"Mei Hong!"
Fujiwara Maro looked at his younger sister, who was silently crying by the wall, and felt some heartache... and stirring desire. He wanted to pull Fujiwara no Mei Hong into his arms and comfort her, but after reaching out, he withdrew his hand.
Though he had argued with Fujiwara no Fuhito earlier, he still did not dare truly defy his father... Besides, Fujiwara no Mei Hong's attitude toward him was only so-so. It might even backfire.
"...Third Brother, y-you... why are you here?"
Hearing someone call her, Fujiwara no Mei Hong hurriedly wiped away her tears with her sleeve and looked awkwardly at Fujiwara Maro before her.
She hastily stood up, looking somewhat at a loss and afraid.
In this residence, she was always bullied by her other brothers and sisters. She could not resist... she lacked the ability to resist.
Her father did not value her. To him... her other brothers and sisters were the children he truly cared about. As for her... she was merely an unwanted extra who had appeared by accident.
So let alone speaking up for her, it was already good enough that they did not take the side of the brothers who bullied her.
Still... Fujiwara no Mei Hong understood her father. In this era... it was only natural that he did not value her. And however little he cared for her, at least he had not truly abandoned her. He had raised her to this age; though she was not treated as well as her other siblings, she lacked neither food nor shelter.
She ought to be grateful...
But that did not mean she was happy.
Though she had it better than the servants in the residence, she was still someone who was constantly bullied.
Even those few who did not