As for Young Master Wood Greyrat, despite often zoning out for long periods and remaining quiet since birth, his calm demeanor was something that could barely be understood as natural, marking him as a rather unusual child.
Compared to other children, he was certainly an extreme case. However, it could still be chalked up to being naturally quiet and disinterested in play.
But the eldest son, Rudeus, was an entirely different matter. Lilia had caught strange glances more than once while she was changing clothes. At first, her vigilant instincts made her suspect the man of the house, Paul Greyrat.
However, in a twist of events, Lilia discovered that the peeping culprit was none other than little Rudeus, still wobbly on his feet at the time!
Initially, Lilia assumed it to be an innocent accident. After all, how could Rudeus, at such a young age, possibly know about such things?
But one day, Lilia saw something that shattered her previous assumptions. Rudeus, barely over a year old, had a lecherous grin that no child his age should possess. In that moment, Lilia was certain—Rudeus must be possessed by a demon.
In a world of swords and magic, such incidents were not uncommon, especially in rural areas. Lilia considered telling Lady Zenith, the mistress of the house, but Rudeus generally behaved normally aside from these rare incidents.
Zenith doted on both of her children, and Lilia feared that mentioning such a thing would cause the household to turn on her, possibly leading to her dismissal. So, she kept the secret to herself.
Of course, keeping the secret didn't mean she could forget about it. Convinced that Rudeus was impure, Lilia distanced herself from him. Or rather, it was more accurate to say that she avoided him out of fear.
The Greyrat family's needs were met through Paul's income as a knight, and with a large household to feed, their expenses were far from cheap. Paul often hunted wild game in the forest after fulfilling his knightly duties, doing what he could as the head of the household.
Zenith, lacking experience, found it difficult to manage two children on her own, often feeling overwhelmed. Lilia, the family's only maid, became her invaluable right hand.
Naturally, Zenith asked Lilia to help care for the children. When asked which child she would prefer to look after—Rudeus or Wood—Lilia immediately chose the younger son, Wood Greyrat, without a second thought.
Normally, a maid would prioritize the eldest son, who would inherit the family estate. But Lilia couldn't forget Rudeus' disturbing grin, which made her shudder. With a sense of dread creeping in whenever she saw him, Lilia instinctively chose the more "normal" child, Wood.
Wood was certainly strange in his own way. He was independent from a young age, rarely cried, and was eerily quiet. But strange was far preferable to perverted.
"Lilia seems to favor Wood more, huh? Even though they're twins, she seems to like the younger brother better?" Zenith mused.
Paul and Zenith were both quite attractive, so naturally, their children were also blessed with good looks. As twins, Wood and Rudeus looked identical, with the only difference being a tear mole under the corner of one's eye—Wood's on the left and Rudeus' on the right.
Lilia could only respond to Zenith's remark with a wry smile. Truthfully, she didn't dislike children—she was just at a loss when it came to strange ones.
When Lilia first started caring for Wood and teaching him basic manners, she was nervous and apprehensive.
While Wood wasn't Rudeus, their identical faces reminded her of Rudeus' unsettling smile.
"Don't worry, Lilia, I'm not like that Rudeus guy. I'll be on my best behavior. In exchange, could you teach me how to read and share some knowledge with me?"
Wood, noticing Lilia's unease, put on his best innocent expression, using his young age to his advantage as he revealed his true intent.
This world was one of swords and magic, with the highly sought-after adventurer profession available to those with the right skills.
Most importantly, magic existed in this world, and unlike the world of The Familiar of Zero, where only nobles could use magic, here, anyone with the talent for magic could learn it.
Both magic and swordsmanship were categorized into levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Saint, King, Emperor, and God.
As for swordsmanship, Wood believed his accumulated knowledge from two worlds already gave him a decent foundation. Now, what intrigued him more was magic!
Since Zenith was a mage, their household had several magical books. Unfortunately, young Wood was illiterate.
Even if he had the desire to learn magic through these tomes, without the ability to read, studying magic was impossible.
At first, Lilia found it odd that Wood, who was just over a year old and barely able to speak, wanted to learn to read.
But compared to Rudeus' abnormal behavior, Lilia thought Wood's eagerness to learn was at least a good trait.
Lilia had once been a palace guard maid in the Asura Kingdom and was an expert in noble etiquette. She even knew basic swordsmanship, having trained alongside Paul in the past. However, due to political upheaval, she had been forced to flee to her current situation.
Though her literacy was limited due to her status as a maid, she figured her knowledge would be more than sufficient to teach a toddler.
What Lilia hadn't anticipated was that she had vastly overestimated her own knowledge—or perhaps underestimated Wood's talent and intelligence.
In less than two months, Wood had absorbed every bit of knowledge Lilia had to offer.
What shocked Lilia even more was that Wood not only excelled in learning to read but also mastered the intricate courtly etiquette she had taught him. His proficiency in such complex customs was astounding—there wasn't a single thing she could fault him for!
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 380+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a