Chapter Text
“Why do you use the same bedroom with Louis, William?” Arnold asked curiously.
During their stay in the Earl of Rockwell’s house, the three Moriarty brothers lived under the same roof with the Earl‘s nephew Arnold Randall. Because Arnold had similar age with the three brothers, coupled with William and Louis’s careful management, the four children soon got along well.
Although William and Louis are biological brothers, in the perception of Arnold and others, only Louis became a member of Moriarty as an adopted son. For Arnold, it is unreasonable for William, as the second son of the count‘s family, to share a room with an adopted son.
On that day, when the Earl of Rockwell settled down the three brothers who survived the fire that had burnt their parents, there were arrangements in the room according to the different social status of Albert and William versus Louis.
It was Albert, the eldest son, who finally proposed that William and Louis share a room.
“You may not be used to sleeping alone. I will explain to the Earl of Rockwell that the shadow of the fire still needs to be overcome!”
Albert has always worked hard for his two younger brothers. From the slums to the residence of the Earl of Moriarty, Louis and his brother have never been separated. Although Louis is also a smart child who has no problem even if he lives independently, Albert’s real consideration is that William may be worried that Louis‘s old heart problem may recur in the middle of the night.
William is actually quite confident in the medical care provided by Albert to Louis, which is based on his understanding of his brother’s condition. However, William can‘t use his brother’s kindness in vain. He will cover up the truth that he is in the same room with Louis.
“This is a brother‘s duty, Randall!” William has said earlier that the reason why he has changed in his bad attitude is that he has become the older brother of two adopted children.
After Arnold came to the Earl of Rockwell’s house, he also tasted the taste of having a brother like Louis for the first time.
Louis could see that Arnold was eager to try the duty that could bring him a sense of pride, so he proposed, “You can also perform it, Lord Arnold!”
“That‘s right! It’s rare for you to stay at Mr. Rockwell‘s house. If you want, I can give you the seat!”
One cannot say that William did not expect the outcome at the time of saying so. He didn‘t share a bedroom with Louis, which meant that he would move into Albert’s room. And because the transfer was only temporary, in order to avoid causing trouble to the Earl of Rockwell, unlike William and Louis‘s rooms, which already had two beds, Albert added a set of bedding to his spacious bed this night.
“Here you are, Will!”
Albert greeted him happily. His frank smile made William feel warm from the bottom of his heart, enough to make him forget the tension of standing in front of the door just now.
“Will, do you have a habit of reading before going to bed? I have these…” Albert couldn’t wait to share, but he regretted it when he found that William didn‘t have any books in his hand. “My apologies, I’m so carried away!”
“No,”
William admitted that his brother‘s enthusiasm for him made him unable to react for a while. On the way to prepare for Albert’s birthday party not long ago, he realized that he had unique feelings for his brother. This makes him unable to treat the other party only as family or an accomplice. Since then, when there are only two of them, he don‘t know how to deal with himself. This time, he was going to sleep in the same bed with his brother. No matter how early William made the forecast, he felt that he was not well prepared.
However, seeing that Albert, like him, was a little nervous, William immediately clarified.
“I’d love to read with you, brother!”
In this way, the two of them chose books in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, and then sat on the bed together to enjoy reading before bed. Unconsciously, the pages were turned to the end.
Both William and Albert felt unsatisfied, but, “I think it‘s time to rest, Will.”
William then put down the book, and Albert reached out to turn off the bedside lamp.
The bed is not crowded at all for the two boys who are still growing up. When lying down at the same time, there is still a space between the two, which makes one more able to see the sleeping face of the person beside the pillow.
Before becoming the adopted son of the Earl of Moriarty, William always had a younger brother by his side, with blonde hair and red eyes like him. This is the so-called family. It is because of Louis that William is determined to reform the country no matter how many crimes he has to bear.
Now there is also Albert by William’s side. They are not blood relatives, but they have a common past, present and future. Even if it was William who originally decided to borrow Albert‘s status and ability, he still felt unimaginable. Especially now staring at the handsome side face, William secretly hopes that Albert agrees to be a family with him, not only to take advantage of each other.
“Is there anything wrong, Will?”
Albert suddenly looked at William, as if he heard his voice from his heart. The brother‘s close-range concern was too powerful, and William had to turn away shyly.
“It’s nothing, brother!”
Although he answered his brother‘s question, William hid his expression, and it was difficult to guarantee that his meaning was well conveyed. Unfortunately, when William realized that there might be a misunderstanding, he turned his back almost completely to Albert. There was also a whisper behind him for fear of disturbing the beautiful dream—
“Will, you always respond to my request. When my request becomes capricious, you must refuse me!”
It’s not like that—
The reaction just now was indeed mistaken for disgust. As long as he could relieve his brother, William even had the awareness of confessing his feelings. But when he summoned up the courage to turn around, Albert had already closed his eyes.
Albert slept soundly. For him, being able to spend this kind of time with his younger brother is probably like getting a treasure. They have common views, topics and ideals. Although they will never be blood relatives, William and Louis are already his precious family members. As long as William is by his side, he will not have the nightmare of being haunted by the dead.
William knows all these. Albert‘s consideration for him has far exceeded the reward he deserved. Therefore, William secretly made up his mind that if there was a time when his brother needed to be capricious in the future, he would be the one who make the request.