After asking Leon a few more questions, I let him leave so he can inform my parents that I am already awake. I expect that the physician will also co to check on . Perhaps even my siblings will show up.
Ah... things are about to get rather awkward for .
Regardless, several thoughts distract my mind from the impending situation that unnerves .
One of such thoughts is about my Coming-of-Age Ceremony. It hasn’t been postponed, so I expect it to arrive as expected.
The only difference is, I won’t be present.
I already realized this was my father’s sche when he showed up to chide and my sister. He wanted to injure sufficiently, to the point that even Grade 1 Potions couldn’t heal easily, in ti for the event.
He would make as little commotion about this as possible and make up so reasons behind my injuries, using them as justification for my absence.
Taking advantage of my absence, he would cut off from potential connections and poach all of them to his side. After isolating like this, he would then send off to the Knight Academy, where I wouldn’t be able to leave and would have no choice but to train until I beca a Knight.
From there, everything would snowball... and he would eventually have his way.
’A shrewd man indeed...’ A sigh escapes my parted lips. If I didn’t make so moves beforehand, I would have been in serious trouble.
Thankfully, despite him moving fast... I was faster.
’My benefactor will be attending the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and thankfully, I’ve entrusted a few things to him. He’ll help find out the information I want regarding the Royal Academy’s Entrance Exams, and he’ll also gather all the information I won’t be privy to as a result of my absence. Now that I know I won’t be able to rely on Leon, he’s pretty much my best bet.’
As for whether or not I trust him, that remains irrelevant.
I consider this a form of investnt, and he should see it as well. If this works out well, both of us will benefit greatly from it.
Even if I can’t completely trust him, I’m certain I can count on his greed.
’That’s all that matters...’
At this mont, the door swings open, and my mother rushes in with tears in her eyes.
"Javierrrr!" She howls, almost as if she’s the one in pain.
Thanks to Leon’s intel, I already know that she spent an entire night watching . She had to be dragged off by servants acting on the order of my father, and wouldn’t leave my side voluntarily.
All of this could be false, but I have no reason to doubt it.
I am well aware that my mother holds deep affection for us, her children. She just makes it difficult for to reciprocate those feelings when she succumbs to the whims of my father and doesn’t take responsibility for her own happiness.
I also despise the manipulation she resorts to—especially against her own children—though I recognize that we have that in common.
She taught a lot of what I know, after all.
"Javier! Are you alright? How is the pain? Hope it isn’t too unbearable!" As my mother’s voice echoes into the air, I smile wryly and watch my siblings awkwardly stand close to the entrance.
Craig and Selicia... the two of them stare at in disbelief.
Perhaps it’s the fact that I am completely wrapped in bandages, or the mories of the past haunting them, but their eyes are wide open in shock at my predicant.
This must be their first ti seeing since the incident.
They join my mother and bawl their eyes out, trying to figure out if I’m alright.
My sister apologizes profusely, blaming herself for what happened. My brother also apologizes, taking bla for reasons that don’t even make sense. Sohow, it seems these three have convinced themselves that it is their fault that I’m in my current state.
They have no idea that this is simply the result of a sche between and my father.
And I’m actually the biggest winner—so far.
"I’m fine... I’m alright..." I laugh awkwardly, trying to ward off their concerns, but it is of no use.
I start to feel a little guilty about this, so I take my gaze away from them and look towards the open door. I spot Leon standing outside, and after a few breaths of ti, a man walks into the room.
It isn’t my father—it’s the physician.
Thankfully, he breaks up the crowd and clears the air very quickly. He checks my body, assures everyone of my safety, and finally reduces the level of hysteria in the room. I reinforce this change by reaffirming that I am doing great and simply need rest.
After asking about a few things, I am finally excused and allowed so privacy yet again.
"Whew!" Relief courses through as I enjoy this mont of solitude.
However, I know it won’t last for long.
One of the things I asked about was when the guests would be arriving, and just as I expected... so have already shown up. More are on their way. This isn’t very surprising to , as it happened like this in my past life as well.
The only difference is that many more people arrived earlier than usual.
I can only assu this is because of the stunt I pulled off, as well as the ’accident’ that happened.
Basically, the official story is that I was training with my father, and it went a little too far, so I injured myself greatly. Naturally, a lot of questions are bound to be raised, but I’m certain my Main Family will answer them with no problem.
’One of the questions will be regarding why I was allowed to train, in the first place...’
In preparation for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, I’m supposed to be exempt from training or any harsh activities so my body can recover from all injuries and also so I can learn all the etiquette necessary for the event. This is because, just like the entire Estate, I am supposed to be in optimal condition when interacting with our guests.
As such, it’s very suspicious that I got involved in an ’accident’ while ’training’ with my father.
My father isn’t stupid.
I’m sure he has prepared all manner of excuses for the curious ones.
The problem is my siblings. They are still very young and impressionable, so the truth may slip out of their lips. My sister was also present for the initial part of the conflict, though she wasn’t conscious to witness how bad things eventually got.
I can now assu that my father knocking her out was also part of his plans to ensure the truth remained hidden.
Either way, she must have told my brother what she rembered, and he would have also told her everything I told him. As a result, if these two are approached by those malicious parties and are either coaxed or coerced into speaking, not only will they reveal the true nature of my situation, but they will also confirm my intentions of refusing to be a Knight.
This... will be bad for the Main Family.
’The last thing we need to do is give the Minor Family any further ammunition to use against us.’
But I don’t need to be too worried about these matters.
I’m sure my father will handle it.
What I need to be concerned about right now is how to effectively deal with that man.
It won’t take him very long to realize he has been played by . In fact, he has probably already figured that out by now. That ans I should be expecting a counterattack from him at so point, but so far... he hasn’t made any moves.
Part of it is because he is too busy dealing with the Minor Families, but I can’t rule out the possibility that he is cooking sothing in secret.
That ans I also have to act fast!
’A dinner will be held tonight to host all of our guests, and tomorrow is the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.’ A grim smile forms on my face. ’I don’t have a lot of ti...’
Right as I have this thought, I hear so sounds outside my door.
’Hmm?’ My brow furrows as I wonder what the cause could be.
Then—
"LITTLE JAVIER!"
The door swings open, and a horde of people rush in with plastic smiles on their familiar faces.
I take one quick look at them and realize... they’re family mbers.
From the Minor Family, to be exact.
Two of my Uncles, Stefan and Jero, alongside my Aunt, Serena, waltz in with their spouses and their loud children—my cousins. I can clearly see Beck, Langris, Drew, Clara, and most importantly... Dustin.
I hide my frown, but I don’t pretend to smile either.
I simply stare at them with a blank, unmoved face as I wait for them to explain their sudden intrusion into my room.
"I heard what happened from your father and ca as soon as I heard!" My Aunt, Serena, starts off the conversation with an overly concerned tone.
"Indeed! Your dad told us everything. You should be more careful around real swords, Javier..."
"You shouldn’t have been practicing. Now look at your state!"
My two Uncles, Stefan and Jero, chide while giving off a pretentious air of care.
I nearly roll my eyes at their exaggerated behaviors.
Who do they think they are fooling?
My cousins are young, but they aren’t foolish either. In practiced fashion, they all begin to ask about my well-being. Dustin, in particular, is about my age—though a few months older—and he is a lot more aggressive in his tone.
"... But don’t worry, I’ve got your back. You can ask for anything, and I’ll help you out as your BIG cousin. After all, family should help one another out, don’t you think so?"
’This guy...’ I narrow my gaze at Dustin and sigh to myself. ’Is he trying to suppress , while pretending to care? Just how much effort did his parents put into making him grow into this kind of individual?’
I can easily see through this cousin of mine, as well as his parents, Jero and his wife, whose na I don’t care to rember.
’Everyone knows Dustin is the most preferred candidate to compete for the position of Heir. My Aunt married outside the family, so her children can’t even compete, but she can still apply pressure and side with the other Minor Families.’
The interesting thing about all this is that Jero, Dustin’s father, is my father’s cousin.
He has been scheming against my father since they were little. Since he was unable to take the position of Head of Household during his day, he wants his son to take the position of Heir from in the present.
Such wishful thinking!
As for my other Uncle, Stefan... his own intentions are a lot less obvious and more insidious.
"Are you sure you’re alright, Javier. Hope you’re not in too much pain?" He asks with false concern reflected in his eyes.
I know this old-tir too well.
Unlike Jero, who is my father’s cousin, Stefan is actually his uncle. In essence, I could consider him my Grand-Uncle. He ca here with his children and grandchildren for one simple goal.
’He’s trying to fish for benefits by getting close to . It’s how snakes like him can survive for so long...’ I nearly chuckle aloud, but I keep my true feelings to myself. ’He maintains a close relationship with everyone, but that is simply to bolster his position. If possible, he’d like to make his children my close friends while ensuring he is a confidant of mine. However, I will not have his loyalty. Instead, he’ll only continue to sche behind my back.’
n like Stefan are never satisfied with whatever you give them.
They always want more.
My cousins are not any more reliable. They have been poisoned by their parents since birth, and their goal is either to get close to to secure the best treatnt for themselves or to challenge and take my place if they can.
Minor Family mbers do not stay in the Main Estate, and they aren’t privy to a lot of perks that co with being part of the Main Family.
They cannot attend the Royal Academy, and even the Knight Academy requires them to give permission from the Main Family before they are allowed to enroll one of their descendants. They are financially dependent on the Main Family as well, which automatically ans their economic condition is far inferior to the Main Family.
Their manors are much smaller than ours, and they are located on the outskirts of our territory.
In essence, they are nothing compared to us.
However, that doesn’t an they aren’t a threat. In fact, it’s the opposite.
The biggest reason one needs to be wary of these people is exactly what makes them insignificant:
They are weak... which makes them desperate.
’They also have the advantage of numbers, which ans they can collaborate and sche against the Main Family in droves. Of course, they also have disunity within their camp, which the Main Family constantly exploits. After all, everyone wants to be the one with the biggest share, and no one wants to see the other person succeed. This is actually the true reason why the Main Family continues to maintain its position of power. They’re selfish to the point of being self-sabotaging, but even they are sensible enough when they see an opportunity like this.’
Their purpose for visiting today is very obvious—if not predictable.
They intend to bring to their side or find a way to eliminate from the board.
If they can achieve the forr, I won’t be a threat to them, and I could even be their tool. That will ultimately lead to the ruin of my Main Family, which would make it easier for them to take over the Aditi Estate.
However, if the forr isn’t possible... they will undoubtedly try the latter.
’They could try obvious moves like assassinations, but as long as I am holed up in this Estate, they won’t succeed. They could also try inviting to events outside and make promise to attend, which will only be a trap so I can leave the Estate, making their efforts easier. Once I am killed or grievously hard, they will make their move and try to initiate an official challenge towards the Main Family.’
This challenge can only happen if they can prove that the Main Family doesn’t have a competent Heir and is incapable of managing the Aditi Estate.
’They tried this move in my past life, which is why I had to work very hard to prove them wrong and impress them. By working very hard and pushing my siblings to do the sa, I was able to save the image of our Main Family and prevent their hostile takeover.’
But what about this ti around?
If I refuse to go to the Knight Academy, allow my brother to do whatever it is that he likes, and encourage my sister to beco a Knight... that will surely give them imnse ammunition to use against our Main Family.
My parents recognize all of these things, which is why they are trying to stop .
’But I’m not stupid. I know all this...’
As much as I desire freedom, I won’t let all of these rats obtain benefits for themselves.
Not when the Aditi Household is still useful to .
’You vultures had better scram.’ My eyes flash with ominous light. ’This Household is mine!’
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