Ye Muo’s nerves began to get the better of him on the way to find Ye He. He often spent time chatting with Ye Yun before bed lately, contacting him even more than he did back in Grantz. He kept forgetting to do the same with Ye He, who was much closer in terms of distance.
Sure, Ye He sent him texts every so often, but the questions were always the same. Ye Muo’s responses were equally cookie-cutter, with the occasional tidbit about getting an extra cupcake tagged on.
It was to the point that he hasn’t introduced the new Theodore to Ye He yet.
Ye Muo mulled over what to do on the way to Ye He’s dormitory. He was still deep in thought as he verified his identity with practiced ease.
Opening the door, he saw Ye He in front of the fridge with a canned drink in hand, looking his way.
Ye He seemed to have just come out of the shower. His hair was wrapped with a towel.
“I didn’t think you would be home, Big Brother.”
Ye Muo walked in. Theodore gently closed the door behind him.
Ye He opened the half-closed fridge door again. “I’m off today. What do you want to drink?”
He was already taking out two cans of fruit juice as he asked and handed them to Ye Muo.
This usually meant Ye Muo could choose between two flavours of juice.
Ye Muo handed one to Theodore before taking a look at what drink he got. He glanced at Ye He’s. That one clearly contained alcohol.
Ye He shut the door and leaned against a nearby cabinet. He flicked the can he was holding. “What, want some? You’re still underage.”
Even if the alcohol content wasn’t high.
Ye Muo sheepishly lowered his voice, “I was just looking…”
It’s not like he hasn’t had a taste already. However, the alcohol he had accidentally drunk last time tasted just like juice. It just made him fall asleep earlier than usual.
He’s been curious about the drinks that the Grantz prefer too, but a sniff of that strong stuff was enough to dissuade him.
Ye He’s drink looked much more appealing in comparison. There was a fruity undertone in the air.
Ye Muo approached. “Let me have a sniff.”
Ye He obligingly held the can out a bit.
If you didn’t properly satisfy a cub’s curiosity, it would grow out of control and lead them into trouble. Ye Muo was still very obedient. He didn’t want him to turn out like Ye Yun one day, trying to sneak alcohol outside with his friends. Even if Ye He had found out and caught him within 20 minutes.
Ye He immediately went and told Ye Zhiyuan. Ye Yun didn’t get off lightly that time. He was thoroughly disciplined by his father before they made a pact to not tell Lady Ye so she wouldn’t worry.
Too bad Ye He ‘accidentally’ brought it up in her presence when they went home. Thus, Ye Yun was disciplined a second time by his mother.
However, if Ye Yun had shown curiosity in front of Ye He like this, he would’ve probably brandished the strongest liquor in front of him before letting him have a taste.
Ye Yun was not the obedient type, nor would he enjoy that kind of liquor. Letting him taste the consequences was the only way to make the lesson stick. At least Ye He could make sure it happened in a controlled environment in front of him.
Ye Muo frowned at the can he was holding. He rubbed his nose. “It smells strange.”
Ye He quirked his lips. This was within his expectations. The alcohol content of this beverage wasn’t high, but it smelled distinct enough to offend the sensitive noses of the Grantz.
Yet given their love of strong alcohol, perhaps a little bit of offense was actually pleasant. In any case, he couldn’t let Ye Muo touch this stuff. “It’s fine if you don’t like it. Mom wouldn’t want to see you drink this either.”
“Then I won’t,” Ye Muo immediately replied.
He gave Ye He a serious look. “But if Mom doesn’t want to see me drink, then she must not want to see you drink either, Big Brother.”
Ye He put the can down on top of the cabinet after a pause as a concession. “Alright.”
Ye He glanced at the boy hovering around Ye Muo. “It’s not good to leave guests unattended.”
Ye He had actually noticed Theodore from the moment he came in. He hadn’t specifically searched out the information, but some had made it to his hands. He knew the identity of this white-haired child who was often seen around Ye Muo.
Ye Muo remembered Theodore was there when Ye He looked over. He was already used to Theodore’s presence even though not much time had passed. It was as if they were always together somehow.
Ye Muo stepped aside and introduced him, “This is Theodore.”
Ye He looked at Ye Muo and straightened. His tone also changed a little, “Theodore…is he the Theodore I’m thinking of?”
Ye He knew Theodore as an AI inhabiting a little robot.
Guilt started gnawing at Ye Muo. He’s never mentioned what happened to Theodore to Ye He since their return. “Yes, he’s Theodore and always has been. He was known as Bragi before.”
“Is he an android?”
It was possible to create such a lifelike model with current technologies. A change of appearance wasn’t a problem. You could say that the dilapidated robot following Ye Muo around before was far stranger.
Ye Muo shook his head nervously. “No, Theodore is human now.”
Ye He frowned imperceptibly. “I just want to confirm. Are you saying that, if I break his arm right now, there won’t be alloy bones peeking out?”
“It’s hard to break alloy, right? And that’s not what I meant, Big Brother. Theodore is human. He can hurt, he can feel sad and happy.”
Ye Muo was starting to stumble on his words, so Theodore stepped in, “I crossed over from the digital world to reality. You can think of it as me coming from afar if you’d like.”
Ye He stared at him for a few seconds. “I don’t think that makes it any clearer.”
There was nothing he could do if the Grantz let him be beside Ye Muo.
Ye He quickly ascertained Theodore’s place. Ye Muo already had something near him that was equivalent– Mumu.
However, Mumu was a nannybot deliberately designed with less anthropomorphic reactions and appearance. Theodore, as Ye Muo said, was completely human, albeit with slightly odd speech mannerisms.
Ye Muo was a very emotional child. That was why Mumu remained in his room to this day.
So even though he knew the Grantz must have checked already, Ye He was still wary. He mentally put Theodore on the list of people to look into.
Sometimes, emotional scars can hurt more than physical ones, especially if a still clueless AI was responsible.
Ye He extended a hand to Theodore. “Hello there. Sorry for ignoring you just now. Ye Muo is still learning sometimes.”
“It’s because Theodore isn’t a stranger,” Ye Muo grumbled under his breath on the side.
Theodore shook Ye He’s hand. “It’s fine. Xavier did nothing wrong. I’m fine with anything he chooses to do.”
He paused because calling out, “Big Brother.”
Ye He turned to Ye Muo.
Ye Muo shot up from the sofa he had just taken a seat on. “I told Theodore to refer to others how I do. He’s still working on it. If it’s Big Brother Ye He, then Theodore should–“
Ye Muo paused. He looked somewhat troubled. “If it’s my big brother, wouldn’t him calling you ‘Commander Ye’ be a little too formal…?”
Adlet sometimes referred to him by that title, but they actually got along just fine and were closer than you’d expect. Adlet regarded Ye He as one of his children, after all.
Ye He let go of the handshake. “I don’t think so.”
Ye Muo looked between Ye He and Theodore. “But I don’t want Big Brother and Theodore to be strangers.”
Theodore spoke first, “It’s all right, Xavier.”
No matter what, he would cherish all that Xavier held dear.
Ye He looked away. “I understand. I don’t mind when it comes to titles. Just call me by my name.”
Ye He said, prioritizing Theodore on the list of people to look into. It seemed that Theodore might be even more important to Ye Muo than Mumu.
Ye Muo finally remembered why he had come once they sat around for a while. “Big Brother, Adlet said we can take the same mothership back if you’re okay with it. Are you? I want to stay with Big Brother.”
“En, that’s fine.” Ye He immediately responded, “Send Adlet my greetings.”
He agreed so fast that Ye Muo didn’t even have time to blink.
Ye He pressed the slightly cool drink can to his cheek. “Are you surprised? I just think if I don’t pay more attention to my little brother now, I’ll have to rely on Mother to find out what he’s up to later on.”
Ye Muo, who kept forgetting to introduce Theodore to Ye He after his transformation, averted his eyes out of guilt.
……
Lakely happily left with Derek and a whole pile of pictures in tow.
Derek was also carrying a large bag of snacks from the park. That was their dinner for tonight. Lakely insisted on trying them all out so he can give recommendations for his viewers.
Lakely was satisfied. “I even added several pictures of His Little Highness to the collection.”
They weren’t in the photo collection Derek had shared with him earlier.
Derek couldn’t help but huff in amusement, “I’ve never seen these either. The regulations regarding media used to be very strict. There weren’t many photos from this period in time, especially group photos with…”
Derek sighed and changed the subject, “His Little Highness is all grown up now.”
As he grew, the Grantz relaxed their control, allowing the cub they had closely guarded to gradually come into the public eye.
Lakely was still immersed in the excitement. “Then I’m really lucky to get so many photos so soon. It’s kind of strange to know I visited the same exhibition hall Xavier did. Xavier might have walked down this very road! No, I’m sure he did.”
[Grr…asking for the 800th time to show me the photos too, but Lakely’s pretending he doesn’t see the messages. He’s betrayed us!]
[He’s not pretending to not see, he really hasn’t noticed. Lakely’s professionalism went out the window as soon as he arrived in Grantz. Aside from the king insect auction, he’s not been acting like a professional commentator at all.]
[I’ve lowered my expectations for him a lot. Him remembering to start livestreaming is good enough.]
Derek considered for a moment before suggesting, “If you’re interested in places Prince Xavier has been to, then how about–“
“Sure!” Lakely’s head shot up from his holomind before Derek could even finish.
Lakely pretended to check his calendar. “Looks like my schedule tomorrow is open. Let’s go tomorrow.”
[Don’t be consumed by everything Xavier, Lakely. Also, is this the first time Derek successfully recommended something? Lakely’s been so insisted on deciding his own schedule until now.]
[I suggest you find out the specifics before agreeing. I don’t think my heart can take much more…]
[But it’s a place Xavier has been to that we’re talking about!]
