It was the later of the month of November. The snow had long fallen, in its earliest, and everywhere was a vast expanse of white.

The night has long fallen when the three consecutive clangs of the Red Church's bell call out for the end of the day.

An ocean of people slowly began to flood out of the church's giant doors. Their movements and murmurings and whispers echoed, and because of their large number, these echoes almost seemed as if there were the buzzing of bees inside.

Hearing these, Miles furrowed his brows. He was yet to stand up as he waited for the masses to go out completely. He settled himself in an elegant but comfortable position, sitting with his leg over the other, looked down, and closed his eyes as if he was taking a nap.

This posture of him was truly eye-catching.

The soft yellowish lighting of the church allowed the shadows to cast a beautiful contour of his nose and cheeks. With his head bowed, his hair fell and touched the upper half of his face. The contrast of his black hair and pale skin made him seem unreal, and there were even few who couldn't stop their urge and took their phones out for a pic.

Kachak—

"Taking a photo of someone without their consent is a breach of privacy and could be sued for crime."

A raspy voice of an old man entered Miles' ears, and he opened his eyes. Sure enough, it was his father, whom he was more or less waiting for.

At the same time those words were spoken out, the people who took pictures instantly walked away with a guilty yet contented look on their face.

When Miles opened his eyes, there were no more of them around, the only people left are him and his father, as well as several people who are yet to come out or are still aren't done with their businesses.

"... Are you done?" Miles asked with a voice so quiet as if a whisper, as he slowly got up from his seat.

"Is our house too uncomfortable that you'd rather sleep in the church?" His father didn't look past his son's action and immediately tried to scold him.

Miles just shook his head without speaking anymore. Gesturing to his father an invitation to walk before him, with his face saying, 'please'. Like a Butler who waits for his master.

"Sighs.. what are you, a mute?" Because of that, his father has to give up.

"Go home first, help me tell your mother that me and some of my old classmates are going in for a dine. I'd like to have you come with me too, but I know you'll refuse any way." His father continued.

Alex Maxim, Miles' father, has an old friend who works as a higher up in the Red Church. It was currently 6:48 pm, while the church closed at 7 pm. Needless to say, they will have to wait for a few minutes for that friend, and also gather their group.

'Stepmother, you mean?' Miles thought as he ignored his father's remarks and proceeded to say in monotone: "Alright, I'll go first."

After that, he strode off without looking back.

His father was left speechless but can't do anything. He could only shake his head and sigh, "This child..."

Miles got out of the church. Compared to when the bell just sounded, there were barely any people left outside.

The snow began falling again. He suddenly understood why the people earlier were in such a rush. It was because the snow might begin falling any minute.

It might not be the first time Miles saw snowfall, but it was his first time seeing a snowfall — how do you describe it — falling like a light rain, so fast, that it seemed that a person walking in this fall would turn that person into a snowman without any mercy.

He was distraught. He underestimated the snow. He didn't bring an umbrella!

Miles could only stand stiffly by the entrance of the church, exposed to the continuous blows of winter's blood-freezing wind, his face darkening with every second that passed.

Miles finally began considering going back inside the church after a minute to accompany his father.

But before he could do so, he noticed the movement of someone exiting just beside him. He looked at him up and down.

That someone was a man clad in all black from top to toe — even gloves and socks — as what Miles observed — are all black.

He was also a few centimetres taller than Miles, with a handsome side profile and a light brown hair.

The man in black leisurely took out his umbrella — also black, as if the wind nor the snowfall that seemed to last for eternity, doesn't bother him at all — or rather, as if he does not give a fuck about his surroundings at all.

Miles has always been someone introverted and hated talking, but he's someone adept in watching. He could easily notice the smallest details everyone could easily miss. At the same time, he was a very sensitive person in a way that he could easily feel or get a hunch about other people's feelings.

Most people's feelings revolve around sadness, happiness, hatred, love, calmness.. but this was the first time Miles met someone with this.. rather peaceful feels.

Wait— this wasn't important! What's important is that he had to go home!

Fortunately, he didn't space out for more than half a minute. The man in black was just adjusting the angle of his umbrella and was still preparing to set out.

Miles wasn't the type to initiate talk with people, instead the type to ignore people. And him asking for a favour to others— it's impossible! If someone told him he'd try to do so tonight, he'd even snort and ignore him! Life is really full of surprises!

Miles cleared his throat, "Ahem.. Mr.?"

The man noticed him and paused his actions, but he didn't turn around to face Miles.

"Can I... share an umbrella with you?"

There was a slight red on Miles face, either from how long he's been standing there or just shame from asking the other person.

Two seconds passed after Miles uttered those words. The man seemed to be contemplating whether he'd allow so or not and was also inclined to refuse, as what Miles felt from his subsequent pauses.

The temperature was getting colder and colder, and Miles also was getting more and more impatient.

Before Miles could utter another set of words,the man turned his head and glanced at him before turning his gaze back to his umbrella.

The man eyes were a pair of light hazels, but with the shadows the umbrella casted upon him, they seemed to be darker.

Miles understood, this man agreed!

He immediately walked beside the man in black, and both went to walk off amidst the white of the falling snow.

7:27 pm.

The Maxim Chateau was situated 15 minutes away from the main city grounds and less than 20 minutes from the Red Church. But with the immense snowfall, it took an additional few minutes of driving.

The snow-shrouded mansion reflected in Miles' eyes as he drove past its gates.

It was a fairly old two-floored chateau sitting on a stone substructure in thousands of square meters wide, the brick masonry of walls almost fifty feet high. And a total of five average bedrooms, two large bedrooms, and a master bedroom.

It was an estate from his grandfather to his father when his grandfather passed.

When Miles' mother died of plane crash, his father was still a busy man, and grieving his wife, he couldn't take proper care of the four year old Miles.

Miles was taken in by his grandfather.

The whole of this house was basically his treasured childhood. But his father just had to take a woman and a child in, tarnishing the beautiful image engraved in his memories.

Miles had just turned 11 when his grandfather passed, which was barely seven years ago. Just a few months of his grandfather's passing, his father brought in a curly red-haired woman and a child beside her with the same features. That child was a few months older than Miles, but that woman treated that child as if he's fragile as a glass. That made the situation between the father-son and the mother-son duos awkward.

Until his father couldn't take it anymore and forced the two kids to get along with each other, putting Miles into a tight spot, but that's just what that woman wanted. She hated Miles for whatever reason. Miles himself doesn't need his sensitivity to know and feel that she was openly showing it.

The child was the same, too. He'd often make things difficult for Miles,following in his mother's footsteps.

But what's worse was his father couldn't see it. Miles tried to complain to him as a child, but his father often brushed him off as a child's baseless grumbles. So Miles had no choice but to purse his lips and barely open them again while also trying his best to stay away from the mother-son duo.

But it looks like he can't do that tonight.

He slowly walked up to the chateau's entrance. Outside, the incandescent lights from the living room's chandelier illuminated the stone paths covered in snow, almost giving Miles the illusion of returning to nine years ago when he was just eight years old

The snow at the time also came early, but compared to the present snowfall, the snowfall that time was much more gentler, like the dragonfly dipping onto the lake's surface.

At that time, his grandfather would accompany him to play with snow.

He would lay against the pile of white, his grandfather would help him up, and he'd deliberately fall again. He'd do that multiple times until his grandfather would give up, and when his grandfather did, he would laugh so hard he'd fall.

When he laughed, he his subtly fell onto the entrance of the chateau. The golden light inside fell onto the windows, so vibrant and full of life.

It was his home.

Miles shook his head and quietly walked onto the gigantic wooden double-doors engraved in patterns of the lily flower and almost seven feet high.

The chattering of different kinds of voices could be vaguely heard. It seemed that the woman had guests tonight.

Miles furrowed his brows and pushed the door. The subtle creaking sound stopped the voices in the midst of their chatters.

The chateau's entrance layout was when you opened the door. There would be the hallway where the living room would be directly seen.

In the living room were a pair of velvet sectional sofas facing each other, and single seater sofa. That red-haired woman wearing an extravagant white dress with her hair tied into a beautiful bun, sat on at one sectional sofa with and opposite her were two other women dressed in almost the same manner as her. Behind them was a furnished wooden imperial staircase.

One glance at her, and Miles' head began to ache.

".. Oh! You came back alone? Where is your father?" Her voice was filled with feigned worry when she mentioned Miles' father.

(A/N: Did I forget to introduce mother-son

duo's names? Nope! Miles refused to acknowledge them no matter what, and the first half of the story was in his POV, so I gotta leave her at 'red-haired woman' and 'red-haired son'. Don't worry, tho Miles' father is gonna mention them later on.)

Miles answered perfunctorily, "He's staying out for the half of the night, dining with old classmates."

He then strode towards the staircases.

"You... haven't eaten yet, right? The guests and I already ate a few moments ago... what about you call your brother? He also still hasn't had dinner yet.."

"I already ate outside."

".... Oh... then please call your brother for me.." The red-haired woman immediately began to excuse herself from her guests.

"No need, mom, I'm here." Just before Miles could ignore her and take another step, a red-haired man walked down the stairs. He wore a respectful tone as he swept his eyes on Miles.

"Brother... you haven't taken off your coat yet.." He seemed like an older brother just reminding his younger brother, but in the eyes of the guests, Miles was already a disrespectful brat when they heard the red-haired man's remarks.

Miles just nodded. He walked past the red-haired man and disappeared from their view.

"... Is that really Mr. Maxim's son from first wife? He didn't even say hello to us just now!" One of the guests complained in a hushed voice.

"This is what happens if a mother dies and leaves her kids — lack of proper manners!" The other replied.

"If she just stayed home back then, she could've raised that kid a bit better!"

"Look at our Mrs. Maxim right there, and look at how respectful her son is!"

"That's because our lady raised her son well and attentively!"

......

Miles vaguely heard the last words, and he snorted coldly as he entered his room and locked it.

Sure enough, birds with the same feathers flock together.

All these people see are the surface of the duo's acts. But the way they judge about who's more and who's less was as if they could see the whole picture.

Miles leaned against his door. He clutched the front part of his hair and sighed deeply.

He was tired, so fucking tired.

His heart was already aching from how long he's been holding in.

He closed his eyes and sighed again.

Suddenly, his mind traced back to when he was under the same umbrella with the man in black, just barely an hour ago.

........

The surroundings were all a blanket of white, but the man beside him was clad in all black, like a dot in a plain white sheet of paper.

The man matched his pace as they walked towards where the cars were parked.

There were no words exchanged between the two of them, but the silence between them felt so comfortable.

It was so comfortable that Miles almost forgot where he parked his car and had the man in black wait for him for a minute.

Before Miles closed the door of his car as he got in, he looked up and met those hazel eyes again.

"... Thank you.." His voice was more like of a whisper, but the man heard it and nodded before he turned around and left.

[Without the knowledge of the main character, the corner of the lips of the man in black curved into a subtle smile.]

Miles leaned against his door for who knows how long. His thoughts drifting everywhere were interrupted by the sudden grumbles of his stomach.

He forgot that he hadn't had dinner yet.

He glanced at the wall clock centimetres above his study table. It was 8:03 pm.

Chances about meeting the mother-son duo when going out of this room is high, especially because the woman had guests over. Not only that, he'll look even more a liar in those guests' eyes.

Well... It's not like he cares anyway.

Knock Knock

His thoughts were interrupted once again.

No one would dare knock at his door if his father wasn't home. So, whoever the person on the other side, it definitely wouldn't be anyone from this estate.

It could be a guest. But why would a guest knock at his door?

He hesitated for a moment before he leisurely opened it.

With a creak, a young girl's face appeared in his view.

The young girl was a few centimetres shorted than him, looking like someone who had just turned 15. She wore a classic white knee-long dress over a grey crocheted turtleneck

She was quite a beauty with her dark hair and hazel eyes, and looking at those hazel eyes reminded him of the man in black.

The girl stood there with a paperbag in her hands. She looked startled when Miles opened the door, as if she didn't expect him to do so.

"... What is it?" Miles did not bother with pleasantries at all. He looked at her like she had done something wrong.

The girl showed a nervous smile, but she didn't look uncomfortable. She looked like she was used to someone talking and looking at her that way.

"Hello, brother. Mrs. Maxim told us that you weren't at home earlier, but when you arrived, my mother made a call, and I went to the bathroom, so I didn't have the chance to give this to you."

The girl then raised her hands, Miles got a clearer view of the paperbag. It was a small strawberry flavoured cream-filled delicacy from a luxurious bakery.

Miles looked at it for a moment, seemingly contemplating whether he should accept it or not. But he's actually thinking whether eating a delicacy for a dinner would be bad for the body.

"Oh.. I... my name is Kathy Hudson..." The girl broke the lingering silence nervously.

Miles snapped out from his thoughts.

"... Oh, I got it." Miles received the paperbag, "Thank you."

"Are you... gonna eat it now?" Kathy looked at Miles, this time, with a little confidence.

Miles glanced at the paperbag in his hands and looked at Kathy. He raised his brows, "Hmm?"

"Ah... hadn't you had dinner yet?" Kathy blinked.

Miles: "Hadn't I?"

Kathy: "... Your stomach is..."

Kathy did not finish her words, Miles' stomach grumbled again. This time, more audible.

"....."

"....."

"Do you feel uncomfortable around Mrs. Maxim?" The silence that built up was interrupted by Kathy's seemingly out of place question. But there was a hint behind it that Miles could read.

Kathy... this young girl, despite her age and an apparently innocent look, was someone who could perceive something like that.

And instead of saying it directly, she'd hinted it like it was something very natural.

Miles looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"I... it's just that you wouldn't be going into your room without eating dinner if you weren't..." Kathy explained. "Don't worry.. I-I'm not saying it's invalid... I mean.."

"I've been curious... you could've just asked a servant to deliver this to me.." Miles looked at the paperbag in his hands, "Why didn't you?"

Kathy pursed her lips, and Miles waited when she opened her mouth again.

"D-Don't get me wrong... I.."

Just then, a call interrupted Kathy's words.

"Ms. Hudson, here you are!" It was that red-haired man again.

The chateau's second floor was like this: Upon ascending the imperial staircase, you would see five doors. In the middle was the master bedroom. The right was Miles' room. The left was the red-haired man's room. The other room was an empty room that was transformed into his father's study, and the other door led to a small second living room where family photos were displayed. Miles typically hated the second living room because of the fact that the photos here had the duo's face, as if they were in the first place, and the fact that his mother's photos were replaced so blatantly.

Upon the red-haired man's ascendancy, he saw Miles' room half-opened with Miles out — still haven't taken off his cloak and narrowed his eyes at the girl in front. They appeared to he conversing, which is rather surprising because of Miles' unfriendliness.

He scrunched his brows together.

"....Oh, brother." The red-haired man smiled obviously fake, "I thought you had gone to rest."

Then he shifted his gaze to the young girl.

".. First Young Master..." Kathy smiled faintly.

"Ms. Hudson, my mother sent me to ask for you downstairs. The snowfall hadn't subsided yet. It appears that you and the others might have to stay here for the night." The red-haired man's eyes looked at Kathy very tenderly. Then he swept his eyes at Miles again. "Brother, why don't you go down with us?"

Kathy glanced back at Miles. She was hinting Miles to go with them so he could eat dinner.

Miles pursed his lips and looked at the red-haired man, "... Both of you should head down first. I'd go when I finished changing clothes."

In fact, even if Kathy hadn't gone to knock on his door, he still would go downstairs. He couldn't care less about how he looked like to others, nor did he care about his acts being pointed out. You could humiliate him, but he'd never spare you a glance and just walk past you.

So what if you think he was a spoiled brat that lacked manners?

People can only say something about it. But could they do something about it? Even if they could, what is it? Does it even matter? Could it stop him from doing what he wanted? No.

That's the kind of unbothered Miles was.

Kathy flashed a small smile at him, and the red-haired man happened to see it. The fact that Miles actually agreed to go extremely irritated the red-haired man. Now that Kathy actually smiled at Miles, he could only grit his teeth.

The next second, Miles found himself back in his room.

He slowly took off his cloak and undressed. His mind again drifted somewhere.

This was habitual for him. Overthinking has been the only thing he found himself engrossed at for the past six years. Especially when he felt sleepy, hungry, or tired.

The thing concerning him about right now is the way that Kathy personally came to him.

He had some guesses, and the way the red-haired man scrunched his brows at sight of him and Kathy conversing and seemingly getting along just fine, backed that guess.

He suddenly laughed.

He hasn't even turned 18 and still had to finish his final year on senior high school.

Kathy felt like someone who just graduated from middle school wasn't for the fact that she's incredibly perceptive towards other people. Like she could understand the meaning behind other people's acts very well. She seemed to have a lot of experience in that case, like she was used to someone treating her with a cold shoulder.

But that only made him doubt even more.

Someone who could deal with a person filled with indifference — who else would think about it?

There was only one person who wished so badly to deal with Miles — his own father.

He furrowed his brows.

Hudson family was distinguished as the family who reigned wealth over the country and several parts of the world. They owned an influence that was as strong as an imperial seal, especially towards the business world.

Although Maxim family couldn't be considered as influential as Hudson's, they had a history of more than just several hundred years. That history was extremely rich, and written in that history was that the Hudson and Maxim have a rapport that lasted for a very long chain of years.

There are also several marriages that happened between the two families, strengthening their bond even more.

Just this fact alone disturbed Miles' thoughts.

He thought of his middle-aged father, whose white hair began to grow.

When his mother died, his father couldn't take care of him, so we went into his grandfather's care.

When his grandfather died, not even a few months later, he brought home that duo.

Miles' heart ached, and he gritted his teeth.

'Scheming bastard.' He thought as he got out of his room and walked downstairs.