Three years had passed since that birth that paralyzed the Amatsu family.
The birth of the firstborn of the marriage between Lumiére and Dorian had been a topic of conversation throughout the entire empire. But to the outside world, the Amatsu family remained one of the most influential and powerful, and his condition had been concealed by the empire.
The child had been given the name Reo Amatsu, a name planned even before his birth.
During these three years he spent them alone in a room, isolated from everyone, with the sole exception of Kanna, who had met with her lady to inform her that that guard had handed him over to her.
A well-crafted lie; days later the guard appeared dead in a remote area, and the main conclusion after his death was suicide.
Reason? For everyone it was clear why; that child whom he had carried in his arms for a long time must have been the reason. There were no questions, not even doubt when it came to Kanna's request to take care of the child; his mother accepted without thinking twice.
'Now to wait…', Kanna reflected after fulfilling her task. Since Reo was very small, she had devoted herself to teaching him to read and write; an arduous task that the child finally managed to master upon turning three years old.
He was a normal child like any other, curious and full of energy. When he learned to speak, phrases such as: "Why can't I go out?". "I want to see my mother." came out of his mouth.
Normal requests for an infant who did not understand why he had to spend the day locked inside that room and only see Kanna.
The only answers he received were: "You can't". "The lady is busy right now". Answers that he accepted at first, but over time did not fully convince him.
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'I'm bored… I wish I could go out and see mom.' Those were the thoughts of a bored Reo.
He was sitting on one of the few chairs in the room, next to several books and a Kanna watching him. She had her typical expression, a cold gaze that made more than one uncomfortable.
Since she took on the role of the young one's (mother), all the staff tried not to approach out of fear that they might attract something. She could not care less; it was not as if she had had a relationship of camaraderie with them before doing this.
She looked at the young one at her side and subtly tilted her head. "Today your sister Himari turns three years old." she mentioned suddenly. Reo, who was reading a book, raised his gaze in her direction and set the text aside; one could see in his eyes a shine of complete excitement.
"Yes, I know. Will she have a birthday party?" he stated and then asked. Kanna simply nodded, rocking her head, exciting the child even more. Upon seeing him, she subtly narrowed her gaze; she was the only person who could see that emotion in his eyes.
"It would be incredible to have a birthday party!" he exclaimed excitedly before falling silent. The young woman looked at him without saying anything; her expression had not changed at all.
She was the one who had informed him about what a birthday party was. A term that anyone should know, and even though he always wanted to attend one, he never had Kanna's permission.
"It's been a few months since I turned four years old, and I haven't had a party like my little sister… I'd like to meet her…" he murmured with little spirit.
"Hmm…" Kanna snorted as she clasped her hands and raised her arms to stretch. "You know you can't, better finish reading those books and when I return I'll explain it to you in a better way." she ordered as she stood up and left the room. Today was little Himari's party and most of the servants were going to be busy, so she had to help with her duties.
About thirty minutes had passed since Kanna left the room. Reo was doing what he was asked, but he could not rid himself of the anxiety of seeing what a birthday party was like.
'I wish I could go.' he lamented to himself. He raised his gaze to the door; he knew from Kanna that there was no staff near the room nor guards. No one would know if he went out.
Unable to wait any longer, he jumped up from the chair and went to open the door. He stayed for an instant between opening it or not; he sighed and, without thinking too much, did it.
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"Kanna was right, there's no one in this area." he babbled as he stopped at a stretch where the corridor split into three sides. He carefully looked both ways and there was no one; without more, he continued forward, quickening his pace even more. When he reached the end of it, the path split again into two: right and left.
On his left there was nothing; when he looked to the other side, he could see in the distance a small girl. Even though she was far away, he could make out her figure: she was smaller than him and wore a beautiful white dress that highlighted her bicolored hair.
"Is that her?" he whispered upon seeing her. Kanna had told him that his little sister had two different shades in her hair. 'She looks scared.' he thought as he saw her looking around. Without wasting time, he decided to run in her direction with a huge smile on his face.
The little girl had not noticed his presence until she felt a strange sensation that, the instant she felt it, left her paralyzed.
"Heyyy! Don't worry, I'm coming." he exclaimed with excitement. Himari, upon hearing him, could not help but look in his direction with fear. When her field of vision found him, her small blue eyes opened wide.
She was trembling completely with fear, while her eyes filled with tears; she wanted to run away, but her body did not react.
When Reo was just a few centimeters away from his sister, he could see how she, trying to move, tripped over her own legs and was about to fall. "Careful!" he gasped as he took her by the hand, but he could not bear the girl's weight and ended up falling along with her.
'Ow… that hurt.' "Hey, are you okay?" he asked worriedly, but he looked to the right when he heard heavy footsteps approaching him. Before he could say anything, a burly man with an intimidating appearance shoved him roughly, making him hit his back against the ground.
The impact caused pain in that area. He wanted to complain about why he had done that, but when he looked at his little sister, she was on the ground crying. What caught his attention the most was a familiar liquid coming out from under the dress.
"Is this… I—?" Before he could understand the situation, the man who had pushed him had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up to his height. He was scared; all of this took him by surprise and he did not understand the reason behind such roughness toward him.
"Sir?" Reo uttered timidly to the man. "What are you doing here? Didn't your caretaker teach you not to leave that room under any circumstances?" he demanded to know; he was angry, it could be seen on his face.
Reo was left in a state of shock from the fear that man generated in him. Behind his back he could hear footsteps rapidly approaching them. But he could not turn around and see who it was; fear would not allow him to.
"Forgive me Dorian-sama, I thought I had made it clear to young Reo-sama that he was not to leave the room for any reason in the world." Kanna was the one who had appeared to rescue him; unlike always, this time she was speaking in a more formal and respectful tone to that man.
When he heard the name [Dorian], a thought appeared in his mind: 'this man… is he my father?'
After that, Kanna ended up being punished for her poor efficiency in containing Reo, but since it was young Himari's birthday, she had to quickly leave the place so that they could change her clothes.
Reo, for his part, had remained silent with a dull gaze; he did not have the courage to look Kanna in the eyes.
"We will talk about this in the room." she declared in a colder-than-usual tone.