Author's Note:

Editor-chan finally finished this chapter after hours of combing through it. She told me she was frustrated by the ambiguity and well ╮(╯▽╰)╭. Like everyone else, she'll have to wait for clarification in the future chapters. Just to warn you guys, I will neither confirm nor deny anything lol.

Anyway, the fluff chapter I promised you guys! Well, it's 70% fluff and 30% something else. The next few chapters should be a lot fluffier! This is only the beginning, let me tell you!

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Edward remembered the first couple of years when Thomas was brought into their household. The younger child was a quiet little thing and thinner than his sister. Even after he was cleaned and washed, the curly-haired boy still looked sickly. The clothes, Edward's old clothes, they gave him at the last minute hung off his frame, and at the time, being so young and partly naive to the cruelty of nobility and the world in general, Edward hadn't wondered why they couldn't request a tailor to create more fitting clothes.

Katherine, his younger sister by only a year, took one look at the frail boy and ignored him promptly. Edward knew she was just pouting because she had wanted a sister to play with and not another brother who wouldn't be interested in fashion or makeup talk. His mother was always upset whenever Thomas was even in the same room-- in fact, she never looked the same since the day Father had brought him back. Not since the time he saw that strange and malicious woman at their gates trying to reach for them as if she wanted to use her red, long nails to claw their faces into ribbons.

It took a while for Edward to realize that Thomas looked a lot like her; the eldest could see it after the youngest's cheeks finally filled out and his dark eyes became less hollowed.

Her appearances weren't the only thing he inherited from her as well.

"Keep your disgusting hands off me, you homewrecker!"

There was a loud slapping sound and Edward could feel the sting on his hand as Thomas tore away from him as if he was infected with some kind of deadly disease, the younger boy's face twisted into an expression similar to the one the woman at the gates had given his family.

The entire situation escalated too quickly for Edward to comprehend at the moment. He just happened to have seen the youngest exit out from their father's study, obviously in a bad mood with a pale face and red eyes.

The younger boy was swaying as he walked towards the west wing, where Father had placed his room, and Edward only wanted to make sure he wouldn't fall, but once he had touched Thomas' shoulder, the other rejected him with a revulsion that shocked the eldest. He couldn't recall having done anything to earn such hostility, especially since they hadn't really talked.

Both he and Katherine were preoccupied with their studies to truly interact with the youngest Rosetta and while they would often see their younger brother for breakfast, their meals together was always tense and brief due to their parent's cold attitude to each other, and as children who were unaware of the complexity of the situation, all they could have done was bear it.

Thomas, at the time, had often been shadowing their father as well, sometimes looking at the man with eyes of reverence and adoration. Though Father had once told him to consider Thomas, their newest addition, as family and that this frail and skinny boy would be his younger brother to look after and care for, the older man's own attitude did not reflect his words.

His father would be completely cold when it came to the youngest, so cold that it felt like a complete rejection of everything that was Thomas. In the beginning, he would always ignore the other as if he couldn't see the small child following him like a second shadow. His father would even avoid him, shutting himself in his study more often than he used to, and had never looked at the young boy in the eye or even brushed his gaze over the child's face.

His father had always been rather cool and distant when it came to affection, something that both he and his sister were fine with, but he was also gentle in nature. This change had baffled them greatly, but they were too young and naive to address it. All they could figure out was that the reason why their parents had changed so much was because of the new addition to their household.

It didn't occur to Edward to blame Thomas for their parent's abnormality, though. He wasn't convinced that someone so small and quiet would have caused so much trouble, but then, it only took that single instant to convinced him otherwise.

Edward had participated in many galas and social events since he was practically a baby and was familiar with the kind of gazes that would follow him in consideration towards his social status: envy, calculation, greed, sneers-- sometimes adoration from time to time. But seeing the burning, brown eyes trying to pierce through him, as if they wanted nothing more than to see him dying a slow death, the first time Edward had ever encounter pure and complete malice was from the person who was supposed to be his little brother.

Their relationship only seemed to devolve from there, creating a cycle of hatred and jealousy. As the firstborn and heir to the Prime Minister seat, it was only natural that Edward would have done his best to set himself from the rest. If he had shown any weaknesses or appeared unsuitable as his father's successor, those adults who often praised him would then come forth with their own children to suggest to both the King and the Crown Prince. While he was confident that Prince Xander would become a responsible and just King, his best friend was often too optimistic and lacked wariness; it has always been a concern for Edward that his charge's excessive kindness would one day be taken advantage of.

Thomas didn't understand this-- or maybe he never did want to understand Edward's position as heir. Edward, himself, didn't think his little brother was fit for the seat. Not because of his magical capabilities (or lack thereof) or his identity as their father's illegitimate child, but because of his sensitivity to the opinions of others.

As the heir, he would be subjected to many unwanted and unwarranted commentary, especially from his peers. Thomas was already so defensive about his status as a five-tier magician and the nature of his birth, the nobility would have latched onto that vulnerability like bone vultures to a feeble prey. He would have been devoured within seconds.

But Thomas didn't care about that. All he saw was the large mountain he had to climb and ignored the surrounding beasts and pitfalls. He was so caught up in his own inferiority that he never stopped to consider what it meant to be the Rosetta Heir, next in line to become one of the most powerful figures only below the Royal Family.

Edward was not that much older than the youngest, so he never bothered to soothe Thomas' insecurities, nor did he ever explained himself. He could not get close to him-- Thomas wouldn't allow it in the first place, so the misunderstandings and distance only grew.

It was only later on, when their father, for some inexplicable reason, enrolled Thomas into Evadne Academy, did his little brother then started scheming against him. They were all childish ideas and plans that often failed even without Edward's (or sometimes Katherine's) meddling, but it didn't mean he wasn't tired having to deal with them. Keeping up his guard even in his own home, no wonder his personality became so cold.

Around the same time as well, much to Edward's bewilderment, his father began to act even stranger than usual. Whenever Thomas was in the same room or area, he would put on a play that would baffle both his children and his wife. Though Kyron had always treated Anais very well, he rarely displayed any adoration towards her, but in front of his youngest, he would act very tender and loving. To his two oldest children, though he was a humble man and was the type that would withhold his pride from plain sight, in front of Thomas, he would actively praise them and embellish their accomplishments.

Both he and Katherine were uncomfortable with this unusual treatment, uncomfortable with how their mother seemed to quickly take advantage of it to curry some favor with her husband, but they all went along with it-- Edward couldn't remember the reason why. Maybe it was because they were too young to not follow along with their parent's wishes. Maybe it was out of spite towards the hellion that transformed their home into another stage for them to pretend upon. They had been like this for more than half of his life that he had forgotten.

At first, their father wouldn't scold Thomas in the same sitting and just concentrated on portraying a loving family to the youngest, but maybe he saw how much of a hard time his eldest had when dealing with his illegitimate child and started to crudely redirect his energy towards his youngest's school work.

This farce continued until Thomas stopped joining them for meals several weeks ago. They all thought he was probably planning something nasty or crying wolf, so Father summoned his youngest to warn him off from doing anything stupid, and maybe Thomas got the message and maybe he did not. It wasn't until recently, after weeks of eating breakfast in silence, did Edward figured out that his father had no clue what to do with his youngest son. It was like being back in the past when the older man was still quiet and reserved-- only now, the atmosphere around him seemed despondent.

His mother once again blamed Thomas, as if the stage they had been acting on was the real thing. Katherine, on the other hand, was the most relieved out of all of them. She was free spirited by nature and being forced to play out this happy scene for their father made her feel like a bird in a cage-- stifled and trapped. More often than not, she took her frustration out of their younger brother but never felt good about it afterward. It was like they were poisoned by his malice and she had hoped that the evil child would keep away until they could finally breathe once again.

But despite Thomas' absent, no one believed, or even considered, that he had a change of heart. Much less Edward, who was the main target for all of his little brother's childish schemes.

Then weeks after not even seeing a single strand of his hair, their paths crossed in the most surprising way, and looking at this slovenly-dressed, curly-haired, sleepy-eyed child in front of him, despite that fact he was obviously Thomas, all Edward could think during their brief interaction, 'This is not Thomas'.

Thomas wouldn't stand being treated as a child. He wouldn't stand looking so messy either. He wouldn't skip classes or sleep in the middle of them. He wouldn't climb trees to sleep on, spend time in the library trying to avoid anyone else, or arrive late and leave school early if only to socialize with other young masters and misses.

In the nine years they had known each other, Thomas had never smiled at him.

Maybe the entire personality change was part of his little brother's elaborate scheme and he had fallen for it stupidly... but the Thomas he knew would never sacrifice his own reputation and greed even for the chance to trap Edward. At this point, he rather believed that the youngest was possessed by another soul, as idiotic as that seemed.

As cruel as it may sound, maybe it was for the best. If Thomas had actually calmed down, they don't need to play 'happy family' anymore. Their father didn't need to strain himself whenever he was in the same room as his youngest. His mother might be less dramatic. His sister's temperament would be better, and he wouldn't have to peer over his shoulders trying to avoid his little brother's next great big scheme.

Yet, Edward still felt uneasy. It was as if his life would change once again as it did when Thomas first came into the household. He didn't know how he should feel about it.

But he didn't want to be passive as he once was when he was seven years old and let some unknown factor twist his feelings and his life around, especially when it would hit somewhere close to home. So he took the initiative to study this 'new' Thomas a bit more, gathering reports from his confidants around the academy about the boy's movements and interactions.

He found out quickly that Thomas seemed to cut himself off from the nobles he had been currying with. In fact, he acted as if they never had entered his gaze, but not in an arrogant fashion. It was more like he didn't recognize them, as if they were total strangers. It angered the majority of them to have the lackey they had been using to suddenly dismiss them, so bullying was fairly common in Thomas' school life.

Though the bullying was one-sided from the beginning since the new Thomas had never cared what they said about him or what they did to his stuff. Any attempt of physical abuse was easily dodged as well-- mostly because Thomas would often skip classes more often than not.

While that didn't make him the favorite of the professors, it was undeniable that his test scores were in the realm of perfection. If it wasn't for his practical exams, he would be at a place where no one could touch him. But it was obvious, according to the reports, that this Thomas was uncaring of status. Usually, this would be concerning since he could easily offend the wrong person and create an incident that Edward had no choice but to clean up, but the new Thomas didn't like speaking to people. He wasn't brazen or ostentatious. It was like he lived in his own world separate from everyone else except for a few chosen people.

Those people, notably, were Clarisse, of course, and some of the other servants that Edward only briefly saw Thomas interact with.

The old Thomas would never allow 'the help' to get close to him. He looked down at them like every other arrogant noble and would treat them as if he was the sun and they were only the dirt basking in his presence.

The new Thomas was incredibly soft to these servants though, almost indulgent. He treated them more like family when he never gave his actually family that courtesy. And maybe... that's why he found himself on the way back to the estate early after classes, sitting in his family's luxurious carriage.

Normally, Edward would stay in the academy's salon to interact with his peers and if he happened to get an invitation to visit someone's home, he would take it. Sometimes, he would stay for dinner-- of course after both informing his mother and his father of his whereabouts, but for the first time in a long time, he actually came back before his parents and his sister. He hadn't even informed the servants of his arrival, but he wanted to use the element of surprise to touch that 'boundary' Thomas had set up.

What would he see? What had Thomas seen? What was the reason for him to create a clear line between 'them' and 'himself'? Was the reason why the servants, including his own personal manservant, Amir Al-Amin, leaned towards his brother so openly because they had witnessed something that he hadn't seen?

Edward wasn't sure what to expect and admittedly, he was a little afraid to find out.

Regardless, the carriage had already moved passed the gates and it wasn't long until it stopped at the front doors. Edward was escorted off by Morgan and once he entered into his 'home' the manservant controlling the horses and the carriage drove off towards the stables.

Usually, there would be a line of maidservants and butlers to greet him, but the main foyer was strikingly empty all except for Morgan, who helped him out of his jacket and his gloves, and a maid rummaging in the closet under the stairs, probably for the cleaning supplies placed inside.

Though a little unnerved by the quietness (or maybe just by the unfamiliar but peaceful atmosphere that he had never noticed or acquainted the Rosetta Estate with), he considered the places where Thomas would frequent at.... But then realized that the Thomas he knew would be out of the manor buttering up to those unsavory nobles he had associated himself with. Where the other would relax while he was home, Edward wasn't sure.

Maybe he was a bit too hasty to send Amir off to take care of some of his errands. Though unprecedented, since he had always been aloof with everyone else, the relationship between his little brother and his personal butler seemed surprisingly good. The Zafarian could probably provide some insight with Thomas' habits. Should he try the other's room then?

"Ah! Young Master Thomas! There you are!" the maid from beneath the stairs cried out a little bit too joyously, causing Edward to pause in mid-step as he was about to head towards the west wing.

Edward: "......." Surely, he had heard wrong?

Edward took a step back, then a couple more to the left to have a better view of the maid crouching down to reach for something in the closet. Morgan followed him closely, probably just as baffled and as confused as his master.

Much to both of their bewilderment, as the maid stood up, she did carry out the Second Young Master, the third child of the Rosetta family, from the storage room.

Thomas, on the other hand, was half-awake when he was moved from his hiding spot. He had hoped he wouldn't be found for another hour and a half, because either Clarisse, Henry, and Amir by then had no choice but to look for him actively. Their scents were the ones he liked the most, but he sniffed the maid carrying him and thought, Oh, it's Nina, recognizing her faint vanilla-cinnamon-honey smell.

He remembered first meeting Nina when she had poured milk for him on the second day of his transmigration and had a good impression of her since then. Her scent might be a little bit too sweet for his taste sometimes, but it was always really comfortable to sleep to. So he didn't really have any complaints about who was carrying him and dropped into dreamland once again.

Due to how quickly the Young Master had completely relaxed after just a brief sniff of her shoulder, Nina was feeling particularly cheerful. Today, she was lucky to be the first one to find the youngest Rosetta, therefore she had the honor of carrying the little one to his room. And considering how long it would take to reach his quarters (especially if she shortened her strides), then she would have Young Master Thomas all to herself for the next half-hour!

Generally, there was a pattern to Young Master Thomas' sleeping arrangement, but they all had their own duties to attend at the same time and couldn't just abandon them just to look for the youngest Rosetta. So it was always a delightful surprise when they found the little one as they were doing their chores (though concerning, since the places they would find the child in were not exactly the most convenient places to sleep in), but there were only so many servants and only one Young Master Thomas.

Sometimes, it would be weeks before it would be her turn to hold the young master. In fact, if Al-Amin hadn't been always hogging the little one, maybe she wouldn't have to wait weeks for the chance to take care of Young Master Thomas!

To this day, Al-Amin's ability to accurately root out Young Master Thomas from his napping/hiding spots became the biggest mystery and the most talked about gossip among the maids, but no one was brave enough to ask the reserve butler about this particular skills. All they could do was sulk as the Zafarian carry away their precious little master to his room.

Humming softly as she shut the cleaning supply closet with her foot, Nina nearly skipped towards the bottom the stairs-- only to freeze when she saw the eldest young master and his personal butler, Morgan, staring at them with a peculiar expression.

Edward: "......"

Morgan: "......."

Nina: "..........."

Tanaka: ".....Zzzzzz..."

Adjusting her hold on Young Master Thomas, she cleared her throat and awkwardly broke the silence, "Young Master Edward, you're home early..."

At first, Edward didn't answer to the maid's obvious observation and gazed at the defenseless and powerless child in her arms. He thought back to all those reports about his brother's unusual sleeping locations and resisted the urge to sigh.

"...Ms. Antonia."

"...Yes, Young Master Edward," Nina replied rather nervously, curtseying to the best of her ability despite the extra weight in her arms.

"Does Thomas always sleep in the stairwell closet?"

Nina blinked a little, surprised by the nature of the question, but answered hesitantly since she didn't want the little one to get in trouble. Then again, it seemed that the Master had yet to figure out an effective 'punishment' to use on the little master, so maybe it was better to leave things as it was...

"...Not always," Nina admitted hesitantly. After all, the stairwell closet was only one of Young Master Thomas' most frequent places to nap, but she wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea to inform the eldest young master of that.

"'Not always,' meaning that he had slept there multiple times before."

"...Yes, Young Master Edward," Nina had no choice but to agree since that was the truth of the matter.

After a moment of silence between the three of them, Edward then wasn't able to stop himself from sighing. It was a little disconcerting how he was starting to accept these kinds of quirks from the new Thomas-- it really made separation from the new Thomas to the old Thomas much easier to swallow.

"I'll escort him back to his room. You should continue with your chores and not worry about babysitting my brother." Though Edward had said this out of consideration (after all, Clarisse was the one who was supposed to look after Thomas), he wasn't surprised by the maid's unwilling and disappointed expression. He also had contacts within the manor -butlers and maids who reported to him- and he was aware how well some of the servants would treat his younger brother. Maybe a bit too well.

Honestly, he was a little baffled by the way they babied his youngest sibling. It was like they had completely forgotten that he was thirteen and not three.

Nonetheless, Edward had no intention of losing this chance to understand the new Thomas better, especially since their paths rarely crossed now in the first place. In the past, his younger brother would always try to seek him, either to be a nuisance or to try to discredit him for something, but now that he was avoiding the salons and every other social event, Thomas was like a ghost.

He never thought there would come a day where he would willingly approach his brother, but here he was, asking for him from the maid that was carrying him.

After a few seconds of staring at each other, Nina reluctantly stepped forward to transfer the little master to the young eldest master. Edward was taller than the maid, even though he had yet to reach adulthood, so in order to pass Thomas in between them without startling the child from his nap, he had to bend down slightly to grab his younger brother from underneath.

Once Thomas' head lolled onto the shoulder, his dark eyes suddenly blinked awake. Instantly, both Edward and Nina froze in place, both seemingly waiting for something as the young boy narrowed his eyes sleepily, perceiving the change in his napping spot.

Though the maid's and the eldest young master's stare were intense in nature -which would make anyone squirm in discomfort- the little master was unbothered. He smacked his lips slowly a couple of times, his eyes bleary and unseeing before burying his face into Edward's shoulder.

The eldest Rosetta stiffened in response, especially when Thomas sniffed into his shoulder. Much to Edward's bewilderment, only several seconds later, his little brother seemed to accept his new sleeping place by letting go of Nina and completely dropping his entire weight into his arms. The young boy adjusted his position in the teenager's grip, squirming closer to the heat source against him, before stilling completely.

For some reason, Nina beamed. "Congratulations, Young Master Edward! It's rare for Young Master Thomas to fall asleep so quickly against someone!"

Edward: "......" Why did it sound like he had tamed a small animal instead?

"... Hughes, take my personal items up to my room."

"... Of course, Young Master Edward," Morgan replied with a slight bow, his narrowed eyes betraying his thoughts, but he knew better than to convey his opinions out loud.

After sending off the servants to perform their duties, Edward made his way up the stairs and towards the west wings with ease despite the extra weight in his arms. Since he had always kept the other from a distance, he never knew how small his younger brother was. Thomas had always been a big menace in his daily life, and his presence often caused great distress to his family, but it really hit the eldest Rosetta how human the child felt in his arms.

He was well aware of how small Thomas was for his age, but it would be considered nothing short of ridiculous for a sixteen-year-old to carry someone only three years younger than him. Children at this age would be hitting their growth spurts as well, which his little brother obviously skipped or missed. He was also worryingly light and it could be because of his training in swordsmanship that he found it very easy to bear the child's weight, but considering this New Thomas' sleeping habits, he felt it could be due to the other sleeping through meals.

But surely Clarisse wouldn't allow that. According to the reports, she was terribly fond of his little brother, along with the majority of the cooking staff-- even more so because of his change.

Nonetheless, it was rather worrisome. Regardless of his feelings towards the other, his family had no intention of starving the child. It was against their own moral code, though his mother seemed rather content to pretend that the illegitimate child didn't exist, but she cared a lot for her reputation and the family's reputation as well and while the majority of nobility would sympathize with her plight and probably encourage any mistreatment towards the bastard child, the Windsors wouldn't.

The Royal family had always been the example of upright and generosity. When Edward first met Xander, who was bright-eyed, overly-exuberant, and full optimism and kindness from the moment they had met, he thought this gentle-type of person wouldn't last. The moment the Crown Prince would enter into noble society, the eldest Rosetta could only imagine the other being swallowed whole by those opportunistic snakes that seemed hidden in every corner. He was just waiting for the needle to drop, for the Prince to make a mistake, make the wrong choices and follow the uncouth examples made by their peers.

But years had passed and Edward couldn't hold onto his skepticism. Though Xander had grown from a small, bouncy child to the young man he was now, his personality hadn't changed much from when they first met.

Edward had never met someone so stubbornly, frustratingly generous and kind. These traits that he had sneered at when he was young, now he couldn't help but admire.

Though Xander's character might seem otherwise, Edward's best friend was aware of the seedier side of nobility and knew what it involved. His mother and father were excellent rulers but that didn't necessarily mean they were blind to the dark spots and they wouldn't let their son take the throne with his eyes half-closed as well.

Marie Windsor was a frontline soldier during the Zafaran War and knew the grime and toils of the battlefield (though she only did one campaign and didn't even made it halfway through the desert before going home). She had seen plenty of inhuman things done 'for the Goddess Ariadne' and 'for Asteria'-- as if they weren't the ones doing the bullying instead.

Charles Windsor was also someone that lived during the Zafaran War, and though textbooks and the people described him as proactive man who fought for injustice, he was thoroughly suppressed by his grand-uncle, the previous Astrian King, Dominus Regale, who at first did everything he could to force his wife, Marie, into participating the war. And when that didn't work -after all, it would not be wise to anger one of the most powerful magicians in the country- he oppressed his grand nephew instead. At the time, Charles had no influence or say over what was going on within the country and over the war against Zafaran. His fief was either osterized or mocked by other nobles and it was a very bitter experience for the Windsors.

They loved their son, their miracle after many years of trying to conceive, but it was not possible to shelter him. The Windsors took the throne during turbulent and unrestful times and Dominus Regale had offended too many people during his reign. Regardless, their child had grown bright and steady despite his environment and was not discontent with his life.

Like his parents, Xander had a very moral and righteous view of life. Though they knew each other since they were children, even if he explained his situation with Thomas, like his parents, his best friend wouldn't approve of mistreatment towards his brother, especially since Thomas was younger than them.

Therefore, in order to maintain their current relationship with the royal family, his mother could only tolerate the youngest child and try to minimize interaction between the two of them. Thomas, on the other hand, didn't like his stepmother (an understatement) and would have done his best to avoid her as well. Whenever they were in the same room, it was like a bunch of knives were hanging a few inches above their head, ready to be dropped at any moment and it only had gotten worse as the years went by.

It was halfway down the hallway that Edward then finally realized that he wasn't sure which room in the west wing belonged to Thomas. He knew that his brother's bedroom was in the west wing on the second floor, but the eldest Rosetta never had gone out of his way to actually visit the room itself.

Their father had given his youngest son the entire west wing second floor to himself and if Edward wasn't aware the extreme avoidance his father would practice on his younger brother, then it would have been considered rather generous even for a noble, especially with the size of their estate. It made it easier for them to avoid Thomas, but apparently, not easy to look for him either.

He almost regretted sending his other butler, Amir Al-Amin, to run some errands he needed to be done. The Zafarian was usually the first to volunteer for such things and today wasn't an exception, but since he allowed Thomas to borrow the dark-skinned servant for the week, Al-Amin probably knew where the youngest room was located.

Fortunately, at the very end of the hall, he saw a maid coming out from a room and since the majority of the rooms in the west wing shouldn't be used or occupied other than for some monthly dusting, Edward could deduce whose room that belonged to.

Also, the maid happened to be Thomas' caretaker, Clarisse, and though her expressionless face made her seem standoffish, Edward could somehow detect the surprise in the stiffness of her shoulders. At first, she stared intensely at the child in his arms before remembering her manners.

With her head lowered and her upper body slightly bent forward, she bowed respectfully to the eldest son of the Rosetta. "Good afternoon, Young Master Edward," she said softly, though there seemed to be a trace of disbelief underneath her submissive tone.

Considering his relationship with Thomas before his heaven-defying change, her incredulity was very understandable. They wouldn't even be in touching distance of each other yet now, Edward found himself carrying his little brother back to his bedroom.

"Ms. Baker," Edward responded with a short nod towards her direction before walking past her and entering into the room she just came out of.

As expected, especially since Clarisse had just come out of the room, the bedroom was clean and neat. Edward could see the pile of papers and books on the small desk placed in the corner and the bed made with a few too many pillows on the mattress and against the bed frame. There were pots of lavender in nearly every corner of the room and an extraordinary amount of rugs covering the floor. The windows were opened, giving a clear view of the gardens below, and allowed a slight breeze to gently ruffle the translucent white curtains floating in the air like the soft feathers of a bird.

The atmosphere was amazingly peaceful and warm, so unlike Old Thomas' personality. (If Edward knew the state of the youngest Rosetta's bedroom before Tanaka's transmigration -dark, lifeless, and colorless, almost like a prison rather than a home- he would probably be even more baffled by the current state of the room.)

With only a second long pause, he turned his eyes away from the cozy decor and turned his attention towards the bed.

It was rather big for someone of Thomas' size, and when Edward moved the comforter and began placing his younger brother onto the sheet, the child sank deep into the mattress, almost as if it would swallow the lithe figure until the little one was hidden.

He could feel Clarisse's presence from right behind him across the room, probably waiting for the chance to take over the care for her charge, but before he could straighten up and leave his younger brother for his nap, he found himself stuck.

Though he wasn't holding onto his younger brother anymore, Thomas still clung to him tightly. The front of his shirt was crumbled where the child's hand were gripping and no matter how much Edward had tugged, the little one held on with a sticky-like clutch. After a while, he helplessly had to wave the maid over, hoping that she could do something about his predicament.

Without a word, Clarisse stepped forward to mercifully save the eldest young master from the youngest's claws.

It could be considered a difficult task to pry Young Master Thomas off from whoever was unfortunate (or fortunate) to find the napping child. Conrad had even asked Clarisse to get the crowbar in his toolshed-- half serious, of course, but it was probably because the groundskeeper smelled like lavender that the young master was unwilling to let go.

Most of the time, due to Young Master Thomas' low body heat, he tended to cling onto anything warmer than him. It would have taken fifteen minutes to half-an-hour to pry his slim fingers off from their clothes-- unless you were Amir, who only needed to whisper a few coaxing words before the child, within a few minutes, promptly let go. It was a skill to be jealous of, especially since all of it was done without strain or effort on the Zafarian's part.

Clarisse, who knew her young master as well as the dark-skinned butler, or even better, had also found a way to quickly detach the child from his victim. Since the problem lay with the little one's low body temperature, all she would need to do was to cover up his body with a blanket and naturally allow him to retreat once he subconsciously realized that being under the cover is warmer than outside of it.

It took maybe around 3 to 8 minutes before Young Master Thomas would have released whoever was on the other end of his grip, and while this method was not as quick as whatever Amir had done, it was still better than awkwardly hovering over the child for the next fifteen minutes.

Then again, there were some maids or butlers that looked as if they didn't mind-- they were more torn in between holding the child for several hours more or to let the little one rest in his own bed. Because Clarisse didn't want to spoil her young master or have the other maids and butlers slack off of their work, she made sure to tell the staff that Young Master Thomas had to be returned to his bedroom once they found him.

Of course, that didn't prevent some people trying to sneak the youngest master away while trying to do their duties as if they had four arms instead of two. Clarisse and Henry both had to scold the maids and butlers that attempted to do so since it could endanger them and the young master at the same time. And when they seemed reluctant, they had Young Master Thomas to scold them instead.

While the young boy was moved by their care, it didn't mean he wanted them to hurt themselves in the process. His naps weren't supposed to hurt people in the first place! Tanaka was so baffled by their determination to bring him along while they were working.

"If you have work, just put me down somewhere. The rugs in the hallway are soft and the cabinets are dark and cool, so I would be fine sleeping in those places since I know my room is pretty far," was what Tanaka had said to the few servants (including Conrad, who looked embarrassed at being caught rather than being scolded by the young master), causing Clarisse to sigh and both Henry and Amir to snort out loud at the child's misunderstanding.

The servants: "......." The problem isn't the place where to put down the young master! The problem is whether they could put down the young master in the first place!

It was not like they couldn't make the trip to the youngest's bedroom even with the young master in their arms, unlike the child himself, but whenever the little one would cling onto their apron or their shirt and snuggling against their shoulder or chest with his brown curls framing his plush cheeks, they couldn't bear to put him down! Much less force him to let go!

Either way, after the maid reached over and placed the comforter over the little one, Clarisse and Edward awkwardly waited next to each other until the eldest young master could feel the grip on his shirt loosening.

Once three minutes had passed, Thomas' hand slackened enough to where Edward could gently pry off the smaller fingers from his body and ignored the slight ache from his lower back from bending over his younger brother for too long.

"Thank you for returning Young Master Thomas to his room, Young Master Edward," Clarisse took the initiative to quietly say as Edward straightened up from his previously hunched position. Bearing in mind of their previous relationship, which was the opposite of good or friendly, it would be considered a miracle for the eldest young master to do this much for his younger brother. In fact, Edward not ignoring Thomas was the best that anyone could have hoped.

Though Clarisse had her doubts, she was very happy with the sudden progress of the Rosetta brothers' relationship. First, she found them actually playing a simple board game in the library and now, Young Master Edward was actually tucking his younger brother into his bed!

Maybe with the attention he received from his older brother, her young master would become more active and spend less time in bed!

Though Clarisse lacked the facial response to express her joy, Edward could somehow feel her expectations just from her intense stare alone.

"... Your gratefulness is not required for such a small thing," Edward responded tersely, his tone soft, as he stepped back and allowed the maid to tuck in her charge. He couldn't help but watch as Clarisse tenderly brushed his brother's curled bangs from his forehead before taking some of the pillows basically engulfing the bed and placing them around Thomas in a nest-like fashion.

Edward: "........"

He thought about staying, but he doubted he would learn more about the New Thomas while the subject himself was asleep. In fact, it was more beneficial if he could ask Ms. Baker about the change in his brother. More than the rest of them, Clarisse had a closer relationship and was more intimate in his brother's business.

So once the maid was finished with making her young master more comfortable, Edward took the lead and led her out of the room. Once he closed the door, he pondered how to approach the topic to Thomas' caretaker, who was known to be very protective over his youngest sibling.

"... Thomas seemed tired as of recently," Edward began subtly, taking the chance to speak before Clarisse could dismiss herself.

The stone-faced maid stilled as she stared briefly before lowering her gaze, her expression unreadable as always, before slowly answering with a quiet voice, "...Yes. Young Master Thomas has been taking naps more frequently than before." In fact, before she had to leave home to help her family, her young master had never taken naps period. Even as a young boy, he was always planning, always scheming, always doing something that would hopefully get him closer to his father.

When she first began working in the Rosetta estate, she was barely over 16 years old and just another pretty face among the maidservants. The Rosetta's had never treated their employees unfairly and Clarisse never had any grievances towards the Masters and Misses. Both father and son were the perfect examples of gentlemen and handsomeness, and the mother and daughter were as graceful and elegant as they were beautiful. Other than the royal family, the Rosetta's couldn't be compared to other nobles and within the hearts of many commoners, especially those who had close contact with them, they were the shining models of nobility.

But when the Master came back with Young Master Thomas, the atmosphere around the estate changed. While Anais Rosetta was never the image of warmth, her expression would become increasingly icy at the mere mention of the youngest son. She treated the child disdainfully and her behavior was only encouraged by her husband's even colder attitude.

Clarisse, at the time, never understood why the Master brought back his illegitimate child when his response to said-child was to ignore and/or avoid him. Surely, Thomas would have been much more well off with his mother, who while was probably not as well off as the Rosetta's but certainly more caring for her own son, but she wasn't paid to speculate about her employers' affairs. Even when the Master steadily started to act uncharacteristically and started to 'scold' his youngest son while emphasizing his other children's accomplishments with a strange desperation, she had stayed silent.

After a while, maybe because of the fact that Young Master Thomas was once a commoner and that his gloomy figure seemed terribly lonely, Clarisse took the responsibility of becoming the child's caretaker.

His step-mother despised him, his siblings didn't seem to like him, and his father ignored him before repeatedly trying to compare him to his older brother and sister; it was a pitiful situation for someone as young as the youngest master. And throughout the years, though she had tried her best to stem his loneliness and to keep him from thinking darker thoughts, her efforts were never enough.

Then, after leaving her young master in the care of her co-worker, the darkness in his eyes had completely disappeared and instead was replaced with a new, never-before-seen lightness.

The change was so sudden, it was almost like having a whiplash. For the next couple of weeks after, Clarisse was almost convinced that someone had taken the real Young Master Thomas and replaced him with a sloth-like child.

Of course, the idea was ridiculous and full of faults-- it was an open secret that the youngest wasn't well-received. It was questionable whether the Rosetta's would do anything at all to bring back their illegitimate child back if he was kidnapped. Not to mention, Clarisse had yet to see a ransom note-- though it was possible for her employers to have kept it from her...

At the very least, she wasn't the only one baffled by the change. Out of all of the Rosetta's, the only one who knew Young Master Thomas the best, ironically, was Young Master Edward. If he hadn't spoken up about it, she would still be wondering whether her charge's change in personality was due to her own hallucinations.

"Is there a reason why Thomas is behaving this way?" the eldest young master ventured, obviously seeking for an explanation that Clarisse couldn't give despite his tame words. She also wished for some kind of reasonable explanation as well, but the only one with a possible answer would either be Young Master Thomas or Amir.

As a maidservant, it would hardly be subtle if she asked her charge outright about his new behavior and whenever she tried to allude to it, she was always given this confused expression as if the young master had no clue what she was talking about. She gave up after a while and set her sights on her co-worker, who was even more frustrating to confront. Though he confessed to being uninvolved with the youngest master's personality change, his mystifying smile -though barely a smile, just a small rise of the corner of his lips- seemed to say otherwise as if he knew something that the maid didn't.

"...This servant does not know," was Clarisse truthful response. "Perhaps because Young Master Thomas has adopted a new schedule." Going to the academy later and leaving the academy earlier than most noble, it almost seemed as if the child had socially isolated himself from society. The maid was well-aware that the times before and after classes were scheduled for young masters and misses to make connections among the gentry, but her young master had stopped participating in those kinds of events, therefore had a lot of free time on to... well, nap, apparently.

Clarisse didn't know why her charge decided to past the time by sleeping, but admittedly, the other looked much more relaxed and happy in doing so. Their days had passed very peacefully due to Young Master Thomas' new lifestyle but as a result, the youngest master and the rest of the Rosetta's acted as if they lived separate lives and in separate houses.

Though Clarisse was glad to see that her young master wasn't trying to torment himself anymore, remembering the child's loneliness and how hard the young boy had tried to gain his father's love, she was a bit distressed by the clear chasm between them.

Despite Young Master's Thomas obvious absent, no one went out of their way to look for him. And though he was regarded as a ghost by his family, as if he had never existed for the past several years, there wasn't a ripple in the youngest's expression or feelings, as if the child had forgotten he had a family.

"New schedule?" Edward questioned, nonverbally asking for clarification by raising an eyebrow.

Clarisse had no intention of acting coy or secretive since she didn't think her young master had done anything wrong or suspicious, so she responded to the inquiry immediately, "Young Master Thomas had rejected all social invitations from his... acquaintances..." The maid tried not to let the distaste seep into her voice. She had met some of these 'acquaintances' briefly and if the past Young Master Thomas' wasn't so conscious of his reputation among the nobles, those people would probably lead her charge to become completely amoral. "Young Master Thomas had also not been visiting the salon before or after his lessons; therefore, he was given more time to do... other things." Namely sleeping, but there was no need to point that out.

At first, the eldest young master stayed silently, probably pondering over her words, before releasing a resigned sigh, his expression slightly pinched though Clarisse wasn't sure of the reason. "... And nothing else?"

The maid blinked, her face giving nothing away. "Whatever do you mean, Young Master Edward?" she inquired softly and missed the flash of disappointment that passed through his ice-blue eyes.

Though he wasn't sure what to expect out of their conversation, he was left with more questions than answers.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't aware of his little brother's choice in 'friends'. There were a couple that was Edward's age and they had been known around the circle for their questionable pastimes and tastes. It wasn't hard to tell that they were just playing around with the young boy and would mock him behind his back. Because they thought Thomas to be beneath them, they never took him seriously and never involved him in their activities, but what if that changed? What if they decided to bring Thomas to the flower district or to one of the black market beast arenas? Of course, it could only be his younger brother's fault for associating with such people, but...

He never considered facilitating the youngest's social circle-- it certainly wasn't any of his business who Thomas hung out with, but Edward couldn't see things ending well for the young boy the longer he interacted with those people.

It was good that Thomas decided to ignore them, he couldn't help but think.

"Nevermind," Edward replied rather coarsely, turning away from the maid to make his exit. "Continue as you were."

Feeling as if he had encountered a dead end to his so-called impromptu investigation, his chest felt a little stuffy as he left his younger brother's caretaker behind without looking back.

Should it be surprising that this attempt went nowhere? Should he be looking for a resolution from the person who was the problem in the first place? But Thomas was not a problem now, or maybe it was just the calm before the storm.

What did he hope for? To see the other lamenting? For the other to start regretting? For forgiveness? But who were the one forgiving and the one being forgiven?

He was not sure if he knew anymore.

...--------...

Author's Mini-Brain Theater:

Me: Okay, let's make the Rosettas this completely evil and unforgivable cannon fodder family--

Brain: But we like Xander.

Me: What does Xander have to do with--

Brain: Edward is Xander's best friend. We don't want to give Xander a bad best friend! Besides, if Thomas face-slapped Edward, doesn't that mean Xander is our enemy later on? (๑•́₋•̩̥̀๑)

Me: ... Good point. Then maybe Katherine can be the typical villainess--

Brain: If Edward's cool, then Katherine has to be cool as well! (ू˃̣̣̣̣̣̣o˂̣̣̣̣̣̣ ू)⁼³₌₃

Me: Goddamit, fine! (ﾉꐦ ๑'Д'๑)ﾉ彡┻━┻ At the very least, the father--

Brain: He's a good friend and a trusted advisor for the Royal Family!

Me: （；¬＿¬) You really like the Windsors, huh?

Brain: They deserve all the goodness in the world. （*'∀'人）♥

Me: At the very least, let the mother be this bitter old woman.

Brain: Okay!

So basically, I originally planned for the Rosettas to be the typical cannon fodder family basically created to show off Tanaka's awesomeness (as you can probably tell from the first chapter lol), but as I got to know the characters, they developed personalities of their own. >.>

This obviously means that I cannot write 2D characters. My life (and writing) would have been so much simpler if that was the case...