When Fainyx returned to his room, he climbed onto the bed and lay down quietly.
To anyone watching, he looked like a child resting after a long day.
But inside...
He was actually doing mana training.
Slow, steady breaths. Mana circulating carefully through his veins.
He wasn't worried about his father or brothers sensing it. The palace was vast, and this wing was far from their usual paths. Besides, he had been doing this for days already.
No one noticed.
Which meant now was the perfect time.
I need to hide my mana.
Not suppress it.. I need erase it's presence.
He remembered the book he had read in his mother's room back in the annex. A theory written in neat handwriting:
Mana is an essence similar to life force.
All beings possess it in small amounts.
Those who train become sensitive to it, and can sense others.
If that was true…
Then what if I hide the part they sense?
It was risky. Cutting off one's perception of mana could cause backlash, even internal damage.
But it wasn't impossible.
Fainyx focused inward, experimenting carefully. Instead of reducing mana flow, he altered how his body recognized it, dulling the sense that responded to mana's presence.
Hours passed.
Sweat dampened his hair. His breathing grew uneven.
Then—
Silence.
Mana still flowed inside him he can sense his mana, but on the outside nothing.. Senseless. Like water without ripples.
He tested it.
He released a large amount of mana.
The flower by the window didn't react.
Not even a tremble, whenever he releases mana the flower always react first but it's not moving even if I released it.
…It worked.
A small smile appeared inside his mind.
Good.
He relaxed and closed his eyes.
The door slammed open.
"What are you still doing here?!"
Fainyx's eyes widened and look at the door.
The maid, the impolite one, stood there, her face twisted in irritation.
He looked at her calmly.
That seemed to anger her more.
"Don't look at me like that," she snapped, marching over. "You think you belong here?"
Before he could react
She grabbed his hair.
Pain flared, sharp and sudden.
Fainyx , his face remaining blank was very angry. He cannot use mana to her she might report this to the duke so he don't have a choice but to act weak.
"Listen carefully, brat," she hissed. "You're not even a real Nocte, you're just a lousy muted orphan. You got that?"
She shoved him away.
His body, still weak despite all his efforts couldn't keep balance.
He fell.
Face first.
A dull pain struck his nose.
Warm liquid dripped onto the floor.
Blood.
"…Tsk."
The maid clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Clean yourself up."
She turned and left without another glance.
The door shut.
Silence returned.
Fainyx stared at the blood pooling beneath him.
…Seriously.
He stood up slowly, touching his nose. His fingers came back red.
I want to go back to the annex... I suddenly miss Estrella...
His mana was strong, stronger than most adults.
But his body?
Still fragile. Still weak.
No matter how much he exercised, no matter how careful he was, this body betrayed him.
He tried to look for a handkerchief but suddenly the room spun.
"…Ah."
His knees buckled.
He fell again, vision blurring.
The last thing he felt was something warm trailing down his face.
Then darkness.
Blood still trickled from his nose as he lay unconscious on the floor.
********
Fainyx slowly opened his eyes.
The light spilling into the room was dim, orange and soft, almost like the edge of sunset.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Then he noticed it.
The floor.
It was stained with dried blood.
"…Ah."
He raised a hand and touched his nose. The blood there had already dried as well, crusted against his skin.
How long was I out…?
He didn't know. And honestly, he didn't want to know.
He sat up slowly, staring at the dark stains on the floor as the memories rushed back, the door slamming open, the sharp pain on his scalp, the shove, the fall.
That maid...
His chest tightened.
So this is how it's going to be here.
He expected his body to ache, to feel weak like always.
But instead
He felt… refreshed.
His mana flowed smoothly, fuller than before. Even his limbs felt lighter, despite having been unconscious on a cold floor for who knew how long.
"…That's strange."
He stretched his arms and legs carefully, then stood up.
No dizziness.
No trembling.
He didn't know why he's energetic rather than stiff from sleeping from the floor all night.
He raised a hand and chanted a cleaning magic.
A soft ripple spread across the room. The dried blood vanished instantly, as if it had never existed. The floor returned to its polished shine.
He let out a quiet sigh of relief, then used magic again to clean his face, washing away the dried blood and dirt with gentle streams of water.
Once he was done, he sat on the edge of his bed.
His nose still in pain as he touch it, he realized his nose was fractured.
Should I report this?
His mind ran through the options.
His father.
Adam.
Liam.
If he stayed silent, the maid could do this again. Worse, she could do it to me again in a painful way...
…I should say something.
He had just resolved himself when another thought struck him.
Wait.
It was already dinner time.
Why hadn't anyone come for him?
A bad feeling crept in.
He stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.
The hallway was quiet.
He made his way to the dining room.
As he approached, voices drifted out.
He stopped.
Inside, the duke sat at the head of the table. Adam and Liam were there as well. The table was already filled with food, the servants standing nearby.
They were talking, casual conversation about training and studies.
Fainyx stayed where he was, unseen.
Then Liam spoke.
"…Father, why hasn't Fainyx come yet?"
His voice sounded small and Worried.
The duke sighed.
"His maid informed me that he dislikes eating together at the table. She said he prefers to eat alone in his room."
Fainyx froze.
When did I ever say that?
His fingers clenched.
I'm uncomfortable, yes. But I never said I hated it.
The duke began eating again.
Adam and Liam looked disappointed.
And they seem a little angry.
They had misunderstood.
And the source was obvious.
That maid again.
Fainyx turned away.
His stomach growled painfully.
She said she gave me food… but no one came.
Which meant—
She lied.
Why?
Because she hurt him?
Because she didn't want him to be with his father and brothers?
His stomach twisted.
He needed food.
He headed toward the kitchen.
It was empty.
The staff must have gone elsewhere.
He quietly chanted a spell to hide his presence and slipped inside.
On the counter, he found bread and apples.
He took one of each.
Just as he was about to leave—
The door opened.
He reacted instantly, ducking under a large storage box beneath the counter. His small body fit perfectly.
Voices entered.
A mans voice...
And her.
"…So the plan worked?" the man asked uneasily. "Putting the orphan in his place?"
"Of course," the maid laughed. "But don't you think you were a bit harsh, Jaren?"
So her name is Jaren.
She scoffed. "It's his fault Mr. Chef~. He looked at me like he was judging me."
The man hesitated. "Still… hitting a child—"
"I didn't hit him," Jaren said lightly. "He fell."
The man fell silent.
Fainyx bit into the bread quietly. It was hard, but edible.
Jaren continued, amused.
"Do you know what I saw after I left him? That brat passed out on the floor. Nose still bleeding. Kehehe… it was hilarious."
The man sounded alarmed. "What if he reports this to the duke?"
Jaren laughed again. "He won't. He can't. He's mute. And even if he tried—who would believe him? And also I have an idea so that they never believe him just trust me. "
Her voice turned mocking.
"So where do you think his grace picked him up? Some dump? He's just an orphan so why does he need even adopted here we already have the two young masters?."
She giggled. "Oh, and I told them I already gave him food. I won't give him any though. Let him starve."
They left.
The kitchen fell silent.
Fainyx didn't move.
…So this is her true face.
An extra villain that doesn't appear in the game...
She didn't even know he was the duke's real son, not an orphan.
When the coast was clear, he slipped out, grabbed more bread and fruit, and hurried back to his room.
His breathing was heavy when he arrived.
He wrapped the food in a clean handkerchief and hid it beneath his bed.
I'll eat this later.
He glanced outside.
The moon was high, silver light bathing the garden.
Beautiful...
He turned to the mirror by the window.
His bangs covered most of his face.
He brushed them aside.
Violet, crystal-clear eyes reflected the moonlight.
"…Huh."
They shimmered beautifully.
His father and brothers had the same crystal eyes—but blue.
No one had noticed his.
His hair fell to his shoulders, silver with a faint green gradient at the ends, glowing softly in the moonlight.
…This kid is going to be handsome when he grows up.
His body, however, was small. Fragile.
He sighed. I really need to train my body...
Then climbed back onto the bed.
This time, he trained his magic again.
This time he wants to do silent chants. He wants to try using silent chant without anyone noticing anything. This shorten the time of spells and also even if you uses silent chants the power still the same as chanting, so it'll be good if I learn this ahead of time. This is the best theory he found on the book and also he will use his game knowledge, because silent chants is used by another character in the game with the protagonist. He kept trying to use it and then by the time morning came—
He succeeded.
Magic, without chanting. has the Same effect a chanted spells and faster.
His mana was completely exhausted.
Satisfied, Fainyx lay down.
And fell asleep.