1 Chapter 0097
Chapter 0097
Ryan’s POV
“This contestant’s vehicle is rudimentary at best, and the design of the turning system is flawed to such a degree that it should be grounds for total disqualification,” Matthew Bedford says confidently into the microphone.
The crowd gasps in unison in surprise at the harsh critique of Ethan’s work.
All the other judges had been impressed by Ethan’s vehicle. Not just impressed, but blown away! The other three judges had had nothing but positive things to say.
They had each given Ethan a perfect score of 10 out of 10!
Ethan’s vehicle had performed so well on the course, the dominance of it against the other competitors was undeniable!
Except, apparently, to Matthew Bedford,
‘But I made the turning system like that because-” Ethan started to say, his little voice shaking with nerves.
“It is flawed, young man!” Matthew Bedford replies loudly, speaking over the boy, not caring about his counter argument.
“But, please if you just listen-” Ethan begins, frustration growing on his little face.
“Do you dare contest my opinion as a judge?! Such arrogance from someone who knows so very little!” Matthew’s voice is cold and full of venom.
I know that Bedford is full of shit! Ethan has spent weeks studying turning systems for vehicles. I know this because I have been there with him at every step of the way, guiding his research and answering his questions.
I bet that Bedford doesn’t even know enough about vehicles to tell an axle from a tailpipe! All of the things that he’s criticizing about Ethan’s design make it clear how little Matthew Bedford actually knows about the subject.
He’s not even qualified to sit on this panel! How did he even get selected for this judging in the first place?!
But I can see by the look on Ethan’s face that the boy trusts Matthew Bedford’s opinion since he is an adult and a judge. Ethan looks devastated, like his heart is breaking open in front of this very large crowd.
But he isn’t crying. He isn’t running away.
I see Cara move from the corner of my eye. She removes Mia from her lap, placing her in Ruby’s care. Cara moves to stand from her seat
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I grab my sister’s wrist, holding her firmly in place.
“I must go to him! He’s only a child, he shouldn’t be subjected to this!” Cara whispers to me. “He can’t handle this at his age!”
“No!” I reply, shaking my head at her. “He must do this for himself. You cannot step in to save him.”
After all, situations like this are how a boy becomes a man.
Sooner or later, life would no longer be easy for Ethan. He will face tough challenges ahead, just as all of us inevitably do.
He must learn to steel himself. He must learn to be strong, even when, or perhaps especially when, things get tough.
Cara looks at me for a long minute before finally giving me a subtle nod and returning to her seat. Her eyes are still filled with worry, but she’s no longer trying to save him.
These are the times when a boy needs his father’s strong hand, not his mother’s soft one.
I give Cara all the credit in the world. It must not be an easy thing for a mother to watch her child experience unjust failure.
But if Ethan can’t have his father here to guide him, then at least he can have a strong uncle with his best interests at heart. At least little Ethan can have me.
I’ll always be here for him. To show him how to be a man.
“Now wait just a minute! How can you say these things like we didn’t all witness Ethan’s vehicle handle this course like a master?!” I hear my twin Aidan yell into his own microphone on the judges panel.
Aidan turns to the other two
s on the panel, trying to get them to agree with him. He gestures to them wildly, urging them to speak up.
But the judges don’t speak up. Those cowards!
Instead, the two other judges turn to watch Matthew Bedford continue his dramatic show.
Matthew Bedford laughs bitterly at Aidan and turns to the crowd, “Does anyone else find it appropriate that of course Aidan AUBURN would have nothing but good things to say about Ethan AUBURN’s performance?”
The crowd is silent, not sure who to believe. Eyes dart around, uncertain.
“A clear conflict of interest if I’ve ever seen it!” Matthew Bedford bellows into his microphone. “His opinion is biased of course!”
“No! Anyone could see that Ethan’s vehicle was superior to the others!” Aidan retorts
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* Chapter 0097
loudly.
“Superior‘?! Of course you would say that, Alpha PRINCE Auburn!” Matthew puts extra emphasis on the word ‘prince,‘ clearly highlighting to the crowd Aidan’s royal status.
“I suppose you royals think you are superior to all others in every aspect! All I’m merely trying to do is to give every contestant, even the lowly non–royals, a fair shot. You will not bully me into neglecting the work of the other contestants, your highness!“.
Matthew Bedford’s performance is dramatic and compelling, and the crowd seems more conflicted than ever.
“It is odd that a prince would be allowed to judge his royal nephew, isn’t it?” I hear one of the audience members whisper to another.
“Maybe that Bedford fellow is right?” another whisper calls.
It’s horribly unfair, the way this is unfolding. Matthew Bedford’s claims about Ethan’s vehicle’s specifications are baseless and ignorant.
But the crowd doesn’t seem to notice… or care.
“I did the only just…. the only HONORABLE thing… and gave the boy the score he deserves! A zero!” Matthew Bedford yells into the crowd, many of whom applaud him now.
“I’m sorry to inform you, Prince Auburn, that royalty alone does not win competitions of science and intelligence! You cannot bully us judges into voting for your nephew to win just because he was born into royalty!!” Bedford cries.
The crowd’s applause grows louder now.
“YES! He doesn’t win just because he’s a royal!?
“We can’t be unfair to the other children!”
My twin Aidan looks to me with a face full of rage, full of despair at his nephew’s unjust fate. Cara’s face is ashen, like she’s seen a ghost.
A single tear drops onto little Mia’s cheek, devastated by her brother’s public embarrassment. Ruby hugs her close, trying to console the little girl.
Ethan stands on stage, somehow holding himself together. He’s not crying, and I give the -boy my highest respects for that alone.
I know plenty of adults who couldn’t handle the situation that this little child is being forced to endure.
The little boy’s face is scrunched in frustration, but also… is that resolve?
His tiny jaw is pushed forward, like he’s refusing to let Matthew Bedford or any of the crowd see him break down in tears. His little hands are clenched in fists, firmly at his sides.
He looks just like his father.
He looks just like Alaric.
And it’s not just his matching jet black hair. It’s his attitude. His determination.
1 just hope he has even half of Alaric’s steadfastness, even half of his mother’s quick thinking.
Little Ethan will need both of those to resolve this difficult situation.
