" Camila, I'm so sorry for my brothers behavior. I really have no idea what's gotten into him, nowadays he seems more close to the help to a point that it's starting to get worrying." Camila had decided that it was time she returned home so Lily was escorting her friend back to her carriage.

" It's not your fault. That I understand."

' To be honest, this is far better than I expected.'

' Lucius actually talked to me throughout the whole ordeal. Even if his eyes were always on the monster girl, it's still a step forward.' Contrary to what Lily believed, her friend was rather positive towards today's encounter with her older brother.

Camila had always tried her best to appeal to Lucius, but his cold and cenacle demeanor always made him hard to converse with, even when she was the one to approach first. It reached a point where Camila was begining to feel that it might've been pointless to try and tame this beast.

But now, now it was completely different. His actions of politely trying to get rid of her, had showed her that he had really changed, Someone who'd go through so much trouble to express his dissatisfaction was more easier to get through to, than someone who was frigid as ice and blunt, well that was what she current told herself.

******

" I'll be sure to come again next time Lily." Waved goodbye to her friend from her carriage window.

The coachman then whipped his horse's reigns and got the carriage moving. Lily watched as her friend left the estate before heading back inside.

" What's got your hair all up in a twist, if you keep frowning like that, you're sure to get wrinkles."

On her ways through the halls, she happened to run into her twin brother, Lavender.

" Where's Camila, I heard she came to see you. How come you two aren't together, aren't you supposed to be inseparable." He raised a brow, his face still as dismissive as always yet one could see that he was trying to cheer his dear twin sister up.

" Coming from my own twin brother, don't you think others might get the wrong impression if you say that." Lily giggled, it looked like her brothers attempts had worked.

" True, but what can I do when my dear sister is off making more and more friends while her dear brother is couped up in his room painting all day." Lavender shrugged.

" You know you could simply stop painting and join me whenever I leave the house for a social gathering."

" And forsake my artworks? I'm afraid I'll have to decline young miss Lily."

" You two are all the same, sons of Morningstar yet not one of you is adept in building social connections." Lily sighed.

" What?" Lavender paused. " Did something happen with older brother." He questioned, easily seeing through her actions.

" Hmph! Of course something happened. Would you believe that he was so rude to Camila and I, instead of welcoming us, he was more concerned if the helps he had accompany him for a meal were ok."

" He even kept chiding Camila and I throughout the whole ordeal." Lily bit her lower lip.

' Lily! Condone yourself....'

Recalling how he had talked to her back then made her feel even more annoyed about it.

" Lily, you recall how brother is, especially how Camila gets when around brother. Maybe that's why his mood got so sour." Lavenders words pulled her out of her frustrated mind.

" I don't believe it, if that was the case, then why was he so easy going with those two helps." Lily said, she still felt that there might be something strange going on between her brother and those two helps, especially the cat eared one, his personal maid was just too suspicious to her.

" You said he was treating them to a meal, did it occur to you that maybe brother was trying to reward them for something before the both of you intruded without a single invitation?" Lavender didn't mind his sisters reaction. But still tried to persuade her.

" B-But... Brother wouldn't." Lily's clenched fists trembled at her side's.

" Have you forgotten what he told us yesterday." Lavender whispered. His expression turning serious. " What your telling me already shows that he's putting his plans into action. I think your meddling was what caused him to lash out like that."

" Think about it, do you really think brother would offer helps a meal if he had no ulterior motive behind it." Lavender continue to whisper. After hearing him say this, Lily paused for a moment, her brows furrowing in contemplation as she digested her twin brothers words.

' Older brother did tell us he was going to try and sway father by taking a new leaf. Is lavender actually right, was I really the one in wrong.' At this point, she was confused, not knowing what to believe.

At one point, she knew what type of person her brother was, someone who behaved so coldly with cunning to match surely wouldn't be so magnanimous to meer monsters but, if the situation called for it, to achieve his goals he was the type of person to do such.

And yet, on the other hand, back then during the lunch at the patio, seeing how abhorrent he was towards Camila, why he behaved so fondly with that supernatural maid had left a sour taste in her mouth.

Even if it was to achieve her objective, she still didn't like seeing her brother reduce himself to conversing so casually with a maid of all things.

' What would others think if they heard of such a thing.' Lily pursed her lips, thinking to herself that if that were to ever happen, her brothers sprouting social life would be ended before it even properly began.

As the future head of the household, she believed that it was needed that he learns to start building some connections if he was to run the family business. Without those, it would very well be difficult to conduct deals that would keep the family business afloat.

Truthfully, the one who knew anything about the family business had to her father since her mother married into the family from a noble family. One could call a business deal her father had made after suffering an unexpected grievous loss, to keep the business afloat, he had request money from a friend of his, her uncle. At the time, her uncle agreed to lend him the money he needed to make sure his family's generational business wouldn't fall but that agreements came with a clause, and the clause was that her father would marry his sister, her mother.

Since he was already married to her half brothers mother, her father had refused to do such a thing and instead got angry with her uncle, the matter escalated to the point that both their relationships were almost severed but, unexpectedly, after a few days, her father returned to accept her uncle's offer, though reluctant. Back then, her mother who truly did love her father was ecstatic, and while her father didn't love her, she didn't seem too bothered by it.

Her mother had patiently bid her time until her half brothers mother was gone. With her no longer in the way, she had expected her father to finally succumb completely to her mother but instead, her father had actually focused all his attention on her half brother, and after so many years, the only two who actually had a hand in the family business was her father and half brother.

' At the rats things are going, father will have no choice but to hand over his inheritance to him... Leaving the rest of us with nothing.' That was the last thing Lily wanted to happen but alas, their future wasn't looking as great as she'd hoped.

" I take it you finally understand." Lavender casually waved his hand at her while walking away.

" W-Where are you going." Lily asked after being awoken from her thoughts.

" Back to my room obviously, who's going to finish that painting otherwise?" Lavender said monotonously, not even bothering to stop his gait.

Lily scowled as she watched him depart, she found it irritating that neither him nor Lucius seemed serious about any of this.

' Aren't they aware that if things continue like this, we might loose everything to him.' She gritted her teeth, letting out short breaths.

' No, I can't say that, after all, Big brother is already trying his best to gain father's favour.' Lily said to herself but her scowl still remained.

' But is his plan really enough. I find it hard to believe that father would reconsider when the time comes. Big brother might take a new persona but without the knowledge and experience of running a business, how is he supposed to compare to him.' Lily headed back to her room.

She closed the door behind her, Lily's back leaned against the door.

' Ignatius went out to retrieve him. I can't believe he survived!'

" After I spent so much." Lily's burst out but realized her wrong doings and kept her mouth shut.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.