Their return journey to the manor was smooth.
Mikhail, who was sitting on the box seat, driving the horses, suddenly broke the silence. "Young Master," he called out to his master inside the carriage.
This snapped Rodion, who was engrossed in his thoughts, he couldn't take Prince Nikolai off his head and couldn't help but notice his peculiar behavior.
"What is it?" he responded airily.
He is certainly strange, and he couldn't even remember what happened in the evening the day before yesterday… Perhaps he has a mental condition?
"Do you like Prince Nikolai, Young Master?"
Sitting inside the carriage, Rodion was leaning back in the back seat as he watched the scene outside through an open window of the carriage. They were already in the busy area of the town. Unfortunately, Rodion didn't answer him, and when he remembered how the knight's bluntness and forthright attitude from the night, it irked him. He wanted to get back to him, so he stayed silent and continued to watch people outside. However, just a minute passed, the horses screeched as they abruptly halted on their hooves, causing Rodion to jolt and get thrown forward opposite his seat in a baffling manner.
"Ugh— Mishka!" He bellowed and immediately helped himself, sitting again in his seat.
"I apologized, Young Master. A cat suddenly crossed the road. Good thing I stopped the horses on time, are you alright in there, Young Master?"
Rodion sensed the carriage reversing, he settled himself and refused to answer the other. Upon glancing out the window, he saw a familiar person by the sidewalk, hugging a cat with so much worry on her face.
It was Daria Makarovna, together with her other two cats. Suddenly, he felt a pang of guilt for misjudging the Knight, but also a sense of relief that he had not caused any harm to his new acquaintance's pet.
"Hurry, I'm starving." He said, enough for the Knight to hear him. Leaning back to relax in his seat, his mind once again absorbed by the prince.
Do I like the prince? He scoffed at the sudden notion. That'd be a little ridiculous—Suddenly, he paused. Did he see us earlier? We were so close and were staring into each other's eyes… He felt his cheeks turned hot.
He was so close to me; it made my mind go blank. A wave of emotions suddenly took hold of his heart, and he felt a peculiar warmth from being near the prince. He wanted to look forward to meeting him again soon.
They arrived at the manor without engaging in another conversation.
"Brother!"
When Rodion alighted the carriage and hurried to glance at the source of the voice. He smiled at Viktor's smiling face as he approached him.
"Vitya! Were you waiting for me?" He asked and carried him into his arms, an act he had become accustomed to doing; he liked carrying his little brother. Viktor greeted Mikhail before nodding his head at his older brother.
"We thought you had already left and gone back to the farm, but the servant informed us that you were with Mishka, so I waited here outside until your return!"
Rodion left Mikhail and strode across the cobblestone pavement toward the manor, carrying Viktor and happily engaging in conversation. His younger brother's youthful enthusiasm was contagious, and Rodion couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth as he listened to him speak.
"How about Anya?" He inquired upon entering the hallway.
"She's in her room, she has to prepare her things for tomorrow. She doesn't like it when the servants do it."
"Should we go and help her? Will she be okay with it?" He continued to inquire, his voice conveying a hint of affection and a desire to encourage his little brother's garrulousness.
"It will be okay, we won't help if she refuses then. She doesn't like it when others touch her personal belongings. Did you know that she reprimanded a female servant before because she was unaware that Anya doesn't like it when another person touches her stuff, and the servant cries? I felt sorry for her, but it was her fault, and I sided with Anya. I love my sister!"
Rodion let out a laugh and ran his hand from his brother's forehead through his hair, brushing off the small beads of sweat, "Yeah, that was her terrible mistake." They approached the stairs that lead to the second floor and asked, "Which direction is Anya's room again? Left, or right? Brother kind of forgot…"
"That's alright Rodya, I know you are bad with direction. Mother said it's stupid, but father said it's normal for some people to be bad with direction. I am bad at drawing brother, and I saw your old paintings! They're amazing! And I believe in what Father said!"
A wave of warmth and fondness tugged at Rodion's chest. He couldn't help but chuckle softly. Instead of feeling embarrassed, he appreciates the child's words of understanding toward his stupidity over directions. I guess, the father did a good job raising this kid.
"You are smart for your age, Vitya. You're supposed to be all about plays and …food. Who taught you how to be this smart, hm?"
"Mother! She always teaches me things and helps me understand complicated things when I don't understand them."
Hearing his answer, Rodion almost scoffed. That first meet-up with their mother made a sour impression on me, leaving me feeling somewhat bitter towards her.
"You can put me down now, brother. We can hold hands while we proceed to Anya's room instead."
Rodion heeded his little brother's request and carefully set him on the floor, aiding him to his feet. Viktor held his brother's big hand as he led him to the left-wing side and drifted their way toward Anna's room.
*
When they arrived at Anna's room, they were dismayed to find she was no longer there. Instead, they encountered a servant who had been searching the rooms and corridors for them to inform them about breakfast. With no other choice, they decided to head to the dining room, hoping to find their sister there and that their mother hadn't already sent her back to the Royal Academy for summer classes.
Upon arriving at the dining room, they were delighted to find Anya seated at the table with their parents.
"Anya!" Viktor rushed over to his sister and hugged her.
Rodion on the other hand trailed his way next to his father and took a seat. He felt his hunger intensified by the smell of the food and was eager to eat.
"Good morning, Father." He greeted with a smile, "Good morning, Anya, good morning… Mother." He darted his eyes down the table, not daring to gaze into his mother's eyes.
Andrei Mikhailovich, on the other hand, softly chuckled as he watched his son greet everyone, "Good morning to you, son. I especially requested that the cook prepare your favorites."
Rodion smiled, anticipating the food he would consume.
The family shared a hearty breakfast, which Rodion enjoyed so much that he ate a lot. Whether it was his or the original Rodion's healthy appetite, his father was glad to see him enjoying his meal. During their meal, he refused to look at his mother, a tugging emotion on his chest, nearly losing his appetite. He was happy to have breakfast together with his family, so he focused his attention on his meal.
When they finished, he surveyed the table before calmly announcing, "I'm going back to Katya's. I'll bring Anya and Vitya with me for a day for a visit."