Only the Strong (Yandere Prince x Powerful! Reader): remake

15. Red is Blue

Red knew that he was wasting his time, having been sulking for a day or so. The last time he saw you, you were laughing with your potential husband. He felt left out, truly lonely. He realized that your friendship with him was not your main priority.

And it hurt to remember why you were at the palace in the first place. Talking to you was just so nice. It was the first time he felt like he had someone in a long time. His rarely saw his brother and the other outdoor servants cared about him, but they didn't really talk all that much. But you spoke to him, asked him questions, and listened to his answers and nothing warranted you to do so. You were just naturally kind he supposed

And then he received news that Wendy was replaced. And he suddenly couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't conjure up the energy to even do his daily duties.

Without his brother, would you really have a reason to come and see him?

He knew it was trivial, at least it would be to his superiors. He was putting himself at risk, he knew that. And it's only been a day right? Why was he so hung up on this?

"Red." Wendy said, rubbing his brother's back. "It's alright..."

"I know." Red murmured. The two bothers where sitting together at a wooden table in the back of the stable. It smelled of animal and stale air, but Red was used to it. Wendy, on the other hand, was having a hard time not gagging at the smell, chowing to prioritize his brother over his comfort. That mentality didn't last long however, as Red almost seemed to dig himself a deeper hole to mope in.

Wendy stood up, dusting little bits of loose hay from his trousers. He looked down at his brother, trying his best to smile. "I'm sure she'll come through." He said.

Wendy had no idea what was going on with you. He just woke up one morning with a piece of parchment by his bed saying that you had switched servants. He was dumbfounded, yet he also completely understood the decision because it was inevitable.

He was bombarded with work everyday, being forced to pick up the slack for the other servants that were off helping their champions, when he had a champion of his own to tend to. It made it extremely hard to come see you, and he was so busy that he didn't even have time to tell you what was happening with him. But now that's he's been switched, his work load had suddenly lightened up to what it used to be. It was a bit suspicious, but Wendy didn't voice his concerns. He didn't want to stress out his brother any more than he was.

"I have to get back to work okay?" Wendy said. "I'll be back to eat dinner with you, if you want?"

Red shook his head. He didn't want to be pitied. He was supposed to be a good brother to Wendy, not some dejected waste of space, and Red could sense that Wendy didn't actually want to stay there with him anyway. He waved his hand, "do what you have to do." He said. Wendy sighed, and left without another word. He was left alone after that. He took note of how Wendy's shoulders relaxed as he walked away.

Relo. He slouched even more. The other stablehands took over his work for a while so that no one would be alerted about why certain things weren't being done. The last thing they wanted was for Red to be punished for sulking instead of working. They felt bad for him, and Red knew they felt bad for him. Somehow, knowing that made him feel worse.

He closed his eyes, letting his head fall to the table with a thud.

"I'm such an idiot." He said as he pulled a knife and a stub of wood out of his pocket. His frown was heavy as he began to whittle away at the stub.

______________________

You were left on your lonesome. Dorian and Gilli told you to study—leaving you some books from the library—but honestly, you didn't want to. You were going to, because your newly found thirst for knowledge would make you a better leader, but not at the moment. You found yourself wandering the palace like usual.