The very next day, everyone in the estate took a break. Why, you ask? Well… We’re having a competition. Everyone dressed differently as well. Father, who held me in his arms, nodded in satisfaction. “Isn’t Mama pretty, little Leon?” he suddenly asked with a slightly awkward smile.

 Father and Mother get along very well. They’re what you’d call lovey-dovey. And today, we’re playing tennis. I…honestly didn’t know we had a tennis field in the garden—then again, I was always indoors. Perhaps I’ll explore some?  

 Oh…right, the question. “Yes, Mama is very pretty,” I replied.

 I looked her way, and she’d wave at me and Father. She has red hair and blue eyes—while Father has silver hair and green eyes. As for me, I’ve got my Mother’s eyes and Father’s hair.

 I’ll be honest. Father has a more gentle look than Mother. I’ve also come to notice that, for the past months, Mother was clumsy, while Father can be an airhead and somewhat of a clutz.

 Father ruffled my hair while I thought about something totally unrelated. “I see! Leon, you seem to already have good taste in women!” he exclaimed.

—umm… Father? What are you saying to your three-year-old son?

 “Master Oliver…I think it’s inappropriate to say that to a child,” Mark stated, looking a bit disagreeable.

 “Haha! It’s fine, it’s fine!” Father casually replied.   

—no, I have to agree with Mark on this one.

 Even though Father is like this, he’s only like this toward Mother, making me feel slightly fluffy. It’s a bit strange—I know. Nevertheless, I love the two of them equally.

 “Come on, Leon, let's cheer for Mama together!” Father said. He then shouted, “You can do it, darling!”

 …I guess I’ll follow suit. “Mama, do your best!” I shouted.

—my tiny little lungs… I actually felt exhausted from that?

 Then again, I’m very out of shape and think I move too little… Could it be that I’m actually frail? Even if I’m out of shape, children my age shouldn’t be exhausted for being a little excited…

 Mother turned to us, looking fired up. “Dear Oliver! And Leon, thank you! Mama is going to do her best!” Mother responded cheerfully.  

 In response, Father and I waved, wishing her good luck. And then, her expression changed, and she looked serious. The match was about to begin, and her opponent was Rose.  

 “I won’t go easy on you, Madam.”

 Rose also had a serious expression. Umm…aren’t they just going to have some fun?

 “Oh~, Rose, I’ll be the one that’ll go easy on you,” Mother replied.

 All the other servants looked with anticipation. This was going to be the first official match. Yet…it’s so intense already.

 “Watch closely, Leon. In her school days, Mama was an excellent swordswoman, quick on her feet, swift with her strikes and excellent in manipulating the wind,” Father proudly said.

 Manipulating the wind? As in…swinging the sword and producing a gush of wind or actually manipulating the wind itself? But…is that even possible?

 “Mm, okay, I will watch closely,” I replied without really understanding him.

 And in the next instant, Mother smashed the ball so hard that it practically disappeared. And responding to the serve, Rose instantly dashed and sent back the ball. Then it just became a back-and-forth.

 “My my, Madam, aren’t you a little rusty?” Rose provokingly said.

 Mother giggled, “Hehehe~ do you really think so, Rose? If anything, you’ve become quite slow~.”

—slow? Is this slow? I can’t even keep up…

 Everyone cheered for them as if they knew exactly what was going on. Me, on the other hand? I don’t even know. Is this tennis? Why is there a disparity between this tennis and the one I know? Could my old self see it as all the others? Am I the only one that doesn’t know what’s going on…?

 After the round was over, and Mother came out victorious, she came jumping into my Father’s arms and hugged us.

 “Thanks, you two, for cheering!” she excitedly said, squeezing me and Father tighter.

 “Now it’s Papa’s turn, Leon. Watch closely!” Father said and left, handing me over to Mother. On the other hand, she seemed quite concerned.

 “Oh dear, will he be alright?” she questioned, placing her hand on her cheek. 

 I know that Father is quite the clutz, but is it that bad? While I was thinking about that, I saw Rose handing Mark the racket while softly smiling. The air around them was somewhat sweet.

 “Good luck, Mark,” Rose said in a soft tone.  

 “Thank you…” Mark replied, sounding a little bashful.

—have I missed it all this time?

 I didn’t notice, but they seem rather closer. Wait…how come I didn’t notice? They’re with me more than my parents are…

—oh, yeah… We didn’t talk.  

 Then again, they had never spoken like this either… At least in front of me. How diligent the two are.

 Then I suddenly asked, “Miss Rose likes Mister Mark?”

 Mother smiled, and her eyes sparkled. “My my~! Even Leon can tell! I wish they were to get together already~,” she replied. “But Mark is so stubborn and uptight… Gosh!” she huffed.

 And then, my Father lost spectacularly. And Mother was comforting him while the other servants played.

 As for me? Well…I fell flat on my face. I cried, feeling humiliated. Thinking, ‘I won’t ever touch the racket again!’ And so, I just watched the others play.

—this is fun as well.

 

— :::: —

 

 A few weeks have passed since the tennis incident. I’ve become more curious about our garden and have Mark and Rose accompany me. Asking silly questions. Like: “What is this? How? Why?” etc.

 I’ve come to learn that there was magic. That means… All the bedtime stories had beasts and dragons. Those creatures are real!

 But there’s another thing on my mind. It’s that… I don’t recall there being magic outside of stories. And seeing how Mark created a flame on his palm. I first suspected that it was a trick of sorts. But…I just couldn’t fathom how it worked. And with more proof…

—it’s totally not a trick.

 From this info, I learned that at age seven, there would be a coming-of-age ceremony of sorts, and I’ll have my attribute checked.

 “Why do I have to wait until I’m seven?” I, of course, inquired. I felt quite excited about it, honestly. And I wonder which element I’ll possess. As a person usually possesses one of the four elements. Water, fire, earth and wind!

 Mark shook his head, bluntly stating, “Master Leon has yet to develop a proper mana circulation. Therefore, making it difficult for the crystal to recognise your attribute.”

 “Is that so…?” I replied, my cheeks were inflated by themselves—am I sulking?

 And seeing my reaction, Rose giggled, and with a soft smile on her face, she gently comforted me. “There there, Master Leon. Good things come to those who wait!”

—and nothing to those who take no action!

 Well…that’s what I wanted to say, but it would sound very strange coming from an inexperienced child. But also, she was trying her best to comfort me…

 Recently, Rose and Mark have been speaking to me more frequently, and I’ve also started talking to them a lot.

 “Okay! I’ll wait!” I excitedly expressed.

 They both smiled, and we headed to the flower garden. Surprisingly, I’ve yet to come here. I had no idea our estate was this large. There’s even a small town beyond the gates.

—or so I’ve heard.

 Anyhow. There were many beautiful flowers here, and they all smelled very nice. It’s calming and beautifully arranged. The animal shaped…animals? They look a little different compared to the memories of my previous self. Like… an exotic version? Or… are these bushes just stylised?

—oh, I recognise that one, though! That’s a gryphon!

 I’ve also gotten quite used to walking around more. I know, I know. I was stationary a whole lot previously. But now I’m curious and exploring my surroundings. Took me a while, yes?

 Then—something caught my attention. “Mister Mark, Miss Rose, are these flowers…?”  

 I glared at the blue flowers, squinting my eyes, and squatted down. I’ve seen a bunch of red roses previously. But…these are blue? I don’t really recall there being blue roses in my memories—there were, but I didn’t think they grew like any other roses. I assumed they were coloured, so… It feels bizarre looking at these…

 “My my, Master Leon has good eyes. These are blue crystal roses, as you can see. And unlike ordinary ones, these will fully crystalise after being plucked,” Rose explained.

 ”Woah!” I excitedly expressed. My previous self didn’t know much about flowers. But…this is awesome. I want to give Mother and Father one each!

—but… It’s their garden. How does it make sense if I gave something they already own…?

 I felt a bit murky inside, and some tears started to form around my eyes. Why do I feel so sad? I don’t understand.

 ““M-Master Leon!?”” Both Rose and Mark flusteredly asked as they saw me on the verge of tears.

 ”W-What’s wrong!?” Rose asked as she squatted down beside me while patting my back.  

 “Did you cut yourself?” Mark later asked. His expression didn’t change much, but seeing him flustered like this made me feel silly…

 “No…” I answered. “I wanted to give some to Mama and Papa, but… These are not mine. I don’t know what to do…”

 Mark and Rose had shocked expressions on their face, and they soon heaved a sigh of relief.

 ”Then…how about you plant your own? Then give it to Madam Lillia and Master Oliver?” Rose suggested.

 Mark nodded and suggested, “We can ask Mister Rex to give you some seeds and surprise Master and Madam when they bloom.”

 …I see! I can do that!

 I wiped my tears and got up. “Then! Let’s go ask Mister Rex!” I energetically expressed and began walking. I came to realise something and came to a halt, turning to Rose and Mark.

 “Who is Mister Rex?” I asked, tilting my head.

 As if they’d seen this coming. Both Mark and Rose laughed. And so, we went looking for Mister Rex. I eventually got three seeds.

 “Umm…? Mister Rex? Why are there three seeds?” I inquired. I only asked for two… So naturally, I’m confused.

 He then smiled and let out a chuckle. “These roses take quite a while to grow, so by the time they’ve fully bloomed, you’d be around ten years old! And you might have someone special by that time!” he cheerfully explained.

—that long!? Ugh… Patience is a virtue… so my knowledge tells me…

 But… that still doesn’t explain why I got an extra one… Don’t tell me…  I’ll get a sibling!? In that case, I’ll gladly receive it!

 “I see! Thank you, Mister Rex!”

 Mister Rex didn’t seem to understand my sudden excitement. Nevertheless, he smiled and taught me how to grow them.