When Duke Babasahab Felix Vatsya saw his son, Babasaheb Anant Vatsya, sitting in a lotus position, he was completely dumbfounded.
'Is he…? He is trying to sense mana… My God! So he actually saw Ancestor Samaya in the same position to feel mana!'
The thought alone sent a ripple through his mind. It wasn't just surprising—it was unnatural. No child on their first visit should come out attempting something like this.
Anant was still sitting in the lotus position with his eyes closed. Not because he was bored or lost, but because he had already calculated the time.
'An hour should have passed by now… Father must be on his way.'
After a moment, he opened his eyes calmly.
He stood up slowly, streching his small body slightly and looked around the library, his gaze naturally landing near the entrance— where his father stood. Still lost in his own thoughts.
"Reporting to Father, I have written my answers on the sheet… what I had seen inside the book."
Duke Babasahab Felix came back to reality the moment he heard Anant's voice.
"…Good," he said, giving a small nod. "Let me see it."
Both of them moved toward the table.
Anant had no interest in asking why his father was standing there in a daze. He had already guessed the reason.
'Probably because I was sitting in lotus position… Father must have thought I was trying to feel mana.'
After reaching the table, Anant picked up the sheets and handed them over to Felix.
Felix took the papers and began reading carefully.
Not skipping a single line.
Not missing a single detail.
As he read, his expression slowly changed.
'Babasaheb Anant Vatsya… my seventh child, my fifth son… has written this…?'
His thoughts grew heavier.
'This is not just an assessment… it feels like he has directly copied the strategies…'
The content was way too precise. Way too exact.
'But as far as I know, in the first visit inside the book, it only shows events… enough for descendants to think and form their own reasoning.'
Felix's grip on the paper tightened slightly.
'Not the actual discussions… not the conversations of strategy meetings… yet this… looks exactly like it.'
A brief pause.
'Or… is Anant talented enough to see through everything just by watching?'
Felix was genuinely confused.
He had never expected someone to write down the thoughts of Ancestor Samaya so accurately.
Because what Anant had written— was not part of what 'other descendants usually saw'.
It was something deeper and something hidden.
And yet— Anant had written it casually and plainly without even a shred of hesitation.
Felix lowered the sheet slightly and looked at Anant. Then he asked, "Were you trying to sense mana just a moment ago?"
He did not give any remark about the assessment.
Deliberately.
Because even a small reaction could create a stir.
Especially for Anant's mother— Babasaheb Sylvia Vatsya. The fifth wife.
She had no interest in forcing her son to compete for inheritance. She already knew how catastrophic such a path could become.
She had grown up in a peaceful environment, far away from the harsh and bloodstained reality of the Vatsya estate.
And she wanted the same— For her son.
She had even begged Felix, If her son, Anant ever showed talent, please do not reveal it.
Protect him and Hide his talent.
"I did not know it was about sensing mana," Anant replied calmly. "I only saw a few seconds of a scene inside the book."
His tone remained natural, Curious and Childlike.
"I was just wondering why those children were sitting like that."
Then he added, "There was no conversation in that scene. Only knights walking to join the war when I saw it."
Felix observed him silently for a moment. Then gave a small nod. "…Hmm. Okay."
He folded the paper lightly.
"Go to your room and rest well."
A brief pause.
"Wait for orders tomorrow."
With that, Duke Felix dismissed him.
Anant nodded and turned away.
Leaving behind the library— That silent, dangerous place filled with knowledge.
He walked through the corridors without hurry. Step by step like a three years old child. Until he reached his room.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
And saw— His mother, Babasaheb Sylvia Vatsya.
She was already waiting for him.
Standing quietly, as if she had been there for quite some time.
She had not told Anant anything yet. Not about her request to Felix. Not about her concerns.
But Anant— Already knew.
That was exactly why— He had intentionally written such a detailed assessment.
To test something.
'Will Father listen to her…? Or will he act as the Duke?'
"So, how was your first day, Anant?" His mother Sylvia asked gently.
Her voice carried warmth. And concern.
The kind— Only a mother could hide so carefully.