Adam had little to no clues about his origins, but he could at least sort out the information he had for now. His father, Arang Salosvki, was most probably his real father for various reasons, but mostly his eyes and the fact that a noble family would never spend this many resources as they did for him in the past if they weren’t blood related. However, his wife, Bella Salosvki, was most probably not his real mother. Adam had six other siblings, three older and three younger, all coming from Bella, which made him the middle child. This meant that he was born when the Duke was married to the Duchesse, he was basically a bastard, the result of an affair. 

Concerning the identity of his real mother, it wasn’t hard to guess that she came from the Aleksy tribe, known for their spear wielding abilities, their unyielding temperament and their lack of mana affinity. In the picture, his mother was covered in the tribe’s tattoos, done by soaking a water porcupine’s quill in ink and meticulously transferring the ink into the skin by performing it with the quill. 

The water porcupine, as its name said, possessed an affinity with water and gathered the liquid in its quill, before shooting out the water in a spear-like appearance to a foe when it was in danger, easily piercing the skin. The same was done with the ink, a small pressure applied in the middle of the quill expelling the black liquid in the person’s skin. It was a painful process, but a necessary and honorful one. 

From what Adam had learnt in the books in the Salovski’s library, that he borrowed from time to time, the warriors of the tribe, be it male or female, needed to pass challenges to be recognised as members of the tribe. Anyone refusing to obey would be expelled. When someone succeeded in a challenge, they would get a tattoo to prove their accomplishment. There were different kinds of challenges and matching tattoos for each kind.

His mother also had strong muscles and even if it was only a picture, Adam could see the determination and strong self-esteem that the beautiful woman had. All of those clues led to the conclusion that she must have been part of the tribe. Adam was sure of one thing, he couldn’t count on the clan to accept him with open arms, because his mother had most probably been expelled. 

He had also read in the books that the Aleksy tribe refused to have children with people not accepted by the tribe. If a child was to be conceived, then the parents and the child would be considered dead. To be allowed in the tribe, one must pass the rite of passage, which was the first challenge. It granted a tribal tattoo on the right shoulder. However, Adam had seen his dad without his shirt many times when he was young and he never saw a tattoo or a remnant of one on his shoulder. Thus, his father had never passed the challenge.

Nevertheless, his mother could have been expelled before getting pregnant for other reasons, or other circumstances could have played a role in this. With that new information, Adam couldn’t help but fathom on what happened to his mother. He didn’t remember having seen her before, but she didn’t die while giving birth to him, as she was still very much alive when the picture was taken. He had never felt any hostility from his adoptive mother, but she must be aware of his birth’s origins. Was his real mom dead? How did she die? Why did she have a child with the Duke? It was, after all, most probably against the tribe’s values to sleep with someone married. His brain was starting to burn from being squeezed tight, deductions only leading to more questions.

He knew that even after getting all the answers he wanted, his happiness would not really change, but he wanted to know if there was somewhere out there for him to call his home. Maybe learning about his origins could help him be happier or maybe not. As little as the chances were, Adam still wanted to take this opportunity. At least, now, he had a weakness to use against the Duke. Arang was renowned in the nobles’ circle for not having any mistresses, which was rare for someone of his peerage, but it was no longer true. This could lead to an advantageous situation for Adam if he used the information well.

Adam put the picture back in the pendant before getting up and hiding the necklace in the pile of rags he called clothes. It was better to leave it there, less a malicious person saw it on him and decided to steal it. They wouldn’t know its worth, but as long as Adam possessed something, there would be an endless amount of people trying to take it from him to make him suffer. His siblings never considered him as family and the mansion’s staff saw him as a disgrace. Adam had plenty of enemies.

Thinking of all the obstacles on his path, Adam couldn’t help but to let out a sigh. The feeling of loneliness that he had succeeded in hiding deep in his heart lurked around the walls of its cage, scratching its vicious claws on the uneven floor, ready to pounce out if an opportunity was to arise. He couldn’t allow himself to be shaken so easily. If he wanted to survive in this world where only the strong ones ruled, he needed to appear and feel strong too. Fake it till you make it.

A knock on the door made Adam jump in shock. Nobody had ever visited his room and even if someone did, he wouldn’t expect them to knock. His hackles raised, he carefully approached the door, his worn out shoes not making any sound on the dirty floor. Putting his ear against the door, Adam listened to the sound from the other side, concluding after a few seconds that there was only one intruder. Exhaling his anxiety and fear, the young man opened the door to face the unknown.

“Good evening young master, the Duke has invited you to a meal with the Duchess and your siblings in two days. Have a good night.” The rude maid looked at him in distaste before quickly giving him the invitation, not even waiting for him to say something before speaking nor bothering with a reply. Having done what she was instructed to, she swiftly turned around, the black skirt from her maid outfit fluttering in the wind as her long legs carried her back to human grounds and away from this haunted wing, only the distant rustling sound lingering after a few minutes. 

It seemed like he would need to go shopping for new clothes.

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