In the spacious room, the floor-to-ceiling windows are open, and bright sunlight comes in from outside.
Garlan sat on the olive wood chair above, with his hands resting on the smooth yellow-brown armrests. Because the weather was hot today, his clothes were loose and simple, and a short, light cloak just over his waist hung down behind him.
Shemuer and Kaihos stood under his seat one by one, and a sturdy middle-aged man in a sacrificial robe knelt under him on one knee.
The rune of Shamash on the shoulder of the sacrificial robe symbolizes the priest's identity.
"You mean, because of the damage to his body when he was a child, it's very likely that Sinyas also suffered damage to his brain?"
"Yes, His Royal Highness, His Excellency Sinyas suffered too much physical loss when he was young, resulting in severe malnutrition, which lasted until he was in his teens."
Priest Raya was also very emotional and helpless about this.
"You sent us over to protect Your Excellency Sinyas, we should do our best, but, the loss of the body can be slowly made up, but... "
He stopped halfway through, obviously not good enough to continue.
"After the examination, the doctor said that it was not only because of malnutrition, but also because His Excellency Sinyas had been taking decoction for a long time since he was a baby, which damaged his brain. Fortunately, Your Highness, you extended a helping hand in time to protect His Excellency Sinyas. , otherwise his condition would be even worse."
"Did he have brain damage as a child? But I think Sinyas is normal?"
Although it seems a little silly...
"Yes, Your Highness, Your Excellency Sinyas's situation is very mild, but he may be a little slow in thinking, it is difficult to think about complicated things, his mental growth is slow, and he is very stubborn about what he believes, and everything else is normal. ."
"According to what you said, Xinyas is actually a brainless, childish, stubborn temper, and everything else is normal, right?"
"..." Priest Laia choked for a while, before continuing to answer, "You can say that."
"I see."
Garland nodded.
"In the past few years, you have worked hard for you."
He said, "Xinyas may have matured later than the average person in thinking. He is still a child's temper, but he has the responsibility of a city. I am very worried that he will be tricked or used by people with intentions. "
"Therefore, I can only rest assured if you have the righteous priests of Shamash by his side."
He smiled at Priest Raya and said, "Raya, my younger brother will also ask you in the future. He may not be smart, but I believe that under your teaching, he will grow into a man like Shamashna. A man of integrity and might."
Priest Raya bent down deeply.
"I will definitely not betray your trust, Your Highness."
He replied with a slightly excited tone.
To the priests of Shamash, praise for their integrity is the greatest compliment.
In particular, this praise was uttered by His Royal Highness the Prince himself, which made him both happy and excited.
"By the way, is Xinyas' mother still coming back to find him?"
"No, Your Highness, since the former city owner's wife remarried more than three years ago, she has never returned to Ermia City, nor has she come to look for Your Excellency Sinyas."
At the mention of this, Priest Raya frowned.
"… "
Garlan lowered his eyes, his eyes slightly cold.
Back then, the old female official had passed the news to him that the woman, just over a year after the death of her doting husband, couldn't wait to remarry another city dignitary, leaving Xinyas, who was only eleven years old, behind.
Garland didn't think she couldn't marry again, but it would be too cruel to leave her young son who was still sick at the time, and to ignore him for the next few years.
In the past, that woman took Xinyas very seriously, and looked like a loving mother who loved him. In fact, it was because Xinyas could guarantee her status. When the people she sent over suppressed her, she found that she could not. After continuing to be her superior lady of the city master, she immediately abandoned Xinyas.
She only loves himself.
That woman is like a dodder flower, she can only cling to and absorb the nutrients of others, so that she can bloom beautiful flowers.
Well, let that woman go far away.
Otherwise, with that woman's character, Xinyas would probably be parasitized by her dodder flower for a lifetime.
"Raya, if..."
If that woman comes back, don't let her see Sinyas.
Garland, who wanted to say that, paused.
Although Garlan didn't take that woman seriously, to Xinyas, she was his biological mother after all, and he should also remember that his mother loved him very much.
He has no right to make decisions for Xinyas to limit who Xinyas meets with.
"It's nothing, you go down."
"Yes, Your Highness."
…
After Garlan finished his interviews with officials and others in the morning, just after returning to the palace at noon to finish his meal, his big brother ran over again happily.
When Garland told him that he had something to do and didn't have time to play with him, he sat obediently and looked at Garland with his eyes open, "I will be very obedient and not disturb you". expression.
The look of staring at him like a big dog made Garlan have no choice but to let him go.
Although he is now the crown prince, it does not mean that Garlan can handle government affairs independently. Xie Muer will select some less important matters to him, let him make comments and write down his own opinions.
Of course, what he wrote would eventually be judged by Xie Muer or Si and others to find out what was unreasonable, and then teach him.
When Garlan finally finished reading the stack of parchment scrolls that Xie Muer handed him in the morning, and wrote down his comments, he looked up and most of the afternoon had passed.
He thought about it, no, Sinyas is still here, and he was busy with these troublesome documents, and he forgot Sinyas' existence.
Just thinking about this, when Garlan looked up, he saw Xinyas sitting on a chair, his body was slanted, his head was tilted to one side, and he didn't know when he had fallen asleep.
The mouth was still wide open, which made him laugh.
Garlan walked over and patted Sinyas lightly.
Xinyas opened his eyes, looked up at him, sleepy eyes, and the whole person looked like he was sleepy.
Rubbing his eyes in a daze, when he woke up and saw clearly that it was him, the young man grinned at him with a big mouth, and his smiling face looked so silly.
"Brother~"
Xinyas shouted to Garlan happily.
The boy's eyes were bright and clean, like a newborn baby, and his eyes were filled with the shadow of Garlan.
"Are you done?"
With those expectant eyes, you can see at a glance that the next sentence he didn't say is - can you play with me
Garland smiled.
He thought about it and asked, "Sinyas, do you remember your mother?"
"Remember."
Sinyas answered very cheerfully, which surprised Garlan.
He thought that when he mentioned that woman, Xinyas, he would show a sad expression, but he didn't expect that the child didn't seem to care much.
"Then do you want to see her?"
Sinyas thought about it seriously, then shook his head.
"No need," he said, "I just need to see you, brother."
"You don't want her?"
Garland asked curiously.
Sinyas shook his head.
"I want to see my brother because my brother looks at me very tenderly. I like to be looked at like this, and I like the way my brother looks at me, so I will work hard to fulfill my promise with you and come to see you."
The young man said seriously,
"But mom is different. The way she looks at me is completely different from your brother's. She looks at me the same way she looks at the dog she raised. I don't like it, I don't like it very much, so I don't care if I see her or not."
"I used to listen to my mother because she said that I am a child and must listen to my mother, but now that I have grown up, I don't need to continue listening to her."
As Sinyas said, he suddenly smiled at Garlan.
"But I will definitely listen to what my brother says."
He was coquettish at Garlan, and there seemed to be a big black and fluffy tail behind him, wagging vigorously at Garlan.
He looked at Garlan's bright eyes, and at a glance he knew what he was expecting.
Garland laughed.
He reached out and touched the head of Sinyas who was sitting.
The big boy squinted, happily enjoying being touched by his favorite older brother, his mouth wide open.
Sinyas is not stupid, nor is he brainless.
While stroking Sinyas' head, Garlan thought.
He simply thinks like a child, straightforward, simple, and black and white.
But just because he is a child, he can clearly feel who is kind to him and who is malicious to him.
Children are never bound by the so-called moral concepts and behavioral norms of adults.
Whoever treats him well, he treats him well.
The child's thinking is so simple and clear.
And Sinyas is like that.
Garland thought.
After coming to this world, he has always had no affection for 'Garlan''s original relatives, and he does not want to have any connection with him.
But now he feels that it would be good to have an obedient younger brother.
…
He handed the pile of parchment scrolls with his opinions on it to Xie Muer, who came to the door. After watching Xie Muer's inspection, he nodded and took those scrolls away together, and then Garlan breathed a sigh of relief.
He suddenly felt as if he had returned to the time when he handed in homework to Xie Muer as a child.
Ah, today's task is finally completed.
Facing the bright sunshine, he stretched out for a long time, he thought.
Come have afternoon tea.
Sinyas has no opinion on Garlan's suggestion. For him, as long as he can stay with his brother, he is happy with whatever he does.
Soon, the maids brought the fragrant biscuits, desserts and fresh fruits.
Xinyas sat cross-legged, holding a fresh orange orange in his hand, and eagerly wanted to peel it for his brother to eat, but just halfway through, he saw a maid serving Garlan a cup of something come over.
In the transparent glass cup, the light green liquid reflects the sunlight and reflects a little shimmer, which is very beautiful.
He watched his brother sit with his knees bent, his body lounging back on the soft backrest, with his glass cup in hand.
Brother's fingers are completely different from his, slender and white.
He saw his brother sitting there, his long golden hair hanging down from his shoulders, and his eyelashes drooping slightly to drink, it was really beautiful.
When he was a child, he always heard that his mother was beautiful, but Sinyas now thinks that his brother is more beautiful, more beautiful than anyone else.
He didn't know why his parents didn't like his brother, he was clearly as handsome as snow.
"elder brother."
Looking at his brother, he couldn't help but want to act like a spoiled child.
"I want to drink yours too."
He has a very keen sense of smell and smells wine. He has always been curious about the taste of wine, but Priest Raya said he was still young and forbade him to drink it.
Garlan was drinking the fruit wine lazily, enjoying the peaceful time of afternoon tea comfortably. As Xinyas said this, he looked at the light green fruit wine in his hand and hesitated for a moment.
Although Xinyas looks tall and strong, he is only a fifteen-year-old boy, so it's not good to let children drink
He thought about it, and just wanted to refuse, when he looked up, he saw that Sinyas was already approaching him impatiently, looking at him with shining eyes, as if a pair of ears were moving vigorously on his head, and the pair seemed to be big The dog begging for food is really unbearable.
Hmm... It's just fruit wine, the alcohol content is very low, he can drink it at about fifteen or sixteen years old, and Xinyas should be able to drink it too, right
As soon as his thoughts changed, Garlan turned to look at the maid standing by the side holding a glass jug, and motioned her to pour Sinyas a glass.
"You're still young, you can only have one drink."
he said to Sinyas.
"Okay~~"
Taking the fruit wine happily, Xinyas first licked it with his tongue.
Well, it's sweet, and it has a very strange taste.
However, it's delicious, and what my brother likes, he likes too.
Thinking like this, the young man drank the fruit wine with a few sips.
After drinking, he licked his lips, still a little greedy, and wanted to continue drinking, but his brother said that he could only drink one cup, and he had to be obedient.
Obedient, my brother will like him.
…
Um…
Strange... How did the brother become two
Ah, it's become three again... Why does he feel dizzy, he had just slept, and now he seems to want to sleep again...
uh... so dizzy...
Seeing Xinyas gulping down a glass of fruit wine in one go, before Garlan could react, he saw Xinyas grin at him with a grin, his face flushing like a red apple.
Then, the swaying young man smiled, suddenly closed his eyes, tilted his head, fell on the table, and fell asleep with such a crooked body.
Garland: "..."
This is commonly known as, pour a cup
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stared at his younger brother, speechless.
Such a big man, such a big man, was so drunk by a glass of low-concentration fruit wine.
Forget it, just wake up.
Garlan shook his head, but just asked the maid to cover Xinyas with a thin blanket, and let Xinyas continue to sleep.
On the other hand, he continued to lazily nestle in the soft backrest and soft pillow, squinting, drinking light green fruit wine comfortably.
The sun is just right, falling from the skylight, just shining on him, warm.
The room was quiet, only Xinyas's slightly rough breathing sounded rhythmically.
Tiredness surged up, Garlan yawned, handed the little fruit wine left in his hand to the maid beside him, told her to step back, don't disturb himself, and then nestled comfortably in the soft pillow Doze off.
…
The prince rested in the room, and the maids had already retreated to the door according to his instructions, closed the door, and stood guard at the door, waiting for the prince to wake up and call her in.
After a while, someone came here before he could be summoned.
When the leading maid saw the person coming, she hurriedly bowed her head and saluted.
"His Royal Highness."
"Is Garland in there?"
"Yes, Your Highness, His Royal Highness is taking a nap inside, let us not disturb."
Hearing that Garlan was taking a nap, Heimos paused with the hand that was about to push the door, hesitating whether he should come back after dinner.
And just when he hesitated, the maid spoke again.
"Your Excellency Sinyas also fell asleep inside, because he drank a little wine and seemed to be drunk."
"… "
The hand that stopped in front of the door pushed forward, and Heimos pushed the door open and walked in.
He said, "You continue to stay outside."
After entering, he saw at a glance that the big boy who was leaning on the table was sleeping with his eyes closed.
Heimos's eyes suddenly turned cold.
But Sinyas was sleeping soundly, and he couldn't see the cold eyes of Heimos that made it difficult for ordinary people to look at each other.
When he looked away from Sinyas and fell on the person on the opposite side, Heimos's eyes instantly softened.
In the fluffy and soft velvet pillow, Garlan's whole body is nestled in it.
The long golden hair fell down the snow-white pillow, and the boy's white cheeks and most of his body fell into the soft pillow, and the whole person's nest became a small ball.
The pale pink lips were slightly opened, and a shallow breath was exhaled.
Perhaps because of the fruit wine, there was a little pink on his cheeks.
Just one glance made Heimos feel that the softest part of his heart moved.
He walked over, leaned over, stretched out his hands, and hugged Garlan, who was nestled in the pillow.
Passing over beside Sinyas who was still sleeping soundly, he walked quickly into the bedroom inside with the person in his arms, and then lightly placed Garlan on the bed.
Garlan, who was put down, seemed to feel a more comfortable place, and the corners of his eyes were slightly bent, as if satisfied.
Turning his head slightly, the young man's nose hummed softly, adjusted to the most comfortable position, and continued to fall asleep again.
The corners of Heimos' lips couldn't help but rise upwards.
He reached out and touched Garlan's head.
As long as he looked at this sleeping face, his chest seemed to be rubbed into a soft ball.
He just touched Garlan's head, and Garlan in the dream seemed to feel it, and took the initiative to put his head close, and rubbed his forehead against his hand.
It looked like a coquettish little white cat.
After rubbing it, the lips pursed.
His eyes fell uncontrollably on the slightly pursed pale pink lips, and Heimos took a deep breath, and then took another deep breath.
He wants to endure.
But the boy's lips moved slightly again, pink and tender, and a little snow-white came out from the slightly parted lips.
So, couldn't hold back.
With a hand on Garlan's forehead, Heimos, who was sitting beside the bed, leaned over deeply, and the kiss with indescribable love and pity fell softly on Garlan's lips.
…
Sinyas was sleeping soundly when suddenly something seemed to brush his forehead and woke him up.
He got up in a daze, rubbed his eyes, and saw that the nasty guy who dragged him from his brother yesterday reappeared, and also took his brother away from him.
What woke him up just now seemed to be the cape that floated up behind him and swept across his forehead when the man passed by him.
Xinyas just froze for a while, and the person he didn't like had already carried his brother into the inner room.
He got up quickly, and before he had time to put on his shoes, he ran after him with bare feet.
As soon as he reached the door, he looked inside, and his eyes suddenly widened.
That guy... what is he doing to his brother? ! !