Ermia, a city northwest of Aaron Landis.
It is located in the plateau area down from the high mountain area in the north of Aaron Landis, and the distance from the royal city is relatively far.
Aaron Landis had traditionally a strict class status, and the nobles considered themselves noble by blood and rarely married a class below them. Even among the nobles, they are divided into upper-level nobles and lower-level nobles.
The brown-skinned senior nobles belong to the higher race. Although they will marry the women of the lower nobles as the side chambers, in order to maintain the pure blood of the higher race, they will only marry the women who are also the upper nobles as the main chamber.
Some of the higher-ranking nobles were particularly stubborn about this kind of thing, and they hated the fact that their noble bloodlines were confused.
Because of this, the city lord of Ermia City became a famous lover among the nobles of Aaron Landis.
As a high-ranking aristocrat, he even had a little royal blood in his ancestors. He actually married a woman of a lower-ranking aristocrat as his wife.
This incident caused a great uproar in the circle of senior nobles, and many people were deeply moved by his behavior, some were sarcastic, some admired, some ridiculed, and some looked on from the sidelines.
In general, the people who still laugh at the majority.
Especially when the first child born after the city master's marriage inherited his mother's blood and was white-skinned, it attracted the ridicule of many high-ranking nobles.
The lord of Ermia has always doted on his beautiful wife so much that she could endure the ridicule of others.
However, he is not so patient with this child who gave him great hope but disappointed him so much.
He felt that this child, who obviously inherited the blood of the lower nobles, was not qualified to inherit his position as the city lord.
Under the disappointment and the strange eyes of others, he was quite indifferent to his child, and even had a little dissatisfaction with the wife who gave birth to the child.
Aware of her husband's dissatisfaction, the city lord's wife, who was completely dependent on her husband, fell into a panic, and she was also disgusted by the white-skinned child who caused her to lose her husband's favor.
She handed the child directly to the nurse, ignored her, devoted herself to taking care of her body, and wanted to quickly have another child to capture her husband's heart.
So, soon, she became pregnant again.
What made her extremely grateful to the gods of Aaron Landis was that this time, the child she gave birth to inherited the blood of her husband, not only had the brown skin symbolizing the higher races, but even the appearance was very similar to the city lord.
When the child was born, he was happily embraced by the city lord, and he couldn't put it down. He named it 'Xinyas', which means 'the one blessed by mountains and waters'.
At the celebration of the child's full moon, he directly announced in public that the brown-skinned child was his future heir.
Completely different from the birth of the eldest son and the desertedness of the full moon, under the command of the city lord, the entire city of Ermia celebrated for three days and three nights.
These two children with the same parents but completely different fates grew up like this.
As the eldest son of Gallan, although he lived a prosperous life and was not treated harshly, he was treated coldly by his parents since he was a child.
The father is okay, although he is not very close to him, he will still do his duty as a father and send someone to take care of him and teach him. But her mother seldom had a good face towards him, perhaps because seeing him reminded her of the most difficult time when she was terrified, she even disliked him a little.
She loves and cares for her youngest son very much, but she is stingy to give her eldest son a little warmth.
When Garlan was young, he envied his younger brother being coquettish in his mother's arms, and wanted to grab his mother's hand, but as soon as he approached, his mother would immediately frown and order the nurse who took care of him to take him. take away.
When he grew up, he understood his mother's eyes and stopped trying to approach the woman who was called his mother but hated him.
In Aaron Landis, the suffix of the name is 'S', which symbolizes the meaning of praying to the gods and asking them to bless the son.
Many nobles named their beloved sons with 'S' in the suffix, praying to the gods to protect their children.
Garland.
It means 'a fine day', that is, he was born on a fine day.
Other than that, nothing else.
Children are very sensitive and feel the heart more easily than adults.
From a very young age, Garlan had understood that his parents only saw his younger brother. He learned to stay away obediently, no longer trying to get close to his parents and craving their favor.
Later, King Camos summoned children with collateral royal blood throughout the country.
His parents were reluctant to send away their beloved young son, so he was sent to the palace.
Later, beyond everyone's expectations, he was chosen by King Kammos to become the king's younger brother and the prince of Aaron Landis.
The child who was treated coldly by his biological parents was favored as much as anyone by his brother, who was not related to him by blood.
In the period of time after Garlan was officially established as the king's younger brother, his father, the city lord of Ermia, successively asked King Kamos to let Garlan go back. The family was reunited for the last time. This request was rejected. After investigating Garlan's childhood experience, King Kamos refused, and he once again requested that he come to the royal city to meet his children in person.
Because the hereditary city lord cannot go to the king's city without the permission of the king.
King Camos directly told Gallan about the matter and asked Gallan for his own opinion.
At that time, Garlan shook his head and refused his biological father's request to see him.
King Kamos, who received Gallan's answer, nodded and sent messengers to Ermia city. I don't know what King Kamos asked the messenger to say to the city lord. Since then, the city lord has honestly never dared to contact Gar. orchid.
…
As for his younger brother, Garlan still remembered.
His younger brother was only two years younger than him. When he came to Wangcheng, he was only about seven years old, and his younger brother was only five years old.
At that time, my brother was just a small, soft ball.
Unlike his parents who were indifferent to him, his younger brother seemed to be very close to him and liked to stick to him.
He still remembered the little child grinning, pulling at the corner of his clothes and insisting on running after him.
Although the birth of this younger brother, who completely inherited his father's appearance, took away all his parents' favor, but Garlan didn't dislike this younger brother.
Because he knew that even if Sinyas was not born, his parents would not like him.
Moreover, his younger brother was born with a thin body. When he was first born, he was as small as a cat.
Later, when he grew up, he was also weak. Not to mention he was a little shorter than him. His body was thin, as if he could run away with a gust of wind. After running a few more steps, he began to pant heavily, and a small face blew cold wind. His lips became pale and pale.
He looks nervous, let alone sees her as an eyeball-like mother.
Just because of his frail body, his mother kept his younger brother in a tight and airtight manner. Since childhood, all kinds of tonics have not been broken, and he was so nervous when he fell, he just wanted to keep it in his mouth.
She also tried to prevent Xinyas from getting close to him, as if to prevent him from killing Xinyas for inheritance, but Xinyas was very attached to him. Hearing that he was leaving, Xinyas cried and made a lot of noise. field, and at the end cried out of breath, and fell ill with a fever, which terrified his mother.
And because of this, he was severely reprimanded by his mother with a bad face.
This is all Garlan's memories of 'Gallan' as a child.
Furthermore, what Gallan had personally experienced was his refusal to let the incompetent father of the city lord come to see him.
The child is ignorant, but he is very clear in his heart that the city owner suddenly changed his attitude towards him just because he became a prince.
He didn't intend to have anything to do with the eccentric parents of 'Garlan', so he naturally refused.
However, five years ago, the city lord of Ermia died unexpectedly, and he was his father by blood, so Garlan finally went to the city of Ermia.
There, he met his biological mother, as well as his younger brother Sinyas.
The woman's face was the same as what he remembered, with a little more haggard and uneasy, but because of her extraordinary beauty, it made people feel more and more pitiful.
She hugged the youngest son in her arms tightly and looked at her strange eldest son with defensive eyes.
Garlan didn't care about this woman, and just set his eyes on the child in her arms.
After not seeing him for a few years, Xinyas, who just turned ten years old, is still the thin and small appearance he remembers, with sparse hair and thin arms and legs, like a bamboo pole, which can be broken with a little force.
Either way, it's a sick child.
The child looked at him eagerly, with longing in his eyes, as if he really wanted to come and talk to him, but was hugged tightly by his mother like a life-saving grass, unable to move, just stared eagerly with his eyes he.
The woman's defensive attitude towards him was too obvious, and Gallan had no affection for her. He only planned to stay in the city for one night and leave the next day.
What he didn't expect was that the timid-looking younger brother actually ran over to him secretly at night.
He was only two years younger than him, but he was a head shorter than him. When he got close, he could smell the faint medicinal smell of the child, as if it had been soaked in a medicine jar.
"… elder brother… "
That night, the child timidly tugged at the corner of his clothes and called to him weakly and in a low voice.
"I miss you... brother..."
The child looked at him with anticipation in his eyes, which made people unable to bear to break it, so Garland touched his head and smiled at him.
The child's eyes lit up, and he suddenly laughed happily.
"Brother~~"
He shouted sharply.
However, he only had time to shout so much, and the maids who were chasing after hearing the news were carried back in a panic.
It was only later that Garland heard that the woman would lose her temper and cry as soon as Sinyas was out of her sight.
When Garlan set off to leave the city of Ermia, the woman naturally didn't come to see him, and of course Sinyas, who was being stared at, couldn't show his face.
However, on the way back to Wangcheng, the face of the child who timidly called out to his brother with his short robe lingered in his mind.
Also, when the maid who was chasing him took him back, the child crossed the shoulder of the maid and stared at him with wide eyes and a small pale mouth.
That looks really pitiful.
Garlan thought for a while, and after returning to the royal city, he asked King Kamos to send a physician with high medical skills to the city of Ermia.
Although he has no feelings for his blood parents, there is nothing wrong with that child. He knew that he was protecting his brother when he was very young, but his body was too weak and he was unable to do many things.
After all, that was also his own younger brother from previous and previous lives.
Rounding up, he could barely be considered his younger brother...
After the sent doctor came back, what he reported to Garland made Garland very angry.
The doctor said that the reason why the child is so thin is not sick at all, but because he has seldom been active since he was a child, and he is constantly given medicine.
Because eating too much decoction, the child's appetite is not good.
The doctor frowned and said, if this goes on like this, the child will not live for ten years, but when he said this to the widowed city lord lady, the lady kept crying and said something that Prince Gallan wanted to harm her. The child, who must be uneasy and kind, wants to take the position of the city lord, etc., will not stop the child's medicine, and even go to the extreme of locking the child in the house, not letting him go out a step.
The doctor really couldn't persuade him, and in the end he had no choice but to return to the king's city to report to the prince.
Uneasy, right
At that time, the angry Garlan laughed.
He turned his head and went to find Xie Muer. He asked for two priests of Shamash from Xie Muer's subordinates. He then went to ask Brother Kamos to borrow a few loyal officials who were good at managing political affairs. Let the female magistrate of Tapti recommend an old woman who is fierce and upright.
Then, he sent all these people to the city of Ermia.
As soon as the old lady made her move, she took the identity of King Camos and pinned down the city lord's wife who was a bunch of scumbags in addition to her beauty.
The two priests of Shamash unceremoniously forcibly took the young city lord of Ermia away from his mother, and forcibly trained the emaciated child step by step and taught him martial arts.
And those officials naturally took care of the city's political affairs sincerely, and patiently taught the young city lord. They all knew that sooner or later, they would have to return to the political center of the royal city and go further, so there was absolutely no possibility of coveting the power in the city.
After doing all this, not long after, Garlan received a letter from the old lady.
The letter said that everything is in order, please rest assured, the prince, the city lord's wife used to rely on her status to be superior to others, so that people would not dare to go against her. Now, I can only shrink in the room every day and shed tears sadly, not daring to say a word.
Seeing this news, Garlan felt much better.
Along with the letter from the old lady, there was also a text message with immature handwriting.
It was a letter written by Sinyas himself. In the letter, he said that he did not like to eat, but the two priests sent by his brother always let him eat a lot.
In the letter, Xinyas asked him carefully, if he had a good meal by himself, so that he could see his brother in the future
Looking at the letter, Garlan couldn't help but look at the emaciated child looking at him eagerly.
He was actually not sure whether he would meet Xinyas in the future, but after thinking about it, in order to make the child obedient, he still replied to the letter in a tone of coaxing a child.
Garlan wrote back to Sinyas saying that as long as he eats well and grows tall and strong, he will be allowed to see him.
That was Garlan's last memory of his blood brother.
…
…
At this moment, Garlan opened his eyes wide, looking at the strong man in front of him like a calf.
He said at the time... When he grows tall and strong, he can come to see him.
But, there is a limit, right
Thinking back to the memory of the sick and weak child who was so thin that the wind was blowing, and was a head shorter than him, and then looked at the strong boy hugging him tightly at this moment.
Those strong limbs, those well-developed muscles, and, more than half a head taller than him...
Garlan felt that no matter how he looked at it, he felt like he saw the priests of Shamash who were proud of their sturdiness and power.
…
Ah, as expected of the teachings of the priests of Shamash.
"… Sinyas?"
"Well, it's me, brother, I miss you so much!"
"You've changed so much..."
It's more than big, it's like two people.
Garlan once again remembered the shock when he saw the handsome young brother Camos in this life.
"Yeah, thanks to the two priests you sent, brother, they taught me how to grow tall and strong, because brother you said that only in this way can I come to see you."
The big black dog-like younger brother laughed stupidly, looking at Garlan with bright eyes, he could almost see a big fluffy tail behind him wagging vigorously at Garlan.
"Look, brother, I'm already tall and strong." He raised his hand and gestured over his head, "I'm taller than you—"
Garland: "..."
The younger brother, who was heartbroken when we first met, didn't want it.
Probably because his speechless expression was too obvious at the moment, the tough face of the young man with a bright smile collapsed all at once, and the invisible tail behind him seemed to wilt.
He suddenly let go of the hand holding Garlan and took a step back, his two hands hanging awkwardly in the air.
"Brother, don't you... don't like me like this?"
He raised his hands and took another step back, looking at Garlan with a look of unease in his eyes, and his face was a little overwhelmed.
He remembered the act of rushing over without saying a word just now, and a look of annoyance appeared on his face.
Originally, Priest Raya had repeatedly taught him the etiquette of seeing the crown prince many times, and also told him that even if he was a real brother, now there is a difference between a ruler and a minister, and he must bow to his brother first after entering.
But when he saw his brother who had been thinking about it for a long time, he was so excited that he immediately forgot all the things that Priest Raya had taught him, and rushed over to hug him without even thinking about it.
... Does my brother think he doesn't understand etiquette, so he doesn't like him anymore
Thinking of this, the young man's mind shrugged.
"I'm sorry, brother, it's not... Your Excellency the Crown Prince, I am rude, I apologize to you, I'm just too excited, er... Because I can finally see you... I've been thinking about it for a long time."
The young city lord of Ermia looked slack and whispered, "If you don't like it, I won't be like this in the future."
Regarding this younger brother's behavior, Garlan was indeed a little speechless at first.
Brother Wang said it was a surprise for him, but Garlan felt that it was more like a fright.
To him, this so-called younger brother was like a stranger, but now he suddenly appeared in front of him and was too enthusiastic for him, which naturally made him feel unaccustomed.
However, his younger brother immediately noticed his expression, let go of his hand, and took two steps back.
At this moment, the look of standing there timidly, looking at him eagerly, seemed to overlap with the look in the eyes of the skinny child who looked at him eagerly five years ago.
Garlan sighed softly in his heart.
Although the shape of the body has changed, it seems that the inner part has not grown much.
Thinking of this, he looked again at the big brother who was half a head taller than him.
He said suddenly, "Squat down."
Xinyas, who was anxiously thinking about whether his brother didn't like him, hadn't reacted yet, and his body had subconsciously squatted down obediently.
Xie Muer next to him: "..."
Other onlookers: "..."
Even if he is young, he is still the master of a city.
Garlan looked at the young man squatting in front of him. Although he was strong, his face was still a little childish. At this moment, the young man looked up at him with anxiety written all over his face.
He smiled and reached out to touch the curly dark brown hair of the squatting boy.
"You've grown up, Sinyas."
He smiled at his brother and said,
"You are very obedient, and you have well abided by your agreement with me."
When he replied back then, it was just sympathy for the child who was abandoned by that stupid woman, and he was just trying to coax the child to get better soon, but he didn't expect that the child took his coaxing words to the bottom of his heart.
In just five years, he was able to change from his weak appearance to his tall and strong appearance now. It can be seen that this child must have worked very hard to fulfill the agreement to meet him.
"You worked hard and did a great job."
Garland patted his head and praised him with a smile.
The squatting boy looked up at Garlan, his eyes sparkling.
He remembered that five years ago, when he went against his mother's wishes for the first time and secretly ran to find his brother, his brother also touched his head and smiled at him.
"Okay, stand up."
Pat Sinyas on the head again, Garlan said.
The hand that touched the head left, and the big black dog Sinyas stood up wagging his tail vigorously. He was happy for Gallan, and after a while, he suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, Priest Raya said that he would congratulate brother that you became the crown prince when we met, but I forgot."
"Actually, I have asked Your Majesty to come to the Royal City since the beginning of this year, but His Majesty never agreed." He said a little aggrievedly, "Until this time, my brother, you became the Crown Prince, and Your Majesty did not allow me to visit the Wangcheng."
Garland found that the child seemed to be lacking in his brain.
Speaking of which, ordinary people really can't take the words of coaxing the child as a promise to do such a thing honestly, but the child did it stubbornly and stubbornly.
Honest and honest too much.
He thought, it seems that it is necessary for Ximuer to carefully inquire about the two priests of Shamash who had been sent to Xinyas.
"His Royal Highness, it's almost time for us to go, the trainer is still waiting for us."
A guard came over and whispered to remind Heimos, who had been watching quietly beside him.
Heimos looked at the brown-skinned boy who kept laughing at Garlan, frowned without a trace, and then shook his head.
"You take Anu back, the training this afternoon is canceled."
He says,
"I'm staying here for something."
"Yes."
Xie Muer and others left first, and Heimos made an excuse to stay.
Perhaps it was because he finally saw the brother he had been thinking about, Xinyas was very excited.
For the whole afternoon, he followed Garlan like a big tail, walking around with him while talking about his own affairs in the past few years.
It's like an ignorant child who pesters his brother badly.
Kaihos looked at the boy who followed Garlan, and glanced at Heimos on the other side from the corner of his eyes.
Heimos sat there quietly, his eyes lowered, his expression indifferent, as if he was reading a book.
Kaihos sighed in his heart.
Pretend, you continue to pretend to be calm.
The unpleasant breath emanating from the whole body could not be suppressed.
Now you know how King Camos was feeling when you were clinging to Prince Garlan
In the blink of an eye, it was time to rest. Kaihos resigned to Garland, and was responsible for sending the young city lord back to Ximuer.
He glanced at the corner of his eyes and saw that Heimos, who also got up, looked slightly better.
The big boy stood at the door and looked at Garland reluctantly. After hesitating for a long time, he finally gathered up his courage and whispered to Garland, "Brother, can I sleep with you at night..."
Garland hasn't answered yet.
Cayhoes didn't react yet.
Heimos had already stepped forward, stretched out his hand expressionlessly, grabbed Sinyas's back collar from behind, and dragged him out of the way.
"Wait, wait, let me go, bro-"
Xinyas danced and struggled hard, but he couldn't break free of Heimos's hand, so he could only drag him out from the gate.