After he confidently emerged from his bedroom, Lughys couldn't count how many times he had to wave in the direction of the servants and rulers of the house, who seemed more interested in his presence than in their tasks.
''Damn it…''
Moreover, to his deep annoyance, questions like, 'Are you all right, young master?' and 'What do you think of young lady Jasmine?' were more frequently asked than he had expected them to be.
Besides that, for some bizarre reason, the maids of that place watched him nonstop, as if controlling not to squeeze him into a strong hug to the point of breaking the boy's ribs.
And to make matters even worse, given the scene he'd made the day before, ignoring introductions and heading straight to his room, where he'd locked himself away for hours on end, the employees' worries soared to the skies.
Therefore, the little boy was even subjected to a thorough inspection by a personal doctor, hired by the family and who was in a small room, next to the Duke's office.
''Are you feeling all right?'' The man in the lab coat asked, a small device between his fingers. "You can be honest with me, young master."
Frankly, Lughys felt his heart pounding and his temples about to burst whenever he heard the mention of the term 'Young Master'.
Dumb stories like [The Wheel of Fortune] always tended to appeal to that dumb side of story telling.
But that was still fucking stupid; from the bottom of his heart, he found the term corny, constraining to another level.
''Yes, doctor.'' Lughys replied, keeping a dead expression on his jovial face. ''I'm thankfully fine. It was all just a misunderstanding, you know?''
It had been over an hour since Doctor Hagrid had first examined him.
Feeling trapped in that ghostly green painted room, Lughys felt claustrophobic, already at the end of his patience.
Besides, if things kept going that route, then his plans to meet up with his sister would be thwarted before they even got a start.
He needed to avoid that kind of scenario at all costs.
'And it's not like I have many options to begin with.' He thought inwardly.
After all, his entire future would depend on whether or not the boy was able to become someone worthy and powerful enough not to die in any of the variations of endings from the original WOF script.
''I see...'' Doctor Hagrid commented, rising from his seat near the window. ''But still, just out of concern I'm going to do a few more quick procedures.''
Lughys controlled his inner urge to roll his eyes. He needed to look as noble as possible.
''Is this going to take long, Mister Hagrid?'' The little boy asked, narrowing his eyes in pleading.
In parallel, Lughys churned inwardly as he made that facial expression.
It was disappointing to remember that, counting the years he'd spent unconscious in that world, he was twenty-eight years old mentally and still forced to take such drastic measures.
"Don't worry about it, young master." The man in the white coat replied. ''It won't take more than five minutes at most!''
Little did Lughys know that it was nothing more than a lie from a worried man...
***************
''Freedom... at last!'' He muttered, sitting down on one of the seats scattered around the huge table in the room where the dishes were served by the mansion servants.
Exhausted, Lughys sighed deeply, lifting a weight from his shoulders after Doctor Hagrid had finally released him from the mansion's medical wing.
''Is there a problem, young master?''
Forcing a friendly expression onto his face, Lughys smiled innocently.
Then, without wasting any more time, he gestured to answer the woman in front of his small figure.
She came closer to listen to him.
''Could you please let me know when meals will be served?'' He said, correcting the posture of his spine. ''And, of course, will Miss Jasmine join me in this endeavor?''
The dull-haired middle-aged woman looked surprised by Lughys' last question. Her face turned a little red, leaving the poor boy in front of her stunned.
'What the hell do these women think about me?' He considered inwardly. 'Do they have their own fanfics created in their minds, or something similar?'
If Lughys remembered correctly, in the original WOF Lore, the character he was now reincarnated had something of a platonic love complex with his sister.
It was bizarre, he knew. It was despicable, he also knew that.
But Diana and the few other fans of the game seemed to like it, leaving him exasperated.
However, at no point in the game was it explained why the teenager liked his sister so much, to the point of having become something like an obedient puppy to her orders.
But now Lughys had basically figured out one of the reasons -- the poor boy had been unable to fight the twisted convictions of the housemaids!
They had shaped his opinion of Jasmine over the years he lived in the house!
''Look, young master... what's your opinion of Lady Jasmine?'' She asked, unabashedly.
That confirmed Lughys' suspicions, who snorted in disbelief.
Didn't Keishin's people even have an iota of decency in their damn beliefs?
What the hell were their gods doing to let society decay to such scum?
''If you want it, we could help you get closer to her... you know...'' The woman continued, but suddenly stopped in mid-speak.
She put a hand in front of her mouth to utterly interrupt her speech, hearing light footsteps approaching her location.
Lughys opened his eyes, looking directly towards the source of the sounds.
Only to come across the noble figure of Jasmine, entering the room exuding confidence and elegance.
''.....''
The girl calmly observed both who were present there, as well as herself.
Impressively, disregarding her age, the girl's eyes seemed to exert such pressure that even the housekeeper felt threatened.
''Haha...''
But Lughys, though aware that that same girl would be the cause of all his misery, was not afraid.
He challenged her promptly, returning her gaze confidently.
A slight smile appeared on his young face, and from the middle-aged woman's perspective, lightning bolts seemed to shoot from the eyes of the two children, crashing into each other, silently.
''S-so, I'm going. Lunch will be here soon...''
Noticing the tense atmosphere at the dining table, the maid discreetly gave Lughys a few encouraging pats on the back, before joining the shadows in the corner of the room and disappearing completely into the kitchen.
''So, Miss Jasmine, to what do I owe your illustrious presence?''
Realizing that they were now alone in the room, Lughys decidedly tried to strike up a conversation.
''Why don't you get some rest? I imagine your legs are tired from being on your feet for so long.''
He pointed towards the numerous free chairs, waiting for Jasmine to sit down to answer him.
The girl fixed her eyes in Lughys's direction once again, but then she blinked, sighing.
Taking her seat, across the spot where Lughys was leaning back patiently, she came face to face with the boy.
''Well. It's a pleasure to meet you, I imagine.'' Jasmine started, tightly closing her thin eyelids. ''You're that troubled kid from the Verlane family, aren't you?''
Lughys had a look of surprise on his face for a moment, but he quickly changed it to an impassive one.
It was best not to let his emotions evident, during his stay in that mansion.
'Right where it hurts, huh?' He thought, opening his lips to answer her.
"I don't know what you mean, Miss Jasmine." He said, seeing his sister opening her eyes. ''But I'll cut to the chase: I hope we can be good friends from now on. After all, I am now also part of the Barastrosa household.''
''I see.'' The little girl replied, paying little attention to her foster brother's speech. ''As long as you stay in line and demonstrate good skills, I believe we will have a fruitful relationship.''
The place once again fell silent, leaving both of them embarrassed.
'What does she mean by good abilities?' Lughys thought.
The situation remained that way until the housekeeper returned with the lunch dishes, trying to cheer up the children there.
''Eating time, folks!''
And, that event marked the end of the first awkward conversation Lughys had with his new sister.
''You barely miss the wait, little bitch...'' Muttering to himself, the boy already had an idea of what his next move would be.