The next day, the atmosphere in the mansion still felt strange. Usually, when morning came, I had to mentally prepare myself for Young Master Leonel's angry outbursts. But for the past two days, there were no shouts, no sounds of things being thrown. There was only a silence that made me more anxious than usual.
That morning, I brought Leonel's training uniform to his room. His face looked fresher than yesterday, though the bags under his eyes indicated he hadn't slept well. But that wasn't what made me stop in my tracks.
He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, hands resting on his knees. His breathing was even, deep, and calm.
I almost dropped the clothes I was carrying. That was… the meditation posture of knights cultivating their aura.
An impossible sight.
"Y-Young Master?" My voice trembled.
Leonel opened his eyes. His gaze was no longer empty like before; there was a new light of determination. "Oh, Rian. Just put them on the chair. I'll change soon after this."
I bowed and carefully placed his clothes down. But my eyes couldn't leave Leonel's body. There was something faint enveloping him, like a shimmering, thin mist.
Aura. Aura, again.
I bit my lip. Was what I was seeing truly real? Could Leonel really cultivate aura? For years, he had been known as a noble who couldn't do anything except cause trouble.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Rian?" His voice startled me.
"I-I was just… worried the Young Master is pushing himself too hard."
He gave a faint smile and stood up. "Worried, huh? That's a word I've never heard directed at me before."
I could only bow my head. His words, for some reason, made my chest feel tight.
That afternoon, Leonel asked me to accompany him to the family training grounds. That alone was strange, as he usually avoided that place. The training grounds were always full of his cousins who loved to humiliate him.
And sure enough. As soon as we arrived, mocking stares rained down on Leonel.
"Look who's here. The Kaelthorn trash."
"What are you here for, Leonel? To show us how to fall without being touched?"
"Hahaha!"
I wanted to grab his arm and take him back to his room, but Leonel stepped forward without hesitation. His face was calm, not ignited with anger as it usually would be.
One of his cousins, Darius, approached with a sneer. "Hey, don't tell me you want to practice aura? You can't even produce a spark."
Usually, Leonel would retaliate with harsh words or even throw something to vent his frustration. But this time, he just looked at Darius calmly.
"Everyone has the right to try," he said. "Even someone considered trash."
The training grounds fell silent. No one expected Leonel to say something like that.
Darius snorted. "Pretty words won't change reality." He then ignited his Level 1 aura, a faint light enveloping his arm. "This is what you will never achieve."
I clenched my fists, afraid Leonel would be humiliated again. But the Young Master only raised the wooden sword he had brought, closed his eyes for a moment, and then swung it slowly.
As it happened, I saw it again. Aura. Very thin, almost invisible, but it was there.
The jeering stopped. Some of his cousins stared in disbelief.
"Impossible…" one of them muttered.
Darius's face turned red. "That's just an illusion. There's no way you—"
But Leonel looked at him with a calm gaze, far different from his usual self. "Don't judge too quickly, Darius. Today, I might have just started. But tomorrow, who knows?"
He lowered his sword and walked past the still-silent crowd. No anger, no shouting. Only a calmness that made everyone uncomfortable.
I followed behind him, my heart in turmoil.
On the way back to his room, I finally mustered the courage to speak.
"Young Master… how could you…?"
Leonel glanced back and gave a faint smile. "Perhaps I just needed time to realize who I truly am."
I bowed my head. Those words were simple, but to me, they felt profound.
All this time, I had always lived in fear. I used 'I' because I was just a lowly servant who had to submit. But for some reason, that day, something changed inside my heart.
I wanted to believe. I wanted to see how far Leonel would go.
And without realizing it, for the first time, I didn't refer to myself as 'I' in my thoughts.
"…I will always be by the Young Master's side."
Leonel paused for a moment, looked at me with wide eyes, then smiled wider than ever before.
"Thank you, Rian."
That night, as I lay on my narrow wooden bed in the servants' quarters, my mind was still spinning.
Had I gone mad? How could I possibly believe the Young Master could change? But deep in my heart, I knew I hadn't seen wrong.
Leonel Kaelthorn… had truly changed.
And if that was true, this world might soon be shaken.