Reborn as the Princess' Knight (GL)

Side Chapter: Family or Him? (II).

Once all the family members had arrived, the servants were quick to work with the table setting and dish presentation. The Viscount Lenois himself who was fashionably late to his own family dinner was particularly hungry.

The sounds of metal utensils scrapping the marble plates filled the room. Countess Haren was enjoying the peace unlike before, and Lucas was trying to focus on the steak in front of him that was cooked mediumly.

Viscount Lenios' eyes drifted to both of his sons but it stopped first on Lenard. "How is your research going, has the court approved of your work?" his hands moved tenderly when handling his food, he took his knife and cut through the meat before putting it inside of his mouth.

Lenard was taken aback with the sudden question of how was his progress at work but immediately answered his father.

"T-The court has already approved two of my papers already and it's will most likely be approved by the church." He told him a little nervous, his hands were secretly holding onto his pants- it was getting wrinkled as he waited for his father's next words.

"Well done, my boy." He tells Lenard, smiling faintly before turning back to his serious face.

Lenard was happy inside that he was praised by the Viscount because everyone knew the man was not so easy to please.

"T-Thank you father for your kind praises." the blonde boy did a little happy dance inside his mind.

Lucas on the other hand could be heard clicking his tongue out of envy. He doesn't get the whole paper and scholarly thing- why can't his father be more proud of him being a knight than Lenard who was just making papers with a bunch of words he doesn't get.

It's too hard...

The Viscount heard of his son's rude gesture at the table and looks through Lucas like he's expecting all that he did to make trouble today.

"Lucas... How about you? What have you accomplished today?" he asks his son, whose face lights up happily now that his father's attention has been turned to him.

"Father- I have accomplished the task of exterminating the beasts from the west side. The higher ups have told me that I did a good job, rumor is I might even get promoted with the way things are." (Lucas) tells Viscount proudly, his chest puffing up a bit and his heart thumping.

The clanking sounds of utensils never stopped, the Viscount didn't even look at him when he told his son. "I see... Well done." he takes another piece of his steak and chews it.

"Ah..." (Lucas) mutters out, looking down on his food. Without even noticing his hands were gripping the handle of his knife and fork tightly. "Thank you... father."

The boy knew that he was praised, but when he compared his praise to his elder twin brother... Why is it different? He couldn't understand.

They received almost the exact same words but the way he said it...

Somehow it hurt his heart but he couldn't tell anyone about it, he was afraid it would make him look weak by doing so.

Countess Haren looks at her younger son and frowns, feeling that he's not being given enough attention by her husband.

"Dear, he just saved the kingdom by exterminating deadly magical beasts surrounding the town. Isn't that an exceptionable feat to do? I don't understand why he's not even being offered to be a Head General right now!" she tells him a little bit too angry that the Viscount caught his wife's tone.

"I already have heard the same story, over and over from him. All I ever hear is either escorting some lower rank noble to some place or monster expeditions." He looked disappointingly at Lucas who felt like his whole world was breaking at that table.

"I told him well done, what more does he need?" (Viscount Lenois) placed sharp daggers over his wife who clicks his tongue at his husband before looking softly at Lucas.

"Well I think Lucas here did a wonderful job." (Countess Haren) compliments Lucas' accomplishments further making the blonde boy smile a bit at his supportive mother but still it could never compare to the words of his father.

"Thank you... mother."

.-.-.-.-.

Clack... clack... clack...

Lucas' finger tapped through his desk while he thought deeply of what happened at dinner. So many voices appeared as he tried getting his thoughts fixed but it seemed to be only getting stronger.

"I told him well done, what more does he need?"

His father's words rang through his head. Well done- what more does he need?

"UGH!" He screams, knocking over some things over his desk and into the ground. He looked at a couple of books on his shelf and took one.

Thud! Bam!

He stands from his seat, looks at the book that was in his hand and throws it hard onto the wall. "I can't even... believe this.'' He walked over to the book that he threw and stomped on it several times on the verge of crying.

"I just wanted you to tell me you're proud of me! How hard is it to do that! You tell it to my dumbass older brother every time!" (Lucas) didn't stop until the cover bound leather page of the book was broken in half. "Well I'm sorry I can't read- I'm not smart- I can't even get big words- but that doesn't mean I'm not trying hard this piece of-"

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp...

"Hah… Hah…" Finally, he slows down and catches his breath collecting himself for a moment looking at the damage he caused. He still feels his anger rising at the thought of the Viscount favoring his useless brother over him, every single... time.

"Hmm... this is not enough." (Lucas) scoffed, throwing the tattered book into a corner and decided to leave the room.

He grins looking forward to the door, opening it. "Why don't I mess with my brother for a bit... It always makes me feel better. After all, a punching bag for today is all that I need to calm down."

He walks through the other side of the estate, many servants who were up late greeted him but he just ignored them, feeling the need of excitement of hurting someone to calm down. His hands were trembling from excitement, he wanted to make his older brother cry like old times.

How he always hated that he looked like him.

It was a pain being with a twin who's too nerdy, yet he was the one winning at life.

When he arrived at the door he held the doorknob muttering to himself. "I'll have you dead today, brother."

He opened the door of the room but there was no one inside. "Hmph... I thought he would come here after dinner?" he mutters to himself while looking around some more, seeing his brother's little plant pet on the table.

"I wonder if cutting the plant would make him cry." (Lucas) placed a hand on his waist while he looked through the room some more, it was all books, papers and the smell of ink was strong. He disliked it to the core but he couldn't help but stay to see if there was some dirt he could pull off of his brother.

Then again... he can't read well...

He pokes the little leaf of the plant sitting on a pot of soil and decides to let it live for today... but he stops after noticing something rectangular with a glass lens on the front, as well with a small peaking hole on the top.

"Well what do we have here?" the device made him curious, what could be this thing that might be a potential important treasure for his brother?

He held the object in his hand, and noticed it was sitting on top of a book from which he would guess it was its guide on how to use it properly. He frowns looking at the cover of the book, "Ka... mi.. kame? Kamira? Hmm..." he holds it in his hands, feeling the weight of it.

Lucas was surprised it was a bit heavier than expected for a little object like this.

He tried opening the book and was immediately irked by how many words there were to the point his head felt like it was being poked by needles just by looking at it trying to read. "Ugh great now I won't know how to even properly work this-"

He flips it to the next page angrily before noticing something that he usually never sees before usually in books.

"Drawings?" his eyes widened, perhaps feeling a little happy that someone included pictures in a book with so many words. There were even guides on how to hold it properly with your hand.

Lucas tilts his head being fascinated. "I see..." his hands scrolls down through the pages and smiles trying to follow the instruction.

He held the camera by the sides and made sure that none of his fingers got through the lens, when he accidentally did a small fog mark appeared when he peeked through the kamera. He wipes it off with his clothes and looks through the lens.

"What does it do?" he feels around the sides of it and notices a small button. Out of curiosity he clicks on it and the shutter makes a clicking sound.

It made the boy surprised but he didn't let go of the unknown object at hand and saw a small paper film coming out on a small thin line on the front.

"What the-" he was surprised when he took the film and showed the same exact thing in the paper he was pointing the lens at. He took it out and was amazed at how well he took the picture, it was the splitting image.

For the first time in a while Lucas felt relaxed... and wanted to try picturing more things.

He looked at Lenard's little pet plant and smiled genuinely for the first time in a while. He bends down a bit and takes a picture of it. He laughed looking at the plant picture he took, it was a little bad since he's still getting used to it but- it was a little out of balance.

Lucas excitedly looks through things he could take a picture of- from the shelf- a flashing sound could be heard.

Click!

He wanted to take a picture of a book learning over the window.

Click!

He opens the said window and squints his eyes, seeing two figures out in the distance proceeding to be kissing but he couldn't see the faces well because it was dark outside.

"I got you now... let's see who I'm going to fire today for being caught doing indecent things on my estate." (Lucas) laughed, holding the kamera lens to his eyes and clicking on the photo.

Click!

A flash of light followed and he hurriedly ran away like a little child and took out the film to see who he caught making outside so late at night. "Heh... now I'm going to-" he stops his smile when he saw the paper.

The two figures he caught making out... was Lenard and his butler Ellis...