“The eldest son guides my son and daughter wherever Drenschville is.”
“Y-yes…”
‘This can not be happening for real!’ Carzon thought.
Their faces were in dread and could not look directly at the Duke.
The eldest son, as instructed, invited Maxwell and Maxineirah out of he room to bring them along to where Drenschville was.
The siblings were enraged when they stopped in front of the storage room located at the basement. The place is not not at all, not suitable to be inhabited by anyone, not even a dog but a rat…
“Ha! The kind of people like you is what I despise the most. You really are the worst!” Maxineirah said in disbelief, she felt her chest heavy for a reason.
Maxwell was also mad after seeing the place but he was startled hearing those words coming from his innocent and calm sister’s mouth. He kept his mouth shut and tried to understand his sister’s feelings. No one would even think something good after knowing that a child of nobility, even a bastard, would be locked down here.
The eldest son’s hands were shaking in fear because the siblings behind him were fuming mad that he could not fit the key in the padlock’s keyhole properly.
Maxineirah grew restless from their guide’s tardiness.
“Brother Maxwell, the door please.” Maxineirah said and Maxwell who was feeling the same as her knew what to do.
Maxwell shove the eldest Ystradgynlais aside and pulled his sleeves up. His arms and forearms bulged, veins sprouting visibly and without further ado, he brought down the door forcefully as if it weighed nothing and threw it aside.
He did that, thinking that, so, no one would be able to lock and be locked by anyone in that shabby dark room.
‘Am I going to die?’ the eldest son thought when Maxwell turned around and looked at him with his muscles still in an abnormal state.
Maxwell huffed after seeing his priceless ugly reaction.
“Maxwell? Maxine?” Drenschville, who was sitting in a rundown bed, caught the three children’s attention. They all turned their heads in his way.
“What are you doing here?” Drenschville added, amused to see them present in front of him.
Although Drenschville expected them to find him, he did not expect that they would save him earlier than what he had anticipated so he was surprised to see the two of them in front of him.
Maxineirah and Maxwell ignored the useless oldest son and quickly went to their friend, Drenschville who had not seen the light since two days ago.
Maxwell’s muscle came back to normal and inspected the storage room where Drenschville was confined before shivering. The inside of the place looked worse than the outside.
The wall was peeling, the ceiling would crumble down any moment and he could see rats running around fearlessly.
And the bed, ‘Do not tell me, ‘that’ thing is a bed?’ Maxwell thought as he saw where Drenschville was sitting.
“How did you manage to live in that kind of place?” Maxwell’s eyes squinted and glared at the other Ystradgynlais unpropitiously.
The boy retreated back in fear. “Mo-monster…” he whispered but Maxwell was able to hear him because of his heightened senses that made him glare more ominously at the boy who was years older than him.
The Ystradgynlais was scared that he could not help but to run away in fear of going to the upper floor.
Maxwell huffed. And the two others poker-faced.
“What choice did I have when they brought me here when I was unconscious? And it is not as if I have the power to refuse them if they were to command me.” Drenschville replied to the question.
Maxineirah was quiet and just staring at Drenschville. She did not know what to feel. She did not want to give him sympathy nor any pity for she knew that Drenschville would not like it.
Even though Maxineirah knew his words were true, she could feel that Drenschville was somehow lying.
She remembered what happened on Drenschville’s brother’s birthday where he dauntlessly embarrassed his older brothers in front of the guests.
Drenschville caught her staring at him and immediately knew what Maxineirah was feeling towards him.
Drenschville chuckled slightly at her reaction and placed his hand on the top of her head but Maxwell quickly reacted.
“Hey! Remove your filthy hand from my sister!” Maxwell exclaimed but after he thought that maybe, Drenschville felt loneliness alone inside that dirty room, his mind changed, he should let him have freedom to touch his sister just this once.
“Ehem. Since you have not seen her for days, you can go touch her head… Just in the head, okay?! Just this once. Ehem.”
Maxineirah and Drenschville chuckled at his remark.
Drenschville paid attention to Maxineirah and said, “Do not look at me like that. I do not want to gain any sympathy or even pity.
“My goodness! Looks like you will have your own drama here. I am leaving!” Maxwell butted in. He felt awkward on Drenschville who was being dramatic in front of his sister and since he knew how distressed Maxineirah was when they knew Drenschville’s situation, he knew he should leave the two of them alone to talk.
He was not fond of this kind of scene so it was better to leave right away than to stand there like an audience, watching a boring stage play.
Maxwell left them to go outside where they could not see him.
Maxineirah and Drenschville felt grateful at his act but they could not help but to shake their heads in his choice of words.
The two of them went back on their conversation as if nothing funny happened.
“I do not pity nor sympathize with you. The truth is… I am worried about you.” Maxineirah said as her eyes visibly saddened with worry.
“Then, why are you looking at me like that?”
“They were not giving you enough and proper food. Just look at your bed, is that still even a bed or a stable hay? And your clothes, they were all worn out.” Maxineirah stated his condition that he might not be aware because he could not see his own state where he was in right now.
Drenschville could not understand why Maxineirah would worry about him that much.
Did she also really…?
However he think about it, it was impossible that-
Wait, there was a possibility… since the circle was made in a hurry and there was no time to study further about its after-effects.
Survival was what was on their minds at that time, that they did not think of the consequences anymore.
Just what if…
Maxineirah hesitated when Drenschville only stared at him for a few seconds and his eyes, as if he was looking far beyond her face, made her a little uncomfortable.
‘What happened to him?’ Maxineirah thought.
“Drelle?” She tried to call him in a low voice but she was startled when Drenschville’s eyes suddenly lit up as if he thought of a good idea.
It was the first time he saw Drenschville with such bright eyes. For a moment, he looks like a normal kid.
Drenschville looks too happy when his eyes finally really land on her and not some far away imagination.
Was Drenschville that happy because she said that she was worried about him and that was what he fantasized about for a moment?
Maxineirah could not seem to follow his train of thoughts even in this situation.
Drenschville decided that starting that moment, he would say and do something that is related to their past life in order to know if Maxineirah really went back in time with him.
All of her responses would determine whether or not she came with him.
Drenschville controlled his emotions.
“Oh, sorry. I am fine. You need not to worry about me. I already experienced it many times.” Drenschville said and smiled reassuringly at Maxineirah, to ease her worries and also gave her a tiny clue from his words.
He looked closely at the reaction she would make.
‘Experienced it many times? But he is just 8? Do not tell me, since even before he learned how to think, they were already this kind of thing to him? Always being locked down here?’ Maxineirah thought.
Although Drenschville did not get his desired response from her, he was still hoping for the next time after seeing her halted not for too long.
“Let us get out of here, Maxine. This place is not suited for you to go and see.” Drenschville asked her out because he did not want her to be exposed to this kind of environment any longer.
“Neither you but I already went here and saw it.” Maxineirah added to his words firmly, she did not even bulge nor blink when she said that and only looked at him fiercely.
Neither of them was suited to be there and Maxineirah showed her determination that she would not leave that place unless Drenschville agreed to her.
Drenschville chuckled because he found her strong spirit cute.
In the end, Drenschville could not agree less on her words, “Fine, fine. I also do not suit to be here.” Drenschville said in defeat.
“You are not just saying that just because I forced you to, are you not?” Maxineirah was full of doubts, thinking that he might just be consoling her to get out of that place.
“Of course not. I am true to my words. I will not stay idly if they were to put me again in this kind of place. I will resist.”
“Promise?”
“Yes. I promise.” Drenschville reassured Maxineirah.
The three of them went to the VIP guest room where their parents were talking or should rephrase it as where ‘the Duke was pressuring Drenschville’s family’.
When the door opened, Maximus, who was waiting for his children to come back, immediately stood up after seeing Drenschville with them because he did not want to stay at the Ystradgynlais any longer. He wanted to take his children out of there because he felt like the family was not good for his children’s surroundings, especially for his daughter, Maxineirah whom he was worried the most about.
“We are leaving.” Maximus said as he walked out of the door, he did not wait for his children to enter the room.
The Ystradgynlais family was quiet, dread was written all over their faces.
Maximus glanced at Drenschville who did curtsy to greet him. He just nodded at him before ignoring him.
Maximus was not feeling comfortable whenever he saw the child. He does give the same feeling like Maxineirah but at the same time, he gives him some ominous feeling.
Drenschville bid farewell to the siblings before entering the room where his family was shivering in humiliation.
“Did you really think you can still treat me like what you always did to me in the past? You should have listened to me when I warned you.” Drenschville said to his family.
Maxwell and Maxineirah followed their father but Maxineirah could not help but to stop, look back and hear something that bugged her.
When she looked in front, he found his brother and father also paused from their tracks, looking at her.
She wondered if they also heard what Drenschville said to his family but she confirmed it when she saw her father glanced behind her where the room was and Maxwell shrugged his shoulders at her before putting his hands in his pockets.
“Let’s go?” Maxwell asked her over.
Drenschville’s last words she heard back in the Ystradgynlais Estate bugged Maxineirah all the way home.
His issue was resolved but she has another issue to think about because of his clear but at the same time, vague words.
Drenschville’s behavior was strange for a child like him.
Even if he had a strong will, he was still a child who could not do anything but to keep his silence.
But what did he say? He warned them already?
Did he really also… just like her? Since there was a possibility that it was not just her who returned from the past.
Considering all of his behaviors she had seen so far, there was a high chance that she was right on what she was thinking.
But she might also be wrong since there was no proof.
Ahhh! It was so confusing to think, better if she thinks about it the next time. For now, she wants to live quietly without worrying about anything.