Chapter 507: 13.5

"No, it's okay," Maximillien interrupted. "He can call me whatever. I don't care. He is just a kid anyway."

The guards were shocked by Young Duke's lenience to this kid. Never in a million years, they thought the fourteen years old duke would forgive this kid who had caused the death of his parents.

Or at least, with the accusation that this kid was cursed and killed late Archduke and Duchess.

"Yay! Jean will call big brother as big brother!" Little Jean raised his hands and jumped lightly to celebrate. Maximillien's lips twitched a bit when he saw how happy Little Jean got just for something so small. 

But when he saw the blood on Little Jean's palms, his smile faded, and he grasped Little Jean's wrist and frowned at such horrible wounds. 

Little Jean had many bloodied holes on his palm as if his palms had been stabbed with dozens of needles. 

"What happened to your palms?" Maximillien asked with scrutinizing gaze at Little Jean.

But Little Jean only blinked innocently and replied, "Ah, Jean wants to give Big brother roses! But the roses are thorny, so it hurt Jean's hand…."

"I'm sorry, Big brother. Jean will try to give you roses tomorrow!" Little Jean said innocently.

"No, idiot! You're hurt!" Maximillien said distressedly. He darted his eyes at the guards and gritted his teeth, "What are you two looking at? Go call the palace doctor!" 

"Yes, Your Highness!" 

Maximillien dragged Little Jean to his room roughly. He slammed the door and then took a glass of water that had been prepared for him. He sat Little Jean on the seat but still grasping his wrist tightly. 

Maximillien poured the water on Little Jean's palm to wash off the blood while waiting for the palace doctor to come. Maximillien looked at Little Jean and asked, "You idiot, do you know that you're not supposed to touch rose stalk? Don't you feel pain when the thorn pierced your skin?"

"Um… it hurts, Big brother. But Jean can handle it! Jean is used to it!" 

"What do you mean you can handle it? A kid at your age would cry day and night when they got hurt like this," Maximillien thought it was weird that Little Jean didn't even cry. It was natural for a kid like him to cry. Even grown adults would be grimacing in pain because of this. 

"Umm… in the orphanage, Jean used to get hit with a plank or get stabbed with a needle on my palm if I can't do my job correctly. Jean cried at first, but I will get beaten if I cried even more, so I have to cover my voice when I'm crying."

"But don't worry, big brother! Jean is strong now! I won't cry because of that!" 

Maximillien was shocked when he heard this. He knew the orphanage that Jean was taken from wasn't a good one. It was shabby, with lots of malnourished children. The duchy always gave some donations, but the money vanished, and nothing improved there. The caretakers there probably stole the money and pocketed it for themselves. 

But he didn't expect him to be treated like that. It was so bad that Little Jean didn't even cry after getting hurt. 

[Pupa: Ding! Maximillien Eau Saumont's Fatemeter increases to -20%.]

"W—Why do you need to give me rose anyway? I don't need you to do anything. Now that you're trying to do something for me, you got hurt instead. Do you know that you're only delaying my work, you idiot!" 

"Wu…" Little Jean lowered his head, afraid of getting yelled at by his big brother. "I'm sorry, big brother. Jean just wants to make you happy…." 

Little Jean jumped out of the sofa. He wanted to leave Maximillien alone. He looked over his shoulder and said, "Big brother… Jean has no use in this place. I'm not even allowed to wipe your shoes or give flowers…."

"Jean will get bigger soon and work for Big brother. Jean is sorry…." 

Maximillien was distressed over Little Jean's obliviousness. He wasn't really good at dealing with kids either. Because he was taught by his parents to be a great Archduke, not be a great babysitter. 

But looking at Little Jean and all his hardships made him realize that Little Jean never meant any harm. In fact, Little Jean was so good because he never threw a tantrum, despite being abused for his whole life before coming to the duchy.

Somehow, Maximillien felt shitty, knowing that he had also treated an innocent little angel like an absolute jerk.

[Pupa: Ding! Maximillien Eau Saumont's Fatemeter increases to -10%.]

[Ehehe, seriously though, he is such an easy mode. I think he is easier than the rest of the master of the worlds that I've encountered. He is just so kind and soft inside, I can tell, hehe~]

[Pupa: He is so soft and kind. But you use a guilt-tripping method. Your orphanage might be a bad one, but you've never been abused. Because you have a beauty privilege there, the caretakers took care of you kindly because they know they can sell you to late Archduke and duchess for good money.]

[I mean, they call it adoption, but really, they're just selling me because I look good while abusing the other less fortunate kids. Better let Maximillien deal with them once he got older.]

"Okay, stop right there. You haven't been treated yet," Maximillien said. He grabbed Little Jean's wrist and sat him again on the sofa. "Just wait for the palace doctor to come. I don't want you to get an infection because of your stupidity."

"Un… okay, Big brother…." Little Jean nodded. 

When the palace doctor came, he was surprised upon seeing the little cursed child was sitting on the sofa while Archduke Maximillien was sitting beside him, checking the obvious wounds on Little Jean's palms. 

"Y—Your Highness, I heard you are calling me because you need to be treated," the palace doctor presented himself in front of young Archduke. 

"Ah, go and treat this idiot kid. He stupidly stabbed himself with rose thorns. Look at his palm."

The doctor had many questions in his head because he heard the rumor that Archduke Maximillien disliked his adopted little brother. 

But from the look of it, Archduke Maximillien was actually worried, he hid his expression well, but just with a short observation, even the palace doctor could tell. 

The palace doctor examined the wound and then nodded. He gently poured alcohol on Little Jean's palm and observed Little Jean's expression, thinking that he would cry or scream in pain. But no voice came from Little Jean. 

"How is it?" Maximillien asked. 

"Your Highness, this wound isn't life-threatening. I've poured some alcohol into it and covers it with a bandage. But…" 

The palace doctor stared at Little Jean, who didn't seem to care about his wounds, "I'm not sure how could a little boy like this not cry or whimper after I poured strong alcohol. Even grown adults would at least wince in pain…."

"Personally, Your Highness, I think this boy had an amazing pain tolerance because of abuses he experienced before. You should treat him well, or it might also affect his mental state in the future."

[Pupa: Ding! Maximillien Eau Saumont's Fatemeter increases to -5%.]

[Wuwuwu, it hurts so much! Pupa, help me, that alcohol stings me so much! Wuwuwu…]

[Pupa: Hush, just enjoy it, no pain, no gain, am I right?]