Time: 10 years ago.Location: Aretia's Laboratory.
I remember the sound of pride as it scratched. I was small; my hand could barely reach the door handle. I entered because I wanted to play with her like we did yesterday.
I wanted her to show me how she made the colored liquids, just as she had promised. I touched the glass tube. It fell. It shattered. And then, a slap. My left cheek caught fire.
The heat spread from the cheekbone to the ear. I fell to the floor. "Didn't I tell you not to enter my room and play with my things?!" Aretia screamed. Her face was not the face of a sister; it was a face I didn't recognize. "I... wasn't playing... I was just waiting for you... so we could play like yesterday." I cried.
"Mama! Mama!" Mama appeared out of nowhere, as if my scream were an incantation of summoning. She looked at the scene: the broken glass, my red face, and the angry Aretia.
"That is enough, girl!" She pushed Aretia harshly. "Haven't I told you a thousand times not to strike your brother?" She picked me up. She buried my face in her chest. "Come to your mother's embrace, my child.
He is like this because of you!" Aretia shouted, her eyes glistening with tears. "He has become a spoiled, rotten brat! He breaks everything and you protect him!
Do not interfere in how I raise my son!" the mother replied with a voice like a snake's hiss. "You're right... he is your son. And this is my room. Get out of here, both of you, now!" We left.
While in my mother's arms, I looked back. I saw Aretia crying alone amidst the glass. In that moment, I learned the first lesson of the Perfect Mask: The mistake is never my fault. As long as I have the power, the truth is adjustable.
Time: Present.Location: The Exemplar Family Banquet Hall.
"Vanitas? Hello? Are you back with us?" A soft voice pulled me from my memories. I blinked. A group of young ladies from noble families were staring at me with curiosity. "Ah... my apologies, ladies."
I painted Smile No. 3 (Polite Shyness). I bowed slightly at a perfect 15-degree angle. "My mind wandered for a moment." One of them laughed, her fan covering her mouth. "Think nothing of it, handsome young man.
We heard you returned from a recuperative journey... Where did you go? I went to a place..." An image of the cockroaches and the cave flashed in my mind. "...A permanent place. it was an unforgettable trip.A permanent place? Wonderful! Perhaps we should go as well."
I placed a finger on my lips mysteriously. "That is my little secret. Now, excuse me, I must go adjust my attire." I withdrew quietly before they could notice the trembling of my hands.
I entered the luxurious bathroom. Locked the door. Silence. I looked into the mirror. The face was pale, but the smile remained stuck as if painted on. I washed my face with cold water.
I dried it with a silk towel. I took a step back. No... the gait was shaky. I adjusted my posture. Shoulders back. Chin up. A step. Yes. A step. Better. A step. Steady. I opened the door and returned to hell.
The noise hit me like a wave. Flattery filled the air like the scent of cheap perfume. "Yes, sir, you are absolutely right." "No, sir, that was a malicious rumor."
I was an elegant parrot repeating what they wanted to hear. Move the cheekbones upward. Lower the voice half a tone to show respect. A heavy hand landed on my shoulder.
"Vanitas... I haven't seen you in a long time." I turned with an automatic smile. "Welcome, Lord of the Family... what a great honor." I repeated the exact same sentence I had said to three people before him.
The man smiled, intoxicated by my praise. Humans do not hear you; they only hear the echo of their own vanity.
"Wonderful... you were perfect." The noise in my head began to rise. 15-degree angle. Smile No. 3. Shoulder touch. "Vanitas... You contained the scandal brilliantly, and you handled the daughter of Aurum with finesse.
" The voice was very close. Am I still at the party? I blinked. The noise vanished. The music vanished. It was replaced by a heavy silence and the smell of polished wood and fine tobacco.
I looked around. My father's office. "Thank you for your praise, sir," I said automatically, regaining my balance. "I shall go to rest." "Vanitas." The voice of my father (Motus) stopped me at the door.
"What I hate most is the repetition of mistakes. Do not repeat what you did ever again." I looked at him sincerely. I had performed dozens of roles tonight to the point that I had forgotten who I was.
Which mistake did he mean? The way I held the glass? Or my excessive flirting with the Aurum daughter? "Pardon me, sir... but which mistake do you mean?" He narrowed his eyes.
"I am referring, of course, to your attempt to escape to the Lower Domain." "Ah... that mistake." I painted an innocent, apologetic smile. "Forgive me, my memory is a bit clouded due to... the accident. It certainly won't happen again." He waved his hand as if dismissing an insect. "Get out of my sight."
I stepped out into the corridor. A step. I heard a clicking sound behind me. I turned. A cockroach the size of a palm was crawling on the red carpet. I crushed it with my foot.
Crunch. I continued walking. A step. Another cockroach. Crunch. Stay calm... these are hallucinations. You are in the palace. The palace is clean. Out of nowhere, my mother appeared at the end of the corridor, her face bright as the sun.
"My son! The ladies of the families praised you! They said you've become mature and more handsome than last time!" She kissed my cheek forcefully. "This is your reward." I smiled weakly. "I won't let you down, Mama. I'm a bit tired... May I sleep?" "Ah, my poor child... Go and sleep well."
Location: Bedroom.
Knock. Knock. Knock! The violent strikes on the wooden door tore through my sleep. Sunlight seeped through the cracks in the curtains to stab my eyes.
I wished the bed would swallow me, that I could stay under this quilt forever. Knock! I pushed aside the heavy blanket. I dragged my bare feet across the dusty room and opened the door.
"Justitia." She stood there in her pristine dress, her features hardened with the "justice" she loves to perform. "The clock strikes one in the afternoon, Vanitas." I didn't answer. She looked past me, scanning my room with disgust.
"What is wrong with your room? Dust covers everything. How can a person dirty their room like this in a single day?" I ignored her question. "I'm groggy from sleep.
Be clear. What do you want?" She sighed in theatrical disappointment. "Your apology to Mira. The maid you pushed in the bathroom." I looked at her, my mind still processing the words.
"Are you serious? You woke me up for this?" "Yes." She smiled coldly. "I woke you up for this. Get dressed and go apologize now. In the maids' quarters." She pinched her nose with her delicate fingers.
"And open a window, and bathe. May The Observers help the maids in enduring you." She turned and walked down the corridor. I watched her small back. A steady, upright back that belonged to this place. A back I could never lean on.
I closed the door. I entered the bathroom. The cold water washed away the remnants of sleep, but it did not wash away the weight in my chest. I dressed in dead silence.
I opened the door and went out. A step. Don't think. Two steps. If I think, I will break myself. Three. Four. I arrived before the door of the servants' quarters in the rear wing.
I knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked again. Faint whispers from inside. Muffled. Then a short laugh. "Come in... little master." I turned the handle and entered.
The air in the room was blue. The smell of expensive, very familiar tobacco hit my nose. My tobacco. Five maids. Not one of them stood up. They were scattered across the room; two on the bed, three on the comfortable sofa.
Plumes of smoke rose lazily from their fingers. I stood in the center. A heavy, viscous silence wrapped around the place. I looked past their mocking glares. "Mira." The woman sitting in the middle of the sofa puffed a cloud of smoke toward me.
"I am here, sir." I did not raise my eyes from the level of her shoes. "I apologize... for pushing you in the bathroom that night." Mira smiled. A faint laugh echoed among her colleagues. "Yes, sir?" She placed her hand behind her ear in an exaggerated gesture.
"I didn't hear you well." My jaw clenched. Don't think. Just play the role. I raised my voice one level, my eyes still fixed on the floor. "I apologize for pushing you." Mira took a deep breath from the cigar.
"Ah... think nothing of it, young master. Nothing happened to me. In the end... your hand isn't that strong." They exchanged cunning glances.
"Now, please leave," she said it as if she were the lady of the palace dismissing a beggar. I turned. I gripped the door handle. Opened it, and left. The moment the door closed behind me, loud, clear laughter erupted, no longer bothering to hide itself.
I walked down the corridor. One step. Two steps. Three. Four. I stopped before the giant glass window overlooking the palace gardens. Outside, under the warm afternoon sun.
Justitia, Aretia, and Otus. They were sprawled on the manicured green grass. Laughing. Talking with vitality. Real siblings who owned the world. I stood there. One minute. Two minutes. Three... five minutes.
They stopped talking and dispersed, each going their way with confidence. But I didn't move. I kept looking at the window. At the empty garden. Half an hour. An hour. Two hours. Servants passed behind me in the corridor.
Carrying silver trays and towels. No one gave a greeting. No one noticed me. I was just an extra statue in the corridors of Exemplar. A dull decoration with no function.
"Vanitas?" A warm touch settled on the back of my hand. Mama. "Why are you staring at the window like this? Is there something outside?" I turned to her slowly. The corner of my mouth rose. Smile No. 3. "Nothing, Mama," I said in a calm voice, void of any tone. "Just... contemplating the beauty of the sky."
Royal Genealogy Records: History of the Stais Kingdom Families
Chapter Four: The Exemplar Lineage
Origins and Ancient Roots
The roots of the Exemplar family extend to the era before the Great Alchemical Age, specifically to the ancient "Age of the Gods." Ancient manuscripts indicate that the family constituted a noble weight in one of the kingdoms of the North Lower Domain. Despite the scarcity of historical sources documenting their class hierarchy during that period, inherited oral narratives place them among the ruling elite.
Controversial Historical Claim
In a famous incident 150 years ago, the head of the family at the time stated during an official assembly that "Exemplar" held the title of Duke in its original homeland. Although royal historians in the Stais Kingdom do not possess definitive documents to confirm or deny this claim, the prestige imposed by the family has made this statement an integral part of its political and social identity.
Loyalty and the Overlord
The family name emerged as a decisive power upon the outbreak of the War Against the Gods; they were among the first noble forces to declare absolute vassalage to Osmium, the Overlord. This strategic position solidified their place in the new world structure, making them today one of the most influential families, immediately following the Three Great Families in the kingdom.
Scientific Legacy and Profound Talent
The Exemplar family has been famous across generations for a succession of "Gifted Children," where it is rare for a generation to lack a brilliant genius who contributed to developing the infrastructure and scientific framework of the Stais Kingdom. The family's Stag emblem stands as a symbol of these qualities; it represents not only grace but also sharp intelligence and talent that spans various fields from alchemy to martial arts and administration.