Adrian sat quietly in a chair, looking out of the window as the warmth of the rising sun washed over him. He was in the library, just as usual. But today was different.
There were no books piled on the table in front of him, no books held in his hands either. He only sat motionlessly with a lost look on his face.
The numbness he had experienced, that sensation hadn't faded yet; it was still present. His sister's words continued to ring in his mind.
'Being weak is like asking others to exploit you.'
It was as if her voice was burrowing into his skull even in the quiet library. She hadn't taught him something new. He had learned that in his previous life.
Her words were like a reality check for him. She had also handed him the solution he was looking for.
'If I don't want to be forced into something, if I want to be the one in control, then I need strength.'
But the irony of his situation was that he would be considered weak by the standards of this world. His elemental affinity was like a restriction instead of an advantage, and he couldn't even properly make use of his greatest advantage.
Adrian wasn't delusional, despite hearing other people constantly praise him as a genius; he was aware of how ordinary he was.
What made him different from other children his age was that he had the mind of a young man, which made him abnormally intelligent for his age.
Although it seemed like a significant advantage, he knew it was only temporary. Adrian knew that as he grew up and his physical age caught up with his mental age, his advantage would be gone.
He would become ordinary.
'And all the voices that praise me now, they'll turn into curses blaming me… just like in my previous life.'
His sister's voice once again rang in his head. This time, though, her words were different, making him flinch as soon as he registered them.
'Her potential is more terrifying than even your own absurd potential.'
"Ah…"
He hadn't thought about this part at all. Until this point, he was the only 'Genius' present, so it was obvious that he had been so praised. But now, another genius had appeared, one he happened to be getting engaged to.
He could picture it so clearly, constantly being compared to that girl. If that happened—if he was truly compared to an actual genius—then the illusion of genius attached to his name would fall apart.
'And I know all too well what the result of that will be.'
His breathing grew slightly rougher, even as he was enveloped in that numb sensation, he felt a subtle coldness in his chest.
'I… I have to do something. Things can't go on like this.'
He knew exactly what he had to do.
He couldn't remain weak; he had to become stronger.
Adrian took a deep breath and exhaled. The cold feeling in his chest subsided as he stood up and left the library with hurried steps.
Passing through the hallway and exiting the mansion building, he arrived at a familiar place. The same clearing behind the mansion where he had been training his infusion art for a week.
Sitting under a tree by the corner, Sir Joran noticed him, waving with a wide smile.
"Young Master Adrian, you're here early today. Were you that excited to train?"
Instead of replying to his playful comment, Adrian went straight to the point.
"Sir Joran, I need your assistance with something, and it is important to me."
***
Walking with quick steps, Aristeia finally arrived at her mother's chamber. The elegant maid standing by the door bowed while slightly lifting her skirt.
The gesture from the maid threw Aristeia off. According to the noble etiquette she had learned, this bow was reserved for vassals greeting their lords. A servant bowing in such a manner was strange.
Well, several things about this maid were strange, including the fact that she barely looked like a servant. Although she was curious, Aristeia couldn't learn more, since this maid was a personal servant of her mother.
"I wish to meet her. Open the door."
The maid asked politely.
"May I ask what business you have with the lady?"
A slight irritation prickled her skin as she heard that question.
"That is none of your business." Aristeia didn't even attempt to mask her irritation. "I wish to meet her, and that is all you need to know."
Even after her aggressive reply, the maid remained calm.
"Young Lady Aristeia, My Lady is currently spending her time with Young Master Elias. It would be rude to interrupt them, which is why I asked, what business do you have with the lady?"
Aristeia's frustration surged; she opened her mouth to speak, but a voice from inside the chamber interrupted her. It was her mother's voice.
"Let her in."
The elegant maid instantly shifted her stance, opening the door and stepping aside, gesturing for her to enter.
Walking inside, Aristeia's gaze scanned the room, searching for her mother. She paused as her eyes turned in the direction of the window. Her mother sat behind a small round table by the window, elegantly sipping tea as her figure was illuminated by the morning sunlight.
But she was not alone; a little boy sat on her lap. The boy's face resembled Adrian's somewhat, but he did not possess the deep jet black hair and grey eyes that both she and Adrian had. Instead, the boy had shining golden hair and crystal-like green eyes, just like their mother.
He was the youngest of the Ravenshade household, Elias Caelis Ravenshade.
As they noticed her presence, her mother only glanced at her from the corner of her eyes while a bright, innocent smile bloomed on the little boy's face.
"Aristeia, you seem to have something important to talk to me about, so I permitted you to enter. But I suggest you learn to behave properly. Colette is my personal maid, disrespecting her is like challenging my authority, and you would do well to remember that."
Aristeia unconsciously clenched her fists behind her back.
'Is that the first thing you have to say when you see me? That I'm beneath even a maid?'
She wanted to retort, she wanted to talk back, but her mother's firm expression, as well as the invisible pressure pressing down on her, calmed her raging thoughts.She took a deep breath and sat across from her mother.
"I have a concerning matter to bring to your attention, Mother. It's about the second child."
Her mother's firm expression shifted, now mixed with intrigue as soon as she heard the second child being mentioned.
"It's about Adi? Sure, you have my attention. I am curious to know what this 'concerning matter' that you are referring to is."
Aristeia recounted everything about her interaction with her little brother, as well as his strange behavior. By the time she finished speaking, she was slightly out of breath.
Her mother seemed to be pondering over her words, while Elias had a lost look on his face as he stared blankly at her. That stupid expression he was making irked her somehow.
"Hmm… So? I don't see what the problem is. Sure, the scenario he presented may not go exactly as he described, but it isn't complete nonsense either."
"Mother, that isn't the problem. That boy is strange to begin with, and he is learning stranger things in the library. If we don't do anything now, he will grow up to become something so abnormal that we wouldn't be able to control him."
Her mother tilted her head, and the little boy in her lap did the same, mimicking her.
"Learning strange things? Daughter, did you know? There were several great minds in the past; Sthenios couldn't even hope to outshine their brilliance. Yet all of them were buried in history, while Sthenios is now remembered as the greatest mind in history. How do you think he achieved that?"
Aristeia could not meet her mother's gaze. Because she had an inkling of the answer.
"What set him apart from the other brilliant minds of his era wasn't his strategic insight; it was his understanding of the human mind. He wasn't known for strategic brilliance; he was known for manipulation and mind games he played with his adversary."
A small smile stretched across her mother's face.
"In that sense, I would say Adi has learned well."
"But mother—"
"No!" Elias cut her off, making a pout. "Big sister, don't talk bad about big brother. He is not bad, he is amazing!"
Aristeia frowned as she looked at him.
'Interrupting me when I'm about to speak? I would teach you a lesson if only Mother weren't here.'
"Aristeia," her mother spoke. "I know that you don't like him, and I understand the reason. But that is as far as it goes. Trying to suppress him like this, it's not a good look."
"No, that's not—"
"My Lady," the maid's voice from outside interrupted her. "Sir Joran Ashfeld is here, requesting to speak with you. He mentions that it's about Young Master Adrian."
Her mother let out a sigh.
"It's about that boy again? Huh… let him enter."
The door opened, and a tall, burly man entered wearing the knight uniform of House Ravenshade. Bending his knee, he gave her mother a small bow.
"My lady, I have something to inform you about Young Master Adrian."
Her mother's previous demeanor had shifted; it was now firmer and more dominant.
"Go ahead, I am listening."
"I'm not sure how to describe it, but something about him has changed. Before, I could understand him somewhat. I understood that he didn't take an interest in almost anything. But now…"
"Now what? Did he suddenly start taking an interest in things?"
Hearing her question, the burly knight turned to Aristeia.
"Young Lady, that's the thing, I can no longer understand what he is thinking. Maybe it is his eyes. Before, they seemed to contain nothing, but now I can't tell whether they contain anything. It's unsettling."
"Joran," her mother finally spoke. "That boy had always been strange. A bit more strangeness would not be unusual. So I hope this isn't all you had to inform me, or I would be disappointed."
The man bowed once again.
"No, My Lady, there is more. Today, when he came for training, the first thing he asked about was a method to become significantly stronger. A technique, a spell, or some other method. While I was entrusted with the task of training him, I judged that I had to inform you of this."
As Aristeia shifted her gaze to her mother, she briefly froze. There was a wide smile on her beautiful face, and looking at that smile gave Aristeia chills.
"Ha… haha… I knew it. Intervening was the correct decision after all."
After muttering something which she couldn't quite understand, her mother turned to the knight as her expression returned to normal.
"Joran Ashfeld, do your best to assist that boy. No need to hold back while thinking that he is a child."