Chapter 585: 13.83

"Big brother, I love you. Not as a sibling. I love you because I want to kiss your lips."

Maximillien was stunned when the love confession came from Jean first, not him. He, who had been tormented by his own feeling, and tried his best to cage it, turned out his little brother also had the same feeling as him. 

The intense feeling that refused to leave no matter how much he tried to ignore it. 

After getting no response from Maximillien, Jean was too ashamed to even look at his big brother. He was feeling hideous to have such a feeling for his own big brother. Even though they weren't blood-related, his big brother only thought of him as a cute and troublesome little brother. 

Not as a lover. 

"I know that you don't like it. So please let me go. I will never return to the Palace!" Jean yelled as he struggled to escape from Maximillien's grasp. 

Maximillien was dazed for a moment, but he acted quick and hugged Jean from behind. 

"Wha—" Jean stiffened when he could feel his big brother's breath tickling his nape. "B—Big brother—"

"Don't call me that," Maximillien said. 

"Wha—Why?" Jean tried to struggle, but Maximillien tightened his arms around Jean's chest, so he wouldn't be able to escape. "Did you finally disown me because of my forbidden feeling? I know that I'm nasty, and I shouldn't have that idea. But… but I can't help it."

"Big brother, if you really hate me because of it, then at least please let me leave the Palace in peace. You don't need to disown me like this!" Jean's body trembled after he stopped struggling. He gave up because he knew that he couldn't break free anyway.

"You've got it all wrong, Jean. I will never disown you. That's just simply out of my mind."

"And I will never leave you just because of that forbidden feeling you have. That's why, please don't be ashamed of your feeling!" Maximillien yelled. "In fact, I'm extremely happy right now because you've fallen in love with me first!"

"Big brother…"

"No, don't call me Big brother, for now, Jean. I want you to see me as a man that befits to enter your eyes, just like Raphael!" Maximillien claimed. He kept urging Jean not to call him as big brother, at least not on this occasion. 

"Me too, have something to tell you, but I want to ask you something first," Maximillien said. "Do you love me, or do you love Raphael more?"

Jean was stunned. He was thinking for a second and shook his head, "I can't choose. I love both of you equally. I want to live with you and Raphael at the same time! And I will also add Wolf to it. I don't know what's wrong with my feeling, Big brother… I don't know why I am like this…." 

"But it doesn't matter, big brother. In the end, I will get married to Raphael, and I will surely forget about my forbidden love to you!"

"Jean…" Maximillien didn't expect Jean to have this kind of internal struggle. He thought that Jean's life was all about sweets and sugar.

Maximillien finally realized that Jean had grown up. He had his own thought, including loving his adopted big brother. 

Jean struggled again to no avail, "Please release me. You don't understand that my heart is in pain every moment you embrace me like this!"

"It hurts me as well, Jean…." Maximillien gritted his teeth. "It hurts me that we've been hiding the same feeling for years."

"H—Huh?" 

"Jean…" Maximillien leaned closer and whispered in Jean's ear, 'I've fallen in love with you for so long. I love you that I want to kiss you.'

Ba-Dump!

Jean turned around. With his bewildered gaze, he asked for confirmation from his big brother, "T—That's… how could that be—"

"I don't know either. But the moment I realized it, I think I've fallen in love too deep to escape," Maximillien replied. "The reason why I'm avoiding you… is because I can't handle my own heart, Jean."

"Big brother…"

"Please, don't call me big brother now. Call me my name, Maximillien."

…

"Maximillien…" Jean called him in such a soft, longing voice. Like calling a lover that he had waited for so long.

[Pupa: Ding! Maximillien Eau Saumont's Fatemeter increases to 95%. So dramatic, I think you should star on that low budget soap opera with thousands of episodes.]

[Hehe, told you~ Days of me watching low budget soap operas finally gives me something! I know that Maximillien will not confess first. He is such a restrained man in his entire life.]

[So I give him a little push.]

[Pupa: By being totally dramatic.]

[Hehe, it works, right?]

Maximillien's heart was beating fast as he gently caressed Jean's ruddy and soft cheek, "Jean..."

"I've always been wanting to embrace you like this. I got jealous every time I saw you with Raphael because I wanted you."

"I want you to choose me. I want to be selfish and take you as my own," Maximillien poured all in his head to Jean. Hoping that Jean would understand and pick him. Although it was impossible. 

"Jean, is it wrong for me to be selfish?"

…

Jean couldn't give an answer because he knew that he was also selfish. He loved three of them equally.

Maximillien was disappointed with Jean's silence. Because he already got his answer, that they couldn't be together. At least not as two. If he wanted to be with Jean, he had to share him with Wolf and Raphael. 

He couldn't accept it. He couldn't accept the fact that Jean would be taken by scoundrel like Raphael. 

Maximillien gritted his teeth and pulled Jean's hair. He yanked Jean's head to the back, so he could see Jean's neck and pink lips, all vulnerable for him. 

"Ah—!" Jean was surprised, but he didn't fight it. 

"If I can't have you for myself, then I will plunder everything I can, right here, right now!"