Ellie landed awkwardly in the castle's little garden, her eyes slightly swollen and red. Clutching her long skirt in both hands, she hurried toward home.
The curtains in the master bedroom on the third floor and the two rooms on the fifth floor stirred slightly.
There were surely others watching her as well, but they would not dare to be so blatant. They only peeped through gaps and would not actually draw back the curtains.
Linde slipped quietly out of his room and into the small sitting room on the fifth floor. He took a bottle of strong liquor from the wine cabinet and poured himself a glass, then grabbed a pile of ice from the ice maker. Happily, he sat down on the sofa to wait for his drink.
"You really... dislike Ellie that much?" Dieter walked in as well. He picked up the bottle and glanced at it, then frowned. "You should stick to fruit wine! Honestly... you can't even drink, yet you dare touch my liquor."
"I added lots of ice." Linde cheerfully informed his older brother. "It's fine. I'll only be drinking a little."
Then he glanced at Dieter, his lips curling downward. "Dieter, do you also think that, between Ellie and me, I'm the one who got the most?"
"Yes." Dieter answered with complete seriousness. "Ellie was only suddenly kissed by luck after she turned ten, and at that time, you were the center of the family.
She had known since childhood that if she wanted something, she had to reach for it herself.
But things were handed to you before you even had to ask.
Mother... only had the energy to deal with your affairs back then, so you received more than Ellie did.
All those benefits afterward... she fought for them herself.
I