The next eight years passed like a breeze. These eight years bring along many new changes. Many of the important members of vassal families died of strange 'disease'. Marquis Renis was completely annihilated. His lands fell under the Zeidan's Dukedom. But after Zeidan's father's death, he doesn't have enough people to develop it. He has no shortage of warriors but people with other skills. Zeidan also had to visit the Imperial capital of the Zinovia empire to meet the Emperor.

While he was dealing with these issues, Zain had grown up very quickly. He looked as if he was fifteen years old. It was not rare for many powerful bloodlines to grow up quickly but Zain's speed of age was insane. Even when he was told a 'doctored version' about his mother, he had taken it very lightly as it was nothing significant.

He started speaking properly when he was five months old. At one year, he started visiting the library in the palace. After completing all of the books there, he requested Zeidan for more. His analytical skills and memory were way beyond even the greatest sage. He loved to spend most of his time in the library.

Zain also took a liking to brewing different concoctions because of a book he read about an alchemist brewing a potion which can make him immortal. After creating several disasters in his room and the main kitchen, Ruby and Lily were forced to provide him with a separate room to play.

He was allotted a separate room for his 'experiments' which he performed on different things like fruits, insects and many more things. No one knew what he did in there.

He didn't talk to anyone other than his siblings, stepmoms, his father and Morris. Most of his time was spent on books and observing Dukedom. The energy inside him was growing with time. He never used it, but the egg his mother gave him absorbed this energy whenever he passed it through the egg. And he could even hear a heart beating inside it. He believed that something awesome would come out of it.

It was an early morning of autumn chilly breeze was blowing, and people were preparing for the coming winter. Whereas Zain was sitting in the library surrounded by piles of books. The library had many racks but that was not enough for the books present there as many were piled up on the ground. He was engrossed in the books.

The door of the library opened slowly and two ladies entered. They were Ruby and Lily.

"Zain...Zain.....Zain!!!!"

"Oh.. aa.. yes, Ru." Zain had always called both of them 'Ru' and 'Li' since he had started speaking which increased the affection of Ruby and Lily towards him.

"Zain, come and eat something." Lily said with a smile.

"Ru, just one last book."

"Zain, it's been three days since you locked yourself in the library."

"Exactly, it's only been three days. Can you bring me some food here, Li?"

"Umm..that."

"No, she can't and Lily is too soft on you. You are coming with us or I won't allow you to come here for...uhh.. two hours, right?" Ruby only acted strictly from the surface but she was even more soft-hearted than Lily.

"Okay, I will come. Ru, it's very difficult to say no to you, let's go."

They left the library for his room. They entered the room. The room was kept simple with no decorations. It appeared as if it had not been used because Zain rarely spent any time in his room. The egg gifted by his mother was lying beside the big bed and was covered by blankets. It had grown in these eight years ten times its size which Zeidan found very odd but soon he let go of the matter.

A round table with plates full of food on them was present in the room. This food was more and enough for a child to last for a week but Zain was not an ordinary child, in just half an hour he ate all of it. For Ruby and Lily, it was everyday sight now.

After finishing his food, Zain asked Lily to call a maid. He then ordered the maid to tell his father Zeidan that he wants to meet him. The maid bowed and left the room to inform Zeidan. Ruby and Lily too left the room to let Zain rest.

Zain went close to the egg to put his hands on the egg through the blankets and the egg started extracting energy from Zain.

"I know you are very close to coming out, so please make it quick."

After the egg could eat no more he left the room. The egg turned black before returning to its original colour after Zain had left. It was close to hatching. __________________________________

In a room in the top tower of the palace, Zeidan was standing by the window looking out at the view of his Dukedom. Morris was updating him on the situation of his territory.

"So, that concludes everything. My lord, young master Zain's demand for books has increased tenfold. Is he really completing all of them?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, he spent most of his time locked up in the library, sometimes even for more than a week. And he is growing really fast. I think he can. If he keeps growing at this rate he will reach adulthood in a year. And he has no knowledge about magic etc."

"You were saying that he reads a lot."

"But sir, they are all on farming, buildings, stories and other things from many different planes. He says it is important to learn them first."

"Well, let's see what he has to say. He is coming to.." As he was about to finish his sentence a knock sounded at door and Zain entered the room.

"Good morning, how's everything going, Zeidan." Zain said in his carefree manner.

"You know that there are countless nobles who fear my very name, and you call it out like my title doesn't matter. I can punish you for this insolence." Zeidan was now used to this behaviour of Zain, his son liked to tease him. But this also made him see Vanessa's shadow in Zain. So, it was okay till he doesn't disrespect him in public.

"Really, guess you can but you won't. Now, on to business, I have been observing Dukedom for a while, but you have not been able properly to take control over it. Why is that?" Zain sat on the couch present in the room leaned his body backwards and looked towards the roof.

"There are many reasons. I don't have many capable people around me. Second, I can't trust anyone whom I don't know. And many other reasons like it. But why do you care about it all of the sudden?"

"My lord is right, we don't have the financial power to hire people. And Dukedom is now in a fragile position if not for the lord's power, it would have scattered. As you know we don't have many people with brains." Morris had a depressed smile.

"Why do you need anyone when you have me?" Zain gave them a confident smile.