I Can't Eat Love

Side Part 1 - Nate

In a previous life...

No one ever truly looked at me, despite being a prince, despite trying my best. Their gazes always slipped past me, to focus on someone else. I felt sometimes that i was shouting, screaming for someone to see me, see who i was... but it always came to nothing in the end.

I noticed it early on.

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"Nate!" My older brother George called out as he crashed into my room without notice. "People are in trouble! We have to go help them!"

I sighed loudly. George always said the exact same thing. Last time was because his favorite shop was out of sweets. "What is it this time?"

"I saw some people didn't have homes on the streets, I'm going to help them."

"You want to start a charity?" I stood, up, already thinking through the steps that would need to be accomplished.

George stopped in his tracks, his enthusiasm waning. "Eh, a charity? Can't we just... get them off the streets?"

A headache started forming behind my eyes. I rubbed my temples, closing my eyes. "I'll take care of the paperwork. We'll get a charity started and help the people you are worried about."

"Perfect!" Excited once more, George clapped me on the back before charging back out, the open swinging door the only trace of his outburst. I sighed again.

I would be busy for a while.

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"George! We are so proud of the charitable work you've been doing lately!" Father spoke up at dinner, his eyes warm as he studied my brother.

Wait, what? I looked up from my meal, shocked. Neither of my parents paid any attention to me, however, both focused on my older brother.

"Thanks!" George happily accepted the compliment, never glancing in my direction. An angry flame built up in my chest.

Why wasn't he telling them that I did most of the work? Why doesn't anyone care that I was the one who made this project a success?

"But..." I tried to speak up, feeling embarrassed but determined to be seen.

"You need to be more like your brother, Nate." My Mother smiled calmly at me, not noticing the pain she was causing. "You could learn a lot from him."

My determination shriveled to nothing in my chest, and i stared back down at my plate, blinking back tears.

I didn't finish dinner that night.

"Why didn't you tell them?" I asked him later, upset. His only response was to stare innocently back at me.

"We both worked hard. I'm sure they realize that."

But they didn't.

They never did.

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"Let go of her!" George yelled out, charging into the middle of a group of men harassing a young woman. They outnumbered him twelve to one, and he had below average fighting ability, he was quickly restrained, a punch landing on his stomach by a smirking gang member.

Seeing all this as I arrived, I ordered the royal guards I had brought with me to split the group in half, quickly joining the side that held my brother captive.

"DO YOUR WORST YOU COWARDS!" George screamed fearlessly at them even as he was helpless to break free.

I saw the knife pointing in his direction, and jumped forward to protect him without thinking, wincing as the blade cut through my skin.