[Identity V] The Count's Son

"You are so handsome, young master!"

"You're exaggerating..."

"Not at all, you should look at yourself in the mirror," replied Martha with a smile.

Aesop was still a bit hesitant as he slowly turned to his reflection. It was the first time he wore such comfortable clothes. They had no holes but a pretty gray plaid pattern along with a golden pin keeping his neckerchief in place. He wasn't expecting her to go so far but Martha had also trimmed his hair and it was like he became a new person.

"Can I really have these...?"

"Of course, young master." she said in a sweet tone as she patted his head. "However these were the master's old clothes so when the seamstress comes to visit, you will have brand new ones even more beautiful!"

Aesop bowed his head with red cheeks in anticipation. All this attention he was getting was giving him butterflies in his stomach. A menacing shadow dreading this to be just a dream still hovered over him, but Martha's warm presence was already helping him to dispel it somewhat.

"Say, Martha... Is father really not coming to have dinner with us tonight...?"

Though she kept smiling, the young woman frowned slightly in bitter reluctance.

"I can always ask him again if that is a concern of yours."

"N-No... Father is a busy person, I would not wish to disturb him while he has work to do."

Besides, Aesop was already nine years old! He was almost a teenager and couldn't throw tantrums like a child. Martha simply sketched an understanding smile at his answer, completely unaware of what might be brewing in the young boy's mind.

"Well, shall we go to the dining room? Perhaps your uncle is already there."

Aesop nodded before taking Martha's hand. They had only spent a few hours together but it had practically become a mechanism, to the brunette's delight. Finally, the table had been set before they arrived and the astronomical amount of food on it would almost make the child dizzy.

So much to eat but only one person to enjoy it.

"Uncle's not here yet...?"

Martha looked around but there didn't seem to be any sign of the one in question and only the servants were present on the side. The young woman was about to ask her colleagues about the matter but the door to the dining room opened abruptly before she could do so, startling Aesop in the process who gasped.

"Sorry for my tardiness, I had a slight hitch." Claude had finally shown up and looked a little out of breath. The blond put some order in his hair before walking to his nephew to carry him to his chair and then sitting down in front of him. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?" he asked with a big smile.

"N-No."

"Glad to hear it," he sighed, "The knights' training took longer than expected and I didn't see the time. I still had to go through my quarters though because I wasn't going to appear at dinner covered in sweat!"

Aesop let out a weak laugh at the hardships Claude had to undergo to get here. The blue-eyed man also seemed pleased to see the young boy much more relaxed than when he arrived at the mansion. It was partly thanks to him to be honest, Claude was the one who saved him from the orphanage and the atmosphere around him was similar to Martha's.

Unlike him, his real father exuded the opposite. Coldness was the first word that came to mind when he thought of him. The image of his stone-like expression flashed through his mind and Aesop accidentally dropped his knife to the floor. The sound of the silver hitting the tile floor caused him to freeze. Was he going to be scolded for that? No, that was a given. He looked down embarrassedly without saying anything and Martha reached down to retrieve the cutlery from the floor. She changed it with another before stooping to Aesop's level to hand it to him, a soft smile on her lips.

"Don't worry, young master. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes."

Martha's reassuring words allowed Aesop to swallow his tears and he nodded as she cut up the rest of his piece of chicken for him.

"That reminds me, we should probably find you a tutor as soon as possible. Noble etiquette will be essential to you in the future so the sooner you start the sooner it will become as easy as blinking." interjected Claude.

"A tutor..."

The blond cut a piece of his meat, the corner of his lips raised.

"I'll have to ask Jack for advice, but I think I already have an idea."

"Jack?"

"Ah, that's right you haven't met him yet. You'll see him soon enough I guess, he's your father's handyman after all."

From his description, this fellow named Jack sounded like a pitiful person... Well, he was more interested in this teaching thing. Aesop didn't know so much about the world and couldn't wait to learn more. He wondered what kind of person his future teacher could be...