Wayne was startled.
"Do you often ask people to tie them up?" he asked as if he was unsure.
"It's not often...it's just that sometimes I can't help it..." For some reason, Marquis O'Neill felt guilty under the gaze of these young girls.
"Please allow us to meet the two brothers and sisters first." Tasia took a step forward, blocking the frowning Wayne and said first.
"OK--"
"Butler!" Following the shout of Marquis O'Neill, a middle-aged man with gray hair on his temples came over.
Different from his slightly older face, his back is straight and his appearance is more powerful.
"Sir, what are your instructions?" The butler bowed his head and saluted everyone.
"It's rare that Roy's friends come to play with him. Please take these kids inside to meet him." At this point, Marquis O'Neill paused and deliberately raised his voice: "They are all from Qingxi Academy. This distinguished guest of the garden must not be neglected by everyone in the house!"
The butler responded, and then turned to gesture to Wayne and his group.
"Distinguished guests, please follow me."
Seeing that the topic on the field had been changed, Wayne couldn't continue to play for a while, but the uncomfortable feeling still lingered in his heart and was difficult to dissipate.
In the mind of Marquis O'Neill, what is the difference between people and objects?
Youyou glanced at Marquis O'Neill before he turned around and left with Tasia and Chris.
After watching the three people go away, Marquis O'Neill, who stayed where he was, took a long breath. "Today's young people are really incredible... This invisible sense of oppression is really scary."
But as soon as he said this heartfelt sigh... he realized that the current situation was not right.
This is not a study where you are alone and can say whatever you want.
Under the strange gazes of his servants, Marquis O'Neill raised his tie in annoyance and left the courtyard from the other direction, pretending that nothing happened.
The focus in the center of the venue disappeared, and a servant standing silently in the corridor quietly retreated, hiding in an inconspicuous corner beside the sight of the others.
…
Wayne followed Chris silently and was led by the O'Neill family's butler to a small house located at the deepest part of the Marquis's mansion.
"This is the residence of Master Roy and Miss Vivian." the housekeeper introduced.
"Don't they live with their parents?" Chris suddenly asked.
Obviously it is such a large marquis mansion, so there is no problem of insufficient space. And why should we set aside a separate area in a secluded place and build a house that is independent of other buildings?
The butler was speechless for a moment, and finally he just shook his head slightly as if he had nothing to say.
"I won't go in with you. If the young master and young lady see my face, I'm afraid they won't be happy."
He stretched out his hand and handed out a key.
"The young master and the young lady did nothing wrong, but some things cannot be changed by personal will, especially... when they shoulder the family's expectations, but deviate from these expectations. The master can only use Only through coercion can we restore some of the crumbling glory of the O'Neill family."
"Are you making excuses for what you did?" Wayne took the key from his hand. "The so-called family glory? I only know that each [person] himself is the core part of a collective."
"That's right!"
Chrissy also stood beside him, nodding her head in support. "Wayne means what I mean."
"Although I don't know what Marquis O'Neill is thinking, the reason why we are willing to help those brothers and sisters is not out of seeking reward, but simply because we regard them as friends." The involvement behind this Chris, who was unaware of the key information about the magic of darkness, was as confident as ever as the protagonist.
After leading the conversation so naturally, she probably thought that this operation was entirely led by her, and that both Wayne and Tasia were just temporary followers.
When the housekeeper heard this, he showed a very faint smile.
"It is an honor for our O'Neal family to have a friend like you." He placed his right hand flat under his left shoulder and bowed back.
Seeing the housekeeper retreating to a relatively far distance, Wayne calmed his breathing and said softly: "Let's go in."
The lock hanging on the door is very heavy, and it is obviously impossible to break it with the weak strength of the two children.
Wayne turned the key and slowly pushed the door open.
Although he had already had a premonition in his mind, the scene inside the house still exceeded his expectations.
There are no decorations in the house, and it is more appropriate to describe this house as bare walls. A little sunlight slipped in from the edge of the window that opened too far up, casting bright light and shadow on the dark ground.
It was more like a solitary confinement room than a residence or a home.
At one end of the empty hall, Roy and Vivian were each tied to a chair with their backs to the door, and did not react at all to the sound of the door opening.
Wayne walked towards them step by step and untied the ropes that tied them under the back of the chair.
However, even if they were freed from the restraints behind them, they seemed to be unaware of it and just sat there motionless.
At this moment, Wayne suddenly understood why the two siblings were so slow to respond to the outside world.
Perhaps, that is not because of a natural disease, but because of learned helplessness that has been artificially shaped.
He deliberately made some noise before walking in front of them. "Roy, Vivian, I brought some delicious food and toys to see you. Do you remember me?"
Hearing his voice, the numb expression on Roy's face finally moved.
When he raised his head and actually saw Wayne's figure, his eyes seemed to suddenly become brighter.
"...Friend, friend."
Roy seemed to be sure that he was not in a dream until now.
Looking at the two of them silently, Wayne did not show any pity. He just said: "I brought two new friends to play with me today. Let's go outside and talk. The sun outside is very warm."
"--Eh?"
Before he could be happy, Roy asked with some fear: "F-Father said...it's not allowed, let's go out."
"It's okay, he also knows that I'm here to play with you."
With that said, Wayne handed the key to this room into his hand in a relaxed tone: "If he hadn't agreed, I wouldn't have been able to get in."
After carefully understanding the meaning of Wayne's words, Roy finally showed a look of relaxation.
"Vivian, no, don't be afraid." After regaining his mobility, he immediately ran over and took the hand of his sister, who was still sitting obediently on the chair. "It's friends."
Taking advantage of the gap between the brothers and sisters talking, Wayne turned around and winked at Tasia and Chris at the door.
