Several months after:
Rumius's eyes fluttered open. They were all there, every morning. The same white sheets, the same beige ceiling above, and the same fucking eyeball killing sunlight except for days on which it rained.
Rumius let out a groan that sounded more like a squeal as he got up from bed and attempted a futile effort to shield himself from the sunlight.
It had been almost a year since his arrival here and Rumius had all but gotten completely used to it.
'Another morning, another day.' He thought, yawning as his attention was diverted towards the doorway by a familiar 'clack'. Another thing that happened practically every morning.
" Good Morning Rennie." Rumius yawned, still somewhat drowsy as a blonde haired beauty that was not Rennie opened the door.
Reverie pouted and shot the maid behind her an accusing look who, at which time happened to be conveniently looking somewhere else.
" Maman!" Rumius cried, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
" I thought you said you would be busy this morning?"
" Well….i mean…I was but…" Reverie stuttered, a somewhat conflicted expression showing on her face.
" But I-!"
" The lady has taken a temporary hiatus from her duties to pay the young master a visit." Rennie stepped in smoothly.
" Yes! Yes! Exactly what she said!" Reverie chorused whilst sending the maid a beam of approval and turned back to Rumius with her signature pout.
" What? Do you not want to see Maman anymore? Oh I get it! I'm not that important to Mr Genius anymore am I?"
Rumius suddenly found the windowsill very interesting, just as he always did when his mother pulled these occasional stunts.
" I don't know." He said blankly, causing Reverie to throw her hands up in exasperation as he hid a smile. He had his own trump cards as well.
Who could blame a kid who wasn't even one year old yet if he couldn't answer such a psychologically rigorous question?
Soon after the trip to the hut, of which much of the details Rumius could no longer remember, he had made sure to make good on his convictions and worked his ass off.
Picture a person who had learnt a foreign language for ten years but hadn't taken it all that seriously. That was the level that Rumius felt that he was at.
At a certain point, news of his academic ventures had made its way around the castle staff and staff coming around to clean him up or sort his room out would occasionally drop him a new book which he would devour with unparalleled voracity.
Rumius even had a suspicion that the manor staff were betting on how fast he would finish a book, but he didn't care too much for it.
First it took a day per book. Then several hours. And now it hardly took him longer than one. Two for thicker books.
It had never felt better to make progress, and everyday Rumius had to stay the urge to push himself harder so that he could get enough sleep.
' No way I'm ruining my genetics cause I didn't get enough sleep as a kid'. Was the idea.
Breakfast was another breastfeeding session. They had been increasing in frequency since that trip to the hut. Rumius had an inkling that it had something to do with him speaking English which also triggered their trip to the hut in the first place but since his Maman had never brought it up again, neither had he.
After Reverie left to attend to official duties but not without leaving behind a good share of kisses, Rennie had helped Rumius out of the crib and placed him on the ground feet first.
Rumius had learnt to walk by himself rather quickly. He had first attempted it under Reverie's and Rennie's close supervision several weeks ago. Nowadays, he was allowed to roam around the manor rather carefreely as long as Rennie followed him around.
Waddling out as soon as Rennie unlocked the door, Rumius found himself in a long hallway, underlaid with a crimson red carpet and fenced in by two stoic stone walls. From his point of view, the simple walkway looked to Rumius like an endless stretch of red but fortunately, Rumius had a hack.
Looking up, Rumius raised his two hands above his head at a slanted angle as if receiving something from the heavens. It took only a moment later for a pair of giant hands to swoop down and tuck him into the safety and warmth of Rennie's bosom.
" Library again young master?" Rennie asked, her tone knowing and smile kind.
" Yup!"
Rennie began walking, and in an instant, they were already at the stairs leading upwards to the higher floors where the library was located.
' I can't wait to grow up more quickly' Rumius thought, longing to be able to this this himself.
Rennie began ascending the stairs, climbing up a level or two from their position and eventually reaching the fifth and highest level of the Manor. Navigating the corridors with ease, the duo eventually stood before a two meter wooden door.
Rennie placed Rumius down with care before reaching out and taking hold of the metal handle of the door. The handle was a giant ring of iron, slightly larger in diameter than Rennie's outstretched palm and cast in black iron.
Pulling the it back on its hinge, Rennie pushed forward, pulled back and pushed forward again thrice in quick succession, producing three solid "Bang"s that echoed through the hallways.
A short moment of silence followed before doors swung inwards, revealing a whole new world and that made Rumius once again marvel, for the umpteenth time, about how big this mansion really was.
The library itself was wholly dominated by the warm light of torches hung on the walls and of a giant chandelier which presided over the library like a lord from its seat above, high up on the ceiling. It was much unlike the whitish sunlight that would fill the manor's halls in the day.
The doors opened first to a grand hall that was basically an empty space in the shape of a large circle that then radiated out in small alleys. Each alley was dedicated to a specific field of research, each going down a path lined with two giant book shelves which would eventually lead to a deeper area that housed records, new and old, and rare documents pertaining to the subject.
Rumius was in a giant treasure trove of knowledge.