She asked carefully while sitting next to Lexion. However, the child didn’t answer.
Elena bit her lips and grabbed Lexion’s arm to raise him.
“Tch! Don’t touch me!”
Lexion was frightened by her sudden action, trying to shake off her hand.
‘Are you rejecting me because you fear your older brother?’
Moreover, since she was a stranger to Lexion, his reaction to Elena was understandable.
But, Elena didn’t let go of the child’s arm.
She wanted to get Lexion out of here as soon as possible.
To a place without the presence of his older brother; for Lexion to have peace of mind and to recuperate.
“Lexion, I’ll take you to the mansion.”
Elena put Lexion’s arm on her shoulder and gently raised the child’s body.
Fortunately, the child didn’t refuse.
However, Lexion— who didn’t even have the strength to walk— suddenly collapsed in his place.
“Ha! Elena, you don’t have to care about that though?”
Kilian, who saw Lexion fall, laughed and ridiculed him.
Elena ignored his words and squatted in front of Lexion.
Then she reached out and grabbed Lexion’s arm, pulling the child’s body onto her.
She was relieved that she wore pants today. In a skirt, it would have been hard to carry someone.
Elena positioned Lexion on her back.
‘But this… he’s too light.’
With his small stature, he already appeared younger than the children around his age— he was bound to be light.
One corner of her heart became bitter.
“Hold it in for a little bit. I’ll quickly take you back to the mansion.”
Elena whispered to Lexion and raised herself.
With a slight surprise on his face, Killian— who was looking at her— met her eyes.
Elena looked coldly at him and turned her head.
And she spoke low as she passed by Killian.
“The successor of Duke Halos calls his younger brother ‘that’ and even assaults him. The name of Halos, a reputed lineage, will cry in disappointment.”
At her words, Killian narrowed his forehead but didn’t reply.
However, it didn’t matter to her anyway.
Now, it was crucial to take Lexion back to the mansion than to argue with him.
So Elena hurried her steps.
***
The child stared at the girl’s red hair.
Perhaps because she was walking fast, her red hair fluttered like rose petals.
The image felt like an illusion.
Like a pleasant dream, and not a reality.
Lexion felt the warmth in the hands that held him.
“Why are you helping me…”
He wondered, but he didn’t hate it.
The girl has a remarkable soothing scent.
A sweet, rose-like scent.
He suddenly wanted to know.
‘Why was she helping him?’
‘Why did she block Killian and protected him?’
So far, no one has helped him.
Even if he stretched out his hand, no one would willingly hold him.
“Lexion, are you okay?”’
She was the first person to protect him.
However, when this person touched his body, he even tried to shake her off.
Because he didn’t want to suffer again.
Nonetheless, her friendly touch didn’t end there.
At her warmth, he suddenly felt relieved.
Lexion buried his head on the girl’s back.
His eyes became hot and tears started to spill out.
‘You can’t cry. You can’t cry…‘
‘The Halos’ lineage should be stronger than anyone else.’
He shouldn’t cry as his father said, but tears kept flowing out because of the kindness and warmth he experienced for the first time.
Drops of tears— that began to appear one by one— continued to flow.
Until a deep sense of respite made the child fall asleep.
***
After taking Lexion to his room, Elena watched the child being treated by the doctor.
The doctor, who was next to Lexion, skillfully moved to check what was going on, while a maid quietly assisted him.
The doctor swiftly examined the child when the maid took off the child’s clothes so that Lexion could be treated easily.
Elena was nervous during the checkup.
Lexion seemed fine when he was still on her back. However, by the time they arrived at the mansion, he suddenly didn’t move.
Elena was worried that something disastrous might have happened.
Fortunately, the child only fell asleep.
After the doctor told her that there was no impending concern, he bid Elena farewell and left the room.
Elena looked at Lexion, who was still unconscious.
The child— even with a sickly pallor— appeared to be sleeping soundly.
However, that could only be applied to his face.
A while ago, when the doctor and maid were occupied with Lexion, Elena detected old wounds in various parts of the child’s body.
Even while the doctor was applying medicine to the child’s wound, she had difficulty extracting herself from feeling appalled.
“This boy…”
Why on earth did Killian abuse his brother this much?