Chapter 88
Resentment, anger, despair – all these emotions had faded away.
Alvin no longer felt anything towards the old house.
He was just grateful to have a place to rest, even if it was a place like this.
Moreover, it held memories of the short time he spent here with his mother.
Woof!
Just as Alvin was about to open the door, a familiar sound was heard.
“Butler.”
As Alvin called out the name, a brown-furred dog came running. With a dead chicken in its mouth.
Seeing Butler wagging his tail non-stop to welcome him, Alvin’s troubled mind quickly settled.
Alvin patted Butler’s head and opened the door. Butler, familiar with the routine, entered the house first.
Butler was a puppy that had been raised in the servants’ quarters.
But when he grew bigger, the servants found him bothersome and abandoned him to wander the palace grounds. A year ago, he met Alvin.
It was a day of heavy snowfall.
Alvin, returning from Rocfen, had found Butler collapsed near the maids’ quarters, exhausted from cold and hunger.
Whine-
The moment Alvin saw Butler letting out small breaths as if he had given up on everything, it felt like he was looking at himself, having resigned to everything. So he picked Butler up.
He ran straight to his house and took out all the old blankets to wrap around Butler’s body.
He fed Butler all the food he had bought from Rocfen, and thus saved Butler’s life.
A year later, Butler had now become Alvin’s closest friend.
Used to his wandering life, he didn’t stay at Alvin’s house continuously, but he visited like this every other day.
Butler’s visits were always a joy. But there was a problem.
It was the palace’s food ingredients that Butler would steal and bring.
Alvin spoke in a deliberately stern voice.
“Butler, I told you not to bring things like this.”
Alvin, who had filled Butler’s water bowl, crouched down in front of him and waved the chicken Butler had brought as if to show it off.
Perhaps trying to repay the kindness of saving his life, Butler would always bring stolen food ingredients from the palace like this.
It seemed he hadn’t been caught so far, but such behavior was quite dangerous.
If caught, he could be beaten to death.
Woof!
Whether he understood Alvin’s worried heart or not, Butler barked loudly.
“You always answer well.”
As if he understood human speech, Butler, having finished his water, sat obediently in front of him.
Seeing Butler’s round eyes looking up at him, Alvin couldn’t bring himself to be angry.
Alvin ended up smiling and patting Butler’s head.
Butler, seemingly pleased, wagged his long tail gently.
“…Butler, why don’t you just live with me? I’m worried you might really get hurt.”
As Alvin stroked the brown fur and spoke softly, Butler moved close to him and lay down obediently.
Did that mean he would live with him?
“Are we living together now?”
Woof!
When Alvin asked once more, Butler barked.
Somehow it really seemed like he was agreeing, and a smile bloomed on Alvin’s face.
It would be better to live together, if only for Butler’s safety.
Alvin thought he should buy a proper doghouse and leash from Rocfen tomorrow.
Just as he was spending a peaceful moment stroking Butler, the door was suddenly flung open violently.
There was a loud noise as if someone had kicked the door.
Both Butler and Alvin turned their heads in surprise.
They saw people entering through what seemed like a broken door.
The blonde hair of the person standing at the front was dyed red by the setting sun.
Eyes that met Alvin’s directly shone with an opal color.
Recognizing who it was, Alvin jumped to his feet.
Axion Pentium.
The Second Prince of the Pentium Empire.
The person who had broken down Alvin’s door and entered was none other than his half-brother, the Second Prince.
Except for one brief encounter when they were very young, this was the first time he had seen him.
The Second Prince had so little connection to him that the face in portraits was more familiar than the face in his memory.
Why would such a Second Prince suddenly come here…
Just as Alvin froze in bewilderment, Axion’s irritated voice echoed through the house.
“F*ck, you’re really alive!”
Alvin snapped to attention at the fierce voice that rang in his ears.
And he hurriedly tried to show proper respect.
“Your Highness the Second Prince, the second star of the Empire…”
Thwack-!
If only the Second Prince hadn’t kicked him.
“…Ugh.”
Alvin, kicked squarely in the knee, collapsed to the floor. The kick was so hard that pain surged through him as if his kneecap had been broken.
Woof woof!!
But more concerning than that was Butler, who had started barking at Axion.
“No. Butler, no…”
Alvin hurriedly reached out towards Butler, but Butler had already lunged at the Second Prince who had attacked him, baring his teeth.
The Second Prince mercilessly kicked Butler hard. Butler flew and crashed violently against the wall.
Yelp!
A death cry rang out, and the small body convulsed on the floor.
And before Alvin could reach him, Butler stopped moving altogether.
A body showing no signs of movement.
Alvin’s whole body stiffened with fear rising from his toes.
“Ah…”
It had happened too suddenly for Alvin to prevent it.
“How dare a filthy dog bare its teeth at me. You can barely take care of your own life, yet you’re keeping a dog too. Things have really gone to hell.”
With a voice full of mockery, Axion grabbed Alvin’s hair.
Naturally, Alvin’s head was pulled back. Axion stared directly into eyes that were the same opal color as his own.
“Hey, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”
“…”
“You know, I had actually forgotten your very existence? No, I thought you were already dead. I thought your corpse would be lying around somewhere in the palace, with no one to clean it up.”
Axion twisted the corners of his mouth upward and tightened his grip on Alvin’s hair.
“But I heard a very interesting story. Aren’t you curious what that story might be, my worm-like little brother?”
“…Ugh.”
Alvin’s face, which had been frozen in shock, contorted.
“It was that you had met Duke Dearrut. Ha, when I heard that story, I was so dumbfounded. I was so taken aback that I beheaded the guy who delivered the message. Right? Why would my worm-like brother meet Duke Dearrut? What are you daring to dream of?”
“…”
“That’s why I personally came to this disgusting place. To let my cute little brother know the reality. Listen carefully to what I’m about to say, brother.”
“Kuh…”
“I commend you for your long life, like a worm’s, but if you fail to know your place, I’ll snap your neck in an instant.”
Axion bent Alvin’s neck back as if he was about to break it.
“Please don’t make your brother see your filthy blood. Just facing you like this is enough to make me nauseous.”
Axion released Alvin’s hair as if throwing him and stood up.
Then, crumpling his face as if he had touched filthy sewage, he wiped his hands with a handkerchief offered by an attendant.
The moment Axion threw the handkerchief on the floor, a faint moan echoed through the room.
Whine-
“Well, well, looks like the dog’s life is as tenacious as its master’s.”
Axion let out a sardonic laugh and held out his hand to a knight.
As the knight drew his sword and respectfully handed it to him, Axion, gripping the sword, approached the dog that was whimpering and moaning.
Just as he was about to thrust the sword down, Axion’s brow furrowed.
Because his sword had not pierced the dog’s body.
“Haah, ah…”
The sharp sword was embedded near Alvin’s shoulder blade instead.
Alvin had thrown himself over Butler to shield him.
Axion looked at this sight and pulled out the sword with a sneer.
“Ugh…”
“Throwing yourself to protect a mere dog. It’s truly a touching scene, but what to do? I have no intention of letting that mutt live.”
“Please…”
“Please? What, are you begging me to spare it? I don’t want to. Not having the strength to protect even one dog is exactly your reality, my worm-like brother.”
Just as Axion’s opal-colored eyes flashed and he reached out towards Alvin, someone spoke.
“Your Highness, it’s almost time for your scheduled dinner with Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Damn it.”
Axion stopped his outstretched hand.
“Just when it was getting fun.”
Muttering curses as if regretful, Axion bent down and firmly stepped on Alvin’s foot.
“Remember well what I said today. Next time, it won’t end with just one dog.”
After grinding down on Alvin’s ankle until it twisted, Axion let out a giggle mixed with madness at the blood flowing on the floor, then turned away.
“A royal living where rats scurry about. If it were me, I would have hanged myself out of shame already. Is it because you’re born of a dirty womb that you don’t even know shame? This is why lineage is important.”
Muttering to himself in a loud voice that echoed through the house, Axion kicked the precariously hanging door once again as he left.
Until the footsteps of Axion, his attendants, and knights completely disappeared, Alvin remained motionless, holding Butler tightly.
“Ignis.”
Finally, when all sounds had vanished, Alvin summoned the fire spirit.
With a whoosh, a snake wreathed in flames appeared in mid-air.
Alvin held out Butler to Ignis. Just in case he might be able to save him.
But Ignis shook his head with a gloomy face.
“What did I do wrong… Butler…”
Whine-
Though his whole body was limp, Butler answered him. The moment their eyes met, Alvin finally burst into uncontrollable tears.
