Having no choice but to ascertain by myself who the famous guest was, I, closely followed by Syrus, entered the living room, where that guest was.

Upon entering, I finally met that famous guest. He was sitting on the living room’s sofa with Maa standing at his side.

Without being told who he was, I knew that that person was just like me, or at the very least like my father, a noble.

That’s it. That person in front of me was, without a doubt, a noble, one of the first ones I’d seen since that day.

Given how many years have passed without seeing them, I'd almost forgotten what my father and the elderly man accompanying him looked like. All I could remember about my father was that he had blonde hair and red eyes, while the older man accompanying him had silver hair and blue eyes. But today, upon setting eyes on the famous guest, I was given the opportunity by the Seven to recall what the old man's appearance was precisely like. His most notable features were his silver hair and full beard, blue eyes.

He, the man from that night, hasn't changed at all, I believe, since that particular day. The hair, the beard, even the blue eyes he was looking at me with, they all looked the same as they did almost nine years ago.

He noticed my entrance, and as soon as he did, he rose from his feet, unraveling how tall he really was compared to me.

I, throwing a glance at Maa, from whom I received a nod, approached him and performed the noble greeting that Maa had drilled into me since I was, and still am, a child.

"This one is named Ronandt, son of Luke Aubrecht. May Djeem the Accursed's mighty and everlasting blessing be upon us."

My heart mellowed to the fact that I, after all these years, finally got to greet someone the noble way.

Maa, did you see that?

These years of noble mannerism training weren’t wasted

"This one is Emilien Edouard. May the eternal blessing of Kiady upon us."

As soon as we finished greeting each other, he approached me with doubting eyes, reaching for both of his hands and lifting me into the air.

Whilst still holding me in midair, he took an astonished face, before turning, saying, "I didn't expect him to look like this."

What is he talking about? What do I look like?

"What exactly was Lord Emilien expecting him to look like?" Maa asked.

"I was expecting him... to be a little chubbier," the man said, before asking me, "Boy, are they properly feeding you?"

I only found myself muttering "Yes."

Smiling and nodding contentedly, he put me back on the ground before returning to his seat, from which he motioned me with a tap on the sofa to take a seat on the nearest couch.

Receiving a nod from Maa, I executed myself.

"Do you know who I am to you?" He asked, once I had taken a seat.

With a shake of the head, I indicated "no".

"I am your grandfather... he said in such a way that it implied a certain reaction was to be expected from me.

"My grandfather?"

"Yes, I am your father's uncle," he said with a smile. "You've never met anyone from the family, have you?"

"Yes."

"Well,… I am here to fix that."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"Exactly what I meant. Boy, how old are you? "

After counting a bit, "Nine years in two weeks and two days exactly." I revealed.

"Then, your ninth birthday will be the first birthday you'll be celebrating with us, your family."

"I’m not sure I understand," I said, still confused.

"Lord Emilien, Lord It would be preferable, in my opinion, if you could clearly explain things to the Young Lord; otherwise, I doubt he would understand," Maa suggested.

He looked back and forth between Maa and I before saying, "I guess you're right." He then slammed his hands on his thighs, as if preparing for a long and tiring workout. "Where should I start? Let's start... from the beginning. I suppose."

"Do you know what we are?"

There were multiple potential answers to that question, but only one sounded fitting for my current situation.

"Nobles."

"Exactly, and do you know the difference between us and people like Mathilda and Syrus over there?"

"Yes, we nobles can produce mana and thus use magic."

He responded with a satisfied nod.

"Exactly, and do you know the difference between you and me?"

I was tempted to answer his question with our ages, but common sense prevailed.

"If it's not the fact that I'm not yet coronated, since I'm not yet 10 years old," I ventured, then by his lack of reaction prompted me to follow, "Then, only then, if it isn't that, it would and can only be because, unlike Lord Emilien, I was not born of two noble parents. "

Based on their reaction, I knew I was right on the spot.

I saw Maa and Lord Emilien gasping in surprise, and judging by the noise behind me, I knew Syrus was as well. Lord Emilien turned to Maa, no doubt to ask if she was the one who told me, to which she vigorously shook her head.

Did they really believe it wasn't obvious?

I mean, I've lived here in the middle of nowhere for nearly nine years, and both Syrus and Mathilda have no problem talking about my father, but they immediately change the subject when it comes to my mother.

Were there any other possible explanations out there but that?

"Who told the Young Lord about that ?" asked Maa.

"No one, it was just a wild guess. However, based on your reaction, I believe I was correct."

The three of them threw at each other's wordful yet silent gaze, before the man, namely Emilien, or Lord Emilien as Maa called him, confessed, "It's exactly as you say, Boy. You are the son of my nephew, a noble, and a commoner. I heard from Mathilda and saw for myself that you spend a lot of time in the library. What do you know about a child born to a noble and a commoner?"

"Pretty much nothing. I found a lot of information about those of the nobility, such as the children of light, but nothing about people like me."

Nodding, Lord Emilien made a face that suggested he was expecting that answer.

"It makes sense that you didn't find anything about it. After all,there had never been a case of a child born to a commoner and a noble before.

"What?! But you just said that I was... "

He simply cut me off in the middle of my sentence with a wave of his hand.

"Boy... I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but you must know... Nobles and commoners are unable to conceive a child together. That is something I can attest to as a doctor."

"Nobles impregnating or being impregnated by a commoner is an absolute taboo for us nobles. And yet, there are still fools who will do it anyway, " he mumbled, to then continue with a sigh, "The thing is, Boy, for a pregnancy between a noble and a commoner, not only is the likelihood of the partner becoming pregnant very low, once the pregnancy reaches the sixth month, both the mother and the child die."

My mind flashed back to that day and the pale face of the black-haired woman.

"Is my mother alright?"

"She's fine, Mathilda, and I can confirm that," Lord Emilien immediately reassuringly said.

With a glance at Maa, I saw her confirm, with a nod, Lord Emilien’s answer.

"Yes, I see. That's comforting. If, as Lord Emilien stated, a noble and a commoner cannot have a baby together, then why am I here? Why didn't my mother and I end up like the others?"

"You take this rather... Hum, whatever. Honestly, I don't know. As a doctor, you and your mother are a mystery to me. One of the four main reasons we sent you to the middle of nowhere is to keep you away from those who are curious about what separates you and your mother. You and your mother are two rather unique specimens that many people, including myself, would be delighted to dissect."

"Lord Emilien!" Maa roared.

He’s joking, right?

Looking at Maa, he raised his hand in submission, which seemed very unsuitable for someone of his stature, saying, "Sorry... "I didn't mean to say it that way..." He then turned to face me. "You don’t have to be so tense, I will do you no harm," he said with a smile, trying to make it as reassuring as possible. Which, to be honest, made it even scarier.

Ah~ right, he did mention something about four reasons for keeping me here.

"What are the remaining three other reasons for my exile here?"

"The second reason is Luke's marital status," Lord Emilien revealed, reaching for his face as if about to break down something he could only wish he hadn't had to.

"What about his marital status?"

"Luke, your father,... he is married."

He looked at me with an expression saying, ‘Not with your mother, obviously.’

"He even has a daughter who is slightly older than you are, as well as a son who will be four early next year. "

Heavens!

First, that, and now this.

Wait.

He talked about a slightly older sister, right?

"How much older is she than I?"

"Who?"

"My father’s daughter."

"As I mentioned, she's just slightly older than you are, maybe three or four months."

Heavens! It was worse than I had thought.

For my father's daughter to be just slightly older than I am, it would mean that he had me with his mother while his wife must’ve been still pregnant.

If I could apologize on my father's behalf to his wife, I would.

Maybe sensing the mood it had left, Lord Emilien immediately shifted to the next one.

"The third reason is that, I am once again apologizing for what I’m going to say but, we weren't sure you'd live past your first birthday when you were born. To be fair, you didn't appear to be very alive when you were born either, and even some time after that."

I didn't look alive? What is that supposed to mean?

"I’m sorry... I don’t understand. I didn’t look very alive?"

Instead of explaining or elaborating on it, Lord Emilien merely glanced at Maa, as if expecting her to make a choice, which she did, by shaking her head negatively, implying that whatever the third reason, I wasn’t about to hear about it, anytime soon, or at the least not here or today.

Yet still curious about it, I ventured out, "Is it related to the fact that I was born under the authority of Djeem the accursed or—"

They both looked at me with a grave expression.

"Yes, but it’s more complicated than that. We'll talk about it another time, Young Lord," Maa explained.

"I see." Agreeing on shifting the subject, I asked, "And the fourth and last reason?"

"Do you know what the church is ?"

"Yes I do. It's the organization that has watched over humanity since its dawn."

"They are the main reason we really ‘had to’ send you here. As I believe you already know, coupling with a commoner is something frowned upon by the nobility, but for those of the church, it is considered an absolute taboo, a heresy. "

Maa's back straightened as soon as the church was mentioned.

"I have no idea how those in the church, particularly those in the clergy, would react if they were to discover your existence, but it would be everything but good for both of you and your mother. "Martha's black carbon blade and its main use by the church’s cleric's hand flashed through my mind.

The Nobility exists to rule over humanity, and the Church exists to keep them on watch. I doubt anyone would or even dare to object if the Church took me away if they fit, the same way they do with children of light.

Yep, definitely. It was better that they did not know about my existence.

Wait—Now that I think about it, there had to be at least one person in the church who knew about my existence.

I, as a noble, even though not a full, had undergone baptismal, which is a ritual that is known to be only performed by a cleric or an official of the Church.

It was at that moment that memories of that masked man from that day resurfaced in my mind.

"Who performed my baptismal?"

"Oh, that... that was a close friend of ours. We agreed to, at least for the time being, keep that person out of this, so I won't mention that person’s name. You know, all of this can get very messy, especially if this whole affair happens to reach the church's higher-ups' ears."

I nodded, not being able to agree less.

The future ahead sounded very grim for me.

"If I understand correctly, this means I'll have to spend the rest of my life here."

"Not necessarily. As I had said, I came here to take you back to your family's side."

"But what about the reasons for hiding me that you’ve just listed to me? "

"That was in the past, but the tides have recently shifted to our side, thanks to a certain person: your great-grandfather. Have you ever heard of him? "

Now that I think about it, in all of this, "he" was never mentioned.

"Syrius said he is one of the Paladin Order's seven Holy Paladins."

Despite all that Lord Emilien had said about the church, not even once did he mention the man in our family, my father's family, who is said to be one of the Fourteen, one of the highest-ranking church executives.

"Exactly, Your great grandfather devoted the majority of his life to the church. It's been roughly twenty years since his last visit to the duchy, but we received, a few days ago, a letter from your great grandfather announcing his return to the duchy in the four upcoming months.

"Is that so…"

"Your father and I intend to introduce you to him."

"But wouldn't it be risky for me to be introduced to someone... so devout to the church? And even so, what exactly can he do for my case? "

"I understand your concern, but your great-grandfather is an extremely emotion-driven person," Lord Emilien said, casting a glance at Syrius, who was standing at the corner of the room, and saying, " Isn't it Syrus?"

"It is as Lord Emilien said," confirmed Syrius.

"Furthermore, your great-grandfather is well known for having a soft spot for your father, and you do look quite a bit like him, if not for those black hairs of yours. And to answer your second question, I'll ask you once again how old you are. "

"Almost nine."

"How many years before your coronation ?"

"One year."

"There your answer is. We intend to have your great grandfather serve as your ‘Ray’ for your coronation."

A noble must go through two ceremonies before being accepted as an active member of the nobility.

The first is the baptismal, which takes place immediately after the child's birth; its main purpose is to deprive the child of his ability to use magic; the presence of the father is required for this ritual, because not only is it his duty to give the newborn child his first name, a name chosen beforehand by the mother, but it is also his duty to choose which of the seven apostles' authority the child will be placed under.

While the baptismal takes place immediately after birth, the coronation takes place on the child's tenth birthday. The main goal of this ritual is to restore the child's ability to use magic. During this ritual, the child is also given a last name, and the person who gives it is either the father or someone else referred to as "Ray."

A "Ray", is generally speaking, a person who gives his last name to a child that isn’t biologically his. In short, it is essentially the equivalent of what adoption would be for nobles. That practice is commonly used for children of light since their parents are commoners; he gets his last name from his Ray, which in this case, refers to his adoptive noble father.

"A Ray…" I mumbled.

Indeed.

If that person is willing to be my ray, then maybe—I say maybe—that will keep me out of harm's way. The only people I'd be concerned about are the six other Holy Paladins, the seven ArchBishops, and, of course, the Pontiff; the number has shrunk, but each person left wields significant power on this continent.

Sigh.

To be honest, this entire situation stinks.

Why can't I just live happily pretending to be someone else, say, a wealthy commoner?

I was really tempted to voice that out, but still, instead, I asked, "Will it really suffice? What about the other archbishops and holy Paladins? "

"We're not certain, but this is the best opportunity we've had in almost nine years to get you out of here. Of course, we can let you live as a commoner, but that would mean giving up your life as a noble, the ability to use magic, and also giving up on things such as marriage. You can still get engaged, but your chances of having a child together are very slim. That option would also mean living the rest of your life as a fugitive from the nobility and the church."

Sigh.

"I see..."

Damn, I already missed the times where I didn’t know any of this.

Ignorance was indeed bliss.

"What do you think of that plan, Maa?" I asked, noting that she had been almost entirely silent since the start of this entire discussion.

"Who... me?..." Maa stuttered, not expecting to be asked for an opinion.

"Yes."

"I'm not going to say it's without risks. However, it is the best opportunity for the young lord to return to his parents' and family's side, as well as the best opportunity for the young lord to make his debut in society. "

"That was unexpected from you. I thought you would say that it would be safe for him to remain hidden here," commented Lord Emilien, visibly surprised by Mathilda's reply.

"It can't be helped; after all, remaining hidden is not really a long-term solution; besides, a child's place is with his parents and family."

"That is the most Mathilda-like response you could have given."

"Syrus, what do you think of it?" I asked.

"Me?" asked Syrus, who, despite the fact that I had asked Maa, was clearly not prepared to be questioned about his thoughts on the matter. "I'm not saying what the Young Lord should do. Whatever the Young Lord chose, I would follow. Whether it’s worth it or not, it’s all up to you. but I do think it's worth a shot."

"I see... I guess I'll give it a shot then," I decided.

"There wasn’t much of a choice anyway," Lord Emilien announced, as he stood up and let out a long sigh. "I really didn't expect this to be settled so quickly," he confessed to the three of us.

Reaching for my head, he announced,"Boy, pack your things, we're leaving tomorrow."

"Where to?" I asked.

"To the Beaumont Duchy’s main city , obviously.

"..."

"Didn't you just say you'd give it a shot? "

"Yes, but isn’t this a little bit hasty? Won’t my great-grandfather come back in like 3 months? "

"Yes, but you'll need some time to reconcile with your father. You're going to catch up on everything you've missed over the last almost nine years. "Give it all you've got, Boy," he cheered, patting my back.

With just that, he exited the room with Syrus, leaving Maa and me alone in the room.

Too quick.

It all happened far too quickly.

I was just going with the flow, and now here I am.

"What should I do, Maa?" I pityingly inquired about Maa.

"It is, as Lord Emilien stated previously, ‘your best’. Come with me, we must decide what to pack in your suitcases."