Chapter 248: No, I... I will hit them back!

This was the same boy who had stood his ground in front of the Marquis that was several times bigger than him, bit his hand and endured the pain of his bruised shoulder.

And this was the very same boy who had continuously hit the Emperor just so he could let Julian go, at the expense of bruising his own little side fists.

Whenever it came to Julian, he never backed out of a fight. But to defend himself, his timid self, he wasn’t so sure even when it was fighting kids his age.

"Lucius," Julian called. "If anyone hits you, you have to hit them back." He said, his eyes steady even as he told the child to resort to violence.

He would not let anyone, absolutely no one walk all over his child.

"And if it’s someone you aren’t confident you can beat, you have to get at least one hit in and then run like your life depends on it. Come find me and I will handle the rest."

Lucius gulped.

"Won’t... won’t you get in trouble?"

"No, the only one getting in trouble is whoever dared to lay their hands on my child, on the son of the Duke of the Viremount Empire. They have no right to lay their hands on you for any reason whatsoever. Do you understand?"

Lucius nodded.

"You must keep your head high and show them you are not weak. And if it’s a person you know deep down that you cannot face, then it’s fine. Don’t fight them. Instead, run. Come find me, Lucius."

Lucius seemed to understand, but to be sure the boy knew very well, Julian decided to ask.

"What do you do if someone makes fun of you?" Julian asked, right from the start of the lesson.

"Ignore them and... and walk away." He said. "But I can talk to them, right? In case there is a mis-misunderstanding." He asked, looking into Julian’s eyes with hopeful eyes.

"Yes, Lucius. If it’s a misunderstanding that they have, a prejudice, then you can explain it to them. But they might not like that you’re explaining to them. They’ll think you’re taking them for a fool. What will you do then?"

"Then, I will be on my way." Lucius answered. "I will not try to explain any further. I... I will ignore whatever more they have to say and leave."

Julian nodded.

"And what if they decide to hit you? Will you still walk away like nothing happened? Will you let them think you are weak and a pushover?"

Lucius shook his head. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"No, I... I will hit them back!"

"And what if it’s someone you cannot win against?" Julian added, searching the boy’s eyes to see if there was a tremor but there was none.

"Try to at least hit them and then run away to find you," Lucius responded, his voice small but firm.

"And what do you do when from the start, you realize it’s not someone you can mess with?" Julian asked and Lucius responded.

"Get out of there. Run so fast they can’t catch me until I find you,"

Julian hugged him, his hands wrapped around the child like a band.

This was a lesson on self defense and nothing more. But it made him feel like he was leading the child into something dangerous.

"Now, let’s get you settled in. Once we have our dinner, let’s go to sleep, okay?"

And so, they had dinner. Another bed was brought in and Julian joined the two small beds to make one large bed where Lucius rolled happily until he was exhausted.

"Alright, alright, let’s get you tucked in," Julian said as he got in the bed as well.

He laid on the bed, one hand on Lucius’ stomach and the other brushing his hair.

"Master?" Lucius called, his eyes fixed on the ceiling that held no particular design.

"Yes, Lucius?"

"What do you think Daddy is doing right now?" He asked and Julian rested his head on the pillow.

He wondered as well. Would he already be sleeping? Would he be gazing out at the stars while trying to remember Julian’s smile?

Or would he be wallowing in booze? Ah, he had a habit of drinking when things got tough and he knew how to hold his liquid very well.

Maybe... he was drinking right now.

"He’s probably missing you," Julian whispered to the child. "Missing your tiny hands compared to his, your round cute face and..." he leaned down and kissed Lucius’s forehead. "...missing me as well."

"Yes, that... seems to be it."

The atmosphere felt tense, and they both stared into the ceiling.

None slept. Not even the child who was exhausted and not the man who was waiting...

Maybe it was because it was a strange environment and the scent in the air was one that they were not used to.

"Ah, I can’t sleep," Julian exclaimed after about twenty more minutes of staring at the plain ceiling.

"Me too, Master," Lucius responded.

"Then, let me tell you a story so you can sleep. Close your eyes and listen, okay? It’ll work better if you close your eyes." And so, he began whispering a Northern folktale he read from a book until the child’s breathing became steady.

He got out of the bed and went to the balcony, resting his arms there and letting out a wary sigh.

I could really use a drink right now. He thought but there was no alcohol in the Holy City, so he couldn’t even think about it.

He watched the one white city turn grey from the night sky and a sneer escaped his lips.

They try so hard to remain white and relinquish every darkness, but even they cannot stop the natural darkness from descending in their city.

It felt like an irony.

Julian walked back in, one again closing the curtains and this time, it didn’t take long before he fell asleep.

The next morning, the room was filled with a light so bright it was difficult to look at. Julian sat up and reached for the chair where he had left his and Lucius’s clothes.

The chair was empty.

In its place stood a silver frame draped in layers of thin white silk. Beside it sat two pairs of white sandals and two folded head-wraps.

Seeing this, Julian frowned. What was this doing here?