A few hours passed.
It was already afternoon when Fainyx slowly woke up.
He blinked sleepily, feeling oddly refreshed.
Unaware of the chaos happening outside, he simply sat up on the soft grass and looked around the hidden clearing.
The small flower beside him was still completely fine.
'Good.'
He gently picked up the container, then organized his beginner magic books and stored them safely back inside his storage box. After that, he sat quietly on the soft field, staring blankly at the vibrant plants swaying in the wind.
'It is already afternoon...'
' How long had I've been sleeping in this place?'
He looked down at his tightly bandaged hands and let out a soft sigh.
'I do not want to go back to that room...' he murmured softly to himself while hugging his knees tightly against his chest.
A few minutes later, he heard loud shouting.
The noise was faint at first, then it grew clearer as the wind shifted.
"Fainyx!"
It sounded exactly like Liam's voice.
He tilted his head, listening carefully to the surrounding woods.
Soon he heard the loud voice again, and it was definitely Liam shouting his name over and over from the distance.
'Why is he trying to find me so urgently...?'
Feeling thoroughly confused, Fainyx slowly stood up from the grass. He fixed his slightly wrinkled clothes, hid his plant inside his storage box, and carefully exited the quiet forest garden.
As soon as he stepped out onto the main path, he froze completely.
The entire mansion grounds were in absolute chaos.
Maids and armored knights were running everywhere in a panic, calling his name loudly as they searched the bushes.
'What in the world happened while I was sleeping...?'
He knew Liam would report the truth about the room to their father, but he had never expected a massive reaction like this.
He stood there, completely stunned by the scene.
Then, a loud voice cut through the air.
"Over there!"
"The Young Master is over there!"
A group of elite knights immediately rushed toward him across the grass.
"We found the Young Master!"
They quickly surrounded his small frame, their eyes full of intense relief and lingering worry.
"Are you alright, Young Master?" one knight asked urgently, bending down. "The Duke has been looking absolutely everywhere for you."
Fainyx blinked his violet eyes in total shock.
Before he could even react to the situation, one of the knights gently lifted him up into his arms, holding him very carefully and comfortably against his metal armor.
Soon, a familiar figure burst through the trees.
"FAINYX!"
Liam ran toward them at full speed, his chest heaving for air.
"I was worried completely sick! Where did you go all by yourself? Do you have any idea how long we have been looking for you?!"
Fainyx just stared back at Liam, his mind feeling incredibly confused.
'What is happening here...?'
Without wasting another second, Liam and the armored knight brought him back inside the safety of the mansion walls.
He was carried all the way through the long hallways straight to the Duke's private office.
Liam knocked urgently on the wood. "Father, we found him."
The heavy double doors opened almost immediately.
Fainyx looked up from the knight's arms and froze.
The Duke's stern face was filled with a clear, visible trace of worry.
It was the very first time in this life he had ever seen that kind of expression on his father's face.
Inside the spacious room stood Adam, looking deeply conflicted, and sitting beside the main desk was the physician Michael.
The Duke's sharp gaze locked directly onto his youngest son.
"Where exactly was he found?"
"In the deeper forest garden, Your Grace," the knight replied formally, lowering his head. "He appeared completely unharmed when we approached."
"Is he injured further?" Arthur demanded, his voice low.
"No, Your Grace. He looks fine."
The Duke gave a firm nod to the man. "You are dismissed."
The knight gently placed Fainyx down onto a large plush sofa near the physician before bowing then turning to leave the office.
Michael smiled warmly at the boy, opening his medical bag.
The Duke spoke up, his tone commanding. "Michael. Examine him right now."
The physician approached the sofa and carefully checked Fainyx's pale face and hands. As his fingers examined the painful nose fracture and the still-bleeding wounds on his small hands, his professional expression turned incredibly serious.
"His physical condition is terrible," Michael announced, looking over his shoulder.
Everyone in the room instantly tensed up at the diagnosis.
"He has a clear nasal fracture that happened yesterday. His small hands were badly cut by sharp objects and they are still bleeding despite the basic bandaging, and he is noticeably thinner than before I met him..."
Michael looked directly into the Duke's eyes. "Has this child eaten anything at all yesterday? Or even today?"
The Duke froze completely in his spot.
He remembered.
The head maid Jaren had been the one entirely in charge of feeding the boy in his quarters.
Michael then turned his head back and gently asked Fainyx, "Have you eaten anything since yesterday, Young master Fainyx?"
Fainyx hesitated, his face remaining blank.
He glanced over at Liam for a second.
Liam seemed to understand the silent dilemma immediately. "Father... please give him a paper and a pen."
The Duke silently stepped to his desk and handed over the writing tools.
Fainyx took them carefully with his fingers.
'Thankfully my right hand wasn't injured too badly during the glass incident...' he thought to himself as he began writing quickly across the paper.
He finished the sentence and handed the paper over to the adults.
[ I stole bread and apples from the kitchen yesterday because I was hungry. I am very sorry for stealing them. No one gave me any food yesterday... and no one gave me food today either... ]
The grand office fell into an absolute, suffocating silence.
The atmosphere grew incredibly heavy with tension.
Fainyx hesitated for a brief moment, then he picked up the pen and continued writing another line.
[ I never told the servants that I didn't want to have dinner with you guys. ]
The silence stretched on, becoming even heavier than before.
Fainyx lowered his head nervously, keeping his eyes fixed on his lap.
'What exactly are they thinking right now...?'
Then, Liam spoke up softly to break the quiet.
"Father."
His young voice carried a dangerous mixture of pure anger and deep sadness.
The Duke's expression turned terrifyingly cold.
"Where exactly is the head butler keeping the head maid?"
Fainyx flinched slightly at the cold tone and looked down at his pajamas.
Michael intervened calmly, raising a hand. "Your Grace, right now is not the proper time for executions and punishment. The child's physical injuries must be treated first."
He knelt down directly before Fainyx, offering a very gentle smile to reassure the boy. "Do not worry, Young Master. I will help heal your wounds right now."
He opened his deep medical bag and took out a small vial filled with a shimmering blue liquid.
Fainyx's violet eyes widened slightly at the sight of the item.
'A real recovery potion it's my first time seeing it in real life... '
He had only ever seen descriptions of these items in the game lore before on Earth.
"Drink all of this," Michael said gently, placing the glass vial into his hands. "It tastes a little bitter, but it will heal your bones completely."
Fainyx carefully took the vial, staring at the fluid.
The liquid shimmered beautifully inside the glass, looking almost magical under the office lights.
He glanced up at his father and his older brothers to see their faces.
Adam looked completely conflicted, his eyes swimming with a deep trace of guilt. Liam looked incredibly angry yet worried for his safety. The Duke's expression remained complicated and entirely unreadable.
"It's ok," Liam said softly, nodding his head. "Drink it up, Fainyx."
Fainyx gave a quick nod and drank the liquid down in one gulp.
'It is so incredibly bitter...'
But his small face remained perfectly blank, refusing to show any reaction to the awful taste.
Soon, a pleasant, warm sensation spread rapidly through his entire body. His nose began to tingle slightly as the fractured bone stitched itself back together perfectly.
He slowly removed the stained bandages from his hands to check the skin.
There were absolutely no wounds left. Not even a single scar remained on his palms.
His violet eyes widened in pure amazement at the efficiency of the magic potion.
He quickly wrote down a neat message on his pad and held it up.
[ Thank you. ]
He offered a polite bow from the sofa.
Michael smiled brightly at the gesture. "I will stay at the mansion for a few days to monitor his recovery. He needs proper, hearty meals daily from now on to regain his weight."
The Duke nodded his head immediately, turning to order the butler to prepare a massive meal.
While waiting for the food to arrive, Fainyx sat quietly on the soft cushions, holding the ink pen tightly in his fingers. He began writing down his thoughts slowly, forming the letters with care.
[ When I went down to the kitchen yesterday... I accidentally heard the head maid and the chef say something to the staff. They told everyone that I am just a poor, unwanted orphan that the Duke took in out of pity... Is that report true? ]
He stared blankly at the written paper.
In reality, he already knew the absolute truth of his lineage. He knew from his memories back when he was a baby that he was the Duke's biological child.
But if the palace servants truly believed he was nothing more than an adopted orphan, then they would keep looking down on him and abusing his silence.
Worse, they might even try to poison his food trays one day to get rid of a nuisance.
So that was precisely why he needed to inform his father about this harmful rumor, ensuring he could live in this massive mansion completely free from harm.
'Should I really hand this over to him...?'
His fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the parchment.
If he showed this note to the Duke, everything about his status in the household would change instantly. The whole mansion would find out about his true identity, which was a good thing because it meant he wouldn't get harmed like what happened with Jaren, but he really did not like acting like this. It made him feel a bit too pitiful and weak.
He hesitated, his hand hovering over the desk.
The Duke noticed his sudden hesitation immediately. "What is the matter, Fainyx?" he asked quietly, stepping closer to the sofa.
Fainyx looked up at his father's face, then quickly looked down at the floorboards again.
Adam stepped forward from the corner, gently reaching his hand out to take the note. "Is the information on that paper important?"
Fainyx held onto the edge of the paper for a tense second. Then, slowly, he let his fingers relax and let go.
The Duke took the parchment and read the neat text.
"..."
An absolute silence fell over the desk.
Liam leaned his head closer, quickly reading the words over his father's arm.
Adam followed right behind his brother, his eyes scanning the lines.
Their expressions shifted instantly.
Pure shock painted their faces, followed closely by a wave of intense anger.
But before the Duke could even react to the note, he went completely silent, his eyes darkening.
Even Liam and Adam flinched at the core question written at the bottom of the page.
"Is this truly what you heard?" the Duke repeated slowly, his deep voice carrying a terrifyingly serious weight now. "What exactly did the staff say to you?"
Fainyx hesitated, his chest tightening.
He lowered his gaze back to the notepad and began writing down the rest of the details.
[ They said I am nothing more than a lousy, mute orphan who does not know his place in a noble house. They said they would gladly let me starve to death in my bedroom... simply because I looked at them the wrong way. ]
He stopped writing, setting the pen down on the cushion.
His small fingers were trembling slightly from the stress.
Should he have really handed this note over?
He looked up to see the Duke's reaction, then glanced at Liam, and finally at Adam.
The atmosphere inside the office felt incredibly heavy and suffocating.
The Duke let out a long, slow sigh. "Give the note to me."
Fainyx didn't move a single muscle.
Adam stepped forward, his eyes soft as he gently reached down to take the paper from the boy's hand.
"Is it that important to you?" Adam asked quietly, his voice lacking its usual hostility.
Fainyx gave a firm nod.
Liam spoke up softly from the side, trying to comfort him. "Let go of the paper, Fainyx."
After a few short seconds of nervous hesitation, he let the paper go.
The Duke read the descriptions carefully.
So did Liam.
So did Adam.
"..."
Their faces darkened significantly with every line.
He realized the mood had gotten bad.
The Duke looked back down at him, his blue eyes locked onto his face. "Is this truly what you heard them say about your status?"
Fainyx gave a single, firm nod.
The Duke exhaled slowly through his nose, his knuckles turning white. "To think that mere servants of the Nocte family would dare look down on one of our own blood..."
The air in the private office suddenly transformed.
A terrifying, suffocating aura of pure bloodlust filled every single corner of the room.
Fainyx froze completely on the sofa.
Inside his mind, he was screaming in pure panic.
'The aura is insane, it's a bit heavy... As expected of a duke and also a future teacher of the school Orion will go.'
His small face remained perfectly blank and detached.
Only his hands trembled slightly against his clothes.
Liam and Adam broke into cold sweats under their father's intense pressure, yet their own eyes were burning with pure fury at the staff's insolence.
The Duke turned his body sharply toward a waiting servant by the door. "Bring me the head chef immediately."
His voice sounded as icy as a northern blizzard.
The servant bowed shakily, his knees knocking together, and ran out of the office as fast as he could.
Then, the Duke turned back around to face Fainyx.
He took a slow step forward across the carpet.
And then, the high noble Duke knelt down on the floor just to meet the young toddler at eye level.
"It is not true," he said, his deep voice softening to a degree that shocked his other sons.
"You are not an orphan. And you never will be an orphan in this house."
His sharp blue gaze looked deeply conflicted as he stared into his son's violet eyes.
"Your mother... my late wife... is the one who gave birth to you. Remember that, Fainyx."
Fainyx blinked his eyes in surprise.
Before he could process his father's sudden change in attitude any further, the heavy office doors opened.
***
The head butler finally arrived to the room, followed by a line of servants carrying a massive tray of fresh food.
A large meal was placed carefully on the wooden table. There was soft buttered bread, a bowl of creamy chicken and vegetable stew, tender slices of roasted meat, mashed potatoes smothered in light gravy, and a warm honey pudding for dessert.
The delicious aroma instantly filled the entire room.
Fainyx's small stomach tightened up with intense hunger.
He picked up the small silver spoon and fork with his fingers.
He began eating the hot chicken stew first, taking a slow bite. It was incredibly creamy, warm, and delicious.
Inside his mind, he felt so profoundly happy that he almost wanted to cry tears of relief. It had been so incredibly long since he had been allowed to eat a proper, warm meal in this palace.
But outwardly, his expression stayed completely neutral and unbothered.
The Duke and his two older brothers continued watching his movements in absolute silence.
He slowly grew uncomfortable under their intense gazes.
He eventually stopped moving his spoon, holding it mid-air. 'The way they are staring at me is a bit too intimidating...' he thought to himself.
Michael, who was still present in the room, tilted his head in understanding. "What is the matter, Young Master? Is the food horrible?"
Fainyx shook his head quickly to deny it, the food was absolutely delicious, but he seemed genuinely embarrassed to eat in front of an audience.
Michael smiled knowingly, turning to look at the family. "Are you feeling uncomfortable because they are all watching you eat your meal?"
Right on target.
Fainyx gave a firm nod to the doctor.
Michael turned formally to face the Duke, bowing his head. "Your Grace, perhaps it would be best to allow the boy to eat his food in absolute peace. I will stay behind and watch over him personally."
The Duke hesitated for a brief moment, staring at his youngest son's small frame.
Then, he gave a slow nod. "Very well."
Liam stepped forward and gently patted Fainyx's silver hair before turning to leave the office. "Eat well, little brother."
His voice was quiet and gentle.
Soon, the doors closed, and only Michael remained inside the quiet room.
"Go on, eat as much as you like," the physician encouraged softly, sitting down across from him.
Fainyx continued eating his hot food, feeling a bit more comfortable with Michael around since the doctor lacked the scary Nocte aura.
He ate continuously until he was completely full.
In fact, he ate a bit too much.
His small stomach felt slightly bloated from the massive amount of food, but he didn't mind the discomfort at all.
Michael observed his empty plates with a look of deep satisfaction. "I will be checking on your health regularly from now on, Fainyx."
Fainyx pulled his pad over and wrote down a quick question.
[ Why? ]
Michael chuckled softly, shaking his blue hair. "Your father has officially hired me to act as your personal physician from this day forward. So everytime you need to be examine I'll be always available"
He looked pleasantly surprised as he stared at the paper. "And I must say, I am incredibly impressed that a child of your age can already write so beautifully."
Fainyx gave a polite nod and wrote down his final response.
[ Thank you. ]
***
Outside the private office, the Duke stood in the quiet hallway with his two oldest sons.
A heavy, suffocating silence hung between the three nobles.
"Did either of you truly believe the rumors that he was a common orphan?" the Duke asked coldly, his gaze locking onto them.
Both sons flinched under his icy glare.
Liam spoke up first, his voice tight. "At the very beginning... we were highly suspicious because of the secrecy, but I chose to think of him as family even if he turned out to be an orphan..."
Adam's brow furrowed in deep thought. "I was still highly suspicious of his origins," he admitted honestly, looking down at his boots. "But... why didn't you just tell us the truth from the start, Father? Why did you hide the fact that we had another biological sibling living in the annex?"
The Duke closed his eyes briefly, a wave of profound regret washing over his handsome features. "It was entirely my mistake. After your mother passed away... my mind was... a mess and I made many horrible mistakes as a father."
Another long silence followed his words.
The two boys were still actively processing everything they had learned today.
While outside the family was confronting their past, inside the office, Fainyx quietly finished the last bite of his honey pudding.
The Duke and his two sons re-entered the grand office a few minutes later.
The silent servants quickly cleared the empty porcelain plates away from the table.
Moments later, the heavy oak doors opened once again with a loud thud.
A group of elite knights aggressively dragged two people inside the room, forcing them down onto their knees.
It was the head maid Jaren.
And the head chef of the west wing kitchen.
Fainyx looked at them quietly from his spot on the sofa, his expression completely unreadable.
Jaren's sharp eyes instantly locked onto his small frame, and her gaze was filled with a deep, burning hatred that she could no longer hide.
The Duke's personal aide stepped forward, gently lifting Fainyx back into his arms to move him away from the criminals, stepping safely into the corner of the room.
The head chef looked incredibly pale, his entire body shaking violently as he already understood his grim fate.
The Duke stepped forward across the stone floor, his boots making a loud sound. His facial expression was completely empty.
"Jaren."
His voice sounded perfectly calm. Far too calm for the situation.
"Did you deliberately injure this child yesterday? Did you fracture his nose? Did you destroy his private quarters? Did you deny him his food trays? And did you spread rumors calling him a common orphan?"
Jaren began shaking with panic, her hands clenching the carpet. "That is absolutely not true, Your Grace!" she cried out desperately.
"I was completely framed by that malicious child!"
She raised a trembling finger to point directly at Fainyx's face.
"He was the one who hit me first! I have multiple witnesses among the staff who saw the incident!"
"Who exactly are these witnesses?" the Duke asked coldly, his blue eyes narrowing.
She quickly requested the presence of her kitchen staff to back up her lies.
Five young maids entered the office shortly after her request, their bodies trembling violently under the heavy noble pressure.
The Duke looked down at the line of servants.
"Did you personally witness this child striking the head maid before breakfast?"
An absolute silence fell over the room.
Then, a sudden voice broke the quiet.
"It isn't true!"
One of the young maids stepped forward from the line, falling flat onto her knees against the floor.
"!!"
Jaren's face instantly went completely pale.
The young maid cried bitterly as she spoke up to clear her conscience.
"The head maid completely framed the Young Master! She was the one who violently hit him yesterday! She spread those horrible rumors to the staff and explicitly forbade any of us from feeding him his daily trays!"
Tears streamed down her face as she looked up at the Duke. "She threatened to harm my family if I ever spoke the truth to the butler..."
The entire room was completely stunned by the sudden confession.
Even Fainyx hadn't expected one of the maids to break down and risk her life like this.
The Duke's blue eyes turned entirely icy. "Is this report true?"
Jaren panicked completely, her voice screeching through the office. "It's all lies! She is lying to you, Your Grace!"
But the other four maids quickly stepped forward, dropping to their knees beside their comrade. "It is the absolute truth, Your Grace. She forced us to maintain the lie."
Liam clenched his small fists tightly at his sides, his eyes burning with anger.
Adam looked completely betrayed, his face twisting with shock as he stared at his old caretaker.
"Why would you do something like this, Jaren?" he demanded, his voice cracking.
Jaren realized her plan had completely failed, and she suddenly let out a loud, mocking laugh. "Because that useless, silent orphan does not belong in this noble house!"
The Duke stood up to his full height, his terrifying mana flaring out instantly. The air in the office grew incredibly suffocating and hard to breathe.
"He is not an orphan."
He took a step forward, his voice echoing like thunder.
"He is my biological son."
Jaren's face instantly drained of all color, her mouth dropping open in horror.
"Why exactly did you assume he was a common orphan?" the Duke asked coldly, staring down at her.
"I... I just thought because he was left in the annex–"
"Silence!"
The sharp word cut through her excuse like a blade.
"Lock both of them in the deepest dungeon immediately. They will receive their proper punishment for treason against a member of the Nocte line."
"..."
"N-no... Please Your grace!... No!!!"
The head chef and the screaming head maid were violently dragged away by the heavy armored knights, their protests fading down the corridor.
Silence returned to the spacious office.
The Duke then turned his sharp gaze back to the five terrified maids still kneeling on the floor.
"For having the courage to speak the truth... you will be honorably dismissed from your service to this household with a full year's wages. You may leave the estate now."
The maids bowed their heads gratefully, crying tears of relief as they quickly left the room.
Liam and Adam stood quietly by the desk, looking thoroughly saddened and exhausted by the deep betrayal of their childhood nanny.
The Duke let out a heavy sigh, his expression looking deeply complicated.
Then, he looked over at his personal aide in the corner.
"Aldred... prepare a clean, luxurious room for him in the east wing immediately."
" Yes your grace..."
Aldred bowed respectfully and carefully carried Fainyx out of the quiet office.
Fainyx suddenly felt a massive wave of tiredness washing over his small body, likely from surviving the heavy emotional atmosphere, or maybe just from everything that had happened since he woke up in the garden.
A few minutes later, the personal aide Aldred walked slowly down a long, bright hallway, still carrying Fainyx carefully in his arms.
This was the complete different from his old, ruined bedroom. A bit of curiosity stirred within Fainyx's mind as he looked around.
The hallway was structured much like the layout near his old quarters, but it was significantly brighter and cleaner. Beautiful paintings lined the stone walls, some depicting rare exotic flowers, while others showed historical figures he didn't recognize from the game lore.
At the very far end of the corridor, Fainyx's violet eyes caught a familiar scene hanging on the wall, a massive family portrait.
It showed the Duke, a beautiful woman, and three young toddlers.
'Is that a family portrait with my late mother?'
The Duke's painted face looked remarkably gentle and happy, a stark contrast to his current cold mask.
His older siblings appeared bright and cheerful in the painting, though they still held slight serious expressions.
And standing right there in the center... was his mother. And... Beside his father are two children who are both twins.
'Who are they? Are they maybe father's siblings?' he thought but he didn't question it further as he return to his mother's face.
She possessed long, vibrant green hair, deep purple eyes with long eyelashes, and her white, flawless skin seemed to glow as if it had been painted by pure light itself.
Her facial features perfectly mirrored his own, and her gentle, warm smile... it felt incredibly comforting just to look at her.
Fainyx stared blankly at the portrait, momentarily forgetting about his present troubles.
The personal aide noticed his intense gaze. He stopped walking entirely and looked down at the child, a trace of sadness filling his eyes.
"Are you alright, Young Master Fainyx?" he asked softly.
Fainyx simply gave a quiet nod, not wanting to use his notebook right now.
Aldred didn't press him for an answer. He just stood there for a few more seconds, allowing Fainyx to observe the family painting one last time then he talked to him with a guilty expression.
"Young master.... I apologize from the behalf of the servants... We didn't know you were having a hard time by one of them so I apologize..."
Fainyx nodded and just tap Aldred's shoulder.
"Young master... Thank you very much for your mercy..."
The young boy finally tore his gaze away from him.
Then sudden pang of deep sadness struck his heart, realizing he had never gotten to meet her in this life too. He briefly remembered his past life on Earth... the lonely times of being treated like an unwanted orphan by society, yet he quickly brushed the negative thoughts aside.
'No... I cannot allow myself to dwell on those sad thoughts.'
He clenched his small fists tightly against the aide's clothes.
'I have to train my magic. My physical body... I absolutely have to get stronger from now on. I cannot afford to stay this weak and vulnerable to abuse.'
Even back in the annex, even when he had trained his physical limits without the Estrella noticing, his toddler body had completely refused to respond to the exercise.
There was no muscle gain, and no physical strength. Even lifting tiny metal weights had proved incredibly difficult for his frail limbs.
'I will change that layout entirely. I will grow stronger, and I will not be weak anymore.'
That would be his ultimate goal for the next twelve years.
Aldred finally approached a large wooden door at the end of the hall. "Here we are, Your Grace. This bedroom is located very close to your brothers' quarters, but it remains entirely private. I have personally prepared it for your comfort."
Fainyx nodded his head tiredly against the man's shoulder. For the very first time in a long while, he felt a genuine sense of safety wash over him. And, quietly, he let his small body relax completely.
'For now... he could finally rest in peace.'