Chapter 8

"Gian, tell me. You..."

"No!"

"No?"

Gian was worried that Viel discovered the secret of that pen. If he was being honest with him, then there's a chance that Russel has the answer to the reason why he returned back in time. Gian decided to hide his secret from his family to avoid any complicated situation in the future. It will be a problem if Viel discovered their secrets.

Viel looks at his younger brother with a complicated look. Gian secretly feels anxious but maintains a calm appearance. He should not make Viel become more suspicious about the pen he's holding.

"Brother, it's not what you think..."

"Yeah? Then what should I think about it?"

"Well, that's—"

Gian wants to explain this situation to his brother, but he didn't know where to start. Seeing Gian struggling to explain things to him, Viel let out a sigh before patting his younger brother's shoulder.

"You don't need to explain it to me. I understand."

"Wait. You did?"

"Of course. I'm your older brother, Gian." Viel said with a proud smile. "I know that you can't tell us what kind of experiment you did this time because you're too shy."

Gian looks at Viel with narrowed eyes. He can't believe that his older brother will end up with that conclusion. It's obvious that Viel is still clueless about his secret. But it's ridiculous to look at Viel who's confident with his conclusion.

"It's really okay, Gian. Even if your experiment this time is a failure, we will not laugh at you. In fact, I would even encourage you personally not to give up."

Even if Gian wants to argue with his words, he chooses to shut his mouth and let his older brother think whatever he wants. Between his secret and Viel's conclusion, Gian will choose the latter.

"...Then thank you for not looking down at me." Gian flatly said.

"You don't need to say thank you. If you're feeling down or disappointed, just look for me and I'll give you a lot of encouragement."

"...Sure."

"But what is this? I haven't seen anything like this before."

"It's a pen."

"Pen? This thing is called a pen?" Viel asked as he looks at the small metal in his hand. "What's the purpose of it?"

"Why do you have a lot of questions? Give me that!"

Gian had enough of his older brother's questions, so he grabs the pen in his hand and carefully placed it again on his bed. After that, he keeps pushing Viel until he was out of his room.

"Since you've already finished your task here, stop disturbing me and focus on training your troops!" Gian said before slamming the door of his room.

Gian let out a sigh when he heard the sound of Viel's footsteps fading before sitting on his bed next to Russel. The moment he touches it, Gian is surprised that he almost throws the pen on the windows. It's a good thing that his grip on the pen only loosens and it bounces on his bed. Taking a deep breath, he picks up the pen once again and Gian heard Russel's loud yellings.

"Woah~! Twinkle, twinkle, little star~ Oh, yeah!"

"Can you please stop shouting?!" Gian hissed. "Your loud voice is hurting my ears!"

"Dude, I'm not yelling! I'm singing! Heh! You're just jealous of my beautiful voice."

Singing? It's obvious that he's yelling a bunch of foreign words earlier. The sound of his voice is similar to a boar being killed with a blunt knife. This pen is really weird.

"Forget it. What's more important is my brother didn't notice your existence. It's good that you are sensible enough not to talk with him." Gian said.

"What are you talking about?" Russel asked. "I'm actually trying to talk with him. But it seems like your brother can't hear me."

"Huh?"

That's the truth. Russel tried to talk with Viel when he touches him earlier. He tried to call his attention a lot of times, but it was all in vain. Viel can't hear him. It looks like Gian is the only person who is capable of hearing Russel's thoughts.

"Do you mean that I'm the only one who can communicate with you?" Gian asked suspiciously.

"I'm not sure about it either. But as I've said, your brother can't hear me at all." Russel lazily answered. "That's only my guess."

While pondering for this new information, someone knocks on Gian's door again. If it's his older brother, Gian plans to throw the bottle of medicine Viel gave to him earlier on his face. Fortunately, it's Butler Del who's knocking on his door. He is there to put his new sets of clothes in his cabinet.

While Butler Del is busy instructing the maid to make their moves faster, Gian takes this opportunity to test if other people will hear Russel too or not. Butler Del follows his young master's order and puts the smooth metal tube in his hand. When Butler Del said that he can't hear anyone calling him, Gian takes the pen in Butler Del's hand and waits for him to finish his task before Gian closes the door again.

"I told ya. You're the only one who can hear me." Russel said. "If that's the case, then we're now buddies in the same boat. Welcome aboard, mate!"

"What nonsense are you talking about there?" Gian lay his body on his bed and close his eyes. This is another unexpected event that happened in his life. Meeting a talking pen never occurred in his past life. This is actually the first time he encountered this kind of event.

"Dude, don't be sad. Since we are destined to meet each other, I'll try to help you with your problem." Russel said as he tries to comfort this newfound friend. "By the way, do you even have a problem?"

Russel knows that Gian is a young and rich kid in this world. Having someone to do things for him, the luxury items he has, and this large room enough to shelter a family of ten are enough to tell Russel that Gian never encountered any hardship. So what is Gian's life problem that needed to be solved? Is it a family problem? School problem? Love life? Career problems? Or all of the above?

"Didn't you know that every living person has their own problem?" Gian sighs.

"Well... You're rich."

"Not all of your problems can be solved using money."

"You got a point there, buddy. So what's your problem?"

Gian hesitated for a while before deciding to tell Russel the truth. He didn't put too much detail about it, but Gian tells the main point of his problem. Gian mentions the tragic ending of his family, his fate in the future, and that he traveled back in time. Russel was silent until Gian finished his story.

"So to sum it up, you and your family were wrongly accused, then they were executed by the Royal family and you are the only survivor. After a few years, you live as a commoner then when you woke up, you discovered that you traveled back in time before all the tragedies in your family happen." Russel said. "Cool. So what's your next plan?"

"You believed me?" Gian asked. His eyes widen a little when Russel didn't ask any follow-up questions after hearing his story. When he decided to tell him the truth, Gian was also preparing himself to be doubted.

"If not, then who will believe you?" Russel answered. "And also, you believed my story earlier. So I should also believe in you."

Unlike him, Russel thinks that Gian is a little naive but an honest man. He may look calm as he told him that story, but Russel can feel the slight trembling of his fingers. Gian, in truth, was still affected by what happened to him in the past. It's just he didn't know it himself. Maybe Gian thought that he already forgot what he felt at that time.

"So what's your next plan?" Russel asked the same question.

"If possible, I don't want my family to be wrongly accused again. I want them to continue living."

"That's already given. So?" Russel asked again.

"I will find the real culprit behind my family's execution in the past." Gian said decisively. "I want them to pay for their sins."

"Cool. But how will you do it?" Russel didn't wait for Gian to answer before he speaks again. "It's already given that you are rich. But do you have any strong connection with the people around you? Are you influential enough in your society? Do you have any people who you can trust? How about your own resources? Do you have any of it?"

Gian is in deep thoughts after he heard those questions. When Russel didn't hear any response, he sighs loudly.

"See? You planned to find the real culprit, but you are not quite ready to do it."

"But why do I need those things?"

"Listen here, young master. The solution to your problem looks like an easy thing to do. But the truth is, it's not. If your assumptions are true, then the person behind your family's death is not easy to find or defeat."

Russel thought about it carefully. Gian mentioned that his family and the Royal family have a good relationship. So why do they need to kill them without any solid proof? And the Royal family didn't even try to investigate it further. They should at least held a trial even it's only for a show.

There are only a few reasons behind it. First, someone is manipulating the Royal family behind the scenes and implicates Gian's family because they are a hindrance to their future plans. Second, the so-called good relationship of the Royal family with them is just an act. There may be other possibilities, but Russel should know a lot of things first before he can make another assumption.

"In case the person you wanted to find is a powerful one, it would be good if you have the capability to protect yourself and your family in every possible way. Remember, there are still a number of people who are higher than your status."

'He already reached the age of maturity in his past life, but the way he thinks was still similar to a naive, little boy.' Russel thought.

"How did you know these things?" Gian asked incredulously. He didn't mention a lot of things to Russel, but he already made a good plan.

"It's because I'm Russel Ferrer." Russel confidently said. "With that said, I'll help you."

"You will? Really?"

"Of course. I told you, didn't I? In the first place, I was sent here to help you, remember?"

When Gian didn't respond, Russel wants to pat his shoulder. But because he can't do it, Russel can only tell Gian what's on his mind.

"Don't worry, buddy. I will help you to protect your loved ones. This is my promise to you."

"Thank you." Gian said in a soft voice.