I was a fool
Back in my previous life, I loved my family dearly even when we weren't the most functional one out there. Somehow we were able to make it work, it was both hectic and fun everyday that I thought it was going to be that way forever.
I thought our bond would never be easily broken by anything and even if some problem did came up, I believed that we would be able to overcome it.
That's why I tried really hard to be the perfect son and brother that my family wished me to be, just to keep up this life just a little bit longer even if I knew it was practically falling apart at the seams.
But I was a fool to believe that we were all trying to make it work, that we were trying to become one, a family.
I was a fool
It all became clear to me that I was the only one that tried, that I was the only one struggling to keep it in place.
Oh how it quickly fell apart when I was broken, not one of them either tried to fix it, not one of them even tried put it all back together.
A family is a beautiful thing to have in this world full cruelty and scorn, it's one of the things that makes living somewhat bearable.
It's beautiful but-
'It's also extremely fragile..'
"Hey! don't you feel ashamed of keeping us wait?" a child with slick blonde hair and blue eyes scornfully said as he pointed his finger at me.
"Oh dear brother what do you expect from this bum?" said a girl with the same feature aside from her hair being pale blonde. She glanced at me with disgust as she scooted away. She really didn't need to because I was placed at the other end of the table.
"John, Sarah, stop playing around your food and eat" a middle aged lady said who had her blonde hair tied in a bun. She spoke as if she never heard the earlier remarks.
""Yes Mom"" they quickly shifted from eating their meal.
*Whisper
From beside the long dining table, several maids and butlers were standing still as they watched over their masters eating their meal.
However they were clearly chattering around one another. Normally the masters of the household would be furious of this kind of behavior but they never scolded these fools because of one thing-
{He still shows up, how deplorable}
{You would think he would have learned by now}
{Is he a masochist? he must be right~}
-they're topic of interest was none other than me.
I looked over my meal, it was a plain steak and green peas that would be questioned wether they were enough for a growing adolescent boy like me. Compared to mine, they had a whole buffet of choices on their side of the table.
I chewed over the hard green peas as I scanned the dining table. On the farther side of the table was one vacant chair and at the other end was where Roland Irisville, the head of the Irisville household and my uncle, sat. He was blankly eating his meal in silence as if he couldn't be bothered to even pay attention to his surroundings.
He had spiky dark pink hair swept to the back, and deep blue eyes that feels like it would suck in your soul if you stare at it for too long.
This person parallel to my seat is one of the highest ranked delvers in Durevellis, not only because of his impressive dive record but also because of the Irisville's bloodline which awakens rarely from generation to generation. Fortunately for this family, this guy awakened it along with three more family members.
It made the Irisville's a powerhouse and a respected family name both in the nation and outside our labyrinth's barrier. Although the fact that I'm part of this family only gives me a ton of cons rather than benefits.
'This steak is bland to the point that it's considered a crime' I mused as I ate my meal.
This was the kind of breakfast that was in Ray's memories, this also applied to his lunch and dinners. One would think that this is just plain harassment at this point and they would be right to think that since the Irisville family calls this family bonding.
'They make my previous family look cute'
I stared at the vacant seat. A wave of nostalgia and solace came over me as I knew who that seat belonged to.
'If she was here then this wouldn't be happening right now, sigh'
Ray's family situation was never explained in depth in the novel as it wasn't in the main storyline. It was only mentioned in passing dialogues, rumors and through one of the heroines which was my older cousin.
They would only confront my family after I died and at that point any talks about Ray was not mentioned anymore because it was right after they already mourned his death that the story proceeded on my older cousin's route.
After a while, we had finished our meals already and the servants took the dishes.
"Young masters, it's time for your studies"
"Ehh but I want to play"
"Yeah, the new console for the Stigma V Series just came out. We plan to clear it today"
"We will play right after then young masters"
"But-"
"Kids, listen to her. You have to study if you want to become respectable delvers in the future, you don't want to shame our name right?" said their mother as she gave me side glance.
'... Lady you're being too obvious...'
"But mom~"
"Well how about this. I'll come play with you right after" she smiled at the two.
""Yay!""
A maid guided the two brats on the hallway as they frolicked around, while for me-
"Ahem-shouldn't you be preparing to train, Ray. You have no time to be complacent since you'll be entering the academy soon " she called out to me as if she was concerned about me but I knew that it's a load of bull because my training is basically-
'Torture and moreover it's a trash training course'
It was a training course that was prepared by the lady of the house which in this case was my aunt who was talking to me, Maria Revilin Irisville, also a known delver in the nation.
'If I think about it more, the reason I ended up as a weakling in the novel is because of this person'
No wonder Ray was trash at the beginning of the novel. His memories show how inefficient the training that was given to him, he wasn't even instructed by anyone. He basically did it himself.
Although it wasn't a requirement for someone to guide them, it was obviously more effective to be properly taught specially for someone like me who has a special constitution.
In my opinion that's an amazing feat since trying to learn by yourself is just a stupid endeavor in the first place but he still managed to learn the basics albeit poorly.
'That's why I need to break away from this farce'
"There's no need to worry auntie, I have everything under control" I smiled at her as I stood up.
"Oh my~ that's wonderful Ray" she smiled back at me, it was clearly fake.
"But first-"
I walked over, not minding the glares that were directed at me since I was already used to this kind of shit. I stopped at the other end of the dining table where the head of the household was sipping his coffee.
"Lord Roland, I wish to speak with you about an important matter and if possible alone" I respectfully said as I gestured my hand over my shoulders. In this family that was a sign of respect to the head.
"""?!"""
Everyone was startled by what I did since I never once spoken to my uncle for a very long time. Moreover I had the guts to request his undivided presence. The fact that both auntie and the servants had this kind of reaction just furthered how mild-tempered this uncle of mine is.
"Y-young master you shouldn't disturb our Lord" a maid nervously said.
"Young master, l-let us proceed to the training grounds" a butler insisted
Every servant became nervous not because they were worried for me, more likely they were trying to avoid pissing of their master.
"Ray...if you have any important matters to discuss with my husband then it would suffice if I just relay your concerns. You see, your uncle is a very busy man" Maria strictly said.
'A busy man? what a joke. He only dives when the alliance or the guild request that of him. Unlike regular delvers that need to continuously dive to keep their diving rights, this guy is an exception'
I ignored the pleas of the peanut gallery as I stared at the man in front of me. Even though he was just sitting there like any normal person would, the pressure he was giving out was far from normal and that pressure just kept rising ever since I called out to him.
"You...What do you want?" his voice resounded out in the room even though he spoke lightly. He opened one of his eyes as he looked at me. His eyes totally showed that he didn't have an ounce of interest of what I had to say.
*Gulp
'You're indifferent now but I know how you really are~' I smirked in my head, both excited and terrified in seeing his reaction.
"Well I just wanted to talk about a thing that you've been trying to find, Lord Roland" I paused.
He raised his brow as if not having a clue of what I was talking about. He continued to sip his coffee in silence until-
"I know where to find your 'eyes' " I whispered the last word to him.
"!?"
The coffee he was drinking flew out in his mouth as he choked, I dodged to the side as I grinned, feeling satisfied of the outcome.
'Hook, line and sinker'