Chapter 10 – Brothers in a Brawl (2)

My musings are interrupted when I hear Benya screaming from below, impatience clear in his voice. “Isn’t it ready yet? I could eat a horse!”

“Since you’re in such a hurry, you can eat first!” I heard Estelle retaliate viciously. She had already been in a foul mood and all the screaming certainly didn’t help improve it.

“I don’t want to eat alone in the bedroom. Father said meals were to be shared with family.” Benya said, and I silently scoffed at his words. That brat had never voluntarily obeyed his father once while the Duke was alive, so it was ludicrous how he used his father’s words at his convenience now.

And apparently Letis shared the sentiment, because he immediately scolded his brother. “Father would have been very proud of how vulgarly you’re acting.”

“Stop being hypocritical. You also said you were hungry.” Benya sneered back.

The tensions were high as we got closer to lunch hour. The boys woke up early every day, to my surprise, even without the sunlight acting as their alarm. Without some snacks to eat during the morning, by the time lunch arrived, they were famished and prone to bickering.

But that would end soon. We only had to endure one more day, then this farce would end. Yes, today marked an entire week of us being confined in the bell tower. I hadn’t noticed, but the days were long since we had nothing to do while locked in here.

“I’m so fed up with this food.” Estelle sighed, putting down her cutlery, and I turned to look at her. She sat in front of a spread of pancakes, olives, omelettes, and glasses of apple juice. It all looked very good, but no matter how delicious a dish was, anyone would be sick of it after eating it every day for a week.

Even I was tired of the food, so the Duke’s children, who used to eat a different feast every day, were probably much more so. And in addition to that, the food was always cold, since the cart was loaded with food for the entire day and we had no way to heat it up. They had to know that eating cold food by itself was already a torment, so why were they bringing the same dishes every day?

“Hey, what do you want to eat first when we get out of here?” I asked Estelle, trying to lift the dreary mood, and she hesitated only briefly before answering.

“Hmmm… Cheese. I want to eat every kind of cheese available.”

“I want to eat bass, calf stew, and mushroom soup. Darn, why am I getting hungrier when I’m already eating?” Benya, who as usual was of no help, grumbled while he ate pancakes doused in syrup.

Letis also added his two cents. “I only want a cold sherbet. I feel like a layer of dust has settled in my throat after being stuck here for a few days. What about you, Sasha? What do you want to eat when were out of here?” He asked, curious.

“Um, probably a cream cake?” I said.

“I though so. I gave you one every time I bought one for myself in the past.” Letis smiled at me, amused.

Cream cakes were a luxury food servants only dreamed of eating, but I had tasted it before. I met Letis’ eyes and smiled at the memory that surfaced. “Yeah, remember when my mother found out? She was so angry…”

“That was quite the sight. Your mother was very fierce when she was angry. I did tell her I gave it to you for free, but it didn’t appease her.” He reminisced, a small smile curving his mouth upwards.

“Oh, that only made her scold me more, because she knew you would have never given me the cake if I hadn’t asked for it.” I pouted.

“You were so sullen afterwards that you hid in the greenhouse all day. You fell asleep in there, didn’t you? Imagine what would have happened if father hadn’t found you!” Letis smile grew.

It was a memory of those we couldn’t see anymore. And yet, perhaps because we were sharing the same memory, my heart grew warmer rather than sad and I smiled back at Letis.

“Oh? So that’s why she seemed to be made of iron? I thought my ribs would break when she fell on me.” Trust Benya to ruin a perfectly touching moment. I had to suppress the urge to hit his smirking face with the fork I was holding. I knew I should have landed more soundly when I fell from that broken ladder.

Letis grimaced at his brother’s poor manners. “Stop acting below you.”

“Why are you always picking a fight with me?” Benya shot back, confused.

“You’re the one who started this! Look at the mood now!” Letis stood up and stared at Benya, an angry expression distorting his face.

“I’m not even looking at you. Stop being so rash.” Benya sneered, getting up as well.

“What?” The older brother snarled.

… Why are they standing up? Are they going to fight?

Everyone seemed to be at their wit’s end after spending a few days locked up in here. I worried that they would fight for real. Before, Letis had always let Benya win, but his expression now was stony, while Benya had none of his usual playfulness.

“Stop acting so impudently. I have my limits.” Letis spat out, getting very close to Benya’s face. But his younger brother wasn’t so easily intimidated.

“Or what? What are you going to do? Are you trying to act like father?” Benya mocked him. His tone was taunting, but there was no smile on his face.

Both pairs of pale blue eyes were locked onto one another, burning fiercely as if trying to swallow the other.

Letis and Benya were born with only a year between them. They were almost the same size and height, so I didn’t know who would win if they started a fistfight. I had never seen them fight each other seriously before. I hoped this wouldn’t become the first time.

I abruptly get up and try to diffuse the tension. “You two, stop! What will Estelle think, seeing her brothers fight like this?!”

Thankfully, reason hadn’t left them completely, as both of them back away immediately at my words. Letis glanced at Estelle, who was hiding behind me while staring at her brothers with large eyes wide open, and silently sat back down on his chair. Benya, on the other hand, clicked his tongue at his sister and walked away instead of sitting.

“Tsk, that kid…!” Letis got up, ready to chase down his brother, but I held him back.

How did things go bad so quickly? And why was Benya acting like that? I already knew he was a villain in the making, but that was too abrupt.

“Big brother, please calm down. A fight will do us no good in this situation.” Like a balloon losing air, our seething heir slowly controlled his temper for his little sister’s sake.