It's a hierarchical relationship.
This is a phenomenon prevalent in human society, one that has never disappeared from ancient times to the present, and it was most severe in the old century when compulsory education was not yet universal. Of course, in modern society, influenced by the ideology of egalitarianism, I was originally living a tolerable life. If nothing major had happened, I would probably have lived peacefully and died of old age like most other people.
But this is another world where aristocracy reigns supreme, so bullying is definitely commonplace here.
Although not being reincarnated as a commoner at the bottom was fortunate, even in the aristocratic world, there are clearly defined hierarchical relationships. For me, a modern person, it is undoubtedly a form of torment.
It was just breakfast, yet the entire living room was eerily silent, with everyone's attention focused on the man at the table.
Perhaps some people think that not speaking while eating is polite, but it's clear that the current situation has exceeded the level of "politeness." It felt as if someone would face great misfortune if that man so much as twitched an eyelid; that's the atmosphere I sensed.
After saying he looked forward to my growth, the head of this Houjue Family, and my biological father in this world, Marquis Anglus, did not utter another word before finishing breakfast, nor did anyone speak to him. Even his gaze no longer caught anyone, as if he were indifferent and showed little interest in anyone.
Honestly, it was terrifying.
Father, your beard is like a toilet brush.
Even if I were dense, I knew that such a playful joke could absolutely not be said. If I said it, I would probably die, no, I would definitely die.
Finally, Marquis Anglus left the living room without a sound, and the four women behind him followed, I didn't know where they were going, and I didn't dare to ask.
The human touch reflected in basic greetings at the dinner table in modern times was completely absent here; this was probably the daily life of the Marquis House.
I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, feeling as if I had escaped a first-encounter kill in a horror game. I couldn't taste anything from the breakfast; rather, for someone in his twenties like me, eating such a children's meal was truly a bit hard to swallow. Goodbye, my dear modern cuisine.
"Young Master Robert, shall we go then?"
"Mm."
I had no idea what to do after breakfast, but following the butler's arrangements should be fine. There were still many questions I needed to figure out, so I could only try to get information indirectly, one by one. Honestly, I really wished someone would help me explain the situation of this world. When others are hit by a car and die, they have a deity as a guide. Don't I get that kind of reincarnation novice service? I want to complain!
Then, Volth led me down the corridor again, seemingly heading back to my room.
At the same time, two sets of footsteps approached us from the front. Around the corner, a male butler appeared, leading a boy who was only half his height.
From the boy's well-fitting noble attire, it was easy to see that he held an equally noble status in this Houjue Family. Although his appearance was still childish, he already had the basic makings of a handsome man.
Could it be that the boy was the eldest son of the Anglus House, my elder brother?
I remembered that the character Robert von Anglus in the novel was the second son and had an elder brother and an elder sister above him. What were their names again? I didn't remember them at all because they never appeared in the novel. Oh, right, the Marquis seemed to have mentioned it when he spoke to me just now.
—Is that so? Well done, Lucis and Aisha couldn't do it when they were so young…
Lucis? Right, Lucis von Anglus, that should be correct.
"Good… Good morning, Brother Lucis."
As a noble and a younger brother, I believed it was only natural to offer a polite greeting to my elder brother, just as I had greeted my father earlier.
However, I didn't receive a reciprocal "Good morning." Lucis and his butler stopped, and the look in his eyes as he looked down at me was not kind.
"Get out of the way, don't block the path."
Then he pushed me away.
"Young Master Robert!"
Fortunately, Volth quickly held me in front of him, otherwise, with my currently frail little body, I would inevitably have fallen to the ground or hit my head against the wall.
W-Who is this?! Even though it was just a younger brother friendly greeting his elder brother, he pushed me away mercilessly. Does he have no concept of "family affection" at all?
I couldn't help but stand stunned on the spot.
"Keep a good eye on him, you idiot! Are you so incompetent that you can't even look after a child?"
"V-Very sorry."
Even Volth, who was with me, was verbally abused.
Ah, alright, alright, I get it, I get it. This is just a typical scumbag noble. Although I don't know what kind of environment made him develop such a personality, like father, like son, right? My character itself is a villainous noble, so how could his family members be good people? I was wrong to think that family affection would exist just because they were family. I shouldn't have used a modern person's mindset to think about this Houjue Family's situation. I should have realized it from the beginning, and now I've brought this humiliation upon myself.
I cursed him dozens of times in my heart, watching Lucis and his butler leave. I'll remember this grudge.
"Are you alright, Young Master Robert?"
"Mm."
It's pretty miserable being a servant in a noble Anglus Family, having to face the unreasonable master's humiliation at any time. I wonder if they get extra allowances... Most likely not.
What should I do? Just thinking about being family with that kind of guy, and then recalling that terrifying Marquis, my life feels full of darkness. Can I delete my account and restart?
...
After regrouping and walking only a few steps, another group of people approached from the opposite direction.
A maid led a young girl with crimson hair towards me. She wore a blue and white dress, also signifying her noble status, and her fair, delicate skin was clearly meticulously cared for. She appeared even younger than Lucis, but her walking stride already showed the posture of an educated noblewoman, making it hard to look away.
To put it bluntly, she was a beautiful girl (with a promising future).
Then she must be my Sister—Aisha von Anglus n.
Sister!
The first beautiful girl I've seen since reincarnating! Even though she's my Xiniika, even though she's still just a young girl, I'm incredibly moved!
"Sister!"
"Ah!"
I couldn't help but hug her.
It's definitely not because I'm a loli-con or a sister-con or anything; this is just normal interaction between family members. It's only natural for a younger brother to act spoiled towards his Xiniika, and I won't accept any arguments against it.
"What are you doing?!"
Aisha abandoned her lady-like image and tried her best to push me away, but since I held on tight, she couldn't do it with her strength.
"Brother Lucis just bullied me."
I complained pitifully to her, wanting to receive her comfort.
"It has nothing to do with me."
Aisha grabbed my head and tried forcefully to push me away.
Ah, it's the sensation of a girl's hand.
"You stop it right now."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch..."
Finally, Aisha grabbed both of my ears, and due to the pain, I had to let go.
Unbelievable, to do such a thing to her own younger brother! This is not how a lady should behave, alright? I protest!
Just like before, Aisha pushed me towards Volth, showing strong repulsion.
"Don't come near me, it's disgusting."
She called me disgusting?!
Alright, I admit my actions were too sudden and might make people uncomfortable, but it's not so bad as to be called disgusting, is it? I'm just a 5-year-old child right now. And it shouldn't be just my own self-perception, my current appearance, after being groomed by the butler, can be said to be the most adorable period for a human. Where exactly are the elements that would make someone feel disgusted?
My inner self? Is it my inner self? Well, I can't completely deny it, but there's no reason a child so young could see at a glance that my inner self is a "middle-aged man" in his twenties, right?
What's clear is that the character Robert von Anglus is currently not a child loved by everyone. Leaving others aside, "I" have zero affection points in the hearts of my brother Lucis and Sister Aisha. Even though we're family, we're like strangers. Approaching casually will result in a clear, even malicious, rejection. Although I know some people with special fetishes might feel more excited when a beautiful girl says "disgusting," Aisha is clearly different. That tone wouldn't make me, who has seen all sorts of two-dimensional attributes, feel a flutter in my heart. If I were truly a 5-year-old child, facing such malice would surely scare me into immobility or even make me want to cry from grievance.
Aisha turned around angrily and left, never looking back.
"Are you alright, Young Master Robert?"
"..."
Sigh, in the end, among all the people I've seen today, the only one who was gentle to me was this young butler, Volth. I genuinely feel like crying now, not because of Aisha, but because I feel somewhat despairing about this heartless Anglus Family environment.
"Why did you act so carelessly...? Well, you're still young, perhaps you don't understand yet. I'll have to discuss it with the madam..."
I didn't quite understand what Volth meant, and was "madam" referring to my mother in this world? What was there to discuss?
However, there was one place that made me even more curious: Lucis and Aisha both went in the same direction, which means...
"Are Brother Lucis and Sister Aisha just going to eat now?"
"Yes, it's always been this way."
It's common sense in modern times for a Anglus Family to eat together, but clearly, this Anglus Family isn't like that. And the head of the Anglus Family has tacitly allowed this situation, which has led to Lucis and Aisha eating at different times to avoid seeing that terrifying father. What they must have gone through to make them do this, I truly don't dare to imagine.
And was it only me, who knew nothing, who foolishly coincided with Anglus Marquis's mealtime?