Upon facing the boy in front of him, three thoughts flooded his mind.
The first thought was how much the boy had grown, the second was what had happened to Sylia, and the third was how much this boy in front of him looked like that bastard.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Thinking back, it was kind of regrettable what ended up happening to him. Mathias didn't agree with this kind of treatment at first. But Sylia had never asked him for anything before, and he felt honoured that he was the first person she turned to.
You see, Mathias Braunt was absolutely enamoured with Sylia. He fell in love with her at first sight and vowed he would do anything in his power to make her his.
He quickly strived to get a good rapport with her father who happened to be the highest ranked officer in the military police. He thought that by having a good relationship with him, it would help score him some points with Sylia.
Not only that, but it helped him gain favour and made his path in the military police smoother. He got promoted often which made him happy because not only could he start providing for his family, but he could become a man worthy of her.
But this thought changed soon after. Sylia stopped paying so much attention to him and when he found out the reason, he became enraged. Sylia had fallen in love with another man.
This person she fell in love with, this man… was the exact opposite of him.
He was cold, reserved and indifferent to everyone and everything around him.
While I went out of my way to be kind to others and build meaningful relationships with others, he was callous and seemed to find everyone around him a bother. From what I heard from others, he loathed being around people.
At first, I couldn't understand what could possibly posses someone to fall in love with such a, for lack of better words, an unpleasant human being.
I couldn't comprehend what was going through Sylia's head, falling for someone so cold-hearted, when there was someone much better right in front of her. But these thoughts quickly vanished when I met the man in question in person.
I had been sent on a "mission" to escort a high ranking noble who shan't be named, that happen to be have some business at the palace.
Upon arriving, he looked like he was leaving after seeking audience with his Highness. The moment I laid my eyes on him, I instinctively froze.
The movements that allowed me to move forward, halted right then and there. The air around him was dark and ponderous. He commanded a boundless presence that could make even the strongest of warrior tremble in fear and I was no exception.
But what frightened me the most about this man was his appearance. Most men when they are described for their appearance would want to be seen as handsome.
But for some reason, the word handsome didn't quite fit this man's description. This man was more than just handsome, he was enchanting, magnetic, captivating, enticing and alluring.
These were all words I wouldn't normally use to describe a man but that's what he was. He had the ability to entrap you just by looking at you. He was almost bewitching you.
As he walked passed me, not even acknowledging the presence of the high ranking noble, let alone my own, he was gone in a flash.
In that moment, I felt a strong sense of inferiority, fear, admiration, and also disappointment.
At the time, I couldn't understand where the feeling of disappointment came from, but over time, I understood why. It was frustrating that I wasn't even worth a single glance to the man, but more importantly, I knew I had no chance now that he was in the picture.
I finally recognized why Sylia became so infatuated with him, almost to the point of obsession. But I wasn't the kind of man to give up so easily.
I wanted more than anything to be in her good graces, to be noticed by her. To make Sylia realize that I was the right man for her, not him.
Soon after that, they got married and it seemed like everything was going well given how happy Sylia had been.
But slowly, I started to notice the look of sadness, regret and longing on her face. When I asked her what was wrong, she confided to me that the man hasn't been home much and is always on missions.
They hardly every speak to each other and when they do, he was cold. I started to feel anger bubbling inside of me. I couldn't fathom the reason why a man such as himself wouldn't devote his undivided attention to a woman as beautiful as Sylia.
I would try to reassure her that a man as powerful as Donellan Grey was busy and needed for the Kingdom. But each time I saw her, her condition became progressively worse.
That is when, out of desperation she came up with a plan. She would give him a son, then he would start paying attention to her. When I heard her say this, it broke my heart, but what I wanted more than anything was her happiness and so I encouraged her to do so.
In retrospect, that might've not been a good idea, and I would soon realize the consequences of my careless actions.
When she finally became pregnant, for a certain time, Donellan would be home more often to make sure Sylia was well.
And Sylia was happy about this. But what she didn't realize was that Donellan's opinion of her never changed, he only wanted to make sure that his future son would be alright.
Sylia blinded by love wanted to make sure that her son would turn out to be extraordinary.
She wanted him to be the best in order to make Donellan proud and to make him love her more.
She conducted a ton of research on ways to increase her child's intelligence, mana levels and make him produce powerful aura.
Even though this studies weren't necessarily proven, and taking these concoctions could be harmless to her as well as the child, she took the risk and drank them.
Soon after that, the child was born.