In the Bluesta Empire, Dextrose county.
A tall man with lean body wearing clothes embedded with jewels, indicating his social status was standing in an environment that didn't suit his status.
He was standing in the middle of a slum the surrounding environment was awful, Shabby buildings, broken windows uncleared surroundings with waste pilling up everywhere and people wearing clothes torn in various places. The visuals were stating their poverty quite literally. He was disgusted with the environment but his purpose was with a woman living in the house before him didn't allow him to leave. Not having any other options he stood there ready to enter the house and wage a war to win something that could be quite useful in the future.
He finally knocked the door after careful considerations and a women opened it almost immediately as if she waiting for him, looking at him her facial expressions lit up and she gave the most charming smile that could make any man fall for her and said "thank you for gracing this unworthy place with your presence, My Lord. I was waiting for you our child was waiting for you"
Her cheerful greeting was met with a sarcastic comment and the man's standing before her said, "Even after all this year you still haven't learned the nobles etiquette at all Amelia, Is your child the same"
The man standing before her was count Dextrose and he was referring to their child as her child many meaning he didn't see him as his blood, and the woman standing before him was the mother of his child, his mistress according to the social norms and she was the mother of the novel's protagonist Ethan.
Fury could be seen in her eyes. But she didn't want to lose this opportunity, she didn't receive any recognition after from the man, she once loved but now her child was going to receive it and she didn't want to do anything that good strip her son of this opportunity, the man before her was ready to take her child with him. Even if it was under the guise of adoption, that still meant, her child would live a noble life, meant for a noble's child. It was one thing if she wasn't recognised. Her child not being recognised meant that he would be labelled a bastard for life and she didn't want that. She wanted her child to receive the best in everything education, guidance and food. After raising her child for all these years ago, she understood that she couldn't give him everything he wanted from life. Her child was a bookworm but financing his studies was proving to be a task more difficult than what she had initially imagined, so letting him go with his father was the best option.
"He is a fast learner my lord, He will swiftly learn everything taught, It is my inability to look after him or rather pay for his tutions that had deprived him the knowledge befitting a noble, you might find him lacking, but once thought he tends to retain the knowledge for much longer than an average human, He is intelligent my lord and once you experience at first-hand I believe you wouldn't look down on him and wouldn't mind investing in him", her answer was quite a balanced, it maintained a delicate balance between sarcasm for not taking up his responsibility and praising her son. A sarcastic jab in a subtle way, that could only be expected from a Noble not from one living in slums. But she did it gracefully.
The count standing before her understood the underlying meaning but shrugging his shoulders, ignored her words altogether. Why does he tolerating her attitude despite his socail status you ask, the answer would be his future plans. Ethan was very important pawn in his future plan. So to get him under his wing. Count was ready to do anything even if that meant making false promises so tolerating her attitude was just negligible in his view.
"Call him here, I am a busy person and have important things to do." Count didn't even mind too inquire about other matters, not even asking about her well being, all that matter to him now was Ethan.
Following his demand Mia swiftly presented Ethan before him. Count appreciated Ethan's beautiful face any normal father would have searched for a glimpse of himself in his son, like who is he like?Is he more like his mother or more like him his father , but count was more or less a calculative man and his mind was making assumptions on how Ethan's handsomeness could be advantageous in his plan.
Making up his mind, count gave them both a calculative smile and greeted Ethan "hello, starting from today. I will officially be your adoptive father, You can have everything you need and could possibly ask for, I will try to be a good father and help you as much as I can, so I hope we can forge our bond on a positive note."
Ethan was a quite child and he didn't say much rather, he looked at his mother as if asking for her approval. Mia gazed her son lovingly giving a smile and nodding her head indicating that everything was fine and he could trust the man so he took count's extended hand and left to the place for a better future.
Looking at the disappearing backs, closing the door, pressed her body against the wall and crouching down slowly, her head buried between her legs and tears flowing from her eyes, "forgive me son, I wasn't going to give you away not to get man, not after all those years of humiliation. But what could I even do? It was.....your future was dependent on him, he could provide you with resources that I couldn't. So I had no option except accepting his proposal. He will take care of you. Hope he keeps his promise and your tag as a bastard child gets forgotten as history."