"Yes, yes, and yes! I am stupid for touching someone else's property!" Ndulou said in his mind.
He regrets touching things he does not own.
Normally, his trips to this garden were peaceful and safe. He never batted an eye at the surrounding things whenever he was in the castle, telling himself not to bother anything or anyone. He does not know what got into him as to why he suddenly got interested in a golden statue.
"I should have ignored this damn statue, as I always do! I shouldn't even consider stealing these golden fingernails!"
Ndulou kept his thoughts to himself. He kept quiet as he did not know how to respond to Ernesto yet since he had not completely calmed himself. So the two of them ended up having a staring competition.
Ernesto's purple eyes are also shaking.
Ndulou was the one who looked away first. He could not maintain looking into the eyes of someone who bullies him.
"Come on, get on my back." Ernesto turned around and showed his back, asking him to ride on it.
"Oh, why?"
In confusion, he moved back instead.
Ernesto said, "You can't walk, right? Get some rest inside," moving his shoulders to urge him to get on his back.
"B-but young master,"
Ndulou did not know the need to piggyback him. He thought he was fine and just needed a little time to rest his trembling body. He was just scared, but not in pain.
"Shall I push you back to the pit instead?" Ernesto cut him off with a cold response.
In an instant, Ndulou's heart beat wildly again the moment he heard about the pit. He has an eerie feeling towards the deep pit. It feels somewhat like he has forgotten something important.
He looked back at the pavement that had split open a while ago and thought about how deep the pit was.
two stories, three stories, or possibly five stories
He does not know.
As of the moment, the sun is too bright since it is the middle of lunchtime, but the end of the pit is too dark. That may mean that it is too deep.
He shook his head to shake off his thoughts and hurriedly got on Ernesto's back.
Ernesto effortlessly carried him up and walked closer to the pit again. This action made the young man nervously move his body off Ernesto's back, but he couldn't get away as Ernesto held him with more strength.
"Yo-young master, no!" Ndulou's eyes became foggy, and he desperately moved his weak body.
It made him anxious, and he said internally, "Is he going to put me back in the pit?" He felt a shiver run down his spine as he focused his gaze on the pit. "After you've saved my life, what kind of twisted mind did this trash have?"
"Bastard! Stop shaking me!" Ernesto pushed his shoulders back slightly to keep them from shaking, and he maintained his strength by supporting Ndulou on his back.
Ndulou was rendered speechless. He froze and just watched him get closer to the pit again.
Ernesto lowered his body to the pit while Ndulou was still on his back shaking.
"What's the point of saving me if he's going to throw me again!?"
He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Ernesto's neck.
"Ha! If you're going to throw me out, you might as well join me in the fall!"
Click!
Ndulou heard a single click, so he opened one eye to check what the sound was. He stared at the pit that was being covered with pavement once again.
He felt another tremor on the ground.
But Ernesto remained calm and explained, "Just press the button at the side of the pit to close it." He stood straight and explained how to put everything back.
They get closer to the statue, and Ernesto continues to instruct him about their weird garden structure. ".. and pushed the statue's eyes if you wanted to hide that door."
"Umm, y-young master, you don't need to explain this to me. I won't come back to this place ever again."
Ndulou thought, "Why would I want to go back here?" as he reflected to himself. The trauma that he experienced today was enough for him to never visit this garden again.
"... "
An awkward silence filled the garden.
Ernesto made sure that the pit and the door were all covered before leaving the garden.
"Where are we going?" Ndulou cautiously asked while still being carried on Ernesto's back.
Ernesto bluntly responded, "Inside the castle." and Ndulou did not feel any emotion with that response.
"Anyway, you are older than me, right?"
"Yes, sir, I'm two years older."
Ndulou becomes extremely polite since he does not want to be thrown away if Ernesto becomes irritated.
Despite being thirteen years old, Ernesto is quite tall. In contrast to Ndulou, who is weaker and smaller than Ernesto's build.
It made him pray that Ernesto wouldn't swing him out and toss him around like a sack.
"Your body is like a fragile lady. You're too light."
"..."
Ndulou does not know how to respond since Ernesto sounds concerned, even though what he said was insulting.
"I am shorter than a normal fifteen-year-old boy, and I am also thin because we are poor. Only my older brothers are healthy because they always spout nonsense like they need to be healthier to bring our family to greatness! he!" he grumbled internally. "But! To compare me to a fragile lady? It is unacceptable!" he protested silently, not knowing that they were already inside the marquis' castle.
"Ernesto! What happened?"
Ndulou snapped out of his own thoughts after he heard the Marquis's loud voice.
Marquis Jose Oliva ran down the stairs with poise.
"Maybe a servant notified him that his son was carrying a lower-status noble." Ndulou commented internally and cautiously looked at the marquis.
Marquis Jose Oliva was a well-known and proud nobleman who valued rank and manners.
"Father."
Ernesto slightly bowed his head, revealing Ndulou's face in front of Marquis Oliva, and they had short eye contact.
He thought, "The father's and son's sharp gazes are both scary." as he got goosebumps by just looking at their eyes for a few seconds.
"Kuya Lou needs to rest. Let's talk later." Ernesto bluntly responded to his father.
'Kuya?'
It surprised everyone the moment they heard the sudden change in title.
Everyone inside the castle's entrance looked at Ndulou with shock and curiosity.
"When did I become his brother?"
Note:
1. Kuya is a term used as a polite title or form of address for an older man or brother.
2. This novel has no romance.