Wood's extraordinary talent made Lilia deeply astonished and even more convinced that Wood was no ordinary child.
However, unlike her initial belief that Wood was possessed by a demon, Lilia's views had since changed.
Compared to Rudeus Greyrat, Wood was clearly much more likable. He displayed extraordinary intelligence and talent but never acted inappropriately.
Not only was Wood calm, quiet, and polite, but he also treated Lilia with respect, never looking down on her, even though she was just a maid.
Wood loved reading, as he could learn about this world's geography, cultures, races, and history through the stories in books.
Stories are created by people, and to make a good story, one usually needs logic and a solid reference to the world.
Every time Wood finished reading a book, he would pester Lilia to tell him more stories.
In reality, Wood had an ulterior motive for this. By telling stories, he found an excuse to ask the questions he really wanted answers to without raising suspicion.
However, from Lilia's perspective, Wood's behavior was seen in a completely different light.
She understood that Wood was extremely intelligent, something she quickly realized after taking care of him for only a short time.
But aside from being clever, Wood retained the natural innocence of a child. He enjoyed showing off to adults and sought praise.
In Lilia's mind, the reason Wood always wanted her to tell him stories was simply because he wanted her approval and praise.
Over the course of three years, Lilia's attitude toward Wood had gradually changed from dislike and rejection to genuine affection.
Though she lived with the family and Paul and Zenith treated her well, Lilia still felt like an outsider.
Wood, even as a young child, saw through this. He often chatted with Lilia, comforted her when she was upset, and sometimes went out of his way to cheer her up.
Over time, Lilia's perception of Wood completely changed.
In her eyes, a clever, kind, and considerate child like Wood couldn't possibly be possessed by a demon—if anything, he must be an angel!
Suddenly, a sound echoed—"creak"—as the door to Lilia's room, where she was washing, cracked open slightly.
A small figure crouched behind the door, peeking through the narrow gap.
Unfortunately for the culprit, Lilia had once been a royal maid and had some combat training, so she immediately sensed the intrusion as soon as the door moved.
She quickly pulled the white bedsheet over her body and stared at the large eyes peeking through the gap, waiting for the person to come forward and admit their mistake.
"I didn't know you were bathing, Lilia. I just wanted to share the new story I came across," said the guilty party, stepping into the room with an embarrassed look.
"Rudeus, please stop pretending to be your brother, Wood.
"Even though you're twins, I know Wood too well. He would never make such a face or do something like this."
Looking at the culprit, Lilia maintained basic respect in her expression and tone, but inside, she felt nothing but distaste and repulsion for Rudeus.
A five-year-old child sneaking peeks at a woman bathing? How could anyone believe that? Surely, he must be possessed by a demon.
What disgusted Lilia even more was that Rudeus tried to shift the blame onto his brother.
Having taken care of and educated Wood for so long, how could Lilia not tell the difference between the twin brothers?
But since Rudeus was still just a five-year-old child and Lilia was only a maid, she chose not to reprimand him too harshly. She simply asked him to leave the room and warned him that if he tried something like this again, she would report it to Zenith.
Kicked out of the room, Rudeus shuffled back to his own, feeling like he had lost big time. Not only had he not seen anything, but he also got scolded.
"Rudeus, you were spying on Lilia again, weren't you? You shouldn't mess with her too much. She's quite strong, you know. She might just take you out as a heretic."
Wood, not surprised by Rudeus' behavior, casually spoke while reading a book that was almost half his size.
After all, Wood knew the truth. Though Rudeus looked like a five-year-old boy, his soul belonged to a middle-aged shut-in from another world.
As someone who had never had a girlfriend in his previous life, it was no surprise that he couldn't resist peeking at someone like Lilia.
Rudeus stared at Wood, confused.
"We look exactly the same. So why is it that Lilia treats you so differently from me? Even Mother, Zenith, sometimes mistakes us for each other, but Lilia can instantly tell I'm not you."
Hearing Rudeus' puzzled question, Wood couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Did Rudeus really not understand why Lilia disliked him? It was because he couldn't stop his inner pervert from slipping out now and then!
As for why Lilia could instantly tell Rudeus apart from Wood, it was partly because she was familiar with him and also because Wood would never behave like Rudeus.
"I would never peek at Lilia. Besides, I've already bathed with her several times."
Wood felt the atmosphere shift slightly as he spoke, as if he could hear the sound of Rudeus' mind shattering into pieces.
It simply wasn't fair.
Rudeus had just been caught spying and got scolded, while Wood, on the other hand, had already bathed with Lilia openly! The difference in treatment was outrageous!
"Lilia said it's fine because I'm just a kid. She was worried I wouldn't be able to wash properly on my own."
Wood's casual explanation delivered another critical hit to Rudeus.
Wood was five years old, just like him—why was it that his brother got away with everything, and he couldn't?
Was it because Wood could act all cute and innocent?
Considering this possibility, Rudeus decided to mimic his brother from now on. Maybe acting too mature wasn't the best way to score such perks...
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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