Icilia Fenchen had just turned 10 years old. A luxurious party was being held to celebrate her birthday. But there was something amiss about the party. Her father was not present. As far as she could remember, her father had always attended her birthday parties.
“Where is daddy?” She asked one of her maids nearby.
“I’ve been told that he is a little busy, milady.”
The girl pouted visibly. “WHERE IS DADDY!” She yelled, drawing attention from her guests. Her maids approached her immediately, surrounding her and thus concealing her from their eyes.
This was not the first time she threw a tantrum.
Icilia Fenchen was raised spoiled. She was given everything she wanted as far as she could remember. She said a word and she got it. It was as simple as that. Her father, Lord Fenchel, especially adored her. It wasn’t to say that she was meant to be spoiled. It just happened to be like this.
Now, there was a reason why Lord Fenchel failed to make his routine appearance at his lovely daughter’s birthday party. It happened the night before the party.
“You cannot be serious?” Lady Fenchel was absolutely furious when she was informed by her husband that he was heavily leaning toward an arranged marriage between their daughter and their soon-to-be-adopted cousin who was a commoner.
“You are going to marry our daughter to a commoner who is also a cousin. Have you lost your mind, Lord Fenchel?!” She raised her voice, rightfully so.
“I am going to adopt the lad,” He said in his defence. “He isn’t really a commoner. His mother is my own sister.”
“May I remind you that you’ve told me he is four years younger, milord? This whole deal reeks of desperation, my dear husband.”
“Well, if you bore me a son, this wouldn’t have happened, would it?”
A vein popped out on her forehead but she maintained a composed expression.
“It cannot be my fault, can it? You have had five more children with other women, and none of them is a male,” She told him rather gleefully.
It was indisputable truth after all.
Lord Fenchel grunted and couldn’t argue back. There would be silence between them for a moment before Lady Fenchel spoke.
“You really are serious about this, aren’t you.”
“I will not let our daughter become a seed of chaos.”
“Is it so hard for you to fathom a female house lord?”
“If we lived in a peaceful era, I wouldn’t have an issue. Alas, we are not. This Kingdom experienced two wars in the last decade. In the next decade, I predict at least one more war. Every war changes the landscape for nobles. Fiefs are earned and taken away. And our fiefs are at the border. A female house lord ruling border settlements? I am not going to let that happen.”
Lady Fenchel signed deeply. She couldn’t fault him for thinking that way because his way of thinking wasn’t entirely wrong. She was also aware of the fact that the Fenchel house earned a new fief after participating in the unification war. A female house lord would still be able to participate by sending armies and generals in her name, but its recognition wouldn’t be as high.
Again, she couldn’t fault his line of thoughts.
“Is the boy worth it?” She asked carefully. It took a bit for him to answer.
“Hunt gave me a thumb up. The man has rarely praised anyone as far as I recall, and the man approved of the boy fully and ...” He trailed off.
“Lord Fenchel?”
He startled, his focus coming back at once. “I’ve been thinking ... actually feeling something.”
“Oh? Curious.”
“I never understood why father forced my sister to marry down to a commoner. But seeing a boy of such potential being born from her, I cannot help but to think that it is a blessing from the Gods.”
“What do you mean?”
“You may be right. I may be cursed from having a male heir, but that boy might as well be mine. He was born to my sister with a no-name father. It has to be Gods’ blessing. They’ve given me a way out of this.”
Lady Fenchel sighed internally. She realized that the man was basically convincing himself, no, he had convinced himself that the boy was already his. His desire for a male heir was so strong that he basically lied to himself to believe that the boy was his.
He is your sister’s son, milord, she wanted to tell him but did not. She wasn’t going to push her luck too far.
“I now plan to put some distance from Icilia,” He declared and she understood why. Their daughter was no longer his target of affection. He had a son now after all. A son he had desperately wanted for the past decade.
“Why does life have to be so complicated...,” She lamented alone in her quarter after her husband left. In her mind, life was full of so many obstacles. She thought she married a good man with a good future. All she had to do was birth a son or two, and she’d set for life.
“Birth a son or two...,” She said to herself with a weak laugh. “That was what my mother told me...”
Much easier to be said.
Ironically, Lady Fenchel herself never paid too much attention to her own daughter because, as Lord Fenchel pointed out, it was a female.
“Perhaps, I will pay a visit. It’s been a while.”
“Mommy!” Icilia ran into Lady Fenchel’s arms when she saw her mother. They were in a garden of the Fenchel manor in Lux.
“How have you been doing, little one?” She embraced her daughter warmly. Maids bowed at once in her presence.
“At ease.”
One of the maids, though, was sending a gaze. She knew who it was. Sending a discreet nod at the maid, she hung out with her daughter for a bit and went inside. The maid who sent the gaze followed.
“What is it?”Lady Fenchel inquired the maid in question.
“Milady, I’ve been hearing words that Lord Fenchel is planning to adopt an heir. Is it true?”
“It is indeed.”
“Shall I contact the Mesurii?”
The Mesurii was Lady Fenchel’s house. Her full name was Loukia Mesurii Fenchel. The Mesurii held a small fief in Vikku which was located north of the former capital Altzell. Members of the Mesurii stayed in the former capital predominantly due to a fact that Vikku was hardly a good place to be. Her house could file a formal complaint which wouldn’t probably do anything at all.
“No, do not,” Lady Fenchel replied curtly.
“May I ask why?”
The maid was one of few servants from the Mesurii, meaning she was one of Lady Fenchel’s people.
“I hate to admit it, but Lord Fenchel is probably right in this case. I will hold my judgement until I meet the boy however.”
Is the man merely too desperate for a male heir of any kind? Or is the boy worth the trouble? She wondered. There was another reason she wasn’t pushing this case too hard. She was still being treated as the official wife. He had never once attempted to undermine her authority as the first wife of the Fenchel house. He may have slept with two mistresses and sired – five – children but he never treated his mistresses with affection. He made it clear that the women were tools for him to get a son.
In other words, she was at least being respected for what she was. Therefore, she wasn’t going to disrespect her husband, either.
Yet, anyway.
The maid nodded. “Understood,” She said curtly and left.
“I will see the boy myself and decide my next actions,” Lady Fenchel said to herself.
Kamil was working on the field, just like usual. He had been told by his mother of the possible adoption. The recent development, namely Mr. Hunt, looked like the event was kicking in its gear. He didn’t mind being adopted but hoped to stay with his current parents for a little while longer.
Grent and Vilma were quite a lovely couple, and their affection toward each other soothed him. In fact, watching them made him recall his days with Fio.
Everyday was fun with her.
“Probably wasn’t fun for her though,” He snickered as he whispered to himself.
There was one time a dish cracked for no apparent reason when she was washing it. On another occasion, when she was doing laundry, a wooden club that was used to beat the crap out of clothes snapped in two pieces. He had never seen the wooden club snap to pieces by anyone. It was a clean snap as well. Everything she had done had a comical element frequently. It was never really dull with her.
Kamil grinned. “I wonder if I am gonna meet another woman like her...”
Then he realized he had, for a moment, forgotten what he was reincarnated for.
What am I saying? I must avenge Fio and my children!
Pausing his work at once, he stretched back as he stood up.
“Realistically though...,” He mumbled as he fell into a train of thoughts.
It was true that he did have to think about his future. Yes, he did reborn to exact revenge. Once that was done though, it wasn’t like he’d just drop dead. He had to think about his future.
“Wait.”
He placed his hand on his chin as he folded his arms.
“I am not gonna drop dead once I do the deed, am I?”
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He wasn’t sure.
“Nah, probably not.” He convinced himself. There wasn’t much he could do anyway.
Once he picked his daily quota of the tea leaves, he carried them to the storage house as usual. After unloading and leveling the leaves, he decided to test something. Now that Mr. Hunt taught him the basics of magic, he now had an excuse to use magic. Nobody would get suspicious now.
“Spirit of wind, hear my request. I want a nice gentle breeze for a while: Breeze!”
He didn’t ask from elementals for a simple reason: Stamina cost.
Several seconds later, a nice gentle breeze started to blow within the storage house. It was subtle, and the leaves on the ground were rustling.
“I am feeling a bit lightheaded,” He remarked. “I guess this is about my limit now.”
He wasn’t sure for how long this breeze would last. He knew it wouldn’t last for too long though. He felt this wouldn’t increase the overall quality of the leaves. Magic wasn’t going to be much of a use in this case, he felt. The leaves needed a consistent breeze for days until it did its thing.
Folding his arms, he looked up and inspected the ceiling and top of the walls. Small narrow windows were on each of the walls to allow air circulation. Sunlight did come in but it didn’t reach the leaves.
“Dad said no sunlight.”
“A way to increase air circulation....”
He went outside to see whether there was wind. There was barely any.
“Got no further idea.” He shrugged and went home.
When he made it back home, there was his mother and an old woman standing in front of each other. They weren’t saying anything but both of them had tears in their eyes.
“Milady...,” The old woman said as she choked in tears. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Vilma didn’t say anything. Instead, she opened her arms. Once they hugged each other, they cried their eyes out.
The old woman was his mother’s maid who had served her ever since his mother was a baby. Basically, she was Vilma’s second mother. When Vilma was married off to a commoner, the maid was sacked. However, the maid was asked to come back to serve Vilma again as per Lord Fenchel’s request. She was given a small house near their home since their house wasn’t big enough to house a maid.
His mother signalled him to come closer. Patting his head, she told the maid.
“This is my son, Kamil.”
The old maid, who looked to be about mid 50s, got down to his eye level and beamed a bright smile.
“Nice to meet you, Sir. Kamil.”
“Nice to meet you,” He replied right away.
Their tame atmosphere had a sharp U-turn once they were inside and having Macomaco tea.
Basically, they became chatty girls.
“Many, including myself, believe that Lord Fenchel is being punished for pushing you out,” The old maid said as she sipped the tea. “Oh, my my, it’s been years since I had Macomaco tea.”
“It wasn’t him who made the decision though,” Vilma said in her brother’s defence.
“True, however, it’s also true that he was never opposed to the idea. Additionally, he never contacted you until, as you are aware, he found a need for you.”
Vilma sipped her tea without replying back. What the old maid said was indeed true. She was literally ignored until her brother found out that she had something he needed.
“Now, the lord is trying everything to earn your favor back.”
Kamil was able to learn several important facts from their chit chat. It was that Lord Fenchel had six daughters with only one of them being legitimate and that he really, really, really, wanted a male heir. Finally, Kamil himself fit the bill so well that he is trying to please his mother and adopt him.
I won’t make it easy for you, Lord whatever, he thought.
“Mommy ~,” Faro came out of his room and cutely ran to his mother.
“Oh, my, another son?” The old maid looked very pleased. “And so cute as well.”
“This is my second son, Faro. And I am with a baby as well.”
The old maid became ecstatic and went as far as proclaiming that it would be another son.
“It turns out that the world is quite fair after all,” The old maid remarked as she patted and hugged Faro with great affection. She was indirectly saying that Lord Fenchel was being punished while Vilma was being compensated with a blessing by having multiple sons.
The maid’s point echoed in the minds of a good number of nobles within the Fenchel house. It was quite hard to dismiss the contrasting fortunes displayed by Lord Fenchel and Lady Vilma. A brother discarded his own sister because he felt she was useless. In the end, the brother wasn’t getting what he wanted, and what he wanted was given to his discarded sister. The truth was a bit different since the brother wasn’t the one who cast his sister out, but people had a tendency to believe what was more convenient for them. Besides, it made a good topic for gossip.
Having met the two supreme Gods and retaining his past memories, Kamil was pretty confident that it wasn’t just fate at play. He was pretty sure that the Gods had a hand in this.
Nevertheless, his mother’s mood had been definitely boosted after her reunion with the old maid. It was safe to say that she cared for the old maid more than her own biological mother whom she seldom met during her childhood.
After the old maid began to do the house chores, Vilma started to have much more spare time. Initially, she spent her free time chatting with the old maid. Once they were caught up on that, she began to assist Grent and Kamil’s work at the field.
It took her a while, just like Kamil, to be able to distinguish what looked like the same shade of green was in fact different.
“No wonder no one else can culture Macomaco plants,” She remarked after having finally realized the difference. She wasn’t still completely competent but she WAS able to tell the difference five out of ten.
“Kamil caught on much faster than you did,” Grent remarked.
Grinning, she patted her son’s head. “He’s got potential after all.”
At one point. Elias Hunt came to visit them once again.
“I am here to teach Sir. Kamil etiquette,” He claimed. Kamil would need to learn noble etiquette before meeting with Lord Fenchel for the first time.
Elias didn’t expect any trouble, and there wasn’t. Kamil lived up to his expectations and swiftly learned noble etiquette. While he had no formal training even as Tom, his adult mind played a part in learning it fast.
It was the night before Elias would take Kamil to Lux for an audience with Lord Fenchel.
Kamil approached Grent and Vilma who were at a dinner table. He asked them, specifically his mother, whether they wanted him to be adopted.
Vilma hugged him tightly.
“The life of a noble is not easy. But it is better than the life of a farmer,” She said with Kamil in her arms. “I will be honest. I don’t want you to go. That is what my heart says. But my brain says that you should go, not for our sake but for your own.”
Grent added with a nod, “Not many get to become a noble, especially as a farmer at that. If you were our only child though, we wouldn’t let you go.”
“Mom..., dad....”
These are good people. These are ...
“Don’t forget about us,” His father said. “No matter how high you go.”
I will not. Just as I keep Fio and my children in my heart, I will keep you two in my heart as well.
“I will not -” Kamil choked in tears. “I will not forget Grent and Vilma. You two are my parents no matter what others say.”
I will not forget. I will not.
When Kamil entered Lux on Elias’ horse, his first impression was tall buildings. Unlike Laufeld where almost every structure was a single story with the only exception being the mayor’s manor, the shortest building he could see in Lux was two stories. The roads were cobblestone as well unlike simple dirt roads in Laufeld. There were also a lot more people active on streets, far farrrr more than he had ever seen in Laufeld.
image [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/6320/mUztsi.jpg]
Lux was a city of about 25,000 people. Population wise, the city was the third largest city behind the capital Keviel and former capital Altzell. The Fenchel had always ruled the city even before the era of Kingdom Egra.
Where Elias’ house ended up was a large four story manor of great grandeur. It also had two large gardens on front and back where one would need to take a horse for a reasonable speed of transit.
The two guards with halberds recognized Elias at once.
“Sir. Hunt, you are back. The lord is waiting for you.”
Nodding, Elias passed the gate on his horse and continued to ride right until the main door where there was another pair of guards.
“Sir. Hunt, is that -”
“Yes, this is Sir. Kamil.”
Strong gaze from the two guards fired at him. They were inspecting him. Kamil didn’t cower and stood firm, firing back his own gaze. This staring content was soon broken up by Elias.
“Sir. Kamil, please come inside.”
Once guided to a room, a wave of maids rushed in, measured Kamil’s body, and then swiftly brought out a set of wardrobe for him to wear. Apparently, his size was exactly the same as Lord Fenchel when he was around his age.
Once dressed up, another wave of maids rushed in and put on some light makeup on his face for the occasion.
“You are doing well so far, Sir. Kamil,” Elias remarked as he observed Kamil remaining calm through the whole ordeal. He was showing remarkable maturity for a 6 year old. Kamil chose not to answer as he had some thoughts going on in his mind.
He was fine with being adopted but he was going to put up some conditions. Mainly, he did not want his parents to be shadowed once he was adopted.
“Do you wish to eat something, Sir. Kamil, before the audience?” Elias inquired to which Kamil shook his head.
“I am fine.”
Let’s do this.
Elias guided Kamil upstairs and through a long hallway until a pair of large doors stood before them. A pair of guards were there who nodded at once and turned sideways as one of them knocked on the door.
“Enter.”
A voice came.
It was a fairly large study, big enough to probably have a party in. There was an antique desk at the end behind a sizable window with bookshelves on side walls. There was a man in late 20s behind the desk whose dark hair was neatly combed sideways. He also had a short beard and mustache.
Behind him, there was a woman who seemed to be also in late 20s. She was dressed in an exquisite dress of beige color. She had a fan in her hand and was covering almost half of her face with it. Her hair was brown and was tied up in a fashionable manner.
They were Lord and Lady Fenchel.
“Sir. Kamil, you are on your own now.” Elias bowed toward Kamil and gave a gentle push to his back.
Taking a deep breath, Kamil walked forward as the door closed gently behind him.
Kamil walked toward them until he was about 5 meters away. Then he got down to one knee with his head down.
“Greetings, Lord Fenchel and Lady Fenchel. I am called Kamil, the son of Grent Of Laufeld and Lady Vilma Fenchel.”
He intentionally spoke of the names of his parents while also emphasizing the noble status of his mother. He also added “Of Laufeld” after his father’s name to make it sound more noble.
There was a bright smile on Lord Fenchel’s face. Lady Fenchel’s expression was hard to be seen behind her fan.
“Raise your head. Let me see your face.”
Kamil complied and looked directly at his eyes.
Lord Fenchel’s eyes widened, and Lady Fenchel’s eyebrows twitched. He stood up at once with excitement on his face. He walked around the antique table and approached Kamil. He got down on his knee and grabbed his shoulder.
“You... You look just like me!” He exclaimed, his voice full of joy. “You look just like me when I was your age!”
He was not lying. Kamil did happen to resemble Lord Fenchel in more ways than one. However, only a few had actually seen his bare face without any facial hairs. One of those few was Lady Fenchel because she married him when he was 13 years old. She was 12. Although married early, they weren’t actually allowed to be in the same room until she was 15. Even then, they weren’t allowed to sleep together until she became 16.
“You flatter me, Milord,” Kamil replied calmly.
“Hahaha!” Lord Fenchel began to laugh and tapped Kamil’s shoulders with both of his hands. “HAHAHA!”
Lady Fenchel was troubled as soon as she saw Kamil’s face. He looked exactly like younger Lord Fenchel. Yes, he was the son of his sister but the resemblance was a bit too uncanny. Recalling how awkwardly Vilma was married to a commoner, she became suspicious.
Did Lord Fenchel perhaps sleep with Lady Vilma?!
It would have been direct incest as they were siblings. Considering how Lady Vilma was cast away so absurdly, it seemed plausible. However, Lord Fenchel’s reactions did appear genuine. She had lived with him long enough to know that.
Regardless, she soon called her servants and made them investigate the matter. At the same time, they told her that it was very unlikely because the timing of Kamil’s birth didn’t match the suspicion. She still insisted on investigating the matter.
“How was the boy, milady?” One of her maids carefully inquired.
Sighing deeply, Lady Fenchel responded, “I can see why he is over the hill with the boy. It’s hard to believe that he is just six. The boy, without a doubt, has potential.”
She recalled how the boy was being defiant passively by adding “Of Laufeld” after his father name and clearly stating that his mother was of a noble lineage. She had seen children putting up the mature act. But she didn’t feel like Kamil wasn’t putting up an act. He was mature.
Comparing him to her own daughter..., there was no contest. It was like night and day.
“Then..., you agree with the marriage?” The maid inquired even more carefully this time.
“That will depend on who his true father is. I will not allow a sibling marriage. Even a cousin marriage is pushing it.”
The result of the investigation came several days later. It basically said that the chance of Kamil being Lord Fenchel’s biological son was zero.
“Sir. Kamil was born about 18 months after Lady Vilma was forced to marry the commoner,” A maid was reading a paper who had concluded the investigation. Lady Fenchel was listening to it quietly. “That alone pretty much proves that the father of Sir. Kamil is not Lord Fenchel. Additionally, Lady Vilma never left Laufield during the first six months. Likewise, Lord Fenchel never went near Laufeld during the period.”
“Still...,” Lady Fenchel had doubts still. “The boy’s appearance is too uncanny.”
“Wouldn’t it be good for Lord Fenchel then? He may not call him his ‘adopted’ son. He could well call him his own son.”
Lady Fenchel grimaced at once because she felt that there was a real possibility that might happen. That in itself wasn’t an issue. The issue was that the adopted son was supposed to marry her daughter. Now, if the “adopted” part was gone, her daughter would be marrying her own brother, on the surface at least.
Nobody would like that. Additionally, she did not like Lord Fenchel’s satisfied laughter when they met Kamil for the first time. It felt as if he found his long lost son.
She felt that there was a good chance that her husband might just decide to discard her daughter. If he did decide to do so, then her position as the official wife would come under threat as well.
“I am getting a headache,” She muttered.