Back in his assigned bedroom, Fainyx finally allowed himself to take a slow, deep breath.
The massive room was already neatly arranged, and he figured Estrella must have organized his belongings right after they arrived.
Everything was placed exactly where he preferred it to be, from the history books stacked neatly by the bedside to the wooden chair positioned close to the large window.
Of course, the bedroom itself was incredibly extravagant, which was exactly what he expected from a Duke's household. The mattress alone looked soft enough to swallow his small body whole.
He walked slowly toward the glass window.
There, resting peacefully in a ceramic pot and basking in the warm sunlight, was his favorite flower.
'Kalmia, huh... It really is similar to a flower from my previous world on Earth, but that one didn't have magical effects like sucking up raw mana. This specific plant was never explained in the game lore.'
The rare flower swayed ever so slightly as Fainyx approached the sill, its pale ivory petals shimmering faintly under the bright morning light.
Just like back at the annex, it gave a subtle, moving reaction that felt almost affectionate toward him.
He extended a small hand and gently fed the stem a thin thread of his mana.
The flower seemed to instantly relax under his touch.
' Good, it is still responsive to my magic.'
Satisfied with the plant's health, he shifted his gaze to look outside.
Only now did he truly realize just how vast the main palace grounds actually were.
Beyond the sprawling gardens were wide open fields and neatly arranged marble pathways.
In the distance, a group of armored knights were actively training with heavy swords, the sound of clashing steel echoing faintly but rhythmically through the air.
Even farther out, tall stone structures and watchtowers rose proudly against the clear sky. It was undeniably beautiful.
'So this is the fantasy world I reincarnated into... and I have barely seen any of it. I was so completely focused on avoiding my father inside the carriage that I didn't even get to look at the outside world during the journey. What a waste.'
As he continued staring out at the scenery, completely lost in his own thoughts, a loud knock suddenly echoed through the quiet room.
Before he could even move to respond, the heavy wooden door swung open.
A young woman stepped inside. Her hair was in a vibrant red tied in a ponytail, her face was full on makeup and even though she's wearing a maid uniform, she has some jewelries on her ears and hands.
She wore the standard maid's uniform of the Nocte household, but unlike Estrella's polite demeanor, her posture was incredibly casual... far too casual for a servant. Her lips curved upward into what could only be described as a smug, arrogant smile.
"So you are the new kid" she said, her judgmental eyes scanning him from head to toe.
"I will be your personal maid from now on."
Fainyx stiffened up internally.
'A personal maid? Why do I suddenly feel like my peaceful life is being actively threatened?'
The new maid glanced around the luxury bedroom, clicking her tongue softly in disapproval.
"Tch... Quite the extravagant room for someone like you."
'Someone... like him?'
She folded her arms tightly over her chest, looking down at his small frame.
"You should be truly thankful. His Grace is exceptionally generous enough to take in a common orphan."
Fainyx blinked his violet eyes.
'An orphan? It's been a long time since someone told me that.'
He slowly turned his gaze toward her, took in her arrogant posture, and then calmly looked away to ignore her completely.
The maid's smug smile twitched with sudden anger.
"Oh?" she scoffed, stepping closer.
"Ignoring me already?"
She leaned down toward him, lowering her voice in a mockingly sweet tone.
"So you are the rumored kid who cannot speak, huh? Do not play dumb with me, boy. You are just pretending to get sympathy, aren't you?"
Her eyes narrowed into a nasty glare.
"Go on~ Say something to me."
Fainyx simply stared back at her, his small face completely void of any human emotion.
Inside his mind, however, he was utterly exasperated.
'Wow.... Straight into villain mode on our very first meeting. Is this some kind of scripted encounter? Did I accidentally trigger a bad route in the story?'
The maid's smug confidence cracked slightly under his empty, unbothered stare.
"...Tch."
She straightened up quickly, smoothing down her skirt. "Whatever. Just do not get any funny ideas just because you are staying in the main house."
She turned sharply on her heel and left the bedroom without another word. The heavy door shut with a loud click
Fainyx remained completely still in the center of the room for a few seconds.
'I suddenly miss Estrella so much...'
He let out a long sigh in his mind and walked back over to the window, placing his hand gently near the leaves of the kalmia.
'At least you are nice to me,'he thought dryly.
The flower swayed softly against his fingers, as if it were agreeing with his statement.
The young boy lingered in place for a few minutes, his small brows knitting together ever so slightly as he processed the strange interaction.
A new personal maid.
That detail alone was strange enough, but what unsettled him far more was the complete absence of a familiar presence. Estrella was nowhere to be seen in the west wing.
His gaze flicked once more toward the empty doorway where the smug maid had stood, and then he made up his mind. Without a word, he turned around and reached for the iron door handle.
The exact moment the door opened–
Thud!
Someone was standing right outside on the door, fully prepared to knock as his hands was just almost at the door.
The boy froze instantly.
'...!'
For a split second, his mind screamed in panic.
'Damn, I just got completely jump-scared. Why in the world is he standing here?'
Yet, despite the sudden shock, his face remained perfectly neutral, betraying absolutely nothing to the outside world.
"Oh! I was just about to knock on your door," a cheerful voice said, a bright laugh following the words.
"Hehe."
It was Liam.
The boy relaxed internally, though he gave no outward sign of his relief. Liam tilted his head to the side, his bright eyes filled with pure curiosity.
"Where are you going all by yourself?" Liam asked, before pausing and waving his hand. "Ah... actually, never mind that."
Fainyx hesitated.
How was he supposed to ask about Estrella? He could not speak, and simple hand gestures would definitely not be enough to explain a specific person's name.
And writing... oh yeah, he could just use that.
He turned right back into his room, moving straight toward the small writing desk in the corner, then he retrieved a small charcoal stick he used for drawing practice and several blank sheets of paper. Liam blinked in total confusion, following him inside and watching his movements.
"Huh? What are you doing?"
The boy completely ignored the question and began to write across the parchment. He carefully formed a few clear letters, and then a few moments later, he turned the paper around and held it up for his older brother to see.
[ Where is my maid, Estrella? ]
Liam's eyes went wide with absolute shock.
"...You can write?"
The boy gave a single, firm nod.
Liam stared blankly at the neat handwriting on the paper, then looked back at his brother's stoic face, visibly shaken by the discovery.
" I didn't know you could do that~ Father might know the answer to your question. You should go ask him directly."
The boy quickly wrote down another response.
[ Thank you. ]
He offered a polite, formal bow and turned around to leave the room.
"Wait up!"
Fainyx stopped and looked back over his shoulder.
"I will come along with you," Liam said, running over to join him.
The boy sighed deeply inwardly.
'Why are you suddenly sticking so incredibly close to me...'
Still, he merely gave a small shrug and continued walking down the hallway. Liam followed happily at his side as they passed through the long, echoing corridors of the massive ducal estate, their footsteps sounding soft against the highly polished marble floors.
As the towering double doors of the Duke's private office came into view, Fainyx felt his chest tighten up slightly.
He was definitely nervous.
But he straightened his back, refused to show his fear, and knocked firmly on the wood.
"Who goes there?" a sharp voice of an aide called out from inside.
"It is me," Liam replied loudly, "and Fainyx is with me. May we enter the office?"
The heavy door opened almost immediately.
They stepped inside the room. Stacks of official territory documents rose like small towers across the Duke's massive mahogany desk.
Quill in hand, the Duke paused his work and looked up to see his sons.
"What is it?" he asked calmly, setting his pen aside.
Liam spoke up first to explain the situation. "Father, he wants to ask about the location of his maid, Estrella."
The Duke's sharp gaze shifted directly to the youngest boy. Then, he let out a slow sigh.
"Ah. That matter."
He leaned back slightly in his grand chair.
"Estrella is currently on a well-deserved paid leave. She has done an exceptional job caring for you over the last three years, so I allowed her some time off to return to her hometown."
Fainyx's small frame stiffened with surprise.
The Duke continued explaining, "Her village lies far to the western border. The journey alone takes several weeks to complete. I was planning to inform you of this before we left the annex, but administrative matters simply piled up."
A massive wave of relief washed over the boy's mind.
So she wasn't dismissed or punished because of him.
"I also neglected to explain the situation regarding your temporary replacement," the Duke added, looking closely at his son.
At those words, Fainyx picked up his charcoal stick again, moving his hand quickly across a piece of paper.
The Duke noticed the action immediately.
"...You are writing?"
The personal aide Aldred standing beside the desk completely froze in surprise.
"The Young Master can already write?"
The boy finished his sentence and handed the paper forward across the desk. The Duke read the words, and his blue eyes widened slightly with genuine astonishment.
Not only were the vocabulary choices perfectly clear, but the spelling was entirely precise. The handwriting was neat and controlled, looking nothing like the messy scribbles of a normal two-year-old child.
[ Who is the maid who claims to be my personal maid? ]
"...Impressive," the Duke murmured under his breath, staring at the paper.
He looked up, meeting his son's violet eyes.
"She is a servant assigned to you temporarily. Her placement is only for one month. The exact moment Estrella returns from her village, her duties as your primary caretaker will resume."
Fainyx nodded his head slowly in understanding.
A bit of concern still lingered in his mind regarding the new maid's nasty attitude, but he chose not to press the issue any further.
His father had already done enough by granting Estrella leave rather than firing her.
He bowed deeply to the Duke.
[ Thank you. ]
Without another word, he turned around and left the office, his anxious heart finally settling down.
'Estrella is safe. I honestly thought she might have been fired or locked up because of my silence, so this is a huge relief. I will just have to stay strong until she comes back, even if the temporary maid seems to be highly problematic.'
Even after leaving the Duke's private office, the sound of hurried footsteps running behind him did not fade away.
Fainyx realized his older brother was still following him down the hall.
The boy stopped walking abruptly.
Liam nearly bumped directly into his back, skidding to a halt. "Oh—"
The boy calmly took out his paper and charcoal stick once more, scribbling a quick question.
[ Why are you still following me? ]
Liam read the sentence, and then a bright grin broke across his face.
"Because I really want to play with you," he said easily, shrugging his shoulders.
"And since you are completely free right now, I should give you a full tour of the main house."
The boy stared at him for a long second, weighing the option.
'Well, his suggestion is actually quite good. Since I will be forced to live in this massive place from now on, knowing the layout is absolutely necessary so I do not get lost. I won't say no to a free guide.'
He let out a silent sigh in his head and gave a small nod of agreement.
Liam's face instantly lit up with excitement.
"Great! Follow me this way!"
Without waiting for a response, he turned around and began walking down the corridor, talking rapidly as he went.
"This specific hallway connects most of the inner family rooms," Liam explained, pointing to the left.
"That way leads directly to the grand kitchen. There are always lots of servants working down there, so it is always incredibly noisy."
They passed by several wide wooden doors and smaller intersecting corridors.
"Those lower rooms are for the regular staff. And over there," Liam pointed proudly toward a set of double doors
"Is the grand dining hall. That is where the family usually eats our meals together... well, though Father does not eat with us too much since he is always buried in work."
Fainyx glanced inside the empty room as they walked past, imagining the incredibly long table filled with massive dishes of food.
After several minutes of steady walking, the heavy doors ahead opened up to the outside courtyard.
Brilliant sunlight spilled over them and fainyx stopped dead in his tracks.
'...!'
The scale of the ducal mansion stretched far beyond anything he had imagined in his room.
There were pristine marble pathways, towering stone statues of past heroes, and everywhere he looked, there were intricate gold accents, embedded jewels, and luxury decorations that loudly screamed how rich the family was.
'This place is absolutely ridiculous...'
Liam laughed at his expression. "It is incredibly big, right?"
They continued walking until they reached the outer gardens.
Rows of vibrant black, red, pink and white roses bloomed in rich colors, surrounded by countless species of exotic flowers.
The air was thick with a fragrant scent.
Even after seeing his own mana-reacting flower earlier, the sheer scale of this garden was completely overwhelming.
The boy's violet eyes lingered everywhere, soaking in the view.
"Are you amazed?" Liam asked, peering down at him.
"It is honestly hard to tell what you are thinking with that blank face of yours."
The boy gave a simple nod.
Liam smiled brightly, clearly pleased to be a good guide.
"Father says some of these specific gardens existed long before the mansion itself was even built. They have been carefully cared for by generations of the Nocte family."
They walked further into the grounds, with Liam still enthusiastically explaining bits of family history, pointing out old stone buildings, unused wings of the palace, and places where even the servants rarely bothered to go.
Finally, they reached a wide open dirt field.
A loud, sharp sound hit his ears first.
Clang! Clang!
It was the unmistakable sound of metal striking violently against metal.
They had reached the main training grounds.
Dozens of armored knights filled the wide area, some stretching their muscles, while others were locked in intense sparring matches. Sweat glistened under the bright sun as real steel swords collided with sharp precision.
"This is where the elite knights train every single day,"
Liam explained, his eyes shining. "Father also comes down here to train and spar with the men, and both me and our older brother use this field for our lessons too."
The boy watched the matches intently, his sharp mind analyzing the movements.
Two knights were currently sparring on a nearby dirt ring.
Their movements were incredibly fast and controlled, moving with lethal intent, until a sudden mistake happened.
Clang!
A heavy iron sword slipped completely from the hand of the knight on the left, hitting the ground with a loud ring.
"The match is over!" the referee announced loudly.
"Victory goes to the knight on the right, Sir Maverick!"
The boy's gaze sharpened as he watched the victor raise his weapon.
'So this is how the elite knights of this world actually fight. This is not a game. Their movements are not pre-programmed or scripted like they were in the game world on Earth.'
A strange, quiet feeling of excitement stirred deep inside his chest as he watched the tired knights rest, their swords raised once more for another round.
Suddenly, a booming voice echoed from right behind them.
"LIAM!"
Liam flinched violently, his shoulders jumping. "Ah!"
A massive, heavily built man approached their position, his large body covered in visible battle scars and dense muscles.
It was Sir Roswell, Fainyx realized from his memory of the game lore. He was one of the Duke's most trusted personal knights.
"You are supposed to be inside studying your history lessons before you come down to the training grounds, young man!"
Roswell scolded, though a small smirk played on his lips.
"I was not skipping my work! I was just giving Fainyx a proper tour of the estate!"
Liam protested loudly, crossing his arms.
Roswell laughed loudly, the sound booming across the field.
"So this is the youngest master! You look exactly the same as the rumors say, you do not say a single word, huh?"
The giant knight leaned closer to inspect the toddler. "You really do look remarkably like His Grace."
Fainyx shuddered internally at the comparison.
' Similar to that scary man? No, thank you.'
He touched his own cheek absentmindedly, processing the comment.
Liam looked down at his small face, and out of sudden curiosity, he reached his hand out and gently pinched the boy's pale cheek.
'...!'
"Oh! Wow, your skin is so incredibly soft!"
Liam shouted in surprise.
He squished the cheek again.
And then he squished the other side.
'Stop doing that... stop...'
Fainyx stood perfectly still in the dirt, suffering silently under his brother's aggressive touch.
Then, completely out of nowhere, Adam appeared beside them, looking deeply confused by the chaotic scene.
"What in the world are you doing to Fainyx, Liam?" he asked calmly, stepping into the circle.
"Adam, look! He is seriously so soft! Try touching his–"
"Liam," Adam interrupted his brother, his tone firm.
"He looks completely uncomfortable with you grabbing him like that. Stop it right now."
Liam froze, blinking his eyes
"...Ah."
He slowly let go of the boy's face, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Sorry about that, Fainyx. I just could not help myself."
Fainyx rubbed his red cheeks with his small hands, looking thoroughly annoyed by the physical affection. Without saying another word, he turned his back on them and began walking away.
"Where are you going now?" Liam called out.
Fainyx quickly wrote a final line on his paper and held it up for both brothers to read.
[ Back to my room. I am incredibly tired. ]
Adam blinked in surprise at the parchment.
"You can actually write?"
Fainyx gave a single nod.
"...That is highly surprising for your age,"
Adam muttered, staring at the neat letters.
Fainyx offered a polite, formal bow to his two older brothers and immediately left the training grounds.
As he walked back down the long marble corridors toward the safety of his room, a single firm thought echoed in his mind.
'Next time... I am actively avoiding people at all costs.'