Chapter 192 Are You Sure You’re Talking About Bodyguards Instead of Slaves
“No!” Luke immediately protested before Logan could even chip in. “I am fine with not calling Maddie by her name, but I am her bodyguard. I am hers, not the Harts’. Why would I need to call her Mrs. Hart? I can call her Miss Maddie or Mistress too, but not Mrs. Hart!”
Sebastian peered at him then. “I am not discussing with you. I am informing you about my decision. You can stay if you agree, and if you don’t, there is nothing else for us to talk about.”
Luke’s face, which was pale from the pain, had turned red again after he was angered by Sebastian. His eyes glared at Sebastian as he bit his teeth, and it took him a while before he roared, “Okay. Deal!”
“Try saying it once,” Sebastian urged with a smile. “We will talk about the second condition once you get used to it.”
Luke had no choice but to comply. “…Fine! You win!” he hissed.
He then turned to Madeline, and his flushed face turned even redder. His mouth opened and closed without a sound, and he eventually lowered his head and unwillingly called out, “Mrs. Hart!”
Madeline didn’t say a thing, but hearing that made all the goosebumps on her body rise.
She really, really, really felt uncomfortable hearing that from Luke, but since it was something Sebastian wanted, there was no point in her embarrassing him by saying that she didn’t need that.
She could only hold herself back from soothing the goosebumps on her arms, and forcibly hummed in reply.
Luke pouted as his gaze lowered to the floor. The shadows cast by his long lashes made him look like a good boy who had been wronged.
Even though he was already in his 20s, his beautiful, flawless babyface and lean figure made him look like a teenager. Him sitting on the sofa like a child with a defeated look on his face felt so pitiful and lovable that no one would be able to imagine how scary he looked when he was out of control.
Seeing that, Logan couldn’t help but pat him on his head. “You…” he sighed with his voice filled with helplessness and regret.
Logan felt like he was the one to blame for all this.
In fear of their stepmother tracking them down and killing them off, Logan and Luke had never gone to school after they got to Worrick. He was the only one who would go out and settle things if he had to.
He always kept Luke at home and prevented him from getting in contact with outsiders because he was worried that young Luke would be taken away by their stepmother’s goons.
On the other hand, Luke had been brutally cynical because of what he had to go through when he was young. He disliked getting in contact with outsiders and his condition only got worse because of Logan’s overprotective tendencies.
They eventually went back to Capitol and got their revenge. But even after they had retrieved everything that was rightfully theirs and had gained fame for their intelligence and good looks despite only being young adults, Luke continued to spend time in his own world as he still disliked dealing with other people.
Due to the fact that he had very little contact with the outside world, Luke turned into an immature adult––he could even be considered to have a flawed personality.
There were a lot of things about social convention that he didn’t understand.
He would look like a mature adult when it came to things that he knew. On the other hand, he seemed like an ignorant child when it came to things that he was oblivious about.
It was a blessing that Luke was a natural when it came to computers. There was no way he could make a living otherwise.
However, even though Luke was so shockingly gifted and he was the one who made easier money among the brothers, Logan couldn’t help but worry about his younger brother. He knew that Luke wouldn’t be able to survive in society if something bad were to happen to Logan.
The world was a complicated place where only having a good brain wouldn’t help one survive. There was no way Luke could save himself with his talent in computers if he someday fell into an evil scheme. Luke was like a child who carried a precious treasure with him—he just might get gobbled up if Logan wasn’t there to protect him.
That was why everything was Logan’s fault.
It was because of his overprotectiveness that Luke had such a peculiar personality.
His childhood had caused too big an impact on his growth that his flaw stuck to him even though they later had a change in status and lifestyle. Hence, his little brother’s personality was hard to change no matter how hard he tried.
Thinking about this, he gradually went from pleading for Luke to actually wanting Luke to stay here.
Later on, he planned to find some time to have a talk with Madeline when Luke is not around and have her teach Luke about societal norms. It might be useful for him in the future when he deals with other people.
Furthermore, Luke used to only hole himself up in his office or home and tinkered with his computer all day when they were in Capitol because of his dislike for meeting people. Luke could go all day without speaking to anyone if Logan hadn’t gone to him first.
Luke becoming Madeline’s bodyguard seemed like an opportunity to get him out of the house and communicate with other human beings more!
He would surely pick up some skills to make a living after he had been exposed to the outside world.
Just in case something bad were to happen to Logan, at least he didn’t have to worry about leaving Luke behind.
Also, he thought while peeking at Sebastian. He is one of the best men in Dusktown. His ability and skills are considered one of the best.
It was obvious that Sebastian didn’t like Luke, and if Luke really were to stay by Madeline’s side, Sebastian just might teach him a lesson or two on how to behave like a normal person.
Logan wouldn’t have to worry so much about Luke if he were to learn something from Sebastian.
It only took a little more than 10 seconds for all these random thoughts and plannings to appear in Logan’s head.
After dissecting this whole thing, he became enthusiastic about keeping Luke by Madeline’s side as her bodyguard.
He turned to look at her, and said, “Maddie, you don’t have to hold back against him since he is the one who volunteered to do it. Don’t give him special treatment. Just think of him as another bodyguard.”
“This is exactly what I wanted to talk about for my second condition,” Sebastian suddenly took over. “You have to act like a bodyguard if you want to become one. Do what our bodyguards do, and if you can’t do it, I will get rid of you right on the spot.”
“What is so hard about being a bodyguard,” Luke grumpily muttered. “I can do any task I am given well!”
Sebastian’s eyebrows raised at that. “Is that so? I will talk about a few basic rules then. You have to stand when your master is seated. You have to watch when your master is eating. You have to stand there and take it all in even when your master, who is having a bad day, is taking it all out on innocent you.”
“Are you an employer or a landlord?” Luke’s eyes were opened wide as he stared at Sebastian.
“I am not done yet,” Sebastian reprimanded as he glared at Luke. “The bodyguards who work for the Harts have morning practices that start at 5:00 AM and end at 8:00 AM every day. Night practices start at 7:00 PM and end at 9:30 PM. No staying up on nights you are off duty. Your lights must be off for bed before 11:00 PM. We do it military style here. Words from your higher-ups are to be heeded no matter what. You have to jump from a building when you are told to. And no objections.”
“…Are you sure you are talking about bodyguards instead of slaves?”
