Leave the Villainous Second Male Lead Alone - Chapter 2.3

Yves shot to his feet, ignoring the other boys, who looked alarmed and tried to hold him back. He stomped toward me, his frame looming larger up close. For a 12-year-old, he seemed bigger than some adults. But to me, a 28-year-old with military experience, he was still just a child.

As Yves approached with a menacing expression, I wasn’t scared. Instead, I calculated the situation.

‘If I take a few punches from him, will Father finally sever ties with the Viscount?’

A few punches might not be enough; they could brush it off as kids fighting and insist on reconciliation. To break their partnership completely, something more dramatic might be necessary—something like me bleeding profusely or losing consciousness.

So, I didn’t dodge when Yves swung his fist. Thud! The sound echoed as my head snapped to the side.

“Yves! What are you doing?”

Yves seemed to have assumed I would dodge. His punch, though forceful, was slow enough that I could have easily avoided it.

Yet, when I took the blow head-on and staggered, Yves’ eyes widened in surprise.

“What the—? Falling over from just that? Pathetic!” He stammered and glanced around at the other children, clearly flustered.

But this wasn’t enough. I needed something even more provocative. Clutching my stinging cheek with one hand, I glared at Yves and shouted.

“Does the Viscount know his heir is this crude? All you can do is throw punches, and you can’t even do that properly. Did you even manage to hurt me?” “You little!” Grinding his teeth, Yves hesitated briefly, likely aware he shouldn’t act recklessly toward the heir of a Count. But his simple-minded and hot-tempered nature made him an easy target for provocation. “You arrogant brat! Do you think being a Count’s heir makes you invincible?”

As Yves raised his fist again, I shut my eyes tightly. This time, I fully intended to take the hit. Thud!

The sound was much louder than before, reverberating through the room. Yet, there was no pain on my cheek. I cracked my eyes open and gasped in horror.

“Callisto!”

Callisto, who had been clinging to my waist moments ago, had darted forward to block Yves.

The tiny boy, much smaller than Yves, barely reached his opponent’s waist. Struck by Yves’ punch, Callisto stumbled back, nearly toppling over. Before I could intervene, he turned back to Yves, yelling with all his might.

“Apologize to Etienne! Say you’re sorry and get out of here!”

“What is this now? Even the bastard’s getting uppity,” Yves sneered, letting out a derisive laugh. Unlike when he hesitated to attack me, he swung his fist at Callisto without any restraint. Yves’ large, rough hand struck Callisto’s cheek, sending the smaller boy sprawling to the side, his head snapping violently.

Callisto crashed into a desk, but Yves wasn’t done.

He climbed on top of him, pinning the smaller boy down, and began pummeling Callisto’s face mercilessly with his fists. I froze in shock before rushing forward, screaming.

“Stop it! What are you doing? Get off him, now!”

“Why the hell is this filthy bastard even here? Why should I have to share a class with a dirty little rat like him?” “Stop! You’re insane! Get off him!” I grabbed Yves and tried to pull him off Callisto, but my strength was no match for the enraged 12-year-old.

My attempts only caused Yves to shake me off as he continued his assault. Nearby, Lawrence’s alarmed voice called out, trying to stop him, but Yves paid no attention. Callisto, for his part, didn’t cry or scream, even as Yves rained blows down on him. Instead, he looked up at Yves with fierce, unyielding eyes, gritting his teeth as he shouted. “Apologize to Etienne!” “Because of a bastard like you, everything’s falling apart!

You filthy little worm. Just die—die already!” Yves’ punches grew more ferocious, his intent genuinely murderous. Callisto’s small face was already covered in blood, and I couldn’t watch any longer. Without thinking, I slammed my fist into Yves’ back.

“Argh! What the hell? Do you want to die too?” “Maybe it’s you who wants to die! Do you think you’ll get away with injuring the heir of the Winyeates family?” Finally, I managed to stop Yves, shouting decisively as I forced him off Callisto. Yves glared at me, his face contorted with rage.

Officially, Callisto was the illegitimate child of the Count, which meant he wasn’t considered a noble. Yves knew full well that punishing a commoner like Callisto wouldn’t be a problem. That’s why his punches toward Callisto were far rougher and more violent than the ones he had thrown at me.

At this point, my original goal of severing the partnership between the Count and the Viscount no longer mattered. Watching Callisto endure blow after blow made my blood boil, and my mind felt like it was about to burst. “Leave Callisto alone! That’s enough get out of here! There’s no way we’ll take lessons with you!”

“What did you just say? Are you seriously telling me this bastard is more important than me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Why bother asking when you already know the answer?”

“You little!” Yves, fuming with rage, finally let go of Callisto and shoved me hard with both hands. His massive hands sent me stumbling backward. In that moment, I hit something hard with the back of my head. A sharp, excruciating pain shot through me.

“What the—? Hey, what’s going on? Get up! Don’t mess around!” Yves’ panicked voice reached my ears, but my vision grew blurry.

Ah! I must’ve hit it wrong. Even when you fall backward, you’re told to watch your nose, but I had hit the sharp edge of a table instead. I gasped for air, my hands flailing in the empty space, but I couldn’t grab hold of anything. Warm liquid trickled down the back of my head.

“Brother! Brother!” Callisto’s frantic voice calling for me echoed in my ears. But I couldn’t answer. My breaths came in short, labored gasps, and my limbs grew limp. The pain pounding in my head and the overwhelming blackness took over. At least Yves will surely be expelled for this…

That was my final thought before my consciousness faded completely. When I woke up, every inch of my body ached as though I had been beaten senseless.

Slowly forcing my heavy eyelids open, I found Callisto lying beside me, bathed in the bright sunlight pouring in. He was sprawled on the bed, his head turned toward me.

His face was swollen and mottled with bruises. His blackened eyes and purple cheeks looked painful even at a glance. I couldn’t bear to touch him, so I simply gazed at him before reaching for the bell to call a servant. Sensing movement, Callisto’s eyes snapped open. “Brother!” Callisto bolted upright and threw himself into my arms, hugging me tightly around the waist.

His voice was hoarse, trembling with emotion, as though he had been crying all along. I sighed and gently stroked his small, quivering back.

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