The Reborn Veteran is an Aristocrat

Chapter 1: Another World, Part 2

Marcos POV

It's been about three years since I've brought that boy into the house. Suffice to say, the family's reactions were a mixed bag.

My wife, Maria, for starters, wasn't too open to the idea. She regarded Fenris as a "stray dog" and we had a fight over it. She settled on ignoring Fenris's existence, while I had to keep an eye on the boy. Essentially, she wanted no part in it.

My youngest son, Damian, shared similar sentiments to his mother. But unlike Maria, Damian had no right to question my decision since I was the lord of the house. I do wish I had given a firmer hand in his upbringing, though.

Fabian, on the other hand, didn't know what to make of the boy. Sort of like a neutral position, I suppose. I never saw him and Fenris interact much, which must mean Fabian's trying to put some sort of distance between them.

Meanwhile, my only daughter, Lilianna, seemed to be fond of Fenris. I've noticed a few times when they were alone that I could hear my baby girl laughing whenever Fenris was around. It honestly touched my heart to see them getting along.

I'll admit I'm not the best parent. Since Maria opted to not help raise the boy, like she should, I had to divide my attention between my work and him. On top of raising two other boys, and a girl, I unfortunately couldn't give Fenris as much attention as I would've wanted.

But that didn't seem to be a problem for the little tyke. He often escaped the maids' grasp and crawled around, seemingly eager to explore the mansion. While keeping him under control was a problem, I couldn't help but be amused by the sight.

It certainly showed me where the others could improve. Not that I had the willpower to force that upon everyone.

...Maybe that's the problem.

While I am not a weak man, I wouldn't call myself firm either. My father before me was a great man, a paragon among the family. I hoped that one day I would come to follow in his footsteps. To do that, I threw myself into my studies in order to become a lord as great as him.

With becoming a lord, I had to find a suitor as well, to continue the family bloodline. And that is where Maria came in. She was from another noble family, the Báthory, who were of lesser rank.

We first met at a dinner party when we were both young and healthy. Her most standout feature was her golden hair. Whenever the light shined on it, it always seemed to glitter, like I was seeing real gold before my eyes.

I found this aspect of her attractive, and Maria was interested in me due to my family's higher status. A true match made in heaven indeed.

Over time, what was a loveless match bloomed into something more, and we began to see each other as a couple. I married her, and I took over my father's estate. The first few years, everything was great; we had two kids, both inheriting my gray hair and dark eyes. We named them both Fabian and Damian respectively.

Fabian was born with considerable talent in magic, and as the eldest, I groomed him for the responsibilities of being a lord. His magic potential would be suitable for a royal court mage, so I wanted to cultivate that as much as possible, too.

Damian had lesser talent in magic than his brother, but he had better hopes in the sword. Even as a little toddler, he was playing with the servants using wooden swords.

Damian was always the chaotic child. He probably gets it from his mother.

Then, on a stormy night, I was greeted by a young woman who wore hooded clothing. She held a baby in her hands, and she seemed eager to get rid of it.