Chapter 609 Francis (1)
"From the moment Francis was born, he was prepped to be the next in line for the Royal Family of Whitaker. Every single day, he was stuck in a room, cramming strategies and getting drilled by teachers until he got everything perfect. If he messed up, they'd lock him in a tiny room until he nailed it. At one point, Francis got really bad autism and depression, but that didn't change a thing; he still had to deal with the crazy pressure of being the heir. This cycle just kept going." Alaric's voice was a bit tight. "The Francis you see now might seem all cheerful and laid-back, but deep down, he's pretty cold. To everyone."
Cecilia couldn't believe it.
She hadn't noticed Francis being cold; he even seemed kind of gentle.
"It's all a front," Alaric said, shaking his head as he watched Cecilia's reaction. He went on, "Once, we were doing some brutal training in the wild, fighting a tiger that hadn't eaten for a week with our bare hands. Francis just stood there watching. We were covered in blood and guts. We finally took down the tiger, but it was so gruesome and terrifying, you probably can't even picture it. Yet Francis just watched, no emotion, not even a flicker on his face. No one knew what he was thinking when he saw all that blood for the first time, and he was only 9 years old."
Hearing this, Cecilia felt a wave of sympathy.
It was hard to imagine what that scene must have been like.
"But don't treat him any differently because of this. He and I are close. Even though we didn't grow up together, maybe because we're blood, we didn't feel any awkwardness when we first met. Francis would take my hand and even..." Alaric paused.
Cecilia frowned.
Even what?
"Try to please me," Alaric said with a smile.
Cecilia got goosebumps.
It was really hard to picture Francis trying to please Alaric.
But wasn't Francis supposed to be cold to everyone? Yet he acted so differently toward Alaric.
"At first, I wasn't used to it either, but later I got used to it. Anyway, just treat Francis like your own brother." Alaric concluded.
Cecilia nodded.
After all, Francis was Alaric's brother.
"Alright, I'm going to see Hugo," Alaric said as he got up from the sofa. "If I go any later, I'm worried he'll get mad."
Cecilia smiled, wondering if they had ever played pranks on Hugo while they were growing up.
With Alaric's vengeful nature, they probably did!
"You wait here for me. I'll come back to find you later," Alaric said.
"Okay," Cecilia responded.
Alaric then left the lounge.
In the warm lounge, Cecilia was the only one left.
She stood up from the sofa and walked around the room.
Was this Alaric's real home?
How many times had he stayed here before?
Cecilia looked around at the room's decorations. Everything was super fancy; she even noticed that the furniture in the lounge seemed to be antiques.
She was curiously checking out the room when the door opened again. Cecilia turned her head, and the smile on her face became a bit awkward.
She thought Alaric had come back so quickly, but it was Francis.Francis smiled warmly, looking super friendly. "Sorry to disappoint you," he said.
Cecilia managed a shaky smile. "Not at all."
"Every time Hugo and Alaric have a chat, it takes forever. I figured you might get bored, so I brought some snacks to keep you company. Verity's snacks are the best in the world." Francis held up a plate of fancy cakes.
Cecilia couldn't help but check him out.
Francis really did seem like a cheerful guy!
Totally different from the cold person Alaric had described.
"Try some." Francis didn't seem to notice her staring as he set the snacks on the table.
Cecilia nodded. "Okay."
She picked up a fork and took a bite.
The rich mousse cake had a fresh twist, a really unique flavor.
"Good, right?" Francis asked eagerly.
"Very good," Cecilia agreed.
"I knew you'd like it." Francis looked pleased with himself.
"How did you know?" Cecilia asked casually.
She didn't want things to be too awkward with Francis. It was their first meeting, after all, and it felt a bit strange.
Francis replied, "Because I know you well."
Cecilia was taken aback and looked at him directly.
"Don't look at me like that. I know you well because of Alaric," Francis quickly explained.
Cecilia asked, "What do you mean?"
"Alaric has liked you for many, many years. You know that, right?" Francis said calmly, though there was a hint of jealousy in his tone.
"I just found out," Cecilia admitted, feeling a bit shy.
If Alaric hadn't told her earlier, she wouldn't have known so much about him.
She wouldn't have known that Alaric had loved her for so many years.
Thinking about it now, she still felt a warmth in her heart.
"The first time I heard your name was from Cassius," Francis began, his voice calm and steady.
It was really hard to read his emotions.
"Cassius?" Cecilia asked.
"Yeah, Cassius loves these kinds of stories. You know that, right?" Francis said.
Cecilia nodded. "I know a bit."
"So the news that Alaric likes you came from Cassius. Cassius and Alaric grew up together, often eating and sleeping in the same space—closer than even Alaric and I were. Honestly, there were times I really didn't like him," Francis said candidly.
He seemed quite prone to jealousy.
"But it's also because he likes to talk about these things that I learned a lot about Alaric. At first, I didn't believe Alaric would like anyone. After all, there was a time when he was really cold, like a killing machine. Except for me, he was violent towards everyone. Even Hugo didn't dare provoke Alaric for a while. When Alaric got angry, everyone was afraid." Francis reminisced about the past.
Then he took a deep breath and continued, "But that's all in the past. Alaric is now the best man in the world."
Cecilia thought it sounded a bit strange coming from Francis.
Francis remarked, "Anyway, after I learned about you, I made it a point to find out more. I discovered quite a bit and was surprised to find out that you ignored a great guy like Alaric and ended up dating someone as weak as Dominic."
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