The familiar chill of the morning air hit my skin as I pushed back the covers. Getting dressed took twice as long with my stiff muscles, but I refused to call for help.

Each movement was a small victory over my body's limitations. I had just 26 days remaining until the Awakening Ceremony.

I winced as I tried to button my shirt. My torn fingernails and bruised hands made even simple tasks difficult, all because of my desperate crawl to the finish line the day before during training.

A knock at my door announced Sebastian's arrival with breakfast. His timing was perfect as always, though I noted the slight frost on his sleeve cuffs - he'd taken the outdoor route rather than the main halls.

"Lady Brunhilde sends word that morning training will be delayed by two hours," he said, setting down a tray loaded with eggs and sausages. "The Council has called an emergency session."

His eyes flickered briefly to the window, a subtle tell I'd learned to watch for and then back to me as I still struggled to get dressed.

"Young master, allow me." Sebastian materialized at my side.

"No." I kept my voice firm despite the pain shooting through my fingers. "I need to learn to work through this."

He stepped back but didn't leave.

Smart man. After three attempts at the same button, I had to acknowledge reality.

"Perhaps just the buttons," I conceded.

Sebastian's efficient movements had me properly dressed in seconds. I flexed my damaged hands, studying the purple-black bruises and raw nails

"Your hands need attention," Sebastian said, producing a small jar of salve.

The salve stung as Sebastian worked it into my torn skin.

Soon, the pain had dulled to a manageable throb and I was able to eat.

I picked up a piece of sausage with my bandaged hand, testing my grip.

"So, you were saying Lady Brunhilde has put off training? Did she say why?"

"No, young master." Sebastian arranged the rest of my breakfast with precise movements. "Though I did notice increased guard patrols in the east wing last night."

The east wing - where the Council chambers were located. Where Magnus had mentioned Franz spending time in the restricted sections.

I forced myself to eat slowly, despite wanting to rush through breakfast. My young body needed proper nutrition, especially with Lady Brunhilde's training regime.

The delay gave me time to digest both food and information.

"The library opens in an hour," Sebastian mentioned casually. "Shall I inform Magnus you'll be continuing your studies until Lady Brunhilde is available?"

I looked up from my breakfast. "Sebastian, with only twenty-six days left, I need to accelerate my progress. Are there any techniques you know of that could help push my development further?"

Sebastian paused in his arranging of the breakfast dishes, his movements becoming more deliberate. "There are... certain methods. Though they're not commonly practiced due to the strain they put on the body."

"Tell me."

Sebastian's voice dropped lower. "The method originated with House Ignaris. They discovered that physical weakness, what they called impurities in the body, could be purged through intense heat. Steam rooms, hot springs, deliberate sweating."

I sat up straighter, ignoring my protesting muscles. "The Eiskars knew about this?"

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Sebastian's words hit me. Of course, for all our ice magic and frozen fortresses, we Eiskars weren't made of ice. We were flesh and blood, just like House Ignaris with their fire magic or any common peasant working the fields.

I'd spent my past life so fixated on my inability to manifest ice magic that I'd overlooked something simple. Our bodies were meant to handle magic and mana, but that didn't mean our bodies themselves were the element we used, even if that element influenced us heavily.

"In my studies-" I caught myself, remembering my current age. "In what I've read about House Ignaris, they use heat to strengthen their bodies."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "No, young master. This is different from their fire magic. The Ignaris discovered that extreme heat could purge physical weakness from the body itself - literally sweating out impurities through the pores."

I leaned forward, my aching muscles forgotten. "How does it work?"

"The body is sealed in a heated chamber, forcing it to expel toxins and weaknesses through sweat. The process is..." Sebastian hesitated. "Intense. Many consider it barbaric, especially among the ice-aligned houses. But the results are undeniable."

This wasn't just about building strength or endurance. This was about fundamentally changing what my body could handle. In my past life, I'd never heard of such techniques, probably because no one thought to share advanced training methods with the family failure.

"The old bathhouse in the east wing's lower level still has a functional sweat room. It fell out of favor generations ago when more... comfortable training methods became popular that were less frowned upon by the council." Sebastian's tone carried a hint of disapproval. "I maintain it, though few know it exists anymore."

"How much would it help?" I kept my voice neutral.

"How do you know all this?" I studied Sebastian's face. "And why maintain a facility the family abandoned?"

Sebastian's precise movements faltered for just a moment. "I served in the southern territories during the border conflicts with House Ignaris. Their methods were... effective. Several of our soldiers adopted their techniques, myself included."

He adjusted his collar, revealing a glimpse of old burn scars along his neck. "As for maintaining it - I believe in preserving knowledge, even methods the family considers distasteful. The sweat room proved valuable during my own recovery."

The scars disappeared beneath his collar as he straightened it. This wasn't the polished servant I knew - this was a glimpse of someone who'd fought and survived on the southern borders, who'd learned enemy techniques firsthand.

"You were more than just a servant during the border conflicts." It wasn't a question.

"We all serve House Eiskar in our own ways, young master." Sebastian resumed his perfect posture, but his eyes held a hardness I'd never noticed before. "Some through politics, some through magic, and some through... other means."

I studied Sebastian more carefully, seeing him in a new light. The precision of his movements, the careful control, it wasn't just servant training.

"Your mother was Ignarian." The words came out before I could stop them.

Sebastian went still, his hands frozen in the act of adjusting a plate. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

"Yes." His voice was quiet but firm. "My mother was from a minor Ignaris branch. My father served House Eiskar as a border guard. They met during a temporary cease-fire."

That explained so much - his knowledge of Ignarian techniques, his ability to maintain the sweat room, even his dedication to service. Mixed-blood children rarely found acceptance in the noble houses. Most ended up in servant positions, if they were lucky.

"The family knows?"

"The previous generation's Council approved my position, after... thorough testing." Sebastian resumed his precise movements. "My dual heritage proved useful during the border conflicts. Ice magic comes naturally, but I understand fire's principles in ways pure Eiskars cannot."

I thought of the burn scars on his neck, wondering how many were from combat and how many from proving his loyalty to House Eiskar.

"Is that why you've helped me?" I asked.

Sebastian's expression softened, something I'd never seen before. "Because your mother was kind."

I waited for him to say something else, but he didn't and I didn't ask.

My mother's kindness, a detail from my past life I'd overlooked, a thread I left unexplored.

"I'll see you shortly in the East Wing," Sebastian said, straightening his collar. "I must prepare before you arrive."

He gathered the breakfast dishes with practiced efficiency, but I noticed the subtle shift in his movements. The servant mask had slipped, revealing glimpses of whom he had been before.

I watched him leave.

Sebastian wasn't just offering me training space, he was sharing techniques that had helped him survive in a world that should have rejected him. Techniques my mother had apparently known about and accepted.

The pieces were falling into place. Sebastian's careful monitoring of my training, his ability to moderate Lady Brunhilde's methods, his deep knowledge of both ice and fire techniques.

The way he seemed to hide both.

He'd been positioned to help me long before I needed help.

And my mother had been behind it.

I stood carefully, testing my aching muscles. Every movement sent fresh waves of pain through my overtaxed body, but the promise of the sweat room's benefits made the pain more bearable.

Looking out my window at the courtyard, I saw the increased guard patrols Sebastian had mentioned.

The usual precise formations had been doubled, with senior guards taking positions normally left to juniors. Whatever had triggered the emergency Council session was serious enough to disrupt normal routines.

I needed to hurry.

With the Council occupied and training delayed, this might be my only chance to try Sebastian's methods without drawing attention.