Twins

13. Lukas

It's troubling to find that in just one night, the whole mansion thinks your sister has a crush on the first boy she ever interacted with outside the family. First noble boy, as servants don't count.  When it comes to love in noble society, there is almost none that doesn't evolve looks or sex, not counting the arranged marriages.

That means, to solve their insatiable need for gossip, the hungry servants are bound to make up their own fairytales. This forbidden love between researcher and duke's daughter was bound to have some idle mention in their conversation. However, somehow, when I was not around, 4 year old Luka and 7 year old Mathias got up to some pretty shifty stuff.

Am I expressing my sarcasm clearly enough?

I didn't know children my age had such sex drive. Did they just assume that I was in there as well? Cause I don't think Luka has left a gap of twelve feet between us since birth. Which is worrying in how no one seems to want to do anything about it. When we get older, we'll probably be condemned for our closeness.

Bet they'll start thinking up incest stories. With the lack of barriers between even cousins in this day and age, I wouldn't doubt they'd go as far as incest. Bet that's someone's kink - twins making out. 

Gosh.

I am usually rather uncaring about what other people might think, but with the kind of words these servants are spreading, how can I not throw a glance. Why do we even have servants if they spend 30% of their day talking?

That is a question I asked father rather loudly during dinner the day I found out. The servants standing on the side blushed bright red. Instead of an answer from father, I got a scolding from Luka. "If we didn't have the servants, we'd have to set up that large ballroom all buy ourselves. We can't disturb the guards anymore. Brother, you must know, servants have rights as well. We can't take up their whole day for ourselves." 

Luka, you're embarrassing your brother when he's defending you. Still, I won't say that I don't envy her charisma. The previously embarrassed servants all glowed with affection as the childish little Luka waved her finger at me. Knowing they did wrong, getting scolded, then boosted with hardly ever awarded praise and appreciation. 

It must be their lucky day.

Compared to the treatment of most nobles, Luka was certainly knowledgeable. Hiding my laugh behind a cough, I amend my statement. "Apologies Luka. Right, the servants do us a lot of good. I should not have said that." I did throw a sharp glare to the standing servants to make sure they knew the point.

It was coming up close to our fifth birthday, the day of every noble's debut. Most children learn etiquette at 3 or 4 and collect at least a medicore grip of it at 5. At 10, they all join in at the capital. They spend their entire year there with the awakening ceremony as the main event. 

With the amount of mingling spent on that year, it could be said to be the true debut. They're sent there to tour the capital, see other children their age, spend a couple introductory courses in academy after their birthday, etc. etc. The amount of guests on your fifth birthday is evaluation of that nobles standing in society.

It is mandatory. 

It's not uncommon for the fifth birthday of many noble children to be the start of many bad rumors. If your house doesn't have the power to suppress it before it leaks past the borders of your fief, then most will take it as the truth. So there needs to be multiple visits in tea parties, hunts, review, tours, etc. etc.

It's all a set up. Pretty smiles, nice talk, delicate surroundings - all of it surrounding  dirty glances and shifty smirks. Nobles are dirty, vile rats.