Karl Anselm

They studied until the evening. And by that time, Lena had managed to read her first sentence. It could be because she already knew all the words but didn't know how they looked when written, or it could be because she was just smart.

After managing to read her first sentence, Lena was happy—so happy that she hugged Ethan. And Ethan didn't expect this to come, so he was somewhat taken aback, but he didn't dislike it. Moreover, he was happy about it. Who would even dislike it when a pretty girl hugs you? But it was interrupted suddenly.

"Ahem..."

They jumped up in surprise and turned to the source of the sound, the door. And there stood a young, dazzling man in his late twenties. He had blue hair and deep blue eyes, and he had a white slim-fit suit on, which fit his well-developed body perfectly. And on his good-looking face, there was a knowing smile when he looked at them. They were so focused on studying that they didn't even notice when the door was opened and someone came in.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you. But I didn't expect that you, Ethan, would find a girlfriend as soon as you wake up after being unconscious for a whole month."

It was Karl Anselm, the head of the Anselm family and husband of Brenda Anselm.

"Master!" "Uncle Karl!"

Ethan and Lena spoke simultaneously. Lena bowed her head down, as did Ethan. Both of their faces were red, like ripe tomatoes.

The first to come to her senses was Lena.

"Em, I need to leave and help with work!"

With these words, she walked out of the library and closed the door. Ethan heard hurried steps, as if someone had run away.

"Um, I am sorry."

"What? Are you feeling guilty? For what reason? You did nothing wrong. Come to my office after calming down. We need to talk. And if you don't know where my office is, it's next to the library."

Karl Anselm left after saying these words.

Ethan was scared at first. He thought that he had done something wrong, but Uncle Karl wasn't angry at him. So he calmed down and started to return the books to their places. But wait? He remembered that Lena was reluctant to become friends with him because he was a noble and she was a maid. So he could be dissatisfied with her. He needs to hurry up and go to Uncle Karl's office and explain everything, or Lena can be fired.

***

At the Count's office.

"So you came, Ethan."

"Um, Uncle Karl... Before, it wasn't Lena's fault."

"Stop, Ethan. That's not the reason I invited you here. Sit down first."

Ethan wanted to say more but closed his mouth and sat down.

"First, Ethan, let me congratulate you. I'm glad that you managed to wake up and recover from your illness."

Karl smiled at him warmly.

"And second, you need to sign this paper."

He fetched out one piece of paper with the Imperial Crest on it from his desk and handed it to Ethan.

"This is a document stating that you are coming under the guardianship of my family. So you should sign it."

Ethan read through the document, and it was as Karl said.

"Um, okay."

Karl hands him the pen. Ethan signed it and handed it back to Karl with the pen.

"Good. It would help prevent problems from arising in the future."

Karl Anselm stood up and placed his right hand on his left chest. His face and voice became serious.

"Under the watchful eye of the Light Goddess, I officially declare, as head of the Anselm family, that Ethan Lowell will become a member of my family under guardianship. The guardianship would last until he turns adult."

After this, he sat down, and all his seriousness was replaced by his easygoingness.

"With this, we finished the official part. And now we can talk about what happened at the library."

"Um, I am saying that it wasn't Lena's fault there. If someone is at fault, it should be me."

"Hah, as I said earlier, it wasn't your fault. And if you are afraid that I will kick her out, that will not happen. So relax, Ethan."

"Um, okay."

All this time, there was tension in Ethan's body, but after hearing reassuring words from his uncle, he calmed down.

"Would you like to share tea with me?"

"Yes, I like to."

"Great, then..."

Karl took a little silver bell from his desk and rang it. After that, a man in his early thirties came in. He wore a butler outfit, but what caught Ethan's attention was his hair color. One half of the hair was white, and the other was black. Ethan knew him. It was James, the butler.

"Are you called me, master?"

"Yes, bring us tea and some refreshment. And in the process, call that lass here."

"As you fish, master."

He bowed and left.

"So, Ethan, you came to the library to learn?"

"Yes, I want to become stronger."

"Hah, you are like your mother."

"Really?"

"Yes, when she appeared in this house, what she did was only learn to become stronger. She didn't even play with me when I was young."

"I didn't know that."

"Of course, because she changed considerably when she started to attend the Imperial Academy. I thought, you know, that she didn't even know how to love someone. And when she started to date Frederic, your father, imagine my shock."

Hearing about his parents was interesting and sad for Ethan. His head bent a little. And Karl noticed it.

"If you are worried about them, there is no need for it. Frederic is strong, and Eliza is even stronger. I am not even sure that in this world there will be someone who can win against her. And when they're together, I can't even imagine how strong they can be."

"Um, I'm not worried about them. I'm just sad because they leave me alone."

"Listen, Ethan. You are not alone. I am here, and my wife and my cute daughters are here too. After all, we are now one family. And if you don't know, your parents love you very strongly, so there should be a very serious problem if they decide to leave you in our care."

"Um, is that so?"

"Yes. Ah, right, I forgot about it."

With these words, Karl rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a plain-looking ring, and handed it to Ethan.

"It's from your mother."

"Have you met my mom!?"

"I wish I had, but it was on you with the letter when you appeared. I think this ring is an artifact with space inside of it, but it was sealed, and I think that only your mana can open it."

Ethan looked at the ring for some time and then put it on his finger. The ring's size was too big, but after Ethan moved his mana to it, it became perfectly fitted to his finger. He sent his mind into it to check its content. And there were books, clothes, weapons, potions, money, and one white envelope. Ethan took out an envelope from it. The envelope had the scent of his mother's favorite perfume. And Ethan opened it without further thought. There was a letter from his mother.

'To our beloved son Ethan. We are sorry that we left you behind. But we had no choice. The enemies from my family's past found me. We have no choice but to send you to the Anselm family. There, you should be safe. And we will return to you after we solve this problem. So, Ethan, you should stay healthy and listen well to your Uncle Karl. Don't forget about your studies too. I left some books that can help you with it. There are also your clothes and other stuff that can be useful to you...

... We will try to solve this problem as soon as possible and return to you. Stay well, Ethan. We love you.'

Ethan's eyes become moist. But it wasn't because he was sad, but because he was happy to see his mother's handwriting again.

"Ethan, can I see that letter too?"

"Of course."

Ethan handed the letter to Karl and started to wipe his tears. And Karl focused his attention on the letter. He read it for some time.

"So they left because of enemies from her family's past. And she didn't even let me know about it. Hah..."

"Um, Uncle Karl, do you know about these enemies?"

"No, Eliza never told us about it. She didn't even tell us about her past. Hah, I thought we were one family."

"Um, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Ethan. It's just her personality, and I already know about it."

Karl smiled reassuringly at Ethan. And Ethan became at ease with this smile.

***

There was a knock at the door, and James came in with the tray in his hand.

"I brought your tea and the girl you asked."

"Thanks, James."

Karl smiled mischievously at Ethan.

"So, Ethan, let's decide what to do with that maid."

Hearing these words, Ethan swallowed hard.