Inside the manor's grand hall, the laughter of children echoed against the high ceilings. Ryouma played with his younger brother and sister for a while - little games that had them chasing one another between pillars and darting past the polished wooden floors. Eventually, the energy began to fade from their steps.
Younger brother's eyelids drooped as he yawned, and younger sister rubbed her eyes, swaying slightly where she stood.
Seeing them like that, Ryouma turned toward his mother.
"Mother," he said softly, "Lady Sayaka… I think Takeshi and Rika are feeling sleepy."
Hearing Ryouma's words, Lady Akane and Lady Sayaka both glanced toward Takeshi and Rika. The two little ones were already fighting to keep their eyes open, their small hands clutching the hems of their clothes.
A tender smile curved across Lady Sayaka's lips. She crouched slightly, her voice warm and playful.
"Hmm… it's true. My little ones are sleepy," she murmured. "Just look at them - so happy when they're here. Honestly, Akane… they must really love their big brother, don't you think?"
Lady Akane's gentle laugh joined the quiet warmth in the hall.
"I feel the same," she said softly. "They look so precious right now."
Ryouma's lips curved into a wide grin. "See? I told you - they really do love me." He lifted his chin with mock pride. "Hurray! They love me so much. And why wouldn't they adorable ? I'm adorable too… mother you and lady sayaka always told me and maids too. And takeshi and rika only turned four just recently. So of course they look so adorable.
Lady Akane and Lady Sayaka brightened their face after seeing ryouma so happy.
Lady Akane looked at Lady Sayaka and said, "He's only ever this happy when you bring takeshi- chan and rika - chan. Otherwise, he just sits around, wandering here and there, doing nothing. Hen only looks happy when our maids play with him or when I am around him. Otherwise he Just sits doing nothing."
Hearing this, Lady Sayaka said, "Hm… poor Ryouma. In the entire manor, Ryouma is the only one called a child. What can we do…?"
Before she could finish speaking, her children, Takeshi and Rika, ran to her. "Mother Mother, I am sleepy! Please hold me !" they began to say.
Seeing her elder brother, Takeshi, Rika added, "Mother, you always holds elder brother, so please hold me today!" saying this she was about cry.
Lady Sayaka smiled and said, "Alright, alright. Today, I'll hold you," as she lifted Rika into her arms.
Seeing this, Takeshi sat back quietly, his eyes already wet with tears.
Seeing Takeshi like that, Lady Akane said gently, teasing him a little, "It's okay, Takeshi-chan. Nothing's wrong. Today, let Rika be soothed first, and I'll hold you.You can sleep on my lap, alright?"
After listening this, Takeshi looked at Lady Akane for a moment. Then, happily, he crawled into her lap, turning over with joy as he settled in.
Seeing this, Lady Sayaka said, smiling, "Truly, when it comes to soothing the children, you're always ahead of everyone. In my manor, no one can coax Takeshi like you can, but with you, he listens."
Seeing this, Akane smiled and looked at Ryouma. "Ryouma, why don't you go rest too? You must be tired after playing."
Hearing this, Ryouma simply nodded, "Okay."
Then, Akane called the maids in the hall. "Tui-san, Hana-san, please take Ryouma to his room."
Upon hearing order, Yui and Hana bowed their heads respectfully. "Yes, my lady," they said, before leaving.
Watching the way Lady Akane spoke, Lady Sayaka said, "Wow, Akane, you're even this respectful toward your maids. Truly, I've never seen anyone like you before. Now I'm beginning to understand why Hanzou cares for you so much."
After hearing this, Lady Akane blushed and said, "Ah, Sayaka-san… please don't say such things right now."
In the corridor, Ryouma walked under the sunlight streaming in through the windows. The warm rays cast a gentle glow across the hall, and the light touch of heat brushed against him as his maids, Yui and Hana, followed closely behind.
At that moment, Yui spoke, "Young master, we'll help you to rest. You've been playing for such a long time; your body must be tired."
Seeing the care and affection in Yui and Hana's actions, Ryouma felt happy. Smiling, he said, "Thank you so much, Yui-san, Hana-san. But I can walk on my own, so I'll keep going."
Hearing his cheerful reply and seeing his smile, Yui and Hana covered their faces with their hands, thinking to themselves, Young master is so adorable.
In the hall, Takeshi and Rika were already asleep. At that moment, Lady Sayaka asked, "Akane, how has Ryouma been lately? Has he shown any unusual behavior like in the sacred temple we saw from that man, or anything out of the ordinary?"
Before speaking, Lady Sayaka had already created a power zone using her mana and Qi energy, ensuring that no one else could overhear their conversation. As soon as the topic came up, Lady Akane's expression grew serious. The hall itself seemed to be filled with an intense pressure. Simply by looking at their faces, it was clear that this was not a trivial matter.
Answering Lady Sayaka's question, Lady Akane said, "No, he hasn't displayed anything like what one might see in the sacred temple. On the contrary, over the past few days, he's shown even more affection toward his brothers and sisters and has started treating our maids with greater respect than before - Yui, Hana, and those stationed outside, Akemi and Hoshi. They were all tense, worrying that something might have happened to Ryouma. But it seems he's also beginning to mature faster than other too. I feel the same way."
After hearing this, Lady Sayaka let out a long, calming breath. "I see… this is good, what that man show in sacred temple remembering it still sends a shiver down my spine. But what matters is, nothing unusual has actually happened with Ryouma, right? If he hasn't shown anything, then that's fine.
Still, remember this, Akane: the more Ryouma's love grows, the more likely he may become more fearfull person as well. You must keep that in mind."
On the other hand in the corridor, Ryouma walked alongside his maids. At that moment, a voice came from a room:
"Disgusting… don't talk about it. I don't even want to hear it. After all, how could the elders be ready to make that filthy, low-born servant, I mean lady akane to the Third Queen of the country?"
Another voice immediately cut in:
"Shh… be quiet. Speak slowly. What if someone hears? Who knows what could happen. Even though she was once a servant, she's a queen now."
Then yet another voice added, "Everyone knows why they were willing. Lord Hanzou's terrifying power, aura, and decisions are beyond anyone to question. Even Second Lady Sayaka had spoken in Lady Akane's favor. That's why the elders kept her in the manor and arranged conditions so she wouldn't always be with Lord Hanzou."
These whispered voices continued, all disrespecting Lady Akane. Yui and Hana already understood what was being said but couldn't respond, since Ryouma was walking right there, hearing everything.
Seeing this, Yui and Hana tried to coaxed him. "Young master, don't listen to them. It's all lies…."
Before they could finish, Ryouma smiled and said, "Yui-san, Hana-san, don't worry about it. I'm fine. I know how mother feels. Let's just go to our room. Come on, let's go."
Seeing Ryouma remain calm, silent, and unbothered by what he had overheard, Yui and Hana were surprised. They escorted him all the way to his room, helped him lie down comfortably, and quietly left after bidding him farewell.
After Yui and Hana quietly left the room, Ryouma's smile vanished. His eyes turned bloodshot, burning with rage. His clenched jaw and grinding teeth made it clear - inside, he was seething.
He knew he could do nothing at this very moment. A deep instinct from his previous life whispered a warning: Not yet… the time hasn't come.
Suddenly, in his mind's eye, an image appeared - a place, though unclear at first. In the blink of an eye, the scene became vivid, horrific. A half-destroyed building. Scattered bodies of children. Some with broken legs, others with wounds in their chests, slit throats, severed limbs, and crushed skulls.
Among the chaos, a woman - perhaps twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old - was seized by the throat by a rough-looking man, a gangster. He spat his words in anger:
"You bitch! I told you many times - I don't care about your excuses. All I want is this land. If you'd signed the papers earlier, you wouldn't be seeing this day."
Elsewhere in the rubble, a young boy hid, watching in terror. He saw the woman being held, the thugs around her, and their monstrous faces. Then, the gangster suddenly tore open the woman's clothing, thrust his hand into her chest with a sickening- thud !, crack! and ripped out her heart. With a brutal snap ! he crushed her throat and tossed her lifeless body aside.
Without mercy, they cut off her finger, pressed it onto a paper for a fingerprint, then set the house ablaze.
The boy - eyes wide in shock and fear -"Sister… Sister Amelia… Sister! Ahhhhh! Sister! Sister!" His cries were filled with grief and rage. Looking around, he saw all the children slaughtered. Powerless, he could only sob.
The vision shifted. A graveyard. A line of graves - Sister Amelia's among them, along with the graves of the dead children. The boy knelt in front of them, tears streaming down his face.
"I swear… I'll kill them. I won't spare a single one of them. Not a single one!"
Blood-tinged tears fell from his eyes. In his hand, a sword gleamed. "I'll kill them all," he vowed.
The scene warped again- now a space of nothingness, infinite and dark.
"That's right… leave no one alive," a voice echoed.
Ryouma now stood there, shocked. "Where… am I?"
The voice replied, "Where you are…this is your own consciousness."
Fear prickled in Ryouma's voice. "Who are you? Was that… a dream? Who were those people? Who was that child?"
The voice chuckled darkly. "Who am I? I am you. That child… was also you. You and that child are the same person. That was no dream- it was a memory from your past life. Shattered. Broken. Forgotten. Until now. More will return in time."
The voice grew colder. "Remember this - back then, when they killed Sister Amelia, you spared no one. Now, reborn, they dare insult your mother? You think they should be spared? No… punishment must be delivered."
Darkness swallowed everything.
With a sharp gasp, Ryouma's eyes flew open. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep, but something inside him had changed. The memory of his past life burned vividly in his mind, like lightning flashing through the darkness. One piece of his shattered past was now crystal clear- the memory of himself as a thirteen-year-old child had completely merged with his seven-year-old body and mind.
"Power…," he muttered to himself. "This world and my past life's world aren't that different. The only new thing here is qi, alongside ki. Mother's always talked about ki, but I've mastered mana before. All that's left is to store it and form the core in heart. Good thing I started training when I was eleven in my past life. Now… it's useful."
Hatred flickered in his eyes - directed wholly at those who had insulted his mother.