"You really don't remember anything?" Victoria asked grumpily.
"Mm." Albert answered, tugging on his new sweater. Cain had thrown the new set of clothes at him and instructed for him to change into them. Apparently, they threw out his old ones because they were just rags.
"Then how do you know your name?"
"Because you told me it."
Victoria sighed. "Like this, even if you went back, it wouldn't matter." She grumbled to herself quietly.
"Well, it doesn't matter I suppose. You are starting a new life after all." Victoria looked at Albert, smiling. "Listen, your name is Albert Cruz, 11 years old and my little brother. You skipped grades and will be going to the same classes as me."
Albert nodded. "Okay, but I don't know anything, is that fine?"
"It's fine." Cain chimed from the front seat of the car. "Milady won't be going to school for awhile to get used to being blind so you can just catch up then. We'll hire a tutor for you."
Albert nodded and said no more. Soon after, the car drove into the driveway of a rather big house. It was a standard double story house with a nice front yard and what not. There was nothing about it that stood out from the rest but it was luxurious looking.
"Mother." Victoria called out noticing a beautiful woman standing at the front door. She had pastel purple hair and emerald green eyes, so mesmerising that she looked otherworldly.
"Victoria!" Joan spread her arms wide and embraced Victoria in one big hug. When the two stood together like that, it was made extremely evident that they were a mother and daughter pair. After all, Victoria was basically a carbon copy of Joan aside from the hair and eye colour that she had inherited from Kin.
"Oh, and you must be Albert. Come here, let me give you a hug." Joan smiled at Albert and beckoned for him to come closer.
Albert hesitantly took a step forward and walked into Joan's embrace. She pulled him right in, squeezing both Victoria and Albert at the same time. "Welcome to the family, Albert."
"...Mm." Albert hummed with a slight blush.
The family (plus Cain) walked inside the house and sat themselves in the living room. Joan served them some juice that she had prepared beforehand and smiled at Albert. Unsure how to respond, Albert just awkwardly smiled back. It was actually his first time smiling since he woke up but Joan didn't know that and the others hadn't noticed.
"Mother, can you believe Albert lost all his memories but didn't tell anyone?" Victoria complained, cookie in hand.
Joan paused, "Is that really true?"
"Mm." Albert nodded.
After awhile, Joan just smiled and rubbed Albert's head. "It's a pity but you're starting a new life now, so it's fine to leave the past behind."
"Mm." Albert hummed in a daze.
The family chatted for a little while before Victoria dragged Albert around the house, showing him around and leading him to his new room. It was newly furnished and decorated just for Albert. Kin had hired a team to for all through the night and a little in the morning to get it done in time. The walls were colourful with paintings of nature and flowers and the ceiling was a night sky painted with glowing paint. A queen sized bed sit snugly in the corner with fluffy sheets and a warm blue blanket. There was also a desk, bookshelf filled with an assortment of books and a closet with a few sets of clothes to be filled later.
Looking at his room, Albert inadvertently got a little emotional. It was his room, a proper room just for him. This really was his new home after all.
"Come on, no time to be emotional." Victoria interrupted. "You have to learn everything there is to learn so you can do my homework for me."
"Aren't you supposed to do it yourself?" Albert slow wittingly said.
"Idiot, what's the point of a little brother if you don't enslave them?" Victoria scoffed.
"Milady, Boss would not be happy if he finds out that you're not doing your school work properly." Cain who had been silently following them all along intervened.
"Well, he wouldn't know if no one tells him."
"Boss is surprisingly sharp you know?"
Victoria puffed out her cheeks. "I know that, Father IS the greatest villain there is after all."
Victoria walked through the glossy wood hallway and entered the study where it was most cozy. There were beanbags strewn across the room and comfy couches. Also, there was a library full of books that looked untouched. "Since you don't remember anything about yourself, I'm free to make a backstory for you, aren't I?"
"I, I guess?" Albert answered hesitantly.
Victoria beamed. "Great! I was thinking of something along the lines of an abusive parent, wait no, too cliche. Hmm, accident? Also cliche. Uhh, illness...everything is cliche!"
"How about just going with he was an orphan that doesn't know who his biological parents are." Cain suggested.
Victoria sighed, "Boring, but accepted."
The two went back and forth over Albert's backstory while the person in question just sat in a beanbag and bathed in the warm sun.
"Alright, so, he was an orphan who never knew his parent's face. He grew up in the small orphanage until he was adopted by Father. Then, he became Albert Cruz and joined our school. That's the gist of it, right?" Victoria confirmed.
Cain nodded. "There really is no need for a backstory to begin with."
"You have no dreams, Cain. Every villain needs a backstory, even one as bland as this." Victoria chided whilst wagging her index finger and Cain.
"I think his actual backstory is more interesting..."
"That may be true but we're making his civilian backstory, not villain one, gosh, you're so dumb, Cain."
"But you just..."
"Lalalalalalala, not listening~!"
...With his background covered, Albert slowly got used to living with the Cruzs. Unlike her initial intentions, Victoria didn't put Albert through any training whatsoever and just settled on getting him caught up with the curriculum and everything he missed out on whilst trapped in Houston's lair. She also learnt braille by his side whilst he suffered.
Joan and Kin accepted Albert into the family with no hesitation and treated him like they treated Victoria. Albert flawlessly became a Cruz.
Then, weeks later, the time to rejoin civilisation came.
"Father, Mother, see you soon." Victoria waved goodbye as she entered the car, backpack in hand.
Albert followed suit, wearing his uniform and backpack on his back. "Bye, Father, Mother."
"Good luck, children." Joan yelled out as the car left the driveway and Cain drove it to the school.
When they got there, Albert looked around curiously. Victoria held onto his arm whilst giving directions to the classroom from memory. It took a little time, but they eventually found their way to the classroom.
"Everyone, as you all know, it's the first time Victoria's been to school in a long while, she may need a little help so I expect you all to give it when needed. Also, we have a new student, Victoria's little brother who will be assisting her. Please introduce yourself to the class." The teacher's voice boomed.
"My name is Albert Cruz. Nice to meet you." Albert nervously introduced himself to the twenty pairs of eyes in the classroom. It was the official start to his new life.