,” Ethan said firmly.
“Good. It’s decided then, but what about you,” she peered at Aiden curiously.
One was willing to give up powers and status for her while the other is.... still hiding in his shell.
Aiden glanced at his brother. But Ethan never glanced back at him.
“It looks like you both have a lot to talk about. Why don’t you both tell me your decision tomorrow noon?”
Aiden hesitantly nodded while still looking at his brother. His eyes teared up a little, but he held it back. ‘I am a man, I can’t cry for such a simple thing.’
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺