As Elias walked through the elaborately decorated hall, Elder Xiawen Liandor guided them through the lineage of the White River Clan. Each painting and artifact held a piece of the clan's history, narrated with pride by the elder.
"That is the founder of our clan, the great White River, a title he earned through numerous battles," Liandor announced, pointing to a painting on the wall. "He was a great man, and his legacy is still alive and well today. He was a talented cultivator who achieved the impossible by ascending to the fifth rank."
Elias glanced at the painting. It displayed a handsome middle-aged man wearing a white robe and holding a long sword.
Liandor then pointed to another painting. "That is his son, the second-generation leader of the clan. He was a great cultivator who reached the fourth and almost the fifth ranks."
"This is the sword my great-great-grandfather used to successfully kill a rank 4 aether beast! Like you, he was a genius and had a rank 4 red potential" exclaimed Liandor, indicating a sword displayed proudly in the hall.
"This is a painting of my great-great-uncle, the third-generation leader. He was a great cultivator who reached the third rank at the young age of 35 and was a close friend of the second-generation leader." Liandor continued to explain every painting and sculpture they passed by. His voice filled with pride and admiration.
"You'll get a chance to learn more about the clan's history and traditions later. For now, you should go to rest. The servants will take care of all your needs," Liandor said to Elias's mother, opening the door to a fancy bedroom where three women could be seen bowing slightly upon seeing Elder Liandor.
"Thank you for your kindness, Elder—I mean, Grandpa Liandor," Elias' mother answered truthfully
"No need, no need! We will be family soon in any case! Anyways, this is your room. You can rest here for now. I'll send someone to fetch you when everything is ready," the elder said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Yes, thank you. I'll wait for you then," she replied, smiling.
"Good! See you later then."
After the elder left, the women in the room approached Elias' mother, examining her closely.
"Girls, we have a lot of work! Make her perfect!" one of the women shouted.
"Yes, madam!" the others answered in unison.
"W-wait, what are you doing?" asked Elias's mother, confused.
"Don't worry, we'll make you look even more beautiful," said another as she closed the door.
"B-but ..." Before she could finish, the door was shut, leaving Elias outside in the hallway.
"..."
Elias stood alone in front of the door for a few seconds. Although subtle, he had long noticed how everyone seemed to ignore his presence. Even the servants they encountered along the way seemed to have forgotten he was there.
Elias was no fool. He could clearly see their intentions.
"From their perspective, I am indeed an eyesore. My presence is tolerated solely because of my mother's love for me. But that doesn't mean they won't try to get rid of me at the first opportunity. By eliminating me, they could ensure she relies only on this family. For now, they need to create a bond between her and the family; otherwise, their efforts would be in vain."
"This ultimately means …They want to isolate me from my mother, not just physically but emotionally. Only then will they be able to dispose of me easily."
Watching the closed door, Elias ultimately decided not to enter and instead pull a little show instead.
'You guys can scheme. But so can I. Leaving a four years old unattended would be your first mistake.' thought Elias with a cold expression.
.
.
.
.
Inside the room, a group of women was washing and dressing Elias' mother.
"You've made sure someone is taking care of Elias, right?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Don't worry! We sent someone earlier. Every child wants their own space anyway so it would be better to leave him alone a bit, you won't be able to stay by his side forever even if you want to…"
"Maybe you are right, but I don't want him to feel lonely. He's such a good boy—" Before she could finish, another servant interrupted her.
"Please don't worry! I am sure he is currently playing in his own room. More importantly… You have such a great figure and smooth skin! You don't look like you've given birth at all. When my sister had my niece, she had a huge belly afterward, and her skin wasn't as smooth as yours," one of the women said admiringly.
"Haha... thanks, I guess?" Elias's mother replied, blushing slightly.*
'Perhaps they are right. Elias and me have been together for all his life and maybe he needs some space of his own. Moreover he's extremely mature so it shouldn't pose a problem… He grew up so fast.'
As the women continued to dress her for the feast, the one who had reassured her about Elias waved for another servant to come over and spoke privately.
"Where's her son? I thought you were going to take him to a room?"
"Uh? Ah yes, I almost forgot."
"Don't take me for an idiot. You're just trying to be as close as possible to the future madam. Its your job so go take care of the bastard for now. He must still be waiting outside the door. Go find him and take him to a room. At least fake being nice and all." the woman ordered with a sigh.
"Pff, such a pain, alright fine."
Opening the wooden door, the woman found an empty corridor.
"Huh? Where's the kid?" she exclaimed.
"What do you mean?"
"He's not here. Did someone else took care of the child?"
"No… As per the master's order, nobody except us is in this part of the mansion so…"
"You idiot! Go look for him! He's only 4, he surely hasn't gone far!" the first woman yelled, realizing her mistake too late.
Hearing this, Elias' mother immediately frowned "...What do you mean by that? Where is my son?" asked Elias's mother, her eyes wide with confusion and worry.
"I-I'm sorry, ma'am. That's not what I meant… I was talking about someone else." the woman stammered.
"No! You told me you had already taken care of him! What do you mean by 'lost him'?" Elias's mother's voice rose in panic.
"I-I'm sorry. I'll find him. Please calm down," the woman said, fear evident on her face.
"No! I can't trust you when you can't even remember to look after my son! I will find him myself!" Elias's mother's tone was resolute.
"Wait, ma'am, you can't do that! You need to prepare for the feast! Please, let us handle this—" the woman tried to intervene, but Elias's mother was already striding down the corridor.
With fear and panic, the woman rushed after her.
"Ma'am, please, wait! You can't leave like that!"
Ignoring the fact that she was barefoot and half naked, Elias's mother ran through the halls.
"I can, and I will!" she declared, her voice firm as she searched for her son.
"Ma'am, please, calm down. I'm sure he's fine. He's probably just playing somewhere. Let us take care of it," the woman pleaded, desperately trying to stop her.
"I will not calm down until I see him with my own eyes—" Suddenly, Elias's mother stopped, her gaze fixed on a small boy who was crying in the corner of the corridor.
"E-Elias? Is that you?" she asked, her voice trembling.
The boy turned to face her.
"Elias!" she cried, rushing to hug him.
"Ah, mother? I think I got lost...I'm sorry. Those ladies were not nice and asked me to find my room myself, so I tried but …its scary to be alone." said the young boy as he wiped some tears, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying.
"It's not your fault. It's mine. I shouldn't have left you alone. I'm sorry." she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"... Then promise me that you won't leave me alone. I've never been without mother." said the young boy with a soft and innocent voice.
"I promise. I won't ever leave you alone. I'm sorry… So sorry" answered his mother as she hugged tightly Elias.
"Alright. It's a promise, then. But ... What about my hand?"
"What hand?" Looking at her son's hand, she finally noticed the bloody wound. The injury seemed extremely deep and painful.
"Oh heavens! What happened?!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.
"I'm sorry... I got lost and accidentally hurt myself on the big sword," Elias said, pointing to a sword on the wall.
"That's dangerous! Are you alright?!"
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm not a baby anymore. I'm a big boy now. This doesn't hurt that much."
"..."
"You truly are my big boy. Now that you mention it, this is the first time you've cried since you were born... I didn't realize that leaving you alone would affect you so much," she said, examining the wound with a pained expression.
'Being separated from my child in this place… He didn't cry from pain but from loneliness... What was I even thinking? I need to be more careful. I can't let him get hurt, nor can I trust the clan to take care of him.' she thought, her heart heavy with guilt.
"Let's go back to the room. I'll clean your wound and bandage it," Elias' mother said, carefully lifting him up.
"... Alright."