He watched the newcomers sitting around his bed. A man approached and introduced himself as Jason, the family doctor, before he began to change his bandages. Calogero stood behind the chair of the man he suspected to be the patriarch. Strangely, the man didn't look more than thirty years old physically, but one could feel the weight of the years on him. Even stranger, the two other men to his right gave him the same feeling. Only the woman looked her age. Another thing he noticed was the simplicity of the clothes which contrasted greatly with the rich decoration of the room. He couldn't look at it without seeing something golden.

"I have finished, Lord Eadwig, young master."

"You may go, Jason."

A bow and Jason left a quiet room behind, where everyone was staring at the occupant of the bed and vice versa.

"Anastasiy, what do you remember?" Finally asked the one he supposed to be the patriarch.

" Nothing."

Although it was brief, the now-named Anastasiy was able to see a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the other two men, which disappeared just as quickly, while a grimace of anger deformed the red-haired one's face.

"I see... Your name is Anastasiy Dralyon. Your mother's name is Raz Lindan and she was my mistress. You are my only son born of this union."

Immediately, Anastasiy's gaze turned to the woman, not understanding why the Duke spoke of his mother in the past tense while she was at his side.

"My marriage to Eadwig was arranged. I just had to give him an heir and then I was free to take a lover if I wanted to. Unfortunately, we both have the same taste in partners," replied the woman with a nostalgic yet playful smile for Eadwig, before her face took on a look of sorrow, "Unfortunately, Raz didn't survive the birth. Despite all the care, she couldn't be saved and had barely enough time to name you."

"Am I a bastard?"

"No. Officially, you are my son, mine and Serenity's. Unofficially, only the people of our duchy know of Raz's existence."

"Duchy"... Eadwig had just said "duchy"! That simple word filled Anastasiy with happiness. Not only he wasn't a bastard, but his family was rolling in gold, which guaranteed him a life of tranquillity. But before he could enjoy this life to its fullest, he had to solve one tiny problem...

"What happened to me?"

"While you were at your private residence in the lower town, a... individual blew himself up."

Anastasiy noted the hesitation of the red-haired man, before concentrating on the man to the immediate right of his father.

"Some details are still rather obscure, but we know that you were near the centre of the explosion. Luckily, the magical protection on your clothes saved you from most of the explosion, as well as from the debris of the building. Calogero came immediately to your rescue. According to Jason, your heart stopped beating at least three times, the third time being the longest before you started to spit water".

So Anastasiy had a near-death experience. This could explain why his body hurt so much and why there were bandages on his left eye. Suddenly he was less sure that the weakness in his body was temporary, although he could now move his left arm a little more without running out of breath immediately. Which made him think...

"What was that ball of water? And this black mass that I spat out?"

"The investigation is still ongoing. Serafim," the red-haired young man smiled at him, "is investigating the explosion. Ewald," the young man to the immediate right of the Duke just nodded, "with Jason's help, is taking care of the black mass and the creature, so I'm sure they'll give you news as soon as they get on with this matter."

"I see..."

Anastasiy wanted to be able to enjoy his life fully and quietly. But too many questions remained.

"Anastasiy, I know you want answers, and if I were in your situation, I would want the same thing. However, you have just woken up from a week-long coma after surviving an explosion that nearly leveled a neighborhood. That's why I would like you to get as much rest as possible without worrying too much about it all. When your condition improves, I will give you my permission to participate in the ongoing investigations. Is that all right with you?"

Although he nodded, Anastasiy couldn't hold back the shudders of horror that gripped him when he received the second piece of information about the incident. He didn't know what kind of person he was before, but he didn’t have a good feeling about this story.