My sight slowly lifts from the darkness as light softly streaks in.
This is a rather special occasion—a momentous day.
It's my sixteenth birthday.
To be honest, I have been awake since 3 AM, but this isn't due to any special jitters. It's simply because my body has been conditioned to wake up at that time. I would have spent the hours after that training, but with my body's condition being like this, I could only force myself back to sleep.
Or, some form of meditation.
Thankfully, the calming incense helps with that, so it isn't much of an issue.
Now that my attention is back to the world beyond my mind, I can hear muffled noises emanating from outside my room.
It appears the Coming-of-Age Ceremony is underway.
It has actually started!
How ironic is it that I'm bedridden on my own birthday? I don't think much of this and simply enjoy the solace of my room without any complaints.
I know I'm not missing much anyway.
After all, I already experienced all of it in my first life.
The day stretches on until noon, which is when my siblings find a way to sneak into my room and tell me all that has been happening. The Ceremony is boring to these two, and I can't blame them.
The day contains nothing but old Aditi Household Traditions, though it shares a lot of common practices with other Knight Households and even Noble Families. The Ceremony lasts from dawn until dusk, and it contains a lot of festive celebrations, poetry and dance presentations, several competitions and exhibitions, speeches—lots of speeches—and so much more.
At some point, around noon, the celebrant is meant to show up and actively participate in the rest of the events.
In essence, right now is meant to be my moment to shine.
Without me, the Ceremony has to be modified to fit in more arbitrary and unimportant things. My siblings even got bored and had to find a way to weasel their way out of the event.
'In my past life, I dueled with a lot of people during the Ceremony, including my cousin, Dustin… who ended up giving me my first facial scar. It was an affront to the Main Family and my position as Heir, but I couldn't see it very clearly at the time.'
I slowly shake my head and remember just how much my father chided me after that incident.
Apart from me dueling, there is also an event where the Knights of the Aditi Household engage in an exhibition match akin to a tournament amongst one another to determine the most skilled.
There's no need for me to guess the winner of the contest.
It's undoubtedly my father.
Other things like this fill the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, but I honestly couldn't care less.
One memory of it is more than enough to last two lifetimes.
Right now, there are several other things that occupy my mind. As such, I no longer bother with trivial matters that have little consequence on my future—especially since I have already ensured I won't be missing out on much.
'Uncle Damon will help me gather the information I need from the Lesser Nobles attending, so I don't particularly mind that Father has blocked me off from interacting with any of the Lesser Nobles and Representatives from other Knight Households that are in attendance.'
I already have my past life's knowledge and memory of them, and my interaction in that Coming-of-Age Ceremony was superficial at best.
Now that I think about it, my father was still the one who held all the cards back then.
Just like with Leon, he made it seem like I was connecting with these Households, but it was actually him who was behind everything.
I never had full control until I became Head of Household, after my father died.
'Of course, I have no evidence of this. But it fits my father's personality too well…' As I think of all these things, I take the time to speak with my siblings and entertain them until they are eventually caught and dragged off by the servants under my mother's orders.
Such matters are inevitable.
I only offer them sympathetic looks as they are taken back to the boring event.
As for me, I enjoy what little moments of peace I have left until the coming times when things will inevitably become more tumultuous for me.
Time passes, and I spend the rest of my day reading.
Leon serves as my aide, so he never leaves the room unless I let him. I make sure he flips the pages for me, allowing me to keep consuming knowledge despite my current state.
Once the sun sets, the Ceremony officially ends.
Most guests leave the Aditi Estate immediately, but some lodge in accommodation already prepared for them and indulge in our hospitality. Naturally, this is only extended to families that the Aditi Household is closest to, or Minor Families that have Knights within them.
The Aditi Household has a total of nine Knights.
Apart from my father, there are eight more scattered among the Lesser Family members.
Six of those are my Uncles, one of them is my Aunt's husband, and the last one is my cousin.
Not Dustin. His older brother.
Right now, he is in his apprenticeship, which is why he didn't show up for my Coming-of-Age Ceremony. To show the kind of ambition my Uncle Jerome has, he also desires to send Dustin to the Knight Academy so he can have two children who are Knights in his family.
He isn't a Knight, an intentional action done by the Main Family to suppress him.
But… if his children end up being Knights, he will possess considerable influence in the family.
In my past life, Dustin wasn't granted permission to go to the Knight Academy, but who knows how this new life will turn out? After all, I have already changed so much.
The Minor Family will certainly cause more trouble for my father due to my actions.
I can only hope he handles it well.
My mother comes to visit me not long after the Coming-of-Age Ceremony ends, and she asks how I'm doing. She profusely apologizes for not coming to see me earlier, as she was swamped with so many other duties.
Of course, I understand this.
After she leaves, Uncle Damon comes in, and I send Leon on an errand so he can excuse us.
He tells me everything he learned from his interactions with the Lesser Nobles, which makes me greatly pleased. Despite how his life turned out, my Uncle is actually a competent man.
Or is this because he has the right incentive?
Either way, he is currently very useful to me, and I appreciate his hard work.
With the information he has provided, I'll be able to study harder in preparation for the Entrance Exams, and I'll start planning my expenses a lot more accurately. The funds I'll be able to gather from this business won't nearly be able to cover all my tuition, but it should last me for a year or two—just in case I don't get a scholarship.
Naturally, the ideal situation is that I do, but I need to prepare for the worst.
Uncle Damon also gives me some counsel based on his experience in the Royal Academy. It's slightly outdated information, so I can't quite count on the reliability of some of it, but there are some timeless pieces of advice I will keep dear to my heart.
For example:
"Be wary of the Royals and High Nobility. None of them are your friends."
Naturally, I am well aware of the hierarchy of power in the Randalorion Kingdom. I know my Aditi Household is nothing compared to the High Nobility, not to mention the Royal Family. We are only a Mid-Rank Knight Household, and I intend to keep that in mind at all times.
Even High-Rank Knight Households are still subservient to High Nobility.
Only the Low Nobility can be considered equal to Knight Households and the Clergy.
After relaying all the information to me, my Uncle bids me farewell and departs from the Aditi Estate. Just as I expected, he isn't one of the chosen ones who have been granted accommodation after the Ceremony.
This shows how low his status is in the Aditi Household.
I'm sure those pesky Minor Families, like my Uncle Jerome and the rest who visited me yesterday, will have their accommodation. The reason is simple—influence.
Each one of those families has a Knight, which makes them the backbone of the Aditi Household, but also the weakness of the Main Family. If they gang up on my father, the results would be very disastrous.
But, they are not likely to.
After all, most of them are distrustful of one another. Plus, they are all fishing for their family's benefits, which often causes conflicts of interest and constant scheming against one another.
There's also the fact that the only C-Grade Armament of the Aditi Household is in the possession of our Main Family.
None of them will act up as long as that major variable exists.
'Also, my father can best all of them in individual combat. He's shown that much today. He can also take on multiple of them at once. With that Armament, handling all eight of them won't be much of an issue…'
In essence, despite their numbers, they aren't a major threat to the Main Family in a head-on conflict. That's why they can only resort to schemes.
Once my Uncle leaves and Leon returns, I read some more until I get sleepy.
Only then do I release my aide and go to bed.
*********
The next day isn't much different for me.
I find out that I'm regaining sensation in my body, which allows me to lift my arms and legs to a small, limited extent. This allows me to read my books without relying solely on Leon, though I'm still unable to walk.
As such, I don't see the other guests off when they leave.
Right until the end, none of the Minor Family members came to my room to see me—not even the ones who arrived in our Estate after Uncle Jerome and company.
I'm guessing the ones I humiliated relayed their story to the rest, and my father also ensured they wouldn't have access to me very easily anymore. He should have done that from the start, but he just had to resort to his silly test.
The only relevant visitor I have is a Representative from Baron Romulus, the High Noble with whom our Knight Household is affiliated.
Just like in my past life, he is the one who was sent by the Baron's Household after getting our invitation.
This seems like a very prestigious thing on the surface, but it's really not.
I'm certain the Baron isn't even aware that there is such a thing as a Coming-of-Age Ceremony happening in our Aditi Household today. This matter must have been handled by his steward or chief of staff, perhaps.
If the Baron was truly involved, he would have sent a member of his family as a representative.
The more influential or relevant the child is in the Baron's family, the greater the importance he has placed on our Household. If he had sent his Heir, that would be the most prestigious occasion, since he wouldn't lower himself to come himself.
However, he has done none of that.
Instead, his Barony sent a mere retainer as a Representative.
This shows the disregard the Baron has towards our Aditi Household, but none of us take offense at this. It is only natural. There are probably several dozen Mid-Rank Knight Households affiliated with that single Baron.
Only the High-Rank Knight Household should expect special treatment.
Once I pay my respects to the Representative, he also leaves the Estate, and my father personally escorts the man. This simply shows that, no matter how grand the position of Head of Household is in the Aditi Household, there is always someone greater.
My father doesn't even come to see me throughout the day, though the reason is very clear…
I don't think too much about it and simply distract myself with my studies.
My mother and siblings visit very often, but besides them, my days are filled with nothing but constant silence and reading. I hear some Minor Family members spent a few days in the Aditi Estate before leaving—one of whom is Jerome's family.
It seems he has decided to take a more aggressive route than what I remember in my past life to ensure his son, Dustin, attends the Knight Academy.
The decision is up to my father, and surprisingly… he accepts.
I would have been more shocked if I didn't know my father so well. He's probably doing this for two main reasons: to stir me to attend the Knight Academy by inserting my rival cousin, and also to strengthen the Aditi Household in case I or my brother refuse to attend the Knight Academy.
He definitely doesn't wish for the latter to be the case, since that would give a Minor Family more prospects than the Main one, allowing them to contest for our position. I'm certain he wants me to be aware of this, so I can make a sacrificial move for the family… but there's really no need for me to do such a thing.
I honestly wish I could tell my father not to worry so much.
Selicia will be an exemplary Knight, so there's no reason for him to fret so much about these things.
I ignore the matter and simply continue with my sedentary lifestyle.
Before I know it, an entire week passes… and my injuries completely recover. My body is covered in scars, but none of those matter now.
Now that I have regained my freedom, I can finally resume my plans.