I was kind of getting accustomed to my new surroundings. The couple gave me royal treatment and tried their super best to become the ideal parents. They made sure I was well taken care of, they even dedicated four maids to take care of my needs, and I even had a separate room of my own. What else could I ask for?

Of course, I missed my previous family, but I liked how they all paid attention to me. There were times when Maria would bring me over to her bedroom whenever Albert was working overnight in his office. She would stroke my hair until I fell asleep, which is the purest form of love. I think there is nothing beautiful in this world than the love of a mother.

The rest of the days I would just sleep in the room that they prepared for me. I would try to stay awake during the night and build up my mana. Maria and Albert had always been dead set on trying to make me call them mama and papa. Whenever Maria went shopping and Albert was working, that grumpy old man would come over to supposedly babysit me, but that rarely happened. I have been trying to sway him to my side for a couple of months.

It was one of the days that he and I were alone together. I needed to try to sway my way a bit. I stood up and walked toward him. I was still a little bit wobbly. I put on a big smile

and tried my best to act cute. I put my hands onto his knee, which made him look down on me with disgust but there was some awe in his eyes. He gently kicked me away. I fell back on my own so I wouldn't receive the full blow. It really didn't hurt. I guess he didn't hate me. So does that mean he is trying to not like me?

"Grapa." I smiled again and walked toward him. I saw his expression soften a bit. He then closed his eyes.

"Grapa," I swear I saw a wavering small smile on his lips. He was trying so hard to hate me. I said it one more time. "Grapa!"

He put a hand on my head and patted my head as he gave me a small smile. I heard a squeal come through the door of the room. It was from Maria. She must have heard what I had just said. Maria opened the door and revealed herself, even though we all knew it was her. I saw a proud and excited smile on her face. The old man immediately took away his hand and crossed his arms.

"He called you grandpa, dad. He really called you grandpa." She picked me up and swirled me around in the air out of excitement.

"Nothing that baby says or does will make me change my mind about killing him two and a half years later. I'm only doing this since you are my daughter. Please don't get attached to him."

"I saw you petting his head. You are also starting to like him. Dad, he loves you and he called you grandpa. Doesn't that mean he is family right now?"

"I guess, he is kinda cute, but I am trying to preserve my feelings too. They are expecting a video of us torturing and killing him. I can't do anything about it. Maria, we are risking our lives to keep him alive."

Maria tried to cover my ears by holding me close to her, but it didn't really help.

"Don't get too close to him or you will really regret it. I understand why you insisted on keeping him but keep my warning in mind. I don't want your feelings to be hurt."

"How can you murder a baby like this? You say you care somewhat for him, but you are lying. You would have understood my point of view than theirs."

The old man seemed hurt by the statement. He, then, turned to me. He looked sad and angry. He was looking at me with awe anymore, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"This is all because of you, you little swine. I swear to you, little brat, you only have a couple of years more to live." His voice was somewhat faltering. Was he acting that he was angry with me? It looked like he was putting up an act. After he said that, he stormed out of the room and slammed the door close. I looked up at Maria only to find her on the verge of crying. Tears were filling up her eyes. What came next surprised me even.

"YOU WILL NEVER TOUCH MY CHILD EVEN IF I DIE!" She screamed and yelled out at him, so loud that it must have reached that old man. She fell to the floor and started to cry, really hard. "How...am I...even his daughter?... How can a person... be this cruel?"

In my view, I don't think he was a bad father at all. He was looking out for his family. I was pretty sure he was acting all of that, but why?

There were running footsteps that were coming toward us. It was Albert, and his face was filled with pain, looking down at Maria's depressed expressions. His hands clenched from anger. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Albert knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder. He must have felt so hopeless.

"Mama."

Maria stopped sobbing and slowly looked up at me. She looked so shocked, and her tears were still streaming down. Her face scrunched up and she hugged me even tighter. She buried her head into my shoulder and started to cry intensely. It lasted almost the whole day. That night I slept with Maria, hearing some of her sobs. Now, it has been two whole years since that day. My nightly training had now stopped. I always try to train as much as I can during the day, so I could get my core at the first stage of the beginner's level. Every level had ten layers according to the books that I had been reading here. There were beginners, intermediates, and experts. Apparently, the books didn't say anything about what happened after the expert level. Maria read me bedtime stories, so I was able to learn how to read.

Right now, I was training my core. I was almost there. I just needed my time to train just a little bit more, then I could finally acquire it. Just as I was about to squeeze my last bit of training, the door opened. I opened my eyes to see a maid coming in, she bowed down.

"Young master, it is time for dinner. The duchess is waiting for you."

I nodded and got off my bed. As I walked down, I started to remember when the maids started to call Albert and Maria, duke and duchess, a year ago. Now I am used to it. I never thought I would be living with the duke's family, well, I was adopted. I still remember mom, dad, and Arthur pretty well. I did try to run away a couple of times, but I was caught every time. It was excused as sleepwalking so many times. I even had a check-up with the doctor and he said it was normal for kids to do so. As I approached the dining table, I saw Albert and Maria talking and smiling at each other. "Mama. Papa." When they heard me calling them, they turned toward me and gave me bright smiles. They were so much like my real parents. They loved each other and loved me unconditionally, even though I was not their real child.

"Come and eat with us, Alex. Then, go to sleep. You look like you're sleepwalking right now." Albert gave me a little wink.

"Ok, papa." I gave him a smile back. "What awe we going to eat?"

My baby-voice was killing me. I couldn't normally talk like an adult yet, so my words were slurred.

"See for yourself."

We had roasted chicken with a lot of boiled vegetables like carrots, peas, broccoli, and other vegetables that I didn't know about. Like always, I preferred more chicken over vegetables. I tried to eat quickly, so I could go back and finish my last bit of training. Once I was done, I stood up.

"Wait!" Maria took her paper cloth and came over to wipe my mouth. She gave me a quick kiss on the forehead and a quick hug. "Goodnight, my beloved angel!"

I walked out, leaving Maria and Albert behind to enjoy their dinner together.

"That boy is always in a hurry to sleep."

That was the last thing I heard before I reached my bedroom. I got up on my bed and started to concentrate. I could feel my core almost being completed. When I reached the first level, my body felt so light and strong. I could feel mana in a wide range, especially in animals and trees that were close to me.

***

Albert's perspective

We were truly enjoying our dinner. Maria had been very happy ever since Alex came into our lives. He was what that part of the family we missed out on for years. Alex helped me realize how truly blessed a father feels and I am sure Maria felt the same way. Alex left us just a minute ago, but we were feeling his presence gone already. He was always a bright and cheerful child.

"Every time Alex leaves, I feel like I am permanently letting him go." Maria had a little sadness in her voice. "It's almost time for the three years promise to be fulfilled. Dad also hasn't been here since that day."

"You should go to visit him tomorrow and talk to him about Alex. Since he loves you, he might listen to you." Maria looked up and smiled.

"You're ri-" Just then, we all heard an explosion that shook this entire mansion. The servants started to evacuate and so did we. We looked around to find Alex outside and asked the servants, but he wasn't outside. I looked back in the mansion. It can't be, right?

"ALEX!" Maria tried rushing in, but the servant stopped her. The servants also stopped me from running toward the one person that made our lives so much happier in the past few years. What the hell had just happened?