Chapter 4

The sun shone brightly against my eyes, but I couldn’t bring myself to blink. My attention was all focused on the man who spared no time to glance at or acknowledge Jean and me.

As if we were not even there.

I looked back at Jean to gauge her reaction, but she just stood there as if it were normal, which made me frown a little. I am certain that Sid is supposed to be the kindest of the sixteen siblings… could it be not the case?

My eyes once again managed to look back at him, taking in his whole appearance. All images of him that Gel provided were a little blurry since most were taken from a far distance, so I really didn’t expect him to look this carefree and gentle. His eyes were a little droopy with thick, messy eyebrows. His paleness added to the gentleness of his outward appearance, but what made him look so approachable was his playful smile.

I tilted my head a little bit to study him more. There’s something about him that doesn’t sit right with me. He looks kind… which is a little bit suspicious given his background.

I almost choked on my own saliva when a pair of deep blue eyes suddenly met mine. His droopy eyes stared straight into me before he slowly formed a small smile. “Seems like you’ve hurt one of the new maids, Cassio.”

His voice was deep yet gentle, and I almost felt comfortable enough to speak with him. Good thing Cassio’s immediate glare reminded me of the rules here.

“Cassio didn’t know they were here; it isn’t that bad anyway…” I was taken aback when Dren, who was panicking and gentle enough earlier to worry about me, was suddenly speaking of my condition as if it were nothing.

Sid simply nodded and ruffled Dren’s hair with a smile. “Very well, be careful with the arrows.”

I thought he’d leave us immediately, but his long, strong legs made their way towards me. His captivating eyes never left mine as he got near, a chill and comforting smile plastered on his face.

What is he….

I didn’t know whether I should keep the eye contact or act shy and innocent. I never really studied Sid’s profile as much as I did with the others since he has never played a huge part in the organization for me to even consider him as the next head.

To successfully play someone’s mind and heart, I must know what works best for them first… and Sid’s preference for women was never revealed. Out of choices, I decided to just act fierce and met his lazy gaze.

Sid stopped a few inches away from me, his eyes scanning my whole being as if reading what was on my mind, but instead of pulling away, I looked back at him.

Tall…

My neck started to hurt as I tried my best to keep eye contact within my physical means. His ocean-blue eyes pierced through mine as his blank expression made me take a step back. He tilted his head to the side as if amused before he took a step closer, causing me to look up even harder.

He was tall... dangerously tall, and I was stubborn enough not to take a step back.

I was so confident that Sid would be amused if I did so, so I decided to sacrifice my neck.

“Young Master—” My words were cut off when he shamelessly raised his hand and touched the back of my neck. His warm hand was on my nape, gently adjusting my head to look right down on his chest, easing the tension and slight discomfort I was feeling by forcing myself to look straight into his eyes.

"I appreciate the fierce stare..." He muttered and then carefully caressed my nape before pulling his hands back. My hand suddenly was ice-cold, unable to process what just happened, but I immediately swallowed it away and calmed myself.

"... but you might hurt your neck if you insist on looking up at me." He muttered and then slightly bent down to face me. “I apologize for my little brother’s actions. He isn’t a bad kid…just a little reckless. You know how teens are.”

He was softly explaining and apologizing to me just like how normal people would do. I stared intently at his face as he remained in that awkward and uncomfortable position. My eyes slightly squinted as I noticed again the three small moles on his seemingly perfect face... no, four.

One was at the tip of his strong, tall nose, the second was on the right side of his lower lip, the third was on his temple, and the fourth one was on the left side of his eyes, just down his tear ducts.

I’d be honest… I almost drooled.

Isn’t it cheating to have that kind of face and still have those sexy moles!?

"Looking down on me is far more comfortable, ain't it?" He chuckled when he noticed me freezing on the spot. I almost gaped when I saw how his droopy eyes squinted through that smile.

I immediately shooed all my thoughts away. I can’t just fall for his looks… even if they were worth falling for. I mean, this man would kill me. I’d kill one of his family, maybe even him; lusting over his moles won’t be beneficial to me.

Alright, who am I kidding? I’d sleep with him if given a chance. Heck, I’ll even make one!

I’m just a lady who likes good-looking men. Forgive me, Heinz, forgive me, Gel. I must at least seduce this one. I tried not to be swayed, but those damn moles were a deal-breaker. I almost talked to myself as I tried to gaslight my whole being, that being attracted to my target was acceptable.

“Should we just kill her… she’s looking at you weirdly.” Cassio’s ruthless suggestion slapped me back into my consciousness, and the very first thing I noticed was Sid’s uncomfortable expression as the word kill came up.

“We…don’t have to do that. You shouldn’t say that, Cassio.” His voice was firm but a little fearful. There was a hint of hesitation…a hint of conscience.

Oh…

I slightly blinked my eyes when the lustful thoughts subsided after a big realization. It seems like the intel was right… Sid Madreval is a coward.

My eyes watched him as he scratched the back of his head, awkwardly chuckling as he walked back to Cassio, who was still glaring ferociously at me.

The three brothers stood there against the bright sunlight, one under the shadows of the trees, another in the middle as if belonging to both sides, and the oldest one stood quite timidly but unexplainably dawning, dripping in the rays of the sun.

"Hahaha Sid? Kill someone? You know he'll never hurt a fly!" Dren laughed out loud, which made Sid chuckle as well.

I stood there in an unexplainable awe. A Madreval that won't hurt a fly...

The man stood tall, but his hands were as graceful as a surgeon who saved countless lives. Rays of sunlight shone against his hair and face as if he was being favored by the sun itself.

And fingers that are too clean and neat, as if it's been scrubbed thousands of times.

A sudden dryness made its way into my throat.

The cleanest hands belong to a killer.

Those words were etched in my mind by my mentors from a young age. I watched the three brothers who each had an unexplainable air of tension surrounding them before my lips slowly curved upward.

My hands trembled, my heart beat faster than usual, and as if they could hear those slightest changes in my body—their eyes quickly shifted to me.

Three pairs of suffocating stares...

Sid's soft gaze remained on me as he walked gently in front of the twins whose eyes never blinked. His tall stature completely shielded the kids from my stare as his unwavering smile remained plastered on his innocent face. The man's blue orbs sparkled once more before he looked at Jean beside me, who never said any other word the moment Sid came in.

"Miss Jean, why don't you go on your way and leave the twins to me? It just so happened that I have time to spare to prepare their meal." His soothing voice echoed, which immediately made the twins cling to both his arms.

"REALLY? REALLY?" Dren couldn't contain his excitement, his nails even digging into his brother's arms, making me purse my lips.

Cassio on the other hand, simply grinned before glancing at me, making my heart skip a beat unexplainably. Those eyes were almost warning me.

"I'm hungry, let's go." He muttered and walked away first.

Dren watched his twin walk away and quickly let go of Sid, and ran after Cassio, leaving us three adults in silence.

Sid looked at Jean who remained silent and had her head down the whole time before looking back at me, making me match his gaze once again. His eyes drifted back down on my clothes before he looked intently at Jean who finally raised her head.

"Lorelei..." Sid's words immediately made my hair stood up.

Fuck.

I was too distracted I almost forgot about this.

A heartfelt laugh echoed throughout the forest before Sid smiled and tapped the back of his neck as if reminding me of the tattoo on my nape. The same nape he caressed so gently earlier.

It was a branding mark of the Lorelei's.

"That explains why you managed to dodge Cassio's arrows... fortunately you were not hurt." His deep soothing voice followed as I almost unconsciously touched my nape.

Fuck. Did he touched my neck earlier to check the branding mark? My eyes looked calmly at the bright man but my heart and mind is in full chaos.

"Mother trained her people well."

Another smile. Another set of soft-spoken words, brimming with warmth. My lips were dry, as was my throat, before I calmly smiled and nodded my neck that almost stiffened in tension.

" Thank you, Young Master Sid,"  I muttered. 

A casual nod was all he replied to me before he waved his hands, motioning us to go on our way. However, my eyes couldn't seem to leave that man, making me steal glances as he walked to the arrow that Cassio left and pulled it out swiftly.

Jean was unusually quiet beside me as she remained standing, unmoving, while Sid played with the arrow, leaving me unable to move recklessly too. 

"Ah, the arrow's a little crooked. No wonder Cassio missed... " Sid smiled and then waved the arrow in the air as if showing us. I almost answered, but I immediately kept my mouth shut as the man quickly turned his back on us, not needing a response.

Jean and I remained unmoving until the man finally left our vision. The forest became unusually quiet, and the wind stopped blowing. I only managed to be alerted once again when Jean suddenly took a step back towards her bicycle, prompting me to move as well.

"Are we going to the stables now?"  I tried to breathe out and calm myself before I proceeded to start a conversation with Jean.

I need to gather more information. That fucking Sid is not as simple as it seems. 

Jean looked at me blankly, which I forced myself to return a smile to. After a few seconds, she suddenly scoffed and then hopped on her bicycle with a bad gaze directed at me.

"We'll be going to the clinic first; can't have you dying on your first day." She hissed and pointed to my bicycle as my body finally calmed down from being too alert in the presence of the brothers earlier; the wetness of my uniform's collar became obvious to me.

My mind went cold as I finally thought to look at my own body. Blood had stained my newly acquired white uniform... dripping from my nape.

I heard Jean snicker in a very low voice that I couldn't make sense of, "Humans...tsk" 

I pursed my lips tightly as I tried to remain calm despite my growing anger. Fuck.

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