The splash of cold water that Ashun threw at me with a swipe of his hand against the surface of the trough caused all the hair on that side of my head to stick to my face. I had my mouth open, and some of the water went right in and down my throat.

"What the hell, Ashun?!" I complained as I coughed.

I heard the laughter of a couple of boys around us. As I dried my face with my sleeve, Ashun scooped another portion of water with his cupped hands, rinsed the sweat and dirt off his face, and then drank.

"You've been going on all morning," he grumbled. "Eloi this, Eloi that. Are you in love with him?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" I shouted, disgusted. "I'd rather drop dead, face-first, mouth wide open right on a pile of cow shit!"

"Eloi, 'The Demon'?" asked another worker, about Ashun's age, tall, dark-skinned, named Musav. "Is he still living with you?"

"Unfortunately," I replied, and Ashun gave me a reproachful look.

Even in the short time span he had been a worker, Eloi had built a formidable reputation among them throughout Kajhun and he was feared, even though he hadn't set foot in the Outskirts ever again.

"That's unusual. A boy from our camp was recently bought to be a companion lad, and we haven't seen him since."

"What did you expect? Who would want to go back to the Outskirts when they could live in the Gardens?" said another boy, a year younger. Tonur. He was missing two teeth on the side of his mouth and had hair the color of mud.

"These guys don't live in the Outskirts. They live in a house, in the Fringe," replied Musav, leaving Tonur open-mouthed.

"Are you serious?! I thought only freed servants could live there!"

"That was the condition Eloi set to agree to work for his master," Ashun replied.

Tonur laughed in his face, and I restrained myself from punching him for it. Although... to be honest, I didn't understand it either.

For the lower class, living in a house was a privilege reserved solely for freed servants. If a slave served their master well and earned their favor and affection, the master might eventually grant them emancipation. Once freed, the individual would become a servant, which not only allowed them hold a public office, have workers and slaves in his charge and earn a salary, but it was also customary for their former master to provide them with a house in the Fringe.

On the other hand, it was custom for a companion lad to live in their master's house. The only reason why Eloi was an exception and had his own place was because he had specifically asked his master for this, and the freedom to sleep there when not required or on his days off. And lord Mailhar had agreed.

"Condition?" Tonur said and laughed again. "Now the High Lords accept the conditions of the workers?"

"You haven't seen the brother of these two," Musav said, gesturing towards us. "The bastard looks like a 'houri'. Any of those old men would have agreed to anything just to have him."

Ashun picked up a pile of planks he had left on the ground and, slinging it over his shoulder, urged me to walk with him. I had to grab my tool basket along the way. We left Tonur and Musav talking among themselves by the trough, and they hardly noticed we were gone. Ashun walked seriously with his lips pressed together. He always behaved like that when others talked about our brother.

"What did they mean by that? When they said that any High Lord would have agreed to anything for Eloi? There are many other workers. There must be others at least as handsome." Although, to be honest... I seriously doubted it.

"There are very few who can read and write. Literate workers are valued. That must be why... Don't listen to them."

"But they are right about one thing," I insisted. "Eloi should live in lord Mailhar's house. He's an idiot for not doing so."

"Enough, Yuren..."

"He doesn't even like living with us! Otherwise, he wouldn't always be in that foul mood whenever he's home."

"Stop complaining and focus on your tasks for today. Master Sinon is going to reprimand me if we fall behind."

"Let him whip me if he wants! I'm old enough."

Ashun landed a light smack to the back of my head. "We'll see if you're still saying that if the day comes when you get your back lashed open. Anyway, are you done? I already heard this rant yesterday."

"It's 'cuz he always does the same thing!" Ashun had wound me up again. "I swear every time I forget I wanna kill him, the idiot does something like this and makes me wanna kill him again, with a passion! Did he even tell you what the hell happened to him this morning?"

"He had a bit too much to drink, that's all," he said, putting that endless patience he had with me to good use.

"Oh, that's great! So now he drinks? On top of everything, now we'll have to deal with him coming home all drunk?"

The sun was blazing like never before. The sweat scorched hot on my skin, and I could barely see the way ahead due to the salt stinging in my eyes.

"He can't refuse a drink if his master offers it. It's his job to accompany lord Mailhar and partake in celebrations with him. He doesn't even like liquor. It makes him very sick."

"And that justifies him pushing me and sending my ass flying off the stairs when I was trying to help him?"

"He wasn't thinking clearly," Ashun replied.

"Oh, really?! Damn it, why do you keep defending him?! Maybe he would change that shitty attitude if you stopped making excuses for him. Do us all a favor and talk to him!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Ashun sighed, though I had a hunch he said it more to get me to shut up and had no real intentions of actually doing it.

• • •

We finished work that day later than usual, and it was already nighttime when Ashun and I spotted our house at the end of the street. The servants were already locked in their houses. Around the window shutters, I could see the faint glow of dim candle lights coming from inside and smell the scent of food cooking on the fire.

I placed my hand on my opposite shoulder and twisted it in an attempt to relieve the pain from carrying tools and heavy materials all day.

"You should go straight to bed after dinner. You seem exhausted," Ashun observed.

I hadn't told him that I had barely slept the previous night at all. If he knew, he would start asking questions, and I wouldn't be able to lie to him.

Finally, we reached the entrance of our home, and I used up my last bits of strength to lift my legs and climb the two front steps. The house was quiet when Laila opened the door for us. Her smile made me think that she either had good news or had cooked something delicious for dinner. I hoped for both. I was as hungry as I was eager to hear something that would brighten my day. But Laila didn't need to say anything. She only had to step aside to give us a view of Inoe sitting at the table, devouring a bowl of food. Our little brother looked up and gave us a cheeky smile.

"With today's pay and some savings, I managed to buy some beef," Laila said proudly.

I threw myself into the house, straight towards Inoe. Before I could greet him, he pressed his finger to his lips and gestured for us to be quiet. "Eloi is sleeping," he warned us.

"Let him wake up." I laughed as I wrapped my arms tightly around him, happy to see him up and a well.

Inoe laughed and shoved a spoonful of his stew into my mouth. We hadn't had meat in weeks. It was expensive and was quite a luxury to have it, even just once in a while. Chicken was a bit more affordable, as was fish, but they were still costly. On the other hand, eggs were cheap and easy to get.

"Finish your meal", Laila told Inoe as she fixed two plates for us. "Let's have dinner first. Then you can bathe."

I sat down next to Inoe as Ashun pressed a kiss against his blonde hair and ruffled it. The youngest of us received each of our affectionate gestures with a smile.

Two months prior, Inoe had tripped and fallen at his workplace at the stables and had a nail stuck into his elbow. The wound became infected quickly, and he had spent several weeks in bed with a fever, diarrhea, and terrible spasms. But just as the wound began to heal, he developed strange respiratory problems that put him once again in bed with temperature, phlegm, a horrible wheezing every time he breathed, and a cough that barely let him sleep at night.

Since then, his condition fluctuated unpredictably. There were days, like today, when he had enough strength to get up, and others, like yesterday, when he barely ate anything and spent long periods of time in a lethargic state, which made us think he had lost the battle.

The bowl of hot stew that Laila placed in front of me made my stomach growl furiously, and I didn't waste any time to devour it. The meat was a bit fatty, but it was juicy and tender. Ashun ate with less appetite than usual. He kept glancing at the door on the second floor.

"Has he eaten yet?" he asked Laila.

Our sister shook her head as she sat in front of us with her own food. She dipped her spoon into her stew with an absent mind. "He hasn't come out all day. Didn't you talk to him this morning?"

"He didn't say much; only that he had too much to drink and wasn't feeling well."

Ashun had also stopped eating and was stirring his plate's contents with a stern expression. As for me, I didn't like that my siblings couldn't even enjoy one single meal in peace due to constantly worrying about our brother's behavior.

Laila poured herself some water with a frown. "He shouldn't be drinking liquor at his age. Especially considering how sick it always makes him."

I looked up, caught off guard by that last comment. 'Always'? Was it such a regular occurrence? This was the very first time I had seen him in that state...

That made me reconsider how little I concerned myself about anything related to Eloi. So what? I didn't particularly care about what happened with him, as opposed to my other siblings. And I knew for a fact that the feeling was mutual.

"Mailhar, that pig..." our sister said.

"Shut up, Laila!" Ashun gasped, alarmed, and I stopped chewing, my mouth gaping from the shock. "If someone heard you say that..."

"Isn't he a pig?" she retorted. "Doesn't he have two teenage daughters? What could possibly go through his mind to force a boy their same age to drink along with him and his guests?"

"It's just liquor. He won't die from it," I muttered.

Laila gave me a hard look. "What is wrong with you? You hate black tea. What would you do if someone forced you to drink it until you barfed?"

"I don't like to barf," said Inoe, making shapes in his plate with the leftover vegetables, after finishing all the meat.

I picked up some bites from my own plate and gave them to him. "I'd refuse!" I answered.

In my fit of anger, I didn't measure my strength as I placed my bowl back on the table, and it made a loud thud upon hitting the wood.

Eloi's door flew open almost immediately. And there he stood. 'The Demon.'

He scanned the room with his cold eyes. His gaze lingered on Inoe a bit longer, and the boy shrank on his seat. I waited for Eloi to say something nasty to him, ready to jump in.

Instead, he addressed our older siblings.

"Will you shut up? I have a headache and your chatter is annoying me."

"Eloi!" Laila drew a wide smile and almost jumped from her seat. "Come down, I'll serve you dinner!"

"Sit down!" Ashun added. "The beef stew Laila made is delicious."

But the Demon didn't even bother to respond. He slammed the door shut again, and no other sound came from the room. Laila didn't seem offended by the rejection of the dish that had probably cost her a week's worth of her wage and that had undoubtedly taken her all afternoon to prepare. Instead, she seemed concerned...

And the sad and defeated look on our sister's sweet and gentle face made my blood boil again.

• • •

Shortly after dinner, I washed the dishes by soaking the dirty bowls in a water-filled basin. Laila had already gone to bed with Inoe, and it was only Ashun and me in the small room that served as kitchen, dining area and our own room, all at the same time. His worried gaze was lost in a dark corner. I didn't like to see him like that...

"Inoe seems to be feeling better. I hope he's just as well tomorrow," I said, trying my best to distract him from whatever was troubling him so much.

He snapped out of it and gave me a smile. "He will. By the way, tomorrow is Sunday'"

I lifted my head, happy to hear that. It had been such a long day that I had almost forgotten. The seventh day of the week was when we, construction workers, got our weekly day off.

"I'll meet Laila at the marketplace. I've been thinking... if Inoe is still feeling well tomorrow, we should all go together. It might be good for him to get some fresh air and sunlight."

"Sure!" I nodded, excited.

Going to the marketplace always put me in a good mood. I liked browsing the stalls and imagining all the things I would buy if our situation weren't so dire. The workers' and servants' market in the Outskirts was different from the one for the rich and their slaves, which was set up at one of the four gates of the Rim, leading out to the Fringe. The latter had the best products, while the Outskirts' market only offered the leftovers—what nobody wanted. But it was still good entertainment. A pleasant way to beat the monotony of everyday life.

Upon finishing washing the bowls and as I proceeded to soak the pot in water, I noticed there was enough food left in the bottom for one last serving.

"Do you want seconds?" I asked Ashun.

"It's Eloi's."

"You know damn well he won't eat it. He never eats anything, that's why he's so scrawny. And I need to wash this. If you don't want it, I'll have it."

Ashun got up, took the pot from me, and poured what was left into a clean bowl, making sure to scrape the sides. He then placed it on the table and put a plate on top to cover it from flies and ants.

"Maybe he'll get hungry later and he'll come down. I'll leave this here. Don't you eat it!" he warned, and I made a face. "Let's go get cleaned up."

Once washed up and changed into our sleepwear, Ashun and I took out our mats and made our beds by the hearth, where we finally laid down, ready to catch some sleep. But Ashun didn't fall asleep right away. I noticed him glancing upstairs a couple of times and sighing.

And I ended up caught up in his gloomy mood, for I perfectly knew the cause for his distress.

"You don't think he's sick, do you?" I asked. Eloi rarely had an appetite and it wasn't unusual for him to shut himself away all day, but that morning I had seen for myself and for the very first time how serious it was. "Maybe... because of Inoe."

"What Inoe has doesn't seem to be contagious. If it were, any of us would have caught it before Eloi did; especially Laila."

I nodded, a bit more reassured. "Then you shouldn't worry."

Ashun pressed his lips into a tight line. And with nothing left he could say or do, he got into his usual sleeping position.

It took him longer than usual to start snoring... and I couldn't fall asleep no matter how many times I tossed and turned on my mat. And I only grew more restless as a thought began to form in my head. I couldn't understand why we had to lose our appetite and sleep over the grumpy hermit we called 'brother'.

But one thing I was sure of, and it was that what I was about to do I wouldn't do for him... but for Ashun.

I got up, trying not to make a sound, took the bowl of stew from the table, and headed upstairs, just like the night before, but with a very different purpose.

Once at the door, I raised my knuckles to knock, fully aware that if Eloi happened to be asleep and I woke him up, he might very well make me wear the bowl as a hat and then kick me down the stairs, just like that morning. But it was a risk I had decided to take if it meant appeasing Ashun. I had even considered eating the bloody stew myself and make Ashun believe Eloi had eaten it, in order to put his mind at rest. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Keeping something to myself was one thing. But looking to Ashun in the eye and being dishonest with him was something entirely different.

I knocked on the Demon's door and squeezed my eyes shut, just waiting for his fist to greet me. But there was no response. And feeling a bit more confident, I knocked again. To no avail.

Something tightened inside me as my mind raced through every possible explanation. Eloi hated having his door knocked on; whether he was asleep or not. Why hadn't he come out in a fury to punish me for my audacity? Was Eloi really that unwell?

"I'm coming in." I gulped.

I had to gather all my courage to place my hand on the doorknob and turn it. And the sight before me as I opened the door left me dumbfounded: Eloi was nowhere to be seen.

I placed the bowl of stew on the small table next to his bed and took another look around, almost certain that my vision in the dark was playing tricks on me. And then I was foolish enough to look under the bed; as if, for some idiotic reason, he had crawled under there. But there were only dust bunnies and a wooden box that I didn't pay much attention to.

"What the hell...?" I muttered, clueless.

I got up and stood in the middle of the room. Had he gone out? When? Where and why? The questions began to swarm me. Should I go look for him? Or would it be better to wake up Ashun? As I was trying to decide what to do, barely able to keep my racing ideas at bay, I thought I heard a very faint sound coming from somewhere nearby. A melody; It was a voice. I paid attention, thinking I might be imagining things, but then I heard it more clearly. Someone was singing. That's when I noticed something else: both the shutters and the lattice panels of the window were slightly open, and I realized the voice was coming from outside.

I slid across the room cautiously, trying to keep my steps silent, and approached the window, where I stopped to listen. If it weren't for the fact that I knew it could only be one person, I wouldn't have believed that voice belonged to Eloi. I knew he could sing, but I had never heard him do it. Not that I remembered, anyway. It was one of those things he kept for himself. For his perfect world and his master, lord Mailhar.

As I peeked carefully, I spotted him sitting outside the window, on the roof tiles right above the door, his hands clasped around his knees, looking at the night sky as he sang a tune in a different language.

I recognized it as the language of poems; an ancient and lost tongue that only a small portion of the current population of Yrose knew how to speak. Most songs and poems from ancient times were written in that language; hence its name.

I moved away from the window's frame, in fear he might notice me, and leaned back in the darkness on the opposite side of the wall that separated us, where I stayed hidden as I found myself completely enthralled by his song.

Just like everything else about to him, his voice was beautiful. Soft and velvety... But the thing that had truly captivated me was the immense sadness that permeated it. A sadness I never thought Eloi, the Demon, could be capable of experiencing... and even less, convey.

He stopped singing and fell silent. Then he let out a long sigh, which seemed to come not only from the depths of his chest but also from the bottom of his soul, and which, in the most unexpected way... shook mine.

I was so immersed in the song, even after he had finished it, that I didn't react to move or do anything... until I heard the roof tiles creaking under his feet. I froze in terror. And as soon as I managed to get my stiff legs to move, I waddled clumsily across the room and out the door. But it wasn't until after I closed behind my back with the utmost care and believed myself to have gotten out of the situation unscathed... that I realized I had left the bowl of food inside the room, on the table by his bed.

I smacked myself on the forehead repeatedly with the heel of my hand as I rushed down the stairs, angry at how unbelievable stupid I was. There was no way to retrieve it now, and there was no way in hell Eloi wouldn't notice. I lied down on my mat and pulled the blanket over my head, certain that, at any moment now, the beast would come out of its lair and come straight for me.

But it didn't. Or maybe... he was waiting for me to fall asleep again. So that he could kill me in my sleep.

• • •

In the end, the dreaded retaliation never came. I had survived the night, but even in the morning I still felt uneasy, and tapped frantically with my fingers on the table throughout breakfast, startled by any little noise around me. I couldn't even find solace in the fact that Inoe joined Ashun and me at the table that morning.

I let out an overwhelmed sigh. It was ridiculous to fear Eloi that much. I had no problem clapping back at him when I was angry, but that was more due to my impulsive nature—the same that had gotten me into trouble so many times, not just with him. However, anticipation was something that quickly sent me into a panic.

I ate quickly to finish as soon as possible so we could leave. But Ashun seemed determined to do the exact opposite that day, and he was getting on my nerves with how long it was taking him to eat a measly piece of stale bread.

"At this rate, we'll get to the market when there's nothing left," I remarked, trying to keep the urgency in my voice at bay.

Before Ashun could respond, the door to the upstairs room suddenly swung open, crushing all my chances of escaping before the Demon emerged from his lair. Inoe froze like a statue. When it came to Eloi, he was like a well-trained puppy who knew when to stay still and be quiet.

I waited for the usual loud stomps of his steps on the stairs, the kind that signaled he was coming down with the firm purpose of tearing someone a new one. However, his footsteps were surprisingly measured and calm; so much so that I began to think he was doing it just to torture me. He stopped right behind me and I weighed my only two options. The first one, to admit everything and apologize. And the second one, to confront him. Ask him what the hell his damn problem was and if he had something to say to me.

But as I was still debating, Eloi walked right past me and instead stood in front of Ashun, placing the bowl I had left in his room the night before on the table in front of him. Empty... That's when I realized why he hadn't come to end me during the night or gotten up that morning with that very same intent. Eloi thought it was Ashun who had come into his room last night... which made much more sense. He was the only one capable of defying his ultimate rule and entering his room with the sole purpose of bringing him food.

I let out a discreet sigh of relief. I had narrowly escaped fate.

Ashun looked up in confusion, and I prayed that he wouldn't say anything. Because the moment he decided to ask, Eloi would know everything. And then I could consider myself dead.

Instead, our older brother just smiled.

"Peace be with you," he greeted, without receiving any response.

Eloi went straight to the large, black cast iron cauldron in the corner of the kitchen, where we stored clean, boiled water, and brought the ladle to his mouth several times to drink.

I noticed he was in a slightly better shape, although he still appeared somewhat downcast. I couldn't help but think again about his song from the night before. Like a lullaby to soothe himself... and yet too sad to comfort him...

I found myself staring at him without even realizing it... until he noticed. And of course he wouldn't let it slide. He never did when it came to things over which he could pick a fight with me.

He paused with the ladle halfway to his lips and turned to glance at me with a deep frown. He then tossed the ladle back into the cauldron and wiped a drop of water from the corner of his mouth with his wrist. "What the fuck are you looking at?" he snapped.

I clicked my tongue and rolled my eyes. I was not in the mood for a match so early in the morning.

"Yuren and I are going to the marketplace today, Inoe," Ashun interrupted. "How are you feeling? Would you like to go?"

Our little boy wore one of his sweetest smiles, bouncing excitedly in his chair.

"Yes! I feel good! Will Laila be there?"

"She's already ahead of us. We'll meet her there."

Laila always left very early on Sundays to the marketplace to procure us the best products. Almost all the money we earned in copper dinars—the currency of the workers, whereas silver and gold were exclusive to the upper class—we gave to her to save and manage for us. She was good with numbers, knew the prices of everything by heart, and somehow managed to stretch the money throughout the month to cover all our needs.

"Eloi, how about you come with us!" Ashun suggested. "It's been a long time since we all went together."

"Fuck off."

I huffed. Even though I didn't like the idea of the Demon coming with us—and having to put up with his whining about the people, the heat, the dust, the smells, and the noise—I did not care for his blunt response to Ashun's kind tone. Not in the slightest.

"Oh, come on! It will do you good to get some fresh air," he insisted.

Eloi didn't bother to repeat himself. Instead, he ignored him, walked right past the table again, and climbed the stairs back up with a heavy tread.

But then, just before he could get into his room and lock himself away, the neigh of a horse outside stopped him dead in his tracks, and the three of us raised our heads. Servants didn't own horses, so it could only be the carriage sent by lord Mailhar to pick him up. However, our brother didn't seem ready to go anywhere.

Moments later, a series of bangs on the front door made the fragile hinges rattle. Seeing as none of his three older siblings reacted, Inoe jumped from his chair and ran straight to open it.

"Inoe!" Eloi's sudden roar froze him in place, and the three of us stared at him in bewildered confusion.

Eloi let out a heavy sigh and retraced his steps, descending the stairs back down. "Go to your room right now," he said sternly to our youngest brother. "It's me they're looking for."

Ashun promptly stood up. I suspected he must have picked up on something in Eloi's tone, and it was clear that, whatever it was, it had alarmed him enough to consider follow his steps closely, as if opening the door carried an unspoken threat. That set off my own alarms, and I instinctively got up to go with Inoe as he retreated to the doorframe of his room.

And then, as soon as Eloi opened the door, a huge, robust figure planted itself in the entrance, blocking the view of the street outside and casting a dense shadow inside the house. It was a man so large that he covered the entire doorway with his broad shoulders. He was an adult, and from the iron bracelets on his wrists, the hoop earrings in his ears, and his shaved head and face, I knew he was a slave. But I had never seen one like him before.

He had a fixed, grim stare, overshadowed by a thick, protruding brow, and the skin on his cheeks hung loose on either side of his square, rough face, pulling the corners of his mouth downwards, giving him a menacing appearance.

Inoe clung to my side, and I pushed him behind the curtain. Ashun seemed jittery. But Eloi didn't even flinch.

"Lord Ibn Mailhar expected you yesterday," the man said in a voice so deep and guttural that it seemed to vibrate within the thick walls of his throat. "The coachman said you didn't answer the door."

"I was sleeping. I didn't hear it," Eloi said.

"It is not I to whom you owe an explanation." The man stepped aside and signaled to the open door of the elegant carriage waiting outside with just a nod of his enormous shaved head. "Get in, lad."

Eloi stood his ground, defiant. "It's Sunday. Lord Mailhar said he would grant it to me as a day off."

"You already took your day off yesterday."

"I wasn't feeling well. And I'm still not today. I'm not going."

The slave's gaze darkened further under the weight of his thick eyebrows. Inoe trembled beside me, and Ashun moved closer to the door. Eloi remained collected. It was hard for me to conceive that he could stay so calm in front of someone who easily doubled him in size.

The Demon truly feared nothing...

"It's was not an invitation," the slave hissed.

And with that, our older brother's patience finally ran out. To our astonishment, Ashun took one stride forward and positioned himself between Eloi and the slave.

"He already told you he's not feeling well."

Both Inoe and I gasped.

Ashun always faced danger head-on when it came to protecting us, but I would have never believed he was capable of challenging an Yrosean slave. Especially one at the service of someone as powerful as Lord Ibn Mailhar. I admired his bravery... and at the same time, I feared for his life. And the distressed expression on Eloi's face, who had remained stoic until that very moment, reaffirmed my fears.

A tense silence settled over us. None of us could have foreseen the moment when the slave struck Ashun right across the jaw with the edge of his iron bracelet. Ashun then hit the wooden floor with a suffocated thud, right at Eloi's feet. Only then did the Demon react. He dropped to his knees next to Ashun and shielded him with his own slender body from the huge man who had taken a step inside the house, ready to resume the beating.

"That's enough!" he roared, with his hand extended towards the slave.

"Get in the carriage, 'hummingbird.' Don't make me repeat myself," the man said.

I blinked in confusion at the odd nickname. Eloi looked at him with fury, and his shoulders tensed up. The Demon had been awakened.

Ashun must have seen it coming too, because he wrapped his free hand around Eloi's ankle in an attempt to restrain him. Eloi ignored him and stood up to confront the slave. If Ashun had surprised me, Eloi did even more; since with his frail build, he would surely end up with his head knocked off his neck with a blow half as strong.

"And what will you do, Astor?" the Demon hissed. "Wanna try striking me? Go ahead. And see what happens..."

"Don't hurt him!" Inoe shrieked, squeezing my arm, and I quickly covered his mouth.

I was paralyzed with fear, and all I could do while my older brothers faced the danger was watch from a safe distance, only praying for it to end, feeling cowardly and helpless.

The slave tensed his jaw until his teeth gritted, his cheeks trembling with rage. He got so close to Eloi that their noses almost touched but the demon didn't back down an inch.

"I won't do anything to you," the slave muttered.

I detected a subtle threat in his words, and I knew I wasn't the only one who noticed it when Eloi's hands clenched into fists. After a moment, the Demon let out a breath and said, "Allow me to get ready."

That seemed to be enough to appease Astor's anger. He stepped away from the entrance, and Eloi shut the door with a bang.

It was only after we were behind the safety of the closed door that I let go of Inoe to rush to Ashun's aid. However, before I could even reach him, Eloi kneeled beside our brother and beat me to it. The blow had opened a deep diagonal cut across his lips. Ashun was making visible efforts to hide how much it must've hurt.

"Oh, Ashun..." the Demon whispered softly, his face contorted with sorrow, as he carefully wiped away a trail of blood from the side of Ashun's mouth with the hem of his sleeve.

The gesture left me speechless. Putting aside the fact that blood repulsed him and that he hated getting his clothes soiled, I had never seen him show such care for anyone—not even for Ashun. But now... the once indifferent Demon looked devastated.

"Don't you ever do that again..." he muttered, distraught. "Don't ever interfere again. You don't know how lucky you got."

"And you're the one to talk. You caused this!" I accused him as I knelt beside them.

Eloi ignored me completely. And before I could continue berating him, we heard Inoe's sobs behind us.

"It's my fault. I heard the door, but Laila wasn't here, so I didn't open it. And I forgot until now." He sniffled loudly and wiped his tears with his knuckle. "Will you forgive me, Eloi?"

Our little brother's pitiful crying erased all traces of tension between us. The three of us sighed simultaneously.

"Stupid kid..." Eloi whispered weakly.

As he continued tending Ashun's bleeding, I went to comfort Inoe, "It's not your fault," I said, wiping some of his tears with my fingers.

"Yes, it is!" he wailed. With his breathing issues, it wasn't good for him to cry, but there was no stopping him. "Because of me, that man hurt Ashun... And now..." he sobbed, "Now they'll punish Eloi!"

Ashun and I exchanged worried glances. After witnessing the slave's violent outbursts firsthand, Inoe might be right. But when we turned to look at Eloi, he avoided our gaze and stood up calmly.

"I need to get ready," he declared and headed upstairs for the second time. "Don't interfere again. As if I didn't have enough..."

Ashun stuck a finger inside his mouth to touch his tooth. Then... he spat out a huge broken piece of it.

• • •

As I was tending to Ashun's injury, applying slices of potato to reduce the swelling, Eloi reappeared, ready to leave.

He had changed the simple cream-colored, blood-stained kurta for a robe fit for royalty. It was satin silk in a bright jade tone that brought up the color of his eyes, embroidered with gold yarn on the hems and sleeves—they reached the floor, yet they didn't look heavy and floated with the lightness of feathers as he walked. He had put on the long emerald earrings he wore most often and the ring with Mailhar's family crest on his left ring finger.

"You're leaving?" Ashun asked, with a concerned look.

"Yes..." Eloi replied, slipping his hand through a golden bracelet. "Mailhar must be furious. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Astor."

Inoe just stared at our brother with his mouth open in awe.

"He looks like a prince..." he whispered to me.

And I had to admit he wasn't wrong. It was always a strange sight to see him dressed like that. Although his clothes were much better quality than ours, the ones he wore at home were rather modest. He preferred plain sirwal pants with kurtas or loose shirts—usually in some shade of green—with long sleeves. He never wore short clothes, no matter how hot the weather was. But when it came time to attend to his master's call, it was a different story. He dressed in ostentatious robes and fine tunics with wide, flowing sleeves, made from colorful silks with intricate patterns. Adorned with jewels from head to toe, he looked like a young prince straight out of one of Laila's bedtime stories.

"You sure you'll be alright?" Ashun asked.

Eloi exhaled. Whatever improvement he'd shown earlier had vanished, and he looked weary and drained all over again. "Astor can't do anything to me," he declared. "None of the servants, slaves, or even Mailhar's family are allowed to touch me. So don't worry about me."

Once Eloi had left and we could no longer hear the carriage in the streets, the mood at home remained tense and gloomy. Ashun was worried, Inoe blamed himself... and the possibility of going to the marketplace was completely ruined.

Our younger brother went to throw away the blackened potato slices, and in the meantime, I assessed the bruise on Ashun's jaw. Although the swelling had gone down a bit, it was starting to blacken up.

"He's the one who should have been punished; not you."

"Don't start..."

"He probably knew he had to go to his master yesterday and just decided he didn't feel like it! Did you see the face he made when he heard the carriage? He knew this would happen. You shouldn't have stood up for him!"

Ashun stepped away, leaving me to rant alone, and I realized I was overstepping again. But I knew I was right. Eloi was the one at fault, especially since he'd come out of the whole situation unscathed. I had to admit, he had me worried for a moment, but once he made it clear he was practically untouchable, I had no sympathy bone for him. He had brought all of it on himself, and yet Ashun was once again the one to face the consequences.

I slumped into my chair.

"What was that, anyway? The part about no one being allowed to touch him?"

Ashun scooped a portion of water from the cauldron with his hand and used it to rinse and freshen up his face.

"The High Lords' companion lads are above the servants and any slaves."

"And above their families too?" I raised an eyebrow. "Eloi said even his family wasn't allowed to lay a hand on him."

"... I don't know," Ashun replied after a pause.

While he reflected, I started playing with the leftover potato, rolling it over the wooden table with the palm of my hand. "And... what would happen if one of us gave him an ass whooping?"

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Laila walked in, carrying a basket of eggs and a small sack over her shoulder. She looked upset.

"What happened with you?! I waited all morning at the marketplace! I was counting on you to help me carry groceries, Ashun!" she complained, dropping the sack to the floor, and then placed the basket on the table. "Since no one showed up to help me, this is all I could carry by myself. Yuren, what are you doing with that potato? We don't play with food. How old are you?"

She took it from me, and when she noticed it was raw, she gave me a puzzled look. "Were you eating it?"

"It wasn't for me."

At that moment, Ashun turned around and showed her his face with an embarrassed smile. And as soon as she noticed the bruised jaw and the deep cut across his lips, she covered her face, holding back a small gasp.