No sooner when Magistrate Tavros spoke those words did Theo gasp in surprise.

“A peasant, you say?”

Hektor nearly jumped on account of his exaggerated reaction. Theo reminded him of some of the prejudiced students of Tethys Academy in his past life.

“You’re not surprised about what I said, young Hektor?”

“Oh.” Hektor didn’t expect the magistrate to be so perceptive either. “Um, I’m sorry. I’m just…speechless. I actually heard a rumor about your past a while ago, but I didn’t think it was true.”

He had actually heard about some of Magistrate Tavros’s background during his second year at Tethys. His political opponents used it in a plot to take apart the former Tavros’s territory. After Peter continued to do terrible things in Hektor’s past life, the magistrate’s political opponents used Peter’s crimes and the magistrate’s background to force him to step down from his duties.

“Hmm? So they’ve already figured it out, huh?”

It seems the magistrate believed him. Perhaps too well.

“Sir, I apologize for the way I reacted.” Theo interrupted his liege’s thoughts. “To be honest, I heard rumors myself as well. But I didn’t want you to believe I doubted your character.”

So Theo did know, but he still remained loyal and respectful regardless. No wonder he appeared to be the magistrate’s head assistant.

“Glad to hear those words from you, Theo. Although you both probably know the details about my past, allow me to tell them to you again.”

The magistrate brought to light the details surrounding his birth. He was born and abandoned in a village smaller than Leios. He was raised by the people of that village but grew up to be a rambunctious delinquent.

“Like father, like son, huh?” The words slipped out of Hektor’s mouth before he realized it.

Theo glared at Hektor. “Do not be disrespectful to my master, boy.”

“Theo, enough. I’m well aware of the irony here.”

Hektor shook his head. “I should still apologize for interrupting your story, sir. I’ll hold back my comments for now.”

“No problem. As I said, I used to be a reckless adolescent. I was always causing trouble for my fellow villagers. I had few friends since the village I lived in had few children. But despite everything, a single person stood by my side. Her name was Maya.”

“Maya?” Theo's eyes widened. “That's the name of the head maid.”

“They are one and the same.”

Hektor did not know about this information. All the scandals involving the magistrate involved his delinquent past and mentioned nothing about another female. Leaning closely, he pressed the magistrate to continue.

“How does this Maya relate to your heir?”

“I’m getting to that. Maya was only just the daughter of a potter at the time. Despite her parents’ best efforts to keep her away from me on the pretext that I was a bad influence, she still hung around me. Even though I hurt her feelings at times, she had the heart to forgive me every time. It became clear to me that I had to reciprocate her goodwill. For the sake of a girl who became my dear friend, I sought to become a better person worthy of her. Years passed until I could gain the trust of the villagers I hurt with my actions. Eventually, this caught the attention of the local magistrate.”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“The former Magistrate Tavros,” said Theo.

“Yes, he heard of a young man doing all sorts of work for one of the villages in his domain and came to visit me. After hearing my story, the magistrate believed I could do more outside the village and decided to be my benefactor.”

The rest of the story was as Hektor remembered. Due to some unknown factors, as reported by rumors of his past life, Lukas changed into a better person and got the attention of the previous Magistrate Tavros. The previous magistrate adopted Lukas, training him to work for the benefit of the entire territory, not just his village. Eventually, Lukas Tavros inherited the region and its responsibilities from his benefactor.

“So what happened to Maya, then?” said Hektor. “You didn’t answer how she fits in all of this?”

“Remember when I said I wanted to be a better person for the sake of my friend? It turned out my feelings grew deeper than the reciprocation of friendship. I fell in love with Maya. However, the nobility was not yet open-minded about relationships with those of a…lower status. My benefactor, for instance, underwent many obstacles in trying to adopt me.”

“In other words, you and Maya could not meet again once you had taken office.” Theo pinched between his eyes. “Wait, is that why—”

“It is indeed, as you might have surmised. Maya was hired as my head maid to keep her close.”

“But, sir. You have a wife now. Did she approve of this?”

This is true. To Hektor’s knowledge, Magistrate Tavros was married to a noblewoman. Thala Tavros, formerly Thala Ketos, was the daughter of a noble under the magistrate involved in the cities and villages close to the sea. Because of their alliance, Tavros’s territory enjoyed benefits such as extra trade in fish and other products that come by sea.

“This arrangement wouldn’t have been possible without Thala’s help. We met by chance at a social gathering and found we could sympathize over our plights. Our marriage was a contract. I will not explain the details as to what she wanted from me, but she was willing to support my love for Maya in return for being her husband on paper.”

“No wonder neither the rest of the servants nor I hardly see Lady Thala around your manor,” said Theo.

Hektor raised an eyebrow at Theo’s reaction. As it turned out, Thala was a trained seafarer who often went on maritime excursions for months. Although it had something to do with her personal matters, it appeared that being married to the magistrate gave her the freedom to continue her adventures.

The fact that he had never heard of such details in his past life meant that this was kept a secret for a long time.

“But enough about my marriage,” said the magistrate. “I have another child. A daughter that I had with Maya. I sent her away to be raised by a family member. With Peter unable to perform his duties, the responsibilities will now fall upon her.”

“Is this okay, my lord? Wouldn’t it be too soon to put her in the spotlight?”

“On the contrary, the earlier, the better. You’ve already heard from Hektor yourself. The rumors of my past will come to light sooner or later.”

“Then, should we leave and prepare? We should go and retrieve your daughter as soon as possible then.”

The magistrate raised a hand.

“Relax, Theo. Remember, we are in the midst of a birthday celebration. It is already awkward enough that we were allowed to attend uninvited. To leave would worsen the mood. Besides, my daughter does not need to be retrieved. In fact, she’s here right now.”

“Right now, you say?”

Hektor turned his attention to Nikolae and Selena. The two of them ate and conversed with each other about all sorts of things. They both got along just fine, like a couple of girls hanging out.

Hektor’s eyes widened. All this time, he thought of Nikolae as a boy. But what if, after all this time…

“No way.”

“What?” said Theo. “What’s going on?”

“It seems Hektor already figured it out. Allow me to confirm your thoughts. Nikolae may have been raised like a boy, but that is only to disguise the fact that she is my daughter.”