Starveling

The silver-haired guy returned to his teachings before the black-haired boy could say anything else. He crossed his arms as if it were a small child, staying in that position for a long time, refusing to receive any teaching from the other side. Nonetheless, Nathaniel continued.

Sebastian snorted as he reached for his cell phone and opened his message box, finding no new messages. "Well, I don't need someone to entertain me a bit." He returned to the start menu, looking for a game or some other application that seemed interesting to him. Nothing. Nothing caught his attention. After taking a look at its contents, he put the phone aside, being forced to pay some attention to the boy who did not stop talking.

He watched Nathaniel for a few moments. Sebastian could see how his lips moved while he spoke and how his head moved slightly in time with the words, without any words hindering his reading. His hands were firmly holding the blue book he held and his body was leaning gently on the back of the chair. His legs were open, showing a comfortable position. The boy seemed so entertained that he doubted if he was there to teach him or to read.

But he was so serene that his quiet reading calmed him for a moment.

The double knock on the door made him turn his head to where the sound was. The door leading to the hallway swung open, revealing the housekeeper in the frame, her hands clasped and a smile on her face.

"The food is ready," she announced.

"We will be there in a moment," both boys bowed while the raven said those words.

The woman nodded before closing the door again, leaving them alone again. Nathaniel and Sebastian shared glances and, as if communicating by telepathy, they got up from their respective seats and left the room in the direction to the first floor.

"Is that your mom?" The guy's question made Sebastian's stomach flip.

"No, my mother has not been with us for a long time," he explained, a little uncomfortable. "She is the housekeeper."

"I see... I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. It's been too long since she left."

He shrugged, dismissing the little conversation they had on the stairs. The atmosphere became tense and uncomfortable for both, as the black-haired preferred to omit that topic and the other did not ask questions about it either. The question Nathaniel had asked him was so unexpected, catching the older boy off guard and with no other choice but to answer honestly. He didn't have the time or the will to create a lie at the time.

However, the mention of his progenitor caused sadness to flood him suddenly, keeping a downcast countenance. The silver-haired guy did not seem to notice or, if he did, did not ask about it.

It was a matter of going down the stairs to the great room and heading to the door on the left to get to the dining room, which was already ready for lunch.

The place was quite spacious, ceasing to be a surprise to the guest after seeing the raven room and the entrance. A long rectangular table sat in the center of the dining room, taking up most of it. Sebastian came to think that it was useless to have a table of that size when only two people ate at it. Besides that, there were ten chairs around, again making the raven think that so many chairs were not necessary, since there were few times when too many people went to visit and, in those cases, the first room was arranged to keep the guests, ignoring the great dining room they had. Hirsch was usually the only one who frequently came to the house, but due to the situation, he understood that it would no longer be like that.

Instead, Nathaniel would accompany him daily for some quite time.

A white vase decorated the center of the table and, like those in the room, it lacked any flower inside it. The object that had an extravagant design, this being a smooth and quite elegant one, had been her mother's favorite. Four other vases were located in the corners of the dining room, on top of small tables that only served as ornaments. A large window that covered the entire wall that faced the front garden made the whole place light up, making the decoration even more perfect. On the wall opposite the window there was only a divine painting that his father acquired years ago on a trip to Italy. "The Annunciation" was the name of this painting being one of the great works of Leonardo DaVinci and that now he was in his own dining room.

Although Jack told him that it was a simple, too exact replica of the original painting.

"Take a seat wherever you want."

Nathaniel followed his classmate's lead, pulling the second chair from the left side so he could sit down. However, Sebastian suddenly held his hand, preventing him from pulling the chair further away.

"That's my seat," he said, emphasizing the word "my." The silver haired one removed his hand, directing it to the third chair. The raven snorted before sitting down.

The food was soon served by a couple of maids. The first course was a white soup and you could see how creamy it was just by looking at it. He was able to notice how his plate had less quantity than the minor's one, understanding that the women had already noticed his lack of appetite in recent days. And that day would be no different. Respectfully, he pushed the dish to the center of the table, away from his sight.

Nathaniel looked at him, his gaze following him getting rid of the dish. Nathaniel already had the spoon in his mouth, leaving a trail of soup on his lips.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Questioned the minor after tasting the first spoonful.

"I'm not hungry. And wipe your lips, you're dirty." He crossed his legs as well as his arms, leaning his back on the chair.

"If you don't eat you will feel bad." He took the dish that he had previously rejected and brought it close to the black-haired boy's face, causing him to instinctively move away with a disgusted face. "At least one tablespoon."

"I already told you: I'm not hungry" Nathaniel brought him the spoon with some soup. Sebastian brushed him off with his hand while frowning in distaste. "I'm not a kid, Nathaniel! If you want to play to the airplane, go with someone else."

"I can't let you go without eating." He tried again to bring the spoon closer, but the answer was the same.

"Why do you care if I eat well or not?"