Humming softly as she shut the cleaning supply closet with her foot, Nina nearly skipped towards the bottom the stairs-- only to freeze when she saw the eldest young master and his personal butler, Morgan, staring at them with a peculiar expression.

Edward: "......"

Morgan: "......."

Nina: "..........."

Tanaka: ".....Zzzzzz..."

Adjusting her hold on Young Master Thomas, she cleared her throat and awkwardly broke the silence, "Young Master Edward, you're home early..."

At first, Edward didn't answer to the maid's obvious observation and gazed at the defenseless and powerless child in her arms. He thought back to all those reports about his brother's unusual sleeping locations and resisted the urge to sigh.

"...Ms. Antonia."

"...Yes, Young Master Edward," Nina replied rather nervously, curtseying to the best of her ability despite the extra weight in her arms.

"Does Thomas always sleep in the stairwell closet?"

Nina blinked a little, surprised by the nature of the question, but answered hesitantly since she didn't want the little one to get in trouble. Then again, it seemed that the Master had yet to figure out an effective 'punishment' to use on the little master, so maybe it was better to leave things as it was...

"...Not always," Nina admitted hesitantly. After all, the stairwell closet was only one of Young Master Thomas' most frequent places to nap, but she wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea to inform the eldest young master of that.

"'Not always,' meaning that he had slept there multiple times before."

"...Yes, Young Master Edward," Nina had no choice but to agree since that was the truth of the matter.

After a moment of silence between the three of them, Edward then wasn't able to stop himself from sighing. It was a little disconcerting how he was starting to accept these kinds of quirks from the new Thomas-- it really made separation from the new Thomas to the old Thomas much easier to swallow.

"I'll escort him back to his room. You should continue with your chores and not worry about babysitting my brother." Though Edward had said this out of consideration (after all, Clarisse was the one who was supposed to look after Thomas), he wasn't surprised by the maid's unwilling and disappointed expression. He also had contacts within the manor -butlers and maids who reported to him- and he was aware how well some of the servants would treat his younger brother. Maybe a bit too well.

Honestly, he was a little baffled by the way they babied his youngest sibling. It was like they had completely forgotten that he was thirteen and not three.

Nonetheless, Edward had no intention of losing this chance to understand the new Thomas better, especially since their paths rarely crossed now in the first place. In the past, his younger brother would always try to seek him, either to be a nuisance or to try to discredit him for something, but now that he was avoiding the salons and every other social event, Thomas was like a ghost.

He never thought there would come a day where he would willingly approach his brother, but here he was, asking for him from the maid that was carrying him.

After a few seconds of staring at each other, Nina reluctantly stepped forward to transfer the little master to the young eldest master. Edward was taller than the maid, even though he had yet to reach adulthood, so in order to pass Thomas in between them without startling the child from his nap, he had to bend down slightly to grab his younger brother from underneath.

Once Thomas' head lolled onto the shoulder, his dark eyes suddenly blinked awake. Instantly, both Edward and Nina froze in place, both seemingly waiting for something as the young boy narrowed his eyes sleepily, perceiving the change in his napping spot.

Though the maid's and the eldest young master's stare were intense in nature -which would make anyone squirm in discomfort- the little master was unbothered. He smacked his lips slowly a couple of times, his eyes bleary and unseeing before burying his face into Edward's shoulder.

The eldest Rosetta stiffened in response, especially when Thomas sniffed into his shoulder. Much to Edward's bewilderment, only several seconds later, his little brother seemed to accept his new sleeping place by letting go of Nina and completely dropping his entire weight into his arms. The young boy adjusted his position in the teenager's grip, squirming closer to the heat source against him, before stilling completely.

For some reason, Nina beamed. "Congratulations, Young Master Edward! It's rare for Young Master Thomas to fall asleep so quickly against someone!"

Edward: "......" Why did it sound like he had tamed a small animal instead?

"... Hughes, take my personal items up to my room."

"... Of course, Young Master Edward," Morgan replied with a slight bow, his narrowed eyes betraying his thoughts, but he knew better than to convey his opinions out loud.

After sending off the servants to perform their duties, Edward made his way up the stairs and towards the west wings with ease despite the extra weight in his arms. Since he had always kept the other from a distance, he never knew how small his younger brother was. Thomas had always been a big menace in his daily life, and his presence often caused great distress to his family, but it really hit the eldest Rosetta how human the child felt in his arms.

He was well aware of how small Thomas was for his age, but it would be considered nothing short of ridiculous for a sixteen-year-old to carry someone only three years younger than him. Children at this age would be hitting their growth spurts as well, which his little brother obviously skipped or missed. He was also worryingly light and it could be because of his training in swordsmanship that he found it very easy to bear the child's weight, but considering this New Thomas' sleeping habits, he felt it could be due to the other sleeping through meals.

But surely Clarisse wouldn't allow that. According to the reports, she was terribly fond of his little brother, along with the majority of the cooking staff-- even more so because of his change.

Nonetheless, it was rather worrisome. Regardless of his feelings towards the other, his family had no intention of starving the child. It was against their own moral code, though his mother seemed rather content to pretend that the illegitimate child didn't exist, but she cared a lot for her reputation and the family's reputation as well and while the majority of nobility would sympathize with her plight and probably encourage any mistreatment towards the bastard child, the Windsors wouldn't.

The Royal family had always been the example of upright and generosity. When Edward first met Xander, who was bright-eyed, overly-exuberant, and full optimism and kindness from the moment they had met, he thought this gentle-type of person wouldn't last. The moment the Crown Prince would enter into noble society, the eldest Rosetta could only imagine the other being swallowed whole by those opportunistic snakes that seemed hidden in every corner. He was just waiting for the needle to drop, for the Prince to make a mistake, make the wrong choices and follow the uncouth examples made by their peers.

But years had passed and Edward couldn't hold onto his skepticism. Though Xander had grown from a small, bouncy child to the young man he was now, his personality hadn't changed much from when they first met.

Edward had never met someone so stubbornly, frustratingly generous and kind. These traits that he had sneered at when he was young, now he couldn't help but admire.

Though Xander's character might seem otherwise, Edward's best friend was aware of the seedier side of nobility and knew what it involved. His mother and father were excellent rulers but that didn't necessarily mean they were blind to the dark spots and they wouldn't let their son take the throne with his eyes half-closed as well.

Marie Windsor was a frontline soldier during the Zafaran War and knew the grime and toils of the battlefield (though she only did one campaign and didn't even made it halfway through the desert before going home). She had seen plenty of inhuman things done 'for the Goddess Ariadne' and 'for Asteria'-- as if they weren't the ones doing the bullying instead.

Charles Windsor was also someone that lived during the Zafaran War, and though textbooks and the people described him as proactive man who fought for injustice, he was thoroughly suppressed by his grand-uncle, the previous Astrian King, Dominus Regale, who at first did everything he could to force his wife, Marie, into participating the war. And when that didn't work -after all, it would not be wise to anger one of the most powerful magicians in the country- he oppressed his grand nephew instead. At the time, Charles had no influence or say over what was going on within the country and over the war against Zafaran. His fief was either osterized or mocked by other nobles and it was a very bitter experience for the Windsors.

They loved their son, their miracle after many years of trying to conceive, but it was not possible to shelter him. The Windsors took the throne during turbulent and unrestful times and Dominus Regale had offended too many people during his reign. Regardless, their child had grown bright and steady despite his environment and was not discontent with his life.

Like his parents, Xander had a very moral and righteous view of life. Though they knew each other since they were children, even if he explained his situation with Thomas, like his parents, his best friend wouldn't approve of mistreatment towards his brother, especially since Thomas was younger than them.

Therefore, in order to maintain their current relationship with the royal family, his mother could only tolerate the youngest child and try to minimize interaction between the two of them. Thomas, on the other hand, didn't like his stepmother (an understatement) and would have done his best to avoid her as well. Whenever they were in the same room, it was like a bunch of knives were hanging a few inches above their head, ready to be dropped at any moment and it only had gotten worse as the years went by.

It was halfway down the hallway that Edward then finally realized that he wasn't sure which room in the west wing belonged to Thomas. He knew that his brother's bedroom was in the west wing on the second floor, but the eldest Rosetta never had gone out of his way to actually visit the room itself.

Their father had given his youngest son the entire west wing second floor to himself and if Edward wasn't aware the extreme avoidance his father would practice on his younger brother, then it would have been considered rather generous even for a noble, especially with the size of their estate. It made it easier for them to avoid Thomas, but apparently, not easy to look for him either.

He almost regretted sending his other butler, Amir Al-Amin, to run some errands he needed to be done. The Zafarian was usually the first to volunteer for such things and today wasn't an exception, but since he allowed Thomas to borrow the dark-skinned servant for the week, Al-Amin probably knew where the youngest room was located.

Fortunately, at the very end of the hall, he saw a maid coming out from a room and since the majority of the rooms in the west wing shouldn't be used or occupied other than for some monthly dusting, Edward could deduce whose room that belonged to.

Also, the maid happened to be Thomas' caretaker, Clarisse, and though her expressionless face made her seem standoffish, Edward could somehow detect the surprise in the stiffness of her shoulders. At first, she stared intensely at the child in his arms before remembering her manners.

With her head lowered and her upper body slightly bent forward, she bowed respectfully to the eldest son of the Rosetta. "Good afternoon, Young Master Edward," she said softly, though there seemed to be a trace of disbelief underneath her submissive tone.

Considering his relationship with Thomas before his heaven-defying change, her incredulity was very understandable. They wouldn't even be in touching distance of each other yet now, Edward found himself carrying his little brother back to his bedroom.

"Ms. Baker," Edward responded with a short nod towards her direction before walking past her and entering into the room she just came out of.

As expected, especially since Clarisse had just come out of the room, the bedroom was clean and neat. Edward could see the pile of papers and books on the small desk placed in the corner and the bed made with a few too many pillows on the mattress and against the bed frame. There were pots of lavender in nearly every corner of the room and an extraordinary amount of rugs covering the floor. The windows were opened, giving a clear view of the gardens below, and allowed a slight breeze to gently ruffle the translucent white curtains floating in the air like the soft feathers of a bird.

The atmosphere was amazingly peaceful and warm, so unlike Old Thomas' personality. (If Edward knew the state of the youngest Rosetta's bedroom before Tanaka's transmigration -dark, lifeless, and colorless, almost like a prison rather than a home- he would probably be even more baffled by the current state of the room.)

With only a second long pause, he turned his eyes away from the cozy decor and turned his attention towards the bed.

It was rather big for someone of Thomas' size, and when Edward moved the comforter and began placing his younger brother onto the sheet, the child sank deep into the mattress, almost as if it would swallow the lithe figure until the little one was hidden.

He could feel Clarisse's presence from right behind him across the room, probably waiting for the chance to take over the care for her charge, but before he could straighten up and leave his younger brother for his nap, he found himself stuck.

Though he wasn't holding onto his younger brother anymore, Thomas still clung to him tightly. The front of his shirt was crumbled where the child's hand were gripping and no matter how much Edward had tugged, the little one held on with a sticky-like clutch. After a while, he helplessly had to wave the maid over, hoping that she could do something about his predicament.

Without a word, Clarisse stepped forward to mercifully save the eldest young master from the youngest's claws.

It could be considered a difficult task to pry Young Master Thomas off from whoever was unfortunate (or fortunate) to find the napping child. Conrad had even asked Clarisse to get the crowbar in his toolshed-- half serious, of course, but it was probably because the groundskeeper smelled like lavender that the young master was unwilling to let go.

Most of the time, due to Young Master Thomas' low body heat, he tended to cling onto anything warmer than him. It would have taken fifteen minutes to half-an-hour to pry his slim fingers off from their clothes-- unless you were Amir, who only needed to whisper a few coaxing words before the child, within a few minutes, promptly let go. It was a skill to be jealous of, especially since all of it was done without strain or effort on the Zafarian's part.

Clarisse, who knew her young master as well as the dark-skinned butler, or even better, had also found a way to quickly detach the child from his victim. Since the problem lay with the little one's low body temperature, all she would need to do was to cover up his body with a blanket and naturally allow him to retreat once he subconsciously realized that being under the cover is warmer than outside of it.

It took maybe around 3 to 8 minutes before Young Master Thomas would have released whoever was on the other end of his grip, and while this method was not as quick as whatever Amir had done, it was still better than awkwardly hovering over the child for the next fifteen minutes.

Then again, there were some maids or butlers that looked as if they didn't mind-- they were more torn in between holding the child for several hours more or to let the little one rest in his own bed. Because Clarisse didn't want to spoil her young master or have the other maids and butlers slack off of their work, she made sure to tell the staff that Young Master Thomas had to be returned to his bedroom once they found him.

Of course, that didn't prevent some people trying to sneak the youngest master away while trying to do their duties as if they had four arms instead of two. Clarisse and Henry both had to scold the maids and butlers that attempted to do so since it could endanger them and the young master at the same time. And when they seemed reluctant, they had Young Master Thomas to scold them instead.

While the young boy was moved by their care, it didn't mean he wanted them to hurt themselves in the process. His naps weren't supposed to hurt people in the first place! Tanaka was so baffled by their determination to bring him along while they were working.

"If you have work, just put me down somewhere. The rugs in the hallway are soft and the cabinets are dark and cool, so I would be fine sleeping in those places since I know my room is pretty far," was what Tanaka had said to the few servants (including Conrad, who looked embarrassed at being caught rather than being scolded by the young master), causing Clarisse to sigh and both Henry and Amir to snort out loud at the child's misunderstanding.

The servants: "......." The problem isn't the place where to put down the young master! The problem is whether they could put down the young master in the first place!

It was not like they couldn't make the trip to the youngest's bedroom even with the young master in their arms, unlike the child himself, but whenever the little one would cling onto their apron or their shirt and snuggling against their shoulder or chest with his brown curls framing his plush cheeks, they couldn't bear to put him down! Much less force him to let go!

Either way, after the maid reached over and placed the comforter over the little one, Clarisse and Edward awkwardly waited next to each other until the eldest young master could feel the grip on his shirt loosening.

Once three minutes had passed, Thomas' hand slackened enough to where Edward could gently pry off the smaller fingers from his body and ignored the slight ache from his lower back from bending over his younger brother for too long.

"Thank you for returning Young Master Thomas to his room, Young Master Edward," Clarisse took the initiative to quietly say as Edward straightened up from his previously hunched position. Bearing in mind of their previous relationship, which was the opposite of good or friendly, it would be considered a miracle for the eldest young master to do this much for his younger brother. In fact, Edward not ignoring Thomas was the best that anyone could have hoped.

Though Clarisse had her doubts, she was very happy with the sudden progress of the Rosetta brothers' relationship. First, she found them actually playing a simple board game in the library and now, Young Master Edward was actually tucking his younger brother into his bed!

Maybe with the attention he received from his older brother, her young master would become more active and spend less time in bed!

Though Clarisse lacked the facial response to express her joy, Edward could somehow feel her expectations just from her intense stare alone.

"... Your