My father... or at least, I assumed he was... carried me outside. His grip was firm and entirely uncomfortable. He held me like an object, not a child.
I stayed perfectly quiet.
'Killing me in the middle of a hallway would be too inconvenient, right?'
I could only hope his noble pride outweighed his obvious disgust.
He stopped and barked an order at a passing steward.
"$%@#&*!"
The steward stiffened, bowed sharply, and hurried away.
*Tak tak
A few minutes passed in tense silence. My father didn't loosen his grip. If anything, his face grew more irritated by the second.
[ Syncing… 85% ]
Almost done. I just had to wait. It wasn't like I could do anything else in this helpless body.
[ Syncing… 100% ]
'...!?'
A strange, heavy sensation settled in my mind, like a complex gear finally clicking into place.
[ Otherworld adaptation complete. Cognitive interpretation enabled. ]
The noise around me shifted. Not the sound itself, but the meaning behind it.
The steward rushed back, trailing behind an maid with soft, kind eyes. My father barely glanced at her before unceremoniously dumping me into her arms.
"Take him to the outer estate," my father ordered, his voice as cold as ice. "Make sure no one knows of his existence. Provide what is necessary to keep him alive, but nothing more."
The maid bowed deeply, pulling me closer to her chest. "Yes, my lord."
Without a single backward glance, the Duke turned away. His heavy cloak swayed as he strode down the hall, his footsteps fading into the distance. Just like that, I ceased to exist to him.
So I wasn't imagining things. The system worked. I could understand them perfectly now.
'Great,' I thought.
'At least he isn't going to kill me.'
Instead, he was banishing me to the outer edges of his estate where no one would ever see me. Honestly? I preferred it that way.
Being out of his sight meant I was free from his terrifying aura, at least for the time being.
I stared up at the ceiling, perfectly calm on the outside, my mind already weighing my options. I desperately needed more information about this world.
I looked up at the maid. Her eyes were completely filled with pity.
"From today onward, I will serve as your caretaker, Young Master," she spoke gently, shifting her arms to hold me in a much more comfortable position.
'Well,' I thought, relaxing slightly. 'At least she seems nice.'
She called over another servant, instructing him to prepare a carriage. It seemed we would be leaving for my new isolated home shortly.
As I stared up at her kind face, a sudden, heavy drowsiness washed over me. My newborn body simply didn't have the stamina to stay awake any longer. My eyelids drooped.
"Oh my, it seems my Young Master is sleepy," she whispered softly, gently rocking me.
"I'll carry you until then. Sweet dreams."
My consciousness quickly faded to black.
As I fell asleep, I barely heard the maid let out a quiet, trembling sigh.
"If only Her Grace had not passed away... it wouldn't have to be this way," she murmured sadly.
"Oh Goddess Hymoria, please bless this poor child with a good future..."
With that final prayer, she turned and headed toward the waiting carriage, carrying me to the isolated mansion where I would spend the rest of my childhood.