"Young Master, It's time to wake up." A soft voice called out gently as they pulled the curtains to the side. Aether hummed in both content and aggravation. On one side he had no desire to wake up, but not because he would have to face the evident disrespect from before, but because his new bed was far too comfortable to just leave.
He shifted to his side away from the rays of sun that were making themselves known in the warm room. He sighed as he nuzzled further into the warmth of the comforter and pillows.
"Young Master, It's time to get up." The soft voice nudged him again, this time slowly prying the blanket off him and helping him into a sitting position.
"You have to get ready. The Master is expecting you at breakfast today." His maid helped him out of his bed and towards the bathroom, helping him take off his clothes in the process. He smiled warmly as he sat down in the steaming water.
Yesterday had gone just as he wanted. His father and brother were shocked at how easily he had solved the equation and if that wasn't enough, his fathers attitude towards him changed drastically. No longer was he the bane of his fathers existence, but a useful tool to use against others.
He had been escorted out of the room by the head butler before he even got a chance to see what exactly solving the equation meant. Of course that issue soon disappeared from his mind when he was shown to his new room.
It was a bigger room, with more warm colors than the cold colors he was used to. It made the room feel more welcoming. Deep inside he knew that this was done on purpose. A fake sense of comfort to delusion his mind into making a mistake and revealing all that he knew to his father when he was least expecting it. The other soul may have fallen for such a trick, but he wouldn't. Through all the little pleasantries and short tour of the room, Aether's mind was calculating every small detail that showed his father's true intentions. A book on magical theories placed diligently, almost as if it was forgotten, on the nightstand next to the couch. Or the small hand held blackboard that was secured tightly between two books on the bookshelf. And if that wasn't enough then the location of his room gave him confirmation of his father's intention to use him until he proved to be useless.
His room was located in the same hallway as his siblings, but the only difference was that his room was situated to the left of his parents room instead of being on the right with his other siblings room's. It wasn't just for show. There were plenty of empty rooms located on the right side of his parents room, but he was specifically placed on the left, next to his father's personal library. An obvious reminder of what had gotten him there and why he was there.
He knew why he was here and he shouldn't forget that.
It was a clever reminder created in a fake sense of warmth, used to pry what he wanted from a subject before throwing them away. Too bad Aether had no plans on being thrown away. In fact he had his own plans. He ignored all the small comments and compliments on his intelligence and instead talked about how warm and comforting this room felt compared to his last one, making sure to pinpoint every single thing done wrong to him before. He wanted the head butler to report to his father that he knew he had been wrongly treated and that he wasn't so easily going to fall to his father's tricks like others did.
"Young Master, we must get you ready, please come out." His maid's voice brought him back from his memories. He sighed and pushed himself out of the warmth and outside into the open, where his maid and butler hurriedly got him ready for the morning.
He wasn't paying attention as they fussed over his hair and clothing. Instead his focus was on how to approach his family this morning. No doubt his father hadn't said anything regarding his presence to his mother or sister. Nor did he bother mentioning to them that he had a new gift and was going to be treated like them from now on and that worried him. How was he supposed to act in front of them?
He knew how to deal with Leon. Despite him being complicated in the novel, the man was really simple on the inside. He became confused when people objected to him or showed some form of defiance. Aether didn't miss the small hints of apprehension and wonder when he either talked back or gave him a soft smile. It would be easy to throw off Leon without even blinking, but the other two?
If the novel explained the Leon in such a way that was completely opposite when one truly met him, then it was to say that the saem could be said as the other two. The only problem was that he didn't know what would throw them off. Should he act the same way he did with his father and Leon? Be kind and soft, yet show his true intentions when they least expect it? Would it show them that he too could be a Frenzel if given the chance? Or would they see throw him and put up their guard?
The walk to the dining room was a quiet one. His maid and butler, though happy with the sudden change of treatment, were still on guard as they walked through the corridors. Aether wasn't as concerned. He knew that the head butler had given the order to not mess with the youngest master, therefore if someone tried to hurt them they would be going against the direct orders from the head butler and would undoubtedly be punished for their actions.
That of course, didn't stop anyone from trying.
It was only a couple seconds into their short walk before a maid purposely tripped and fell, causing the vase she had to be thrown directly at Aether. She screamed as the vase broke into a thousand little shards.
She looked up, her eyes glinting with hope and her small smile slowly morphing into one of pleasure. She watched as the shards fell to the ground one by one. Her face turned pale and her eyes wide as she saw how Aether didn't have a single scratch on his skin.
"What-that-that's not possible?" She stuttered out as she stood up on shaky legs. His butler stood in front of Aether, hands outstretched as wind flowed effortless through them, small pieces of shards mingling with the wind.
"How dare you try to hurt the Young Master!" Neal shouted, attracting the other maids and butlers in the vicinity.
"I-I didn't mean to! I tripped!" The maid yelled back. The eyes bearing down on her back most likely brought shivers down her spine. She was cornered and she knew it.
"What do you mean you tripped? On what? I don't see anything wrong with the floor nor is your dress too long for your feet to get caught on them, so what could you have possibly tripped on?" Neal said.
The maid paled considerably at his words. "I-I-"
"What is going on here?" A voice called out. The head butler from before strode in long strides, glancing down every now and then at the pocket watch in his hand. He stopped mere inches from the maid on the ground, who by now was shaking in visible fear.
"She-"
"I-"
Neal and the maid spoke at the same time.
"The young lady tripped and the vase she was holding came at me, Neal merely defended me by shattering the vase before it could hit me. I hope that my father will forgive me for running such a pretty vase." Aether spoke up. He pushed himself in front of Neal and placed a hand on his heart with a soft smile.
"Young Master?" Neal sounded bewildered behind him.
The head butler looked at Aether in the face, then at the ground where the maid stood with wide eyes as she peered up at Aether. "I see." He merely said, "We should be going. Your father was expecting you a minute ago."
"I understand." Aether ignored the looks from the maid as he followed the head butler towards the dining room.
This head butler was a sharp one. Aether could see in the way his eyes landed on the maid that he knew what had happened, but was obviously testing Aether in seeing what he would do. He highly doubted that the maid would survive to see tomorrow's sun, but it would never be blamed on either Neal or him. Not with how he handled it.
If he had thrown a tantrum or told the truth outright, it would have been seen as blaming, proving that he was unworthy of being a Frenzel. A Frenzel never bluntly blames anyone unless they have the evidence to prove the other's guilt. Instead they calculate and take down their enemies behind the scenes. This head butler was obviously trying to see if Aether had what it takes to be a true Frenzel.
Not that it mattered, he wasn't going to be the stereotypical Frenzel.
"Please enter." The head butler bowed as he stopped in front of two doors. Aether took a deep breath. He put on a small smile and pushed the doors open.
Four figures were waiting for him.