Karl was lying in the bathtub when he suddenly heard knocking on the main door of the bedroom.
'What now?' Karl thought as he wrapped a towel around himself and walked to the door.
"What?" Karl asked the young butler knocking on the door.
"Y-Young master, you told me to wake you up early every morning." The butler stuttered.
Karl stared at the butler for a minute before nodding and closing the door.
"Going to the school would be more helpful than sitting here." Karl muttered as he went to the closet and took out the clothes his mother had given him for the Children Hall.
'This is another weird part. Sometimes they use wordings of western history and sometimes eastern. I guess I can ask this when I go to the so called Children's Hall.'
Karl wore a solid black shirt and pants which along with his white hairs gave a nice look.
*Yawn*
'Fuck, I did not sleep whole night and kept thinking yet only questions surround me.
Is this world real? If yes, then who is the author of the novel? A god?
If the author is a god then why me? And why make me forget people from my past life?
I even prayed to all the gods I knew hoping that they might appear and explain to me but... nothing.'
Karl sighed as he got out of his room and walked towards the dining room.
'Stress eating seems like a wonderful way to start the day.' Karl thought as he stared at the dining table filled with all types of delicious dishes.
"Waking early twice in a row, is my son growing up?" Ercia joked as she sat beside Karl and took the dishes from the maid's hands and served them herself.
Karl just smiled at her as he started gobbling the food.
***
"You are going so early?" A woman with red hairs asked a little girl.
The girl had short white hairs, signature hair color of the hearth family but her eyes were red just like the older woman, showing that she was a member of the branch family.
'Will he come today?' The girl thought of a certain boy as she nodded to the woman.
"All the best Emily. Maria will escort you to the hall."
The woman waved bye to the little girl as another woman with brown hairs escorted the girl to the children's hall.
***
Inside a classroom, there were toddlers roaming around, rare few sitting in their seats.
As all the kids were trying to make friends, a girl with white hairs and red eyes was sitting in the front row as many children surrounded her seat trying to sit on the seat beside her.
"Can't I please sit here?" Another girl asked cutely but the red eyed girl, Emily just shook her head.
As another girl got rejected one of the boys stepped forward confidently.
"I will sit here. I am the son of-"
"No. My seat."
Emily cut another one off, a process she had repeated tens of times now.
'Will he not come today either?' Emily thought sadly, ignoring the other children's bickering.
After a few minutes, a woman entered making all the students fall silent and run to any seat they could find.
The woman coldly glared at all the kids for a hard minute, making the kids nervous and scared but none dared to look around.
As the class became quiet and disciplined, the cold expression disappeared from the woman's face and was replaced by a motherly smile.
"Hello kids."
The woman spoke merrily as she clapped her hands.
The kids finally heaved a sigh of relief as the woman let go of the cold look.
"Good Morning Miss Esta!"
All the kids greeted happily to Esta, their teacher, who had left quite a deep impression on them in the previous day.
"Good morning kids! I am happy that you all are well behaved today unlike yesterday when a few ofyou" Esta glared at a few kids before continuing, "were a bit... ill mannered."
Taner felt chills as he recalled how he cried the previous day because of Esta's tongue lashing.
"But new day and new people they say." Esta clapped once again as she started circling the classroom.
"Yesterday, we all got to no each other and learnt about manners so today we will-"
Esta stopped speaking as suddenly the door of the classroom opened and a head peeked inside.
Emily was delighted as she saw the face she thought she would not see today either.
But unlike Emily, one person was having the very opposite reaction.
Taner grinded his teeth as anger surged in him at seeing the one who had embarrassed him in front of the whole family.
He had cried his eyes out after the ceremony in front of his elder brother as he filled him on what transpired.
His brother reassured him that he will get revenge but told him to stay low and submissive till then and Taner was not one to disobey his brother.
Karl swept his gaze around the classroom, ignoring emotional gaze of Emily and Taner, as his eyes landed on Esta.
'Oh crap. Late on my first day.' Karl smiled bitterly as he walked inside the classroom and started walking towards one of the empty seats in the back, ignoring the gaze of Esta and all of the other students.
Esta at first confused Karl at having entered the wrong classroom but as he sat on one of the seats she quickly understood his identity as only one person in her class had not attended yesterday.
"Who might you be now?" Esta asked with a smile, trying to make a good expression.
Karl stared at her for a moment before replying.
"Karl."
Esta's lip twitched at the direct answer.
'Patriarch had told that he will be a week or more late but he has already come? But rather than that... isn't he a bit disrespectful?
I had heard that the young master is very mannerly and even treats the servants nicely but they were just rumors huh.
I guess a few years of headache has come.'
Just as Esta thought of turning away a thought creeped in her head, a thought that she will regret all her life.
'Yea, even if he is the young master, he is just a kid.' Esta thought as she gave Karl an angry look.
"Karl, did you not know the class timing." Esta spoke in a cold and threatening voice.
Karl's eyes narrowed at Esta's tone which reminded him of a certain green haired man who had taught him.
'I was late because I took a detour and tried to enter the knowledge hall but sadly could not.'
"I couldn't find the hall." Karl gave an excuse, ignoring Esta's own lack of respect in memory of Jay.
Esta's eyes glinted as Karl gave an excuse just as she had thought.
"So first you be late and then you enter the class without permission. Do you not know manners." Esta rebuked, her voice louder.
Karl, already annoyed by the mountain of unanswered questions he had, couldn't tolerate Esta's antiques any longer.
"Are you shouting at me?"
Karl spoke, his voice precise yet cold, making Esta hesitant.
But Esta, still sure about making Karl humble, did not back down.
"I am teaching you manners. You have been sent here by your father and if you don't behave well, I will have to complain to your father." Esta spoke, putting emphasis on the word father.
'No matter how arrogant these children are, they all get scared when their father comes into the fray. Even Taner there, son of the army chief, became docile at the mention of his father.' Esta smirked inwardly, too sure about her plan to work.
But sadly for her, Karl could see right through her.
'Is she trying to scare me by mentioning my father? I get Jay being disrespectful as he even called father, his senior but her?
She is just a kindergarten teacher. She has white hairs yet it is my first time seeing her, so she is definitely not a bigshot.
So, she, a nobody, is trying to make me obedient? Sure bitch.'
Karl eyes glinted coldly as his mind made a plan.
Next moment, Karl looked down as he fidgeted visibly.
Esta, thinking her plan is working, stroke the iron while it was hot.
"So Karl if you do something wrong, you apologize. You hear me?" Esta spoke as she walked towards Karl's seat trying to intimidate her.
'Apology? Me? Is she dumb? She looks to be 19 or 20 so she must also be new here.'
Hiding his devious smile behind a nervous face, Karl spoke in a low voice.
"Ma-Ma'am can I speak in your ear first." Karl spoke nervously, fidgeting like a girl in love.
'Generally I would have embarrassed him more by making him shout sorry in front of the whole class, but I will concede this much. It is the young master we are talking about here.'
Esta maintained an angry face as she walked to Karl and leaned a bit, pushing her ear closer to Karl.
Karl also leaned closer as he whispered.
"You disrespect me by not calling me young master and even ask me to apologize? But more than that, you did not address my father as the patriarch despite being a part of the family, and that too in front of the whole class? Are you stupid or are you stupid?"
Karl completed his words as he pulled his head back but Esta stood still as fear started to shine in her eyes, wide open due to shock.
Karl, seeing the expression he was expecting, leaned closer again.
"If I tell this to father or uncle Harry, I wonder what will happen. I do not think any of these will dare to lie to father." Karl again pulled back, looking at Esta's face.
Esta had now visibly turned pale, her body slightly trembling as she understood the grave mistake she had committed.
Worst case scenario, she might be sentenced to death for disrespecting the family head.
Esta shivered as the thought of death crossed her mind, turning to look at Karl with teary eyes.
Too terrified to speak, her eyes pleaded in her stead.
Karl smiled contently as he leaned closer again.
"Don't worry, I will give you a chance. We will talk after the class. For now continue the class normally."
Karl spoke gently, giving Esta hope which made her trembling calmed down.
[Author note - Do y'all skip what I write in author note right below?]