Ohhhh, so despite how clearly strong MC is that the audience can see, if he played to lose by now, they'd know it was a set-up to keep the noble family in favor due to social hierarchy, putting their own credibility as nobles into question.
If you mean the flashback to him looking at kite from the top of the stairs then the way I took it was completely different. To me it seemed like the MC was looking at his half-brother with worry and concern, but in the eyes of kite it was scorn, looking down on him. Kite was mentioned to have been largely ignored by the dad for being an illegitimate child (born to someone other than his legal wife) so I think he has ended up developing an inferiority complex deep down, making him think everyone looks down on him. In that situation he would come to envy the MC who is treated differently, and his envy would cause his view of him to take a negative light and villainify him. I think that is why he acts so cocky, it's basically putting up a front while he is actually desperate deep down trying to overtake the MC so he can prove his worth.
Honestly he should have just ended it when he first pinned him down, but he decided to drag it out...
Well, Lythe is the older brother. The next chapter should include a page with Kite on the ground, crying, Lythe standing over him, grabbing his arms, and saying, "Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself?"
