The Mo Family retainers were surprised, but they did not let it show on their faces. The assistant steward had a practice of putting on airs. This was part of the reason they addressed him as 'Steward' rather than 'Assistant Steward.' It satisfied Mo Seris's sense of importance, and all they needed to do was say one word fewer.
Mo Seris had just walked out of the bedroom with a lost look on his face, and responded meekly to them. It was obvious that something in the Third Manager's bedroom had rattled him.
What had he experienced?
"Right away, Steward," one of the retainers said promptly. He stepped forward and led the way down the grand hallway.
Mo Seris trailed after him, holding the cradle thoughtlessly in hand.
A few steps behind Mo Seris, the other retainer walked, carefully maintaining the distance. With the assistant steward in such a state, he might very well stop abruptly. Even if Mo Seris was not his usual self, the retainer did not want to accidentally bump into him and provoke his ire.
It was a headache.
The retainer saw that the assistant steward was not even focused on walking. He was listlessly gazing up at the portraits that were hanging from the walls. The retainer stopped and took a look for himself.
The appearance of the Song ancestors was not particularly impressive. They had handsome features, long beards, and dignified expressions, but nothing more. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Without knowing the history behind them, they were just nameless faces on a wall. But even if he had known the history, would it have mattered?
The Song Family had never matched the prestige of the Mo Family, so how impressive could a few ancestors be?
Moreover, this style of presentation was anything but unique. He had visited family houses before while escorting assistant stewards, including Assistant Steward Seris himself. Many of them had similar hallways with ancestral portraits. It was a common way of paying homage to one's ancestors.
This confused him.
Mo Seris had certainly seen such portraits before. So, why were they suddenly interesting? What did he see in them?
The retainer turned his attention back to walking and stopped trying to understand.
Naro was starting to feel concerned.
First, his cradle had been left unattended on the ground for some time. This confused him, as it was his experience that a newborn baby rarely left its mother's side.
He could explain the initial separation, as there was a need to clean him. Being from an upper class family, his mother would not do such things herself, leaving it to the servants.
But what about after that?
Why would a newborn baby be left on the ground?
After some time, Naro had suddenly gone airborne. There was an initial moment of shock, but his nerves settled down quickly. It was obvious that he had been lifted in the air. He was just turned away from whoever lifted him.
Naro could guess what was about to happen.
He was being returned to his mother.
Finally! He did not feel strong attachment to his mother, rather, he felt comfort that the world was aligning again with his expectations.
Being an infant was too difficult.
He could not feed himself, and it felt like anything could kill him.
As Naro continued to gather skill points, he observed his body.
Was it his imagination, or had his physique improved slightly?
Not just this, but every breath he took seemed to be…more effective?
Had his hearing improved?
No one was talking, so Naro focused on the sound of footsteps.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
They did not have a magnified sound, nor was there any quality enhancement. Even when he strained himself, he did not sense any change to his hearing, however…
Naro was getting listening points, even when all he was doing was listening to footsteps!