Brother

CHAPTER SEVEN

Rain sat on the window sill of her room, she was unable to sleep nor take her mind off the events of the day. Lily had gone back to her residence, she was lonely and bored with no one to talk to, even though her mother usually neglected her, it wasn't always like this.

She had always thought she was lonely with her mom, but now she felt the real loneliness.

 She would usually speak to the other courtesans in their district on the days she was bored, they were beautiful, kind women who had to support themselves and their families using the means. It saddened her to see the way nobles spoke about them, but courtesans are humans too.

But here, even the maids don't speak to her.

"Mom…" She muttered, her glossy green eyes gazing at the midnight sky, under the dark blue sky, the stars glistening in the darkness like shards of broken glasses, the moon was like a glowing pearl, that added enchantment to the scene, compared to how her life was presently the night seemed serene, she listened to the unharmonious sounds the crickets made. "I miss you."

Tears streamed down her face at the realization that she might never get to see her mother again, the cold breeze of the evening fanned her, seeping into the transparent material of her night dress, she wasn't sleepy yet, but she knew she couldn't show herself around the house where she was not welcomed.

She climbed down from the window sill, getting down, she accidentally slipped on her dress and fell, her head hitting the cold marble floor.

"Aw…" She moaned painfully but struggled to get up. "My head."

She staggered to her feet, and limped towards the door, her hand in her head as she walked outside her residence, the maids should have retired to their quarters. It's not like they provided her with warmth or snacks, no one would know she wasn't in the room even.

But where was she going this late at night?

Anywhere her tiny legs could carry her…

But why was she going in the direction of the stables? Probably, in search of the boy Doni.

Even though her father had beaten her for being too close to him, she found herself being drawn to him, the reason is something she couldn't explain but she felt some sort of closure between them.

He was quite similar to her, a boy with no place and no right, and he didn't even have a right to his name... She felt a sense of sadness whenever she thought about it, a boy born out of generational slaves. 

His life was indeed pitiful. 

 She stopped in front of the stables, the horses were still nestling, and they were making soft noises probably because they sensed the presence of an intruder. One of the horses stood out majestically, the beast didn't seem as threatening as he fed, Rain thought she could touch it, but she also thought she could probably stroke it and play with it.

She raised her tiny hands but it was caught by a much larger hand than her own, she froze in realization and her green eyes met with Doni's cold midnight blue eyes.

"What are you doing snooping around the place?" He growled making Rain flinch in surprise, she hadn't noticed anyone in the area when she came in, and instinctively he pulled her away from the beast's reach.

"I just wanted to see the horses," she squeaked, and Doni's eyes narrowed in anger, he had never heard such a lame excuse, a little girl wandering so late at night, trying to feel up the horse. "I wasn't going to do anything to hurt it."

"I wasn't talking about you hurting the horse," He snapped again, finally releasing her hands by pushing her to the ground. "It could have been the other way round."

Her eyes widened slightly…

Was he concerned for her? She helped herself to her feet and glanced in the direction of the now disturbed horse. The animal looked so harmless, that she didn't think it could hurt her, though she suspected it made some aggravated noises that she ignored purely out of curiosity.

"Besides a lady shouldn't be walking around this kind of place this late at night." He tutored with a slight frown on his face, he had never expected the dumb daughter of the duke to find her way back to him, after their last conversation. She gawked at him, robbed of whatever excuse she had.

 Doni froze in irritation as soon as their eyes met, the girl looked so much like her father, and it was almost as though they were split into two. In anger, he pushed her to the ground again.

"Aw…" she groaned in pain, twisting her ankle as she fell, Doni's eyes tightened in fury, if only he could kill the girl, maybe the Duke would feel the same thing he felt.

Maybe he could get the satisfaction that would satiate his anger from squeezing life out of her. "You don't have to hurt me."

She rubbed on her arm that brushed against the dried ground, Doni clenched his fists, trying the hardest to control himself from hurting Rain. It was difficult to do since all he saw in her was the Duke of Elderslot, Elias Roni. 

"It's not just me," He forced out and Rain glanced at her swollen ankle, she didn't know why the boy suddenly turned violent.

"What?" She whispered after him, she noticed the look on his face, it was just as cold as she remembered.

She wondered why they all looked at her like that, it was painful and pressuring.

"It's not just me that would hurt you." He confirmed and she froze. "A lot of people will point fingers at you, hate you and persecute you. I don't particularly feel sorry for you, it's your fault for being so much like him, but this isn't the last time you will be hated for being yourself."

"You mean my father?" She found the courage to ask, this wasn't the first time she heard the phrase, and her mother had said the same to her on the night of that incident.

It was something she thought she had forgotten until Doni opened her wounds with his words.

"What is so wrong is looking like my father?" She feigned courage making Doni burst into a small laugh, her mother would also say the same thing, and she hated it. 

They hated her because of someone else, and not because she deserved their hatred.

"You won't get the sympathy you're looking for from me." He declared proudly. "I have nothing left to give the daughter of the Duke, I have nothing, not even a name of my own."

"That's not true," She argued. "You are called Doni because you accepted it, I refuse to call you that."

"That isn't your choice to make." He reminded her. "I didn't choose to bear the name, I earned it."

"What?" Sounding even more disappointed, she muttered slowly, Doni picked up his shoes from the frontage of the stables, if possible he would like to retire for the night.

He didn't care about the girl anymore.

"Rain Roni," One more voice joined them, and Rain's eyes followed the direction of the voice, and she was met with the familiar green eyes of Izekiel. "What are you doing lying in the dirt?"

"Y-Young Duke." She stuttered, she tried to get up but she slipped and fell again, the ankle sprain seemed to be more serious than she thought.

"Did this bastard push you?" He queried, and before Rain could refute the accusation, Izekiel sent a kick into Doni's face. "How dare you touch my sister?"

"Young Duke, please stop." She begged but that didn't stop Izekiel from beating up Doni, since he was older than him, he was logically bigger and it didn't take much to overpower the servant and beat him into a pulp. "Please stop."

Rain grabbed the arm of her brother, she hadn't figured it out herself, but she was crying, even though she begged and cried it didn't stop Izekiel from stomping on Doni until he passed out.

"I am not particularly affectionate of you, Rain." He murmured as he helped her back to her room. "But I don't want you to drag our names in the mud any further. What would happen if I told Father where I found you?"

He picked some strands of her hair away from her face, causing her to tremble, he smelled of blood, the blood belonging to Doni.

"P-Please…" she begged. "Don't tell father."

Somehow, she knew what would happen if Izekiel told her father, she wasn't afraid for herself, but she was afraid for Doni. After all, it was all her fault, she was the one who left her residence to go see him, and because of her, he was beaten until he passed out.

A small sob escaped her lips, she instinctively covered her mouth, and a small smirk played on Izekiel's lips, his blood-coated finger wiped the tear away from Rain's cheeks.

"Are you that scared of father finding out?" He teased and she nodded hurriedly. "Alright, I guess I could turn a blind eye to this since my sister is asking so politely. "I would need you to do something for me, would you do that in exchange?"

She nodded again.

"Use your words, honey." He breathes, holding her small cheeks in his hands.

"Y-Yes." Her voice came out in a small whisper and a hiccup escaped her mouth.

"Good girl." Izekiel smacked his lips in satisfaction. "As from today, call me brother."