Immoral Holidays - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The location of the Commanding General’s mansion had been chosen with strictness ; during its construction, the daylighting had been thought about carefully . In the morning, the soft light of natural sun would shine right on the big veranda stretching out from the house . The landscape outside is pleasant to the eyes . The General’s family would usually enjoy breakfast here .

「Wei, eat some more . Mama knows how much you like shell pasta . 」 Her husband being absent, Mrs L . sits at the head of the table, smiling gently to the well behaving eldest son of the family . She lifts a large spoon : 「This is the sauce Mama made, with a double portion of Glann herb on purpose . You have none of that in the military school, right ?」

Glann herb is hardly affordable to common families due to its expensiveness and rarity ; imported from other planets, money is not even enough to obtain it . This is the apogean era of military leadership, where we have practically returned to the primitive essence of monarchy . The right to luxury is almost entirely in the hands of the military .

Even though Wei politely declines the offer, Mrs L . insists on filling his bowl with a spoonful of sauce . 「Thank you, Mama . 」 Wei’s deep voice reveals a hardly noticeable inch of raucity . For once they have a family breakfast, he is unable to enjoy it as calmly as usual due to culpability . Though he has done no wrong, he cannot look at Mama’s elegant and gentle face .

Yet the one causing all this is carelessly sitting in front, unhurriedly enjoying his pasta, with a bright and youthful smile on his face .

「Wei, what is the matter ?」

「Hum ?」 Wei turns over .

Mrs L . looks at him with care : 「You are rarely as distracted as now . Is everything all right ?」

Her attention only makes his feelings even more complex . He hastily hides away his panic and shows his usual smile : 「Nothing Mama, the meal today is delicious . 」 His face must look like his genetic father, just as his smile, for he lacks of the General’s awe-inspiring sharpness, unlike the rest of the family . Wei thinks that no matter how kindly his adoptive father smiles, there is always a non-negligible aura around him . Those are the real manners of a Commanding General .

Yet Wei’s own smile is often compared to sunshine by his schoolmates . 「When I see you smile, it feels like this world is still full of light and hope . 」 His friend has once exaggeratedly described so : 「We can immediately see that you are a just soldier, worth of confidence . 」

Seeing her eldest son’s expression, Mrs L . replies with understanding : 「You are grown up now, you start to have secrets . Wei, would you not be hiding some little secrets to Mama ?」

Unintentionally, this makes him appear thunderstruck . His stunned expression clearly states the answer . Mrs L . beams at his honesty ; this child is so adorable that he is much franker than her own sons . Han and Qian, those two are too cunning, they even may surpass their father in the future . But now, the bad thing is that being their mother, she can no longer guess their thoughts . In comparison, the innocent and hardworking Wei appeals more easily to her motherly love .

「It is fine, it goes without saying that my boys have secrets . Mama was not obliging you to reveal them, right ?」 Mrs L . reassures him in a low voice : 「If there is a girl you like, you can bring her home to Mama next holidays . She must surely be a fair girl, is it not ?」 But her words only increase his guiltiness . 「Oh, Mama just realised that there will not be any other holidays, for this year is your graduating year . 」

「Indeed, he is about to graduate . 」 The voice suddenly entering the conversation is irritating to the ears of Wei . Qian casually chews his pasta, talking ambiguously : 「Then he would be able to have a girlfriend, or even to sleep her . 」 Wei startles, fearing his secrets to be exposed in front of their mother ; his dark eyes stare at Qian’s pretty face .

「Qian, how could you talk like that ?」 Mrs L . puts on her airs of mother and admonishes her cadet son : 「Is that the behaviour they taught you at school ? We will talk about this matter when your father comes back . 」

Qian gives her a comforting smile : 「I am sorry Mama, do not be angry with me . 」 The boy’s childish tone and handsome face are the best weapons against their mother’s anger .

Mrs L . Looks at her cadet, her expression softens inevitably : 「If you really think so, avoid doing things that would make Mama angry . Your eviction from World Conquest will not be forgiven as easily . If only you could be … 」

「 … Half as obedient as Wei . 」 Qian mockingly continues the sentence their parents repeat so often, his taunting gaze stops on his elder brother’s face .

In front of him, Wei shivers with terror . Not only due to his words and look, but also because under the dining table, Qian’s bare foot is threateningly sticking in between his knees, shoving them open .

「Indeed, if you were, Mama’s health would be in a better state . 」

「I know, that is why I decided to stay more often with Wei and learn better habits . Actually in World Conquest, they are mostly rich dandies ; there is not a lot of real soldiers like big brother . So my eviction is a good opportunity to transfer into Empire Domination . 」

「Your father will decide of that, but Mama still hopes that your will return to World Conquest to finish your studies . 」

The foot under the table continues its progression . After checking that their mother still looks at Qian, Wei ragingly closes his legs as much as he can . If Qian does not withdraw, his ankles will be swollen for a few days . Qian remarks his physical resistance, a ruthless sneer skims over the eighteen-years-old’s eyes . He suddenly rises his voice to catch her attention : 「By the way Mama, I brought back a very interesting video with me … 」

Wei freeze instantly .

Mrs L . blames her son : 「Qian, do not try to change the topic, Mama is talking about the military school . 」

「But the video is really remarkable . 」 Qian replies cheekily, occasionally glancing at his elder brother with serious warning, like a huge rock falling on Wei’s heart . Mama is right next to them, a few minutes ago she was kindly pouring him sauce ; Wei imagines the disappointed look she will give him when she sees the video, he shudders with cold sweat .

Mrs L . finally gives in : 「This child, really, impossible to talk seriously with you . Right then, what is so special about this video ?」

You promised me to destroy it . Wei looks nervously at Qian . The latter keeps suspense with a smile and continues his motion under the table, Wei’s knees finally yield with humiliation . Then as if to punish him, Qian presses his foot between his brother’s legs .

「Oh, it is the military ceremony of our school, an internal document we keep private . 」 His bare foot, only separated from Wei by the fabric of his uniform, cruelly and fiercely rubs against him . Its shape and texture make Qian feel scorching heat, but the smile he shows Mama only becomes more elegant : 「Mama, I stand in the first row of the troop . I will display it later, so you can see how handsome I am . 」

「Handsome ? You have been thrown out of the school, no matter how handsome you are . 」 Being a mother, she cannot dismiss the event from her mind yet . After some lecturing, she realises that she left her eldest son aside, so she turns around and suddenly asks in a surprised tone : 「Wei ? Do you feel all right ? You look unwell . 」

Wei’s breath was scattered and messy : 「Mama, I am just … 」

「Do you have fever ? Mama already told you to call us when you are on holidays, so we could send a special car to bring you home . The ordinary transport system is so uncomfortable . 」 Mrs L . moves closer to Wei, her white and fragile hand presses gently on his forehead, then she frowns : 「You have no temperature, but you sweat a lot . Does it hurt anywhere ?」

Qian amusedly observes their mother’s care for his elder brother . He suddenly strengthens the pressure, causing an acute pain only men understand to run through his back like an electric flow . Wei’s breath is nearly cut short ; he uses all his willpower to barely cover his distress .

「Steward !」 By chance, Mrs L . turns away to call the man coming down from the second floor : 「Please prepare some nutritious food for Wei these days . Empire Domination does probably not take special care to prepare equilibrated food for their students . Really, my boy just returned home and he is already ill . 」

「Yes, Madam . 」

「And remind me to phone the principal of the institution . Training sessions must be too strict ; even though he does not attend World Conquest, he is after all the General’s son, it is only normal to provide him more care . 」 Mrs L . complains protectively . She does not like to ride the high horse with her identity, but she sees her child so rarely, who knows if anyone would bully them at school ?

She has not such worries for Han and Qian, but Wei’s personality makes him keep silent no matter what he suffers .