Chapter 4
The location of the Commanding General’s mansion had been chosen with strictness ; during its construction, the daylighting had been thought about carefully. In the morning, the soft light of natural sun would shine right on the big veranda stretching out from the house. The landscape outside is pleasant to the eyes. The General’s family would usually enjoy breakfast here.
「Wei, eat some more. Mama knows how much you like sh.e.l.l pasta.」 Her husband being absent, Mrs L. sits at the head of the table, smiling gently to the well behaving eldest son of the family. She lifts a large spoon : 「This is the sauce Mama made, with a double portion of Glann herb on purpose. You have none of that in the military school, right ?」
Glann herb is hardly affordable to common families due to its expensiveness and rarity ; imported from other planets, money is not even enough to obtain it. This is the apogean era of military leadership, where we have practically returned to the primitive essence of monarchy. The right to luxury is almost entirely in the hands of the military.
Even though Wei politely declines the offer, Mrs L. insists on filling his bowl with a spoonful of sauce. 「Thank you, Mama.」 Wei’s deep voice reveals a hardly noticeable inch of raucity. For once they have a family breakfast, he is unable to enjoy it as calmly as usual due to culpability. Though he has done no wrong, he cannot look at Mama’s elegant and gentle face.
Yet the one causing all this is carelessly sitting in front, unhurriedly enjoying his pasta, with a bright and youthful smile on his face.
「Wei, what is the matter ?」
「Hum ?」 Wei turns over.
Mrs L. looks at him with care : 「You are rarely as distracted as now. Is everything all right ?」
Her attention only makes his feelings even more complex. He hastily hides away his panic and
shows his usual smile : 「Nothing Mama, the meal today is delicious.」 His face must look like his genetic father, just as his smile, for he lacks of the General’s awe-inspiring sharpness, unlike the rest of the family. Wei thinks that no matter how kindly his adoptive father smiles, there is always a non-negligible aura around him. Those are the real manners of a Commanding General.
Yet Wei’s own smile is often compared to sunshine by his schoolmates. 「When I see you smile, it feels like this world is still full of light and hope.」 His friend has once exaggeratedly described so : 「We can immediately see that you are a just soldier, worth of confidence.」
Seeing her eldest son’s expression, Mrs L. replies with understanding : 「You are grown up now, you start to have secrets. Wei, would you not be hiding some little secrets to Mama ?」
Unintentionally, this makes him appear thunderstruck. His stunned expression clearly states the answer. Mrs L. beams at his honesty ; this child is so adorable that he is much franker than her own sons. Han and Qian, those two are too cunning, they even may surpa.s.s their father in the future. But now, the bad thing is that being their mother, she can no longer guess their thoughts. In comparison, the innocent and hardworking Wei appeals more easily to her motherly love.
「It is fine, it goes without saying that my boys have secrets. Mama was not obliging you to reveal them, right ?」 Mrs L. rea.s.sures him in a low voice : 「If there is a girl you like, you can bring her home to Mama next holidays. She must surely be a fair girl, is it not ?」 But her words only increase his guiltiness. 「Oh, Mama just realised that there will not be any other holidays, for this year is your graduating year.」
「Indeed, he is about to graduate.」 The voice
voice suddenly entering the conversation is irritating to the ears of Wei. Qian casually chews his pasta, talking ambiguously : 「Then he would be able to have a girlfriend, or even to sleep her.」 Wei startles, fearing his secrets to be exposed in front of their mother ; his dark eyes stare at Qian’s pretty face.
「Qian, how could you talk like that ?」 Mrs L. puts on her airs of mother and admonishes her cadet son : 「Is that the behaviour they taught you at school ? We will talk about this matter when your father comes back.」
Qian gives her a comforting smile : 「I am sorry Mama, do not be angry with me.」 The boy’s childish tone and handsome face are the best weapons against their mother’s anger.
Mrs L. Looks at her cadet, her expression softens inevitably : 「If you really think so, avoid doing things that would make Mama angry. Your eviction from World Conquest will not be forgiven as easily. If only you could be … 」
「 … Half as obedient as Wei.」 Qian mockingly continues the sentence their parents repeat so often, his taunting gaze stops on his elder brother’s face.
In front of him, Wei shivers with terror. Not only due to his words and look, but also because under the dining table, Qian’s bare foot is threateningly sticking in between his knees, shoving them open.
「Indeed, if you were, Mama’s health would be in a better state.」
「I know, that is why I decided to stay more often with Wei and learn better habits. Actually in World Conquest, they are mostly rich dandies ; there is not a lot of real soldiers like big brother. So my eviction is a good opportunity to transfer into Empire Domination.」
「Your father will decide of that, but Mama still hopes that your will return to World Conquest to finish your studies.」
The foot under the table continues its progression. After checking
After checking that their mother still looks at Qian, Wei ragingly closes his legs as much as he can. If Qian does not withdraw, his ankles will be swollen for a few days. Qian remarks his physical resistance, a ruthless sneer skims over the eighteen-years-old’s eyes. He suddenly rises his voice to catch her attention : 「By the way Mama, I brought back a very interesting video with me … 」
Wei freeze instantly.
Mrs L. blames her son : 「Qian, do not try to change the topic, Mama is talking about the military school.」
「But the video is really remarkable.」 Qian replies cheekily, occasionally glancing at his elder brother with serious warning, like a huge rock falling on Wei’s heart. Mama is right next to them, a few minutes ago she was kindly pouring him sauce ; Wei imagines the disappointed look she will give him when she sees the video, he shudders with cold sweat.
Mrs L. finally gives in : 「This child, really, impossible to talk seriously with you. Right then, what is so special about this video ?」
You promised me to destroy it. Wei looks nervously at Qian. The latter keeps suspense with a smile and continues his motion under the table, Wei’s knees finally yield with humiliation. Then as if to punish him, Qian presses his foot between his brother’s legs.
「Oh, it is the military ceremony of our school, an internal doc.u.ment we keep private.」 His bare foot, only separated from Wei by the fabric of his uniform, cruelly and fiercely rubs against him. Its shape and texture make Qian feel scorching heat, but the smile he shows Mama only becomes more elegant : 「Mama, I stand in the first row of the troop. I will display it later, so you can see how handsome I am.」
「Handsome ? You have been thrown out of the school, no matter how handsome you are.」 Being a mother, she cannot dismiss thecannot dismiss the event from her mind yet. After some lecturing, she realises that she left her eldest son aside, so she turns around and suddenly asks in a surprised tone : 「Wei ? Do you feel all right ? You look unwell.」
Wei’s breath was scattered and messy : 「Mama, I am just … 」
「Do you have fever ? Mama already told you to call us when you are on holidays, so we could send a special car to bring you home. The ordinary transport system is so uncomfortable.」 Mrs L. moves closer to Wei, her white and fragile hand presses gently on his forehead, then she frowns : 「You have no temperature, but you sweat a lot. Does it hurt anywhere ?」
Qian amusedly observes their mother’s care for his elder brother. He suddenly strengthens the pressure, causing an acute pain only men understand to run through his back like an electric flow. Wei’s breath is nearly cut short ; he uses all his willpower to barely cover his distress.
「Steward !」 By chance, Mrs L. turns away to call the man coming down from the second floor : 「Please prepare some nutritious food for Wei these days. Empire Domination does probably not take special care to prepare equilibrated food for their students. Really, my boy just returned home and he is already ill.」
「Yes, Madam.」
「And remind me to phone the princ.i.p.al of the inst.i.tution. Training sessions must be too strict ; even though he does not attend World Conquest, he is after all the General’s son, it is only normal to provide him more care.」 Mrs L. complains protectively. She does not like to ride the high horse with her ident.i.ty, but she sees her child so rarely, who knows if anyone would bully them at school ?
She has not such worries for Han and Qian, but Wei’s personality makes him keep silent no matter what he suffers.