"I will never admit it! I am the next head of the Anglus Family! How could I possibly lose to a commoner?!"
"It's about time you accepted reality. There's no rule in this world that commoners must lose to nobles."
"Brother, please stop."
"Shut up! How could I allow such an absurd thing to happen?! At this point, even if it means taking you all down with me! I will uphold the last shred of a noble's bottom line!"
"Tch, truly unyielding… Damn it! Does he intend to… Lia! Let's get out of here quickly! He's planning a magical self-detonation!"
"…No."
"That's it! As expected of my dear sister! I knew you would stand by me in the end! Hold that man back for me!"
"Huh? Have you forgotten how you treated Lia before? How dare you say such a thing."
"No, Brother, I just can't bear to see you lose your composure any further. You always talk about the dignity of a noble, but do you know that you don't look like a noble at all right now? So, I will stop you with my own hands. Even if you've become like this, I at least want to preserve your body intact."
"What… did you say?"
"Lia?"
"This is the Ultimate Magic I've recently learned. I'm sorry, Brother… Ice World!"
"Ugh… Ahhhhhhh! What is this? My body is freezing rapidly! My fire can't even counteract it! My body… can't move! Why? Why? Why? Lia! You damn bitch! Just for that man! You actually used Ultimate Magic on your own brother! I'll curse you all! Even in hell, I'll curse you all! Bastards! Damn, damn, damn, damn! Damn… No! I don't want to die! Mother! Mother, save me! I've always followed your teachings! Why? Why did it turn out like this? Why? Tell me, Mo…"
"…Farewell, Robert."
...
…
Opening my eyes, I was still in another world. The hope that yesterday was just a dream was shattered.
And I had an utterly disgusting nightmare, my mood couldn't be worse.
In the novel, the villainous noble Robert Von Anglus was ultimately frozen to death by his sister, Lia. At that time, I said it was a good kill but now, I feel a bit of empathy for the character Robert. Robert's mother was a terribly awful character. With her education and this family atmosphere, it was normal to grow crooked. In fact. It would be a miracle if he was normal.
Thump thump thump—
The knocking on the door was like a bucket of water dumped on my head, jolting me awake from my dazed state.
It was probably Volth, the butler, coming to wake me up. No matter how unwilling I was, I had to face the reality of this transmigration.
Whether my mind could handle it… I didn't know.
…
A month later, I finally had a general understanding of the situation of the Anglus Family.
The current head of the Marquis House, full name—Marquis Bahod Von Anglus, had four wives, and each wife bore him one son or daughter.
His first wife, Mrs. Teresa, was the mother of his eldest son, Lucis Anglus Family.
His second wife, Berolika, was the mother of his eldest daughter, Aisha Anglus.
His third wife, Mrs. Lucia, was the mother of his second son, Robert Von Anglus.
His fourth wife, Mrs. Lilica, was the mother of his second daughter, Lia Roberian.
It's worth mentioning that Marquis Bahod didn't favor any one wife, granting them almost equal rights. Generally, noble families prioritize the legitimate son when choosing an heir, but the Anglus seemed to be different. Marquis Bahod didn't particularly dote on Mrs. Teresa and his eldest son, Lucis; rather, he treated everyone with the same attitude.
This was evident at the dinner table. Why was Marquis Bahod the only one eating at mealtimes, while his four wives could only stand motionless behind him? Only his children could dine with him at the table, but there was no strict requirement for them to eat at the same time as him.
One couldn't help but think that Bahod might not have any love for his family, only considerations of gain and loss and a sense of duty as a noble. Even if one tried to get close to him using a child's innocence, the response was always an indifferent gaze. Combined with what my mother told me that night, that I too could become the head of the Anglus Family, it was highly likely that Marquis Bahod decided the heir based on "talent."
But this led to a problem that gave me a huge headache: internal family conflicts would intensify. I'd seen countless such family succession struggles on TV, and without exception, they were full of bloodshed and chilling, let alone being a participant. I wouldn't just be inexplicably killed one day, would I…?
I actually didn't want to be a noble or anything. Because I was a common person at heart. Even if I had the chance to deal with politicians or capitalists before transmigrating, I would have been 100% unwilling. We were simply not the same kind of people. I truly wanted no part of the treacherous, crisis-filled dramas. But even if I said I would give up my right to inherit, no one would believe me, right? What's more, my mother, who had high hopes for me, would probably strangle me if she heard me say that, so I didn't dare to say it.
The four of us children were, in the end, just tools in the adults' struggles. Understanding this, I could also understand why Lucis and Aisha treated me that way. Their mothers must have constantly instilled in them the idea of stepping on others to reach the top. Four pairs of parents and children mutually resented and competed with each other. Even though they were family, they were merely enemies close at hand. If there was anyone to blame, it could only be that the power of the Marquis's title was simply too tempting.
I lived in this cold family environment for a month, during which I tried to keep a low profile and didn't do anything particularly conspicuous. Because I was constantly on edge trying to act like a child every day, the mental fatigue sometimes made me forget my memories as a modern person before transmigration.
Realizing this was not good, I decided to use pen and paper to record my personal information from modern times in my spare time, and at the same time, write down all the plot details of that I could still remember. This was the most important thing.
If I didn't write it down, I was sure that in a few years, I would forget the novel's plot completely in this numb life. This might be the only "cheat" I could rely on in this world aside from the silent system, so there was no reason not to use it. Of course, I used modern languages plus slang words, for my notes, so even if someone found them, no one would know what I had written.
I am only 5 years old now. It will take another 10 years until the beginning of the novel's plot, which is when the male protagonist transfers to the St. Freya Academy. It's a long time that makes me sigh with despair.
By the way, my brother Lucis is currently 8 years old, my sister Aisha is 7 years old, and my sister Lia is 3 years old. I haven't met the most important character, my sister Lia, yet, and I don't know how to get along with her. The only certainty is that I absolutely cannot become enemies with her like in the novel, but it's also very difficult to be on good terms with her due to family reasons (my mother wouldn't allow it). This is a major problem I must solve.
Fortunately, the system given by the author is not truly a trash and I have a chance to turn over. In the past month, I have gain 0.4 Intelligence, 0.1 Agility, 0.2 stamina and 0.01 strength(all are rounded value, not including the further decimals). Calculated like this, I only need a few years to surpass an ordinary adult in terms of stats and with passage of time, I will definitely become stronger than original Robert.
Although the novel doesn't show it, I believe Supremacy of first is Eternal Law in a Fantasy world where individuals can rival a nation or even surpass it. Once I am strong enough, any problem will not be a problem.
"Young Master Robert, you've miscalculated here."
One day, I was learning arithmetic with Volth, the butler, as usual.
The learning content had changed from single-digit calculations to two-digit calculations, though for me, an adult, it made no difference.
Of course, the problem Volth said I got wrong was one I intentionally miscalculated. Because I didn't want to contend for the Marquis Family head position, I unconsciously wanted to avoid the child prodigy route.
If I performed too well, I would inevitably attract attention and even arouse the jealousy of my siblings. Being low-key was the best way to handle things, I arbitrarily believed. But I certainly couldn't perform too poorly either.
For example, on a 100-point test, it would be most appropriate for me, as a noble, to score 95 points. Because this score was better than most people, but not exceptionally outstanding; others might be able to catch up with effort, but it wouldn't be that easy to catch up.
In any case, it was undoubtedly a score very fitting for the status of a Marquis. Because above a Marquis, there were even nobler statuses like Duke and Royalty, so they could go for scores above 95.
The male protagonist of the novel didn't understand this principle and he scored 100 points right away, which is why he was seen as a thorn in the side by other nobles. I wouldn't make such a mistake.
"…Young Master Robert, what a pity. Try harder next time and aim to answer all questions correctly."
Volth, completely unaware of my inner smugness, encouraged me like a kindergarten teacher.
"Mm."
"Marquis Anglus values his children's growth very much. It's best not to disappoint him."
"I understand."
At this moment, I didn't realize how heavy Volth's words truly were.