“That’s enough, my dear. And you, Roland, children should be seen and not heard.”The duke firmly interjected and ended the duo’s two-man show, much to Felix and Isabella’s relief.

“Isabella, I hope you and your family are doing well?”

“Yes, thank you, my lord, it is only by your grace.”

“Well put, in return I placed you in charge of one of my progenies. Today my wife simply wanted to see the child on one of her usual whims, and I’m curious what progress he has made under your guidance. Do show us.”

Felix was inwardly startled at the sudden request, but thinking about it made sense, considering what he knew of the duke’s personality, that he was not there for a party but rather for an assessment of sorts. Felix guessed that Isabella was probably feeling the same shock as himself, as they were both blindsided by this.

Felix thought he would be called to the party and simply ostracised in a corner eating party food with Isabella, not being put on the spot like this! A short silence took hold in the room as Felix assumed that Isabella was speechless until the silence was broken by Isabella clearing her throat.

“As you wish, my lord: The young master is an intelligent, well-mannered child that has learned to speak and understand various words & phrases and can now fully walk comfortably. He has shown a high level of maturity for his age, and I believe he will grow to be a major asset to this house.”

“Watch your words, Isabella!” Emerson quickly interjected in outrage, however, the duke simply waved him off, saying “Pay it no mind, Emerson. This house is a pillar of this kingdom, and only with a firm foundation can we continue to prosper. Isabella, you have made some interesting claims, let me verify their authenticity.”

Felix felt Isabella tense up slightly at Emerson’s admonishment, before relaxing at the duke’s casual dismissal of Emerson’s words, only to tense up again at his request. Bowing in apology Isabella said, “Forgive me for being presumptuous my Lord, let your will be done.”

Felix felt Isabella lower himself to the ground, ad he could see the nervousness in her face as she turned him around to address him. “Young master, can you show everybody your special walk, please?”

Felix smiled and nodded childishly, and some of the nervousness vanished from Isabella’s face, but he could still feel some of the tenseness in her grip. Steadily placing him on the ground, Isabella made sure he was standing securely before withdrawing her hands and taking a step back.

Preparing himself, Felix turned his attention back to the man calmly observing him from behind his desk. ‘Let’s Take it easy, this’ll be a walk in the park.’

The room was silent as Felix took his first steps. He easily made his way between the empty cabriole opposite the duchess and the smooth oak table that practically reached his eye level, before coming to a stop in front of the Lord’s desk.

Felix could just about make out the man’s neutral gaze observing Felix from his seat, but his slightly shadowed figure made him out to be a bit more intimidating. Steeling himself, Felix gave his most genuine smile and uttered two simple words.

“appy bowfday!”

The duke raised his eyebrows in apparent surprise as a light chuckle escaped his mouth, before giving Felix an approving nod. Picking up a small book from his desk he proceeded to show it to Felix, asking “what is this?”, to which Felix replied “buk”.

“This?” “pwensul” “And this?” “pitchuw” “Fascinating.”

Surprisingly, the duke gave Felix a small smile, which Felix replied to with a large childish one of his own. ‘I think I’ve done enough to protect us, for now.’

The man then turned to Isabella, beckoning her forward with a wave of his hand to come and collect Felix, speaking as she did so. “There seems to be a modicum of truth to your words. You have done a good job so far.”

“Thank you for your words, my Lord, I feel undeserving of your praise as the young master must have inherited his bright mind from Your Lordship.”

“I agree with my husband, Isabella. It must not have been easy teaching him when he has that woman’s genes.” Felix heard Isadora’s snarky voice interject.

"You have done such a great job that I have a proposition for you. I called this get-together not only to look at this munchkin but also to share the great news that I am now pregnant!” As Isadora said these latest words, she sent a wide smile in Felix’s direction, that sent a chill down his spine.

“That is wonderful news, my dear!”

“Yes, it is, my love!”

The lady then turned her attention back to Isabella, saying “Isabella, you’ve done such an amazing job taking care of that child, you should come back to the main house in my service. Don’t worry about the imp, we can find someone to give him some special attention. He will be in good hands!”

Felix was stunned at the duchess’ words and felt Isabella stiffen up behind him. The room seemed to cool down significantly, and the maid standing behind Isadora began to shift uncomfortably due to the tense atmosphere.

“That’s such a generous offer, my lady, I don’t know what to say.”

“The only thing you should say is ‘Yes, my lady.' You should be honored; I take good care of my own.”

“I-”

“No.”

The sound of an infantile voice further rose the tension in the room. Isadora turned her attention from Isabella to stare Felix in his eyes.

“What did you just say?”

“Yu woan tayk mama awe. No.”

Felix spread his arms in front of Isabella as if to protect her as he stared resolutely into Isadora’s narrowed eyes.

“You baseborn brat, who do you think you’re talking to?!”

“Yu.”

Felix flinched slightly at her shrill voice but held his ground as he continued to hold her gaze, which seemed to anger her even more. “You stupid child! I’ll ki-”

“Isadora that’s enough. You’re arguing with a child, maintain your decorum.”

After what seemed like an eternity the duke finally interrupted this mess of a situation, speaking with such firmness that Isadora sullenly shut her mouth, but the fierce look in her eyes betrayed her anger.

“Isabella, it seems you have yet to teach the child that when adults are speaking, children should be seen and not heard. I think you should dedicate yourself more to his education. Leave from our presence.”

“I apologise for my shortcomings my Lord; I will fully devote myself to the young master’s upbringing.” Felix heard Isabella breathe a soft sigh of relief following the Lord’s clear offer of escape as she bowed to the Lord and lady before turning to depart.

He was surprised to notice Emerson already holding the door open when initially he had been standing nearer to the Lord’s side of the room. Felix didn’t think much of it, however as he was preoccupied with the thought of quickly leaving the room before the Lady blew her top again.

Emerson seemed to be of the same opinion, as his stern expression seemed to necessitate haste. The firm closing of the solid oak door signified the end of a rather poor first encounter.

*

The walk back to the servant’s entrance was a brisk, quiet one. Emerson made no attempt at conversation, and his measured gait betrayed no signs of fluster. Barely any light had fled from Felix’s surroundings, indicating that very little time had passed during the encounter.

Arriving back at the entrance, the coachman noticed their return and hastily downed his drink before bowing to Emerson and returning to his role. Stopping short of the same mundane carriage, Emerson turned to finally address the duo, with his face being devoid of any usual affability.

“Isabella do make sure you teach the young master well regarding how he should conduct himself in the future, to avoid any similar incidents occurring again. I still expect regular updates on his progress.”

“Yes sir, I will make sure of it.”

Emerson nodded his head apathetically in response, before opening the carriage door to let the duo inside. As the carriage pulled away, Felix looked out the window to see Emerson stoically observing the carriage, not moving an inch despite the increasing distance between the two parties.

Felix looked away from the disappearing figure, sitting back to find comfort in Isabella’s lap. Felix physically shivered as he remembered the harrowing ordeal that they just experienced. Despite knowing logically his life was in no immediate danger, it wasn’t the easiest thing standing up to such a powerful woman, especially given his powerless stature.

Felix was broken out of his musing by Isabella’s firm embrace. Felix felt pleased by the soft kiss she planted on the crown of his head, but he was more concerned by the trembling of her small frame, as she silently whispered “You brave boy” repeatedly in his ear.

Felix felt it was sad, coming from a society where leaders were openly criticised, that one had to try so hard to avoid even uttering words of disagreement with those in power. That was the crux of the matter, having or not having power.

Even in some societies back in his original world, there were many that abused their power to even harsher extents. Felix wasn’t alien to the feeling of powerlessness, a different kind, but just as painful. In this life, however, he was in a realistic position where he could see the future past it.

Political power just didn’t seem feasible at the moment, and how can one expect to survive off financial power alone in this monster-filled world?

‘No, physical power right now makes the most sense. It’ll take a while, but I must get stronger. Not only for my sake but for those who depend on me.’

*

“How dare that swine speak to me in such a manner, and you didn’t even defend me properly! Is that how a man should speak to his beloved wife?!”

Those were Isadora’s final words as she grumpily left Nicholas’ office via the adjoining door, with Roland docilely following in her footsteps. Nicholas let out a sigh of exasperation as the door closed behind the retreating party.

Leaning his head back and closing his eyes, on days like today (after his wife’s tantrums) he would often reminisce over what could’ve been. Remembering the dazzling smile of his first love, her melodious laugh, how the wind would caress her luscious pink hair, and how her clothes would fit so tightly to her-

Nicholas was drawn from his reminiscence by the trademark sound of Emerson knocking on his office door.

“Enter.” Nicholas’ slight irritation at being interrupted was accurately conveyed by the edge on his voice as he beckoned for Emerson to enter. Upon his entrance, Nicholas was the first to speak.

“That was a real sh*t show, Emerson. Who knew she would’ve pulled a stunt like this? I’m guessing she paid off one of the maids in that house to find out about the boy and his connection to Isabella. There’s no chance she would’ve treated the girl well.”

“I apologise, my lord, the lady’s request caught me off guard and I couldn’t mediate in time. The blame lies with me.”

“Nonsense, Emerson, my wife is so spontaneous she catches me off guard. Pay it no mind. The boy’s got guts though, I will tell you that. He had a nice look in his eyes.”

“I agree, my Lord. He must’ve inherited his good qualities from you.”

“Too right. We did the test for malevolent spirits, correct?”

“Yes, my lord, the first time you saw him. The test came back clear at the time.”

“Interesting, continue to observe him closely, we may have a valuable asset on our hands.”

“Will do, my Lord.”

“Good, you are dismissed. Now I have to appease this wife of mine by letting her choose my outfit for tonight.”

“My deepest condolences, my lord.”