Leon remained perfectly calm in his mother’s grip. He sat there on the blanket, his eyes fixed on his mother’s shocked face.
He felt a wave of mild confusion as he looked at her pale face. He had spent the last two months listening to everyone talk around him and memorizing the sounds and connecting them to basic things.
He had simply wanted to see if his voice worked and he did not quite understand why they were looking at him like that. To him, it felt normal.
"Leon?" Vera whispered softly as her voice shook with an intense mix of maternal protectiveness and pure shock. "What... how are you doing this? How can you talk properly?"
Roland took a step forward as he looked down at his brother and then looked at the glass of water he was still holding in his hand.
"He spoke," Roland muttered as his voice cracked with utter confusion. "Mother, those are real words. He did not make a random baby noise or a cute babbling sound."
Hanna stood up completely. She was holding her apron tight against her knees. "I tried to tell you in the warehouse, My Lady," she said. Her voice was bright but respectful. "He looked right at me and used my name."
Vera did not look back at the maid as her mind was in different direction. A two month old child was not supposed to sit up with perfect balance and speak like an educated adult.
Vera placed her palm on top of Leon’s chest as she transferred a small bit of her essence into Leon’s body to check up on him. ’His bone structure is fine and whole body is also healthy. There are no anomalies,’ she thought as removed her palm and stared at Leon.
Leon tilted his head slightly as he was puzzled by their reactions. He felt a soothing sensation wash over him briefly.
’I had only tried to communicate a basic need using only simple words that I had managed to figure out so far. Yet why is everyone this shocked? Don’t other babies communicate with their parents?’ Leon was lost in his own thoughts trying to figure out why were they acting like this.
Roland sat down on a nearby wooden chair as he stared down. He rubbed his face with his hands as he tried to clear his mind. "This is impossible," Roland said, lifting his head as he stared at Leon. "To speak and crawl so early is unheard of and even among the bloodline holders it doesn’t occur this early."
"Our young master is a genius, My Lady," Hanna chimed in. She had finished cleaning the floor and was standing at the side of the door.
Vera ignored the maid and slowly pulled Leon back into her lap. She held him against her chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"My sweet boy," Vera murmured as her voice became steady again. She looked up at Roland and then turned her head to glare sharply at Hanna. She released a bit of her presence to Hanna. It was more than enough for Hanna to understand the severity of the situation.
"Listen to me very carefully. No one outside of this room can know about this. No one or you will bear the consequences." Vera said.
Vera’s sharp tone combined with her presence terrified Hanna as her knees nearly buckled. She had grown up hearing stories about what happened to servants who saw too much in noble houses, always distant stories about other people. But she had never once imagined herself inside one. Her mouth had gone dry from fear.
Leon’s throat felt dry. He took another short breath and spoke again. "I need a cup of water,please," Leon said as he looked directly up at his mother. "My mouth is dry."
Roland came out of his shock as he gave the glass of water to his mother. Vera, taking the glass from Roland, helped Leon drink.
Leon took a few tiny sips and felt his throat clear. After drinking water, he felt exhausted as he crawled and spoke for the first time. He snuggled in his mother’s grip and he went to sleep.
"Mother, I will call dad and uncle Thomas here." Roland said as he was about to signal his dad through the essence.
"No, don’t call him now, he is attending meetings with neighbouring nobles," Vera said as she stared at Leon. "And he is sleeping now. Come here with your father at dusk."
Hanna was listening to all the conversations and she was terrified. She thought it was a joyous moment but now her fate was on a thin thread. "My lady, I could look after Leon at the meantime." she pleaded.
"You will look after him with me and Roland go do your remaining work and come back with Marcus here at dusk." Vera said as she gently stood up while carrying Leon. Roland nodded as he went outside of the room.
After Roland left, the room fell into silence. Vera paced slowly carrying Leon, towards the window. She looked outside the window, her mind racing through terrifying implications.
Hanna remained frozen by the door. Every brief glance towards Vera felt like a weight pressing down on her chest. She focused towards floorboards, knowing a single error now would lead to a swift and silent end for her.
Hours passed as the afternoon also began to dip low. At some point Hanna had begun refolding the same stack of clothes of Leon for the third time, not because they needed it but because her hands needed something to do.
The door to the room opened as Viscount Marcus walked into the room. Right beside him two figures walked, Thomas, carrying a book of reports and Roland, following closely behind, locking out the door with him.
Iris was not among them. She had left a few days prior to stay with her best friend at House Ellery, Clara Ellery, whose father was also an old fried of Marcus’s. She insisted to go to her friend’s house to her father as she was bored in the Estate. The visit is expected to last three months.
"Vera," Marcus said, his deep voice low as he noticed the tension in the room. He looked between his wife and the trembling maid in the corner, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What happened while I was in the meeting? Is everything fine?"
Vera did not answer immediately. She nudged Leon to wake up. Leon blinked his eyes, his body felt rested now.
"Hello, father and Thomas." Leon said as he was greeting them.
Marcus froze in shock as he stared at Leon. His essence flared and instantly blanketed the whole estate, searching for anyone near them or suspicious. After a while he retracted his essence and locked the room with his essence.
Next to him, Thomas took a step forward, his professional posture breaking for a second as his eyes locked onto Leon’s face.
"He just spoke," Marcus whispered, his voice cracking slightly. "Thomas, what do you make of this?"
Thomas stepped forward as his eyes scanned Leon with deep interest. "In all my decades of experience, I have never heard of a human infant this developed at this age. Even among the ancient bloodlines or long lived races this is almost unheard of. It is considered rare even among them."
"This changes everything," Marcus said as he glanced at Vera tightly clutching Leon. "If other noble house or capital’s spy network found out about this, they will see him as a threat or a tool to be used. We cannot let anyone else know or it would ruin our house."
"Leon, listen to me carefully. From this moment on, you will not speak until you are a year old. You can speak if we are alone, not on a gathering. Not even in front of your sister. Do you understand?"
Leon blinked his eyes, listening the instruction. "I understand, Father." Leon said, his voice low and clear.
Marcus nodded, a proud grin appearing in his face. He glanced at the maid as he said, "Watch over Leon for a while." Then he gestured everyone to come with him outside.
"Yes, My Lord. I will watch over him." Hanna said in a low and terrified tone.
Once everyone was outside, Marcus turned to Thomas. "Did you check his body? Any anomalies?" Marcus said, his tone serious and low.
"Yes, I checked him. He is perfectly fine but his mind and soul strength is high," Thomas said, recalling the sensation he felt while checking Leon. "I think he is naturally gifted."
Marcus nodded, a small smile touched his lips. "The maid. She knows too much. Vera you know what to do with her." he said in a low and serious voice.
"I know, she will be handled by me, from now on." Vera said as she placed her hand on Marcus’s shoulder.
Marcus remained silent for a long moment. He finally gave a slow nod. "Very well but if I see a single trace of hesitation in her after you handle her, she will be quietly taken care of."
With the discussion over, Vera turned to return inside the room. Hanna was still trembling near Leon, waiting for her fate but nothing happened to her. She just followed Vera, wherever she went. Like that whole night passed.
The next morning came as Leon woke up, his eyes blurry. He saw his mother by his side, sitting down on a chair and Hanna standing by her side.
After a while, Thomas arrived delivering breakfast for all. Leon sat upright as he was thinking about something.
"Mother," Leon said in a low tone, trying not to sound too loud. "I want to understand more words."
"You want to learn more, my sweet boy?" Vera whispered, her hand gently patting his shoulder. "I suppose your mind is moving far too fast to keep you confined to small vocabulary."
Thomas bowed down, stepping near Vera. "If the young master wishes to learn, My Lady, the estate library is the only logical choice. I can pull the basic vocabulary dictionaries and world history. It is isolated and the safest place for him to study without the rest of the household noticing anything weird."
Leon tilted his head, his mind processing the unfamiliar term. "Library?" he repeated as he felt completely puzzled.
"Yes, little master," Thomas murmured. "A house of knowledge. But it is also a place of strict absolute silence."
"Thomas, you can take him there," Vera ordered. "But watch over him all the time there."
"Yes, My Lady." Thomas said as he bowed and then carried Leon in his arms and went towards Library.
Leon remained quiet in Thomas embrace as he carried Leon down the long corridors of the residential wing. He stayed still, watching the surroundings in silence. Soon, they arrived near a massive door. It was locked with a complex structured runes, only to be accessed by some. Thomas injected his essence as he pushed open a set of massive wooden doors, revealing a huge room filled with books.