While falling, everything he could see was the light coming from above where he had fallen until he reached the end. When he finally could reach the end of that fall, he felt as if he was soaked in water.
When Sephia opened his eyes, he saw himself inside a pond, and indeed, he was soaked in water. Later he inspected his surroundings and found that the place he actually fell was a cave underground.
Without realizing it, he was already standing and walking to the shore.
Because the pond wasn't deep and just reached his knees, he could just walk to the dry ground.
While in a daze, a little rock fell on the water. The noise from the stone falling disappeared, he started to wander the cave where he had fallen.
From dropping his gaze to the floor to lifting his head to look at the hole from where he had fallen. Sighing, Sephia let down little his guard.
"For the time being..." Sephia said, "...I won't have to worry where to settle." His voice was calm.
Looking at the cave, he lowered his gaze to look at the grass under his feet. The grass was high enough to know that no beast was occupying the cave. The grass reached his ankles. Looking at the green grass, it was clear enough to know that this place has been here for quite some time now.
After making sure the place was safe, Sephia relaxes completely. He turns his head to the pond and up from where the water was falling. The size of the gap from where it came from was not that big. The gap was big enough to let a hand of an adult man fit in.
"Water source won't be a problem..." He said, "...But, the problem would be food." Turning his body, he walks in the direction of the pond.
Thinking that maybe there are some fish in the water, he lowers his gaze. Amazement appeared in his eyes. When he saw his appearance, he couldn't help holding his own breath.
If it was in his previous world, this type of beauty could arouse even the most perverse thoughts in any man who sees him. Just seeing his delicate pale skin that could blush with a simple touch. His skin was soft like porcelain.
Those Vermillion phoenix eyes and silver eyelashes that with just a blink will flutter softly and seductively.
His soft cheeks that look like will easily redden and a straight delicate nose, but what attracted a person's attention was those lips. Those natural plump rosy lips that with just breathing would entice a person entirely.
His hair was white and smooth that looked very soft to the touch, better than the most delicate silk.
His entire person was like looking at a delicate porcelain doll.
A person with this face and this body that is even more refined than a woman's. This is like luring bad people to him.
Sephia started to think about why Nathaniel did not fall for the original owner? Then he remembered the reason.
.....
Each time the original owner and Nathaniel had a meeting, he wore a black veil over his head because he has always had a birthmark on his right cheek. The mark resembled a star of eight peaks.
When the original was a child, others mocked him for his birthmark, causing him some scars on his life. Because of the trauma caused in his childhood, he always wore a veil that could cover his face entirely that not even his hair was exposed to the outside when leaving his father's manor. His eyes were the only ones exposed.
Wearing a veil was one of the reasons he was called crazy.
Because of not showing his face in public and wearing a black veil all over his face, rumors started spreading. The rumors were about how horrendous his appearance was that he even needed to wear a veil to cover his ugliness.
His father didn't bother to appease the rumors because they were not causing problems and just were on his territory. But as time passes, the rumors started to spread to other territories until all the empire knew about them. When his father got to know about this, it was already too late to stop them.
And his brothers, who knew about such rumors, didn't bother to appease the spread of said rumors. When the original owner heard of those rumors, an inferiority complex started to grow inside him until he became acquainted with Nathaniel.
He was surprised that even though Nathaniel had heard of such rumors, he still decided to get close to the original owner.
Nathaniel was the first outsider that was kind to him besides his family. The original owner was happy, and his naivety caused him to fall into Nathaniel's trap.
Just thinking about the memories of the original owner, Sephia felt sympathy for the original owner. The original was too naive, and even though he was spoiled since a child and was rebellious, he grew with an inferiority complex since those rumors started to spread. What caused him to feel even worse was when he couldn't awaken his bloodline.
.....
"...Truly, what a pity..." Sephia said when suddenly noticing that something was wrong. He once again looked at his reflection in the water.
Indeed, he thought it was strange. What he remembered from the original's memory is that the original's appearance was different. No, to be precise, it was the same, but at the same time, it was different.
In the original's memory, the original owner's hair was not white. The original's hair was pitch black that could bend with the night sky as his mother's hair. His eyes were phoenix-shaped and the color of silver as his father's.
But looking at his appearance now, the reflection on the water was completely different from how he remembers the original to be. His hair was not black, and his eyes were of a vermillion color and not silver. But what surprised Sephia more was, the birthmark on his right cheeks was there no more.
It was as if there never was a birthmark. As strangely as it appears, he had his doubts about what could have happened. Just when he was about to re-check, he heard something falling in the water of the pond. The splash of what had fallen caused ripples in the water, waking him from his daze.
Checking what had fallen in the water, Sephia found that there were movements within it.
Astonishment was in Sephia's eyes. What he found were fishes. The fishes in the pond were small, and there were not too many, just enough for one night.
After finding that there were fishes, Sephia put the previous thoughts about his appearance in the back of his mind. 'Anyway, that is not important for now...' was what he thought.
As time passed, the cave began to become darker. When the place was starting to lose light, Sephia found another problem. There was nothing to illuminate the dark cave and the cold of the night would be troublesome but he could put up with it, the only problem came from the light. The source of light came from where he had fallen from. Now he had to start worrying about how to illuminate the cave. It is a good thing that when he had fallen, some dry branches had fallen with him, but the bad luck was that some had fallen on the water.
The only ones that had not fallen in the water were the ones that were hanging in the hole from where he had fallen. It was impossible to reach for the twigs that were too high.
He couldn't just wait to see how the place turns dark, so he turned around and started to look around the cave.
Minutes later, he found some fine stones with what lit the fire and not some branches he can use. Using the stones, he started the fire. The smoke could exit from the hole up in the cave. Oblivious to what was happening on the outside, Sephia started to grill the fish and treat his injuries with some herbs he encountered while escaping (while running through the woods).
...
In the precipice where the carriage had fallen. It was already dark, and the moon in the sky is.
A group of people had descended to where the shattered carriage was. The group of people started to search for the body of a certain young master. The carriage was shattered, and many knights' corpses were scattered. From what could be seen, there was no corpse of the young master.
Bodies were piled up as if to protect someone. The group can tell from how the guards were who they protected from the fall. Even at the cost of their life, they still protected the 3rd young master from duke Winter's family.
They truly are worth being the knights that protect the Winter family. They're totally loyal, even to a young and crazy bastard 3rd young master.
A man was standing in front of the shattered carriage. He observed the carriage when someone suddenly came to him and called him boss.
He was the leader of the bandits that attacked the carriage.
"Boss, there is no signal of the 3rd son of the Winter house...." The one who reported this started to tremble, he was afraid, afraid to anger his boss. His boss has always done a clean job, but this was a first. His first work failed.
When his boss heard this, his hand started to shake. He was angry. He turned around and gave an angry look at the young man who gave the report. The boss had brown hair and black-green eyes. He also had a scar on his neck.
He gnashes his teeth from anger, ".....Search all near the place. He couldn't have gone too far..." The boss looked at the pile of corpses. "...Probably he is injured, even if protected from the fall."
"Yes!!!" yelled the young man who gave the report. He was about to retire when he heard his boss's next word.
"And, bring him alive, don't mistreat him..." The boss licks his lips with his tongue, "...you know what to do." His expression was distorted and vicious.
When the young man heard this, he knew what his boss means. He immediately felt pity for the 3rd son of duke Winter. He knew how his boss was. When someone attracts him, he would never let go, and only death can save that person.
The young man still remembers when the 3rd young master of the Winter exited the carriage when they attacked before it fell. Even though he was wearing the veil, this almost fell from his face revealing some of his left face and those beautiful phoenix-shaped silver eyes and black hair. He was sure that the 3rd young master is an incomparable beauty without the veil.
The young man who gave the report answered his boss, who was starting to grow impatient. "Yes, boss!"
The young man then retired and commenced to give instructions. It was night, and no one noticed the smoke coming from one of the mountains, no it's better to say that because it was nighttime that the smoke coming from the mountains was unnoticeable.
.....
While on the other hand, Sephia had already eaten and treated his injuries. Sephia was ready to sleep.
He was reflecting on how to find the exit of the cave. He thought that maybe the next day he should explore the cave. He never thought that the next day, he would find something that would surprise him.