Two decades ago, Baron Marcus Varen, father to the two young masters, found an injured man named Calder, half-dead on the road outside his manor. Once Calder recovered, he revealed he was an orphan, and the compassionate Baron Marcus offered him a well-paying job as a gardener.
The reason for Calder's injuries and his true origins remained a mystery; he never spoke of them. He would only say that he was from another planet, a "world beyond the stars," but would never elaborate on where this 'planet' was.
Calder was a captivating storyteller with remarkable skills in planting and building. As children, the two brothers were enchanted by his tales of a magical world with impossibly tall buildings, metal carriages flying through the air, and even gardens built on the moon.
Young Elias listened, captivated, dreaming of one day visiting this world. But as he grew older, he realized Calder's stories were nothing but fabrications. This shattering of his childhood dreams left a deep resentment in Elias's heart, and from that day forward, he treated Calder with disdain and anger.
Elias was particularly frustrated that Dorian trusted and even idolized Calder as a mentor. No matter how much he tried to reason with his brother, Dorian would just smile, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Dorian's quiet demeanor was much like Calder's—calm and gentle on the surface, but with an unyielding inner resolve.
Elias picked up the parchment on Dorian's desk, his eyes crossing as he tried to decipher the dense script.
"Why not use the common script of our kingdom? What's the point of writing if no one can read it? Unless... it's some kind of secret," Elias grumbled, then a sly look crossed his face. He leaned in conspiratorially. "Dear brother, care to explain? Are you recording... some teenage crush? You know you can always tell me."
Dorian sighed, pointing to a corner of the paper. "This is Mandarin, taught to me by my mentor. It's the common script of his homeland. The content recorded here is a series of physical constants my mentor has calculated."
Dorian pointed to a series of squiggly symbols. "And these are Arabic numerals, similar to our units of measurement but much simpler and more intuitive. They correspond to the constants above and can be used to record many things."
Elias didn't understand a single word. He simply assumed that Calder's knack for spinning tales had grown even more elaborate, and his naive brother had fallen for it all over again.
Any shred of sympathy Elias had for Calder's declining health vanished completely.
Waving his hand dismissively, Elias interrupted Dorian's explanation. He then pulled a beautifully sealed envelope from his armor.
"Alright, alright, stop talking. I don't understand, and I don't want to. Here, take this. It's an invitation from the City Lord. I need his and Marquis Merlino's certification to inherit the title. We'll leave in two weeks. Didn't you always want to hear Maestro Merlino's concert? I'll take you to the Ocean Theater after we're done in the city. You can listen to your heart's content!"
Dorian's eyes lit up as he took the invitation. He had long heard of the renowned musician in the city, whose compositions and recitals were second to none, but had never had the chance to hear him. The opportunity to attend thanks to his brother's inheritance filled him with joy.
Seeing Dorian try to suppress his excitement, Elias couldn't help but reach out and ruffle his brother's dark hair.
Predictably, this earned him an angry glare.
"I told you not to touch my hair! A man's dignity, Elias, no exceptions!"
Elias froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You've only just turned fourteen! You're not a man yet, just an overexcited boy."
The two brothers began to playfully wrestle. Dorian, still growing, was no match for Elias's formidable strength. Defeated, Dorian could only glare at his brother with mock hatred before burying his head back in the homework Calder had assigned.
Elias, unable to do anything with his sulking brother, shrugged and left on his own.
About half an hour later, Dorian resurfaced from the sea of numbers.
The house was empty, and Dorian knew Elias must have been gone for a while. It was almost lunchtime. He opened the door and found two lunch boxes on the stone table in the yard. The head maid, Corina, was taking the dishes out one by one.
Seeing it was vegetable soup with bread and fruit again, Dorian sighed with disappointment.
He missed his mentor's cooking so much. The simple fried rice he made seemed to hold a magical power that made him unable to stop eating.
Since Calder's health had started to fail, Dorian had never tasted such delicious food again.
The last time Dorian asked his mentor to teach the cook how to make it, the final result was a complete disaster.
Alas... with his mentor's body wasting away, Dorian feared he might never taste that food again.
Corina took a bowl of soup upstairs to feed the sick Calder, while Dorian was lost in sad contemplation.
After eating, Dorian went inside and saw Corina coming down from the second floor.
"Aunt Corina, is Mentor awake?"
"Young Master, Mr. Calder is awake." Corina held up a clean porcelain dish. "He had a very good appetite today. He finished all the soup."
"That's good. I'll go up and see him."
Watching Dorian rush upstairs, Corina lowered her head and smiled fondly. The Varen Manor was run by two young masters. One appeared cold and arrogant, the other gentle and calm. But Corina knew that beneath their mature exteriors, they were still just boys. Only with those they trusted did they let down their guard and show the youthful vitality they truly possessed.
"Mentor!"
Dorian pushed open the attic door and saw an old man half-reclining on a chair on the balcony, with a mute servant standing respectfully behind him.
The old man's face was sallow, his skin dry and withered. He had an exotic look, different from anyone in the kingdom. His eyes were a little cloudy, but his dark pupils were still visible.
He was the elder Dorian respected most since his father's passing, and his mentor in life.
Calder.