Chapter 573: 13.71

A week had passed, and the carriage from the Archduchy had arrived to escort Wolf back to the Palace of Eau Saumont. 

Wolf was still standing in front of Jean's room, and he refused to move until his Young Master opened the door for him. He wanted his Young Master to understand that he came first before everything else. 

"Young Master… Wolf… will stay…."

The servants were also standing in front of Jean's room. Because they were waiting for Wolf.

"Wolf, just leave Young Master alone. He doesn't want to talk with you," the head servant said. 

"No… Wolf… with Young Master…" Wolf insisted. 

Meanwhile, Jean way sitting inside his room, still contemplating whether he should open the door for Wolf and the servants or not. 

Jean had treated Wolf lukewarmly for the whole week. Although he didn't want to look vindictive, he couldn't help but have a bit of jealousy whenever he remembered that Wolf would meet his long-separated Big brother, while Jean got kicked away instead.

He knew that Wolf must've been sad because of his treatment, but Jean just couldn't help it.

"Maybe Jean is not as good as what people think…." Jean said to himself, hiding inside his blanket. 

[Okay, how long will you stay dramatic?]

[As much as I could! Hmph, I will make sure Maximillien understands that I was pissed off! How could he discard me like that?!]

[Pupa: He is not discarding you. Didn't I tell you so many times that he just doesn't know how to handle his own feeling?]

[He still forbid me to come home!]

Though, after playing tug of war for so long, Jean finally walked out of his bed and opened the door slightly to see Wolf. 

Jean peeked and said, "Wolf… come in…." 

The gloomy Wolf brightened instantly. He entered the room, hoping that his Young Master had put the problem with Archduke aside and come to the Archduchy with him. 

"Young Master… let's go…." Wolf said. 

Jean stared at the smiling Wolf, and he shook his head, "I won't come, Wolf. My Big brother doesn't want me…."

"No… His Highness… loves you… Young Master…" Wolf said. Although he also didn't know how to handle the problem between Young Master Jean and Archduke Maximillien, as long as they met, then things could be straightened. 

…

Jean finally staggered after Wolf said that his Big brother loved him. He really wanted to meet with his Big brother. Jean missed him a lot. But he couldn't come officially with Wolf. He still had a pride not to beg his Big brother at times like this.

"If Young Master… not going… Wolf won't go…."

"I will come, but I will use my light travel… you go first with them, I will follow the carriage."

"Wolf... I don't want to meet my Big brother. But this might be the only chance for you to meet your Big brother. I don't want you to miss it."

Wolf was relieved that his Young Master didn't reject the idea so blatantly like before, "Wolf… will…leave first…."

Wolf turned around and left the room. He closed the door carefully and told the servants, "Young Master… refused… let's go now…."

"Ah, I told you that things are bad now between Young Master Jean and His Highness Archduke Maximillien. His Highness is also pretty irritable nowadays. There is no day without us getting scolded for the littlest thing possible," the Head Servant said. 

After Jean made sure that Wolf and the servants had left, he wiped his tears and giggled.

Pupa materialized in front of Yunyu and rolled its eyes, "Great acting."

"Hey, this will definitely put a burden in Wolf's heart, and he will not leave the Archduchy, hopefully."

"I really thought that you were sad about getting discarded by Maximillien. So it's all just to assure that Wolf will stay."

"Hehe, I mean, you told me before in the original story that Wolf will leave the Academy in the third year if Madeline didn't romance him. Because he is originally from a faraway kingdom. I'm afraid since there is no Madeline in this world, then I have to be the one that makes Wolf stay."

Pupa rolled its digital eyes, "Wipe that snot on your nose. You've been acting for so long."

Yunyu wiped the snot and then chuckled while hugging Pupa, "Let's go, Pupa. I need to see what stuff will happen in the Palace!"

The light covered their body, and Yunyu teleported with Pupa to the Palace of Eau Saumont. 

**

"Your Highness, this is your morning tea—"

"I don't need it," Maximillien replied curtly without even sparing a glance at the maid who delivered it. 

The maid stiffened as she was also nervous about delivering this tea. Day by day, Archduke Maximillien's mood got even worse, and he became 100% more workaholic than his previous self. 

It made him irritable to the smallest thing, and that also affected the Palace. Everyone was in a gloomy mood as their Duke always scolded them about everything. It was true after Young Master Jean left the Palace of Eau Saumont, everything turned gloomy and depressing. 

"Your Highness, there is another envoy sent by the Empire. He said there is a beautiful, proper Young Lady waiting for you to come and have a small talk with her—"

"Give her money and tell her to leave the duchy. I don't need to see another woman trying to test her luck to get married here," Archduke Maximillien said.

"Your Highness, do you want to send a letter to Young Master Jean? Or is it just the money like before?"

"… just the money. He already said that he would leave the duchy after he got married. I cannot stop him from doing what he wants," Maximillien replied, but the air around him turned noticeably gloomier. 

After no one came to his office, Maximillien sighed, and he stared at the framed drawing that Jean made when he was just five years old.

He put down the document in his hands and grabbed the framed picture. He caressed the drawing of himself and Jean together, even though it was bad, quality-wise, since it was made by five years old Jean. But it was made sincerely by his Little brother, so Maximillien always treasured it.

But at the same time, he couldn't ignore this feeling inside his heart, this growing feeling that refused to die down no matter how many times Maximillien tried to ignore it. 

"Jean…"