Memoirs of A Second Life

Heavy Hangs The Head

The day of my tenth birthday happened on January 25th, year 1032 of the Artemian calendar. It was both momentous and nerve-wracking for me, because this was the day that I would be proclaimed as House Van Astrea's rightful heir. In all honesty, it scares me to know that I will soon be in charge of the entire household.

Some would think that being in my position was enviable, and they may be right, but I cannot say that I fully enjoy the burden being placed upon my shoulders. Though I am old in mentality, being that I was reborn, I still am a child in this world. Back in my old world, the equivalent of being in charge of an entire household meant that you were in charge of an entire company.

"Heavy hangs the head that wears a crown", they said. And they were right. There were people present within the dining hall of House Van Astrea today; Master Teo, among them. I recognized a few other faces, namely that kid I once beat up, Marlowe Hoover. From his expression, I gathered that he wasn't too happy about being here, though I do imagine that his only reason for being hear was his parents.

This time, instead of my father, Azlan, I was seated at the head of the table. My father sat at my right side, my mother sat on the left. Farina wasn't in the room, for she was helping Lianna prepare my cake at the moment. The way they were all staring at me made me break into cold sweat, and with every passing second, I felt even more nervous.

It was as if they were all waiting for me to speak.

Fortunately, my father broke the ice by raising his wine glass. My mother, Esfir, emulated his action and raised her own glass. "I'd like to raise a glass to my son, Altair Van Astrea," said Azlan.

"Today, he becomes a man, worthy of the name Van Astrea. Not just in body, but also in spirit. I have watched him grow from a playful, curious boy, into a well-mannered, fine young man. To Altair!" he continued.

"To Altair!" They all cheered.

Then, Mother glanced at me, noticing my apprehension. "Let's hear it for the man of the hour, shall we?" she bantered.

She knew full well that I was nervous, and yet she threw me under the bus! Perhaps this was her way of saying that I was a man now, and that I needed to take charge.

I then cleared my throat, stood from my seat, and raised my own glass of wine. "I thank you all for being here, and I must say you're all looking splendid today."

Fortunately, my icebreaker made everyone feel flattered, and it bought me enough time to think of what I should say next.

"My father, Azlan, and my mother, Esfir, are both equally excellent individuals. They made a name for themselves as adventurers once, and even after their exciting life out in the open world, they still managed to make even more prestigious reputations for themselves. I have a lot of expectations to live up to, and I'm eager to meet them all."

Afterwards, I slowly walked around the room; all eyes were on me, and soon, the cake arrived just in time for me to conclude my speech. Lianna and Farina rolled the cake in from outside using a moving cart. It was a large strawberry chiffon cake, lined with ten sparkling candles. Quite a sight to behold, I must say.

"But most of all..." I raised my glass again. "I hope that I will live a full, happy life. Saúde!"

"Saúde!" they echoed.

After that, I drank the entirety of my wine glass. They all cheered for me when I did it. Even Marlowe was impressed that I managed to gulp down the whole thing. Truthfully, I wasn't sure if this body would've been able to handle alcohol, but I guess my old body's tolerance was passed on to this one. Lucky me, I guess?

After the merriment, there was a brief dance held. Some of the daughters of the nobles invited me to dance with them, and I obliged. I had never been a good dancer, but thanks to Lianna's dancing instructions in the past few weeks in preparation of this day, I was able to move well enough not to embarrass myself.

Suddenly, I noticed that Farina was hiding outside the banquet hall's door. She was peering into the room inconspicuously, and when she noticed that I was looking, she hid herself again. Now that I had known that, I finished my dance with my current partner, bowed to her, and escorted her back to her father.

I then returned to the center of the dance floor, holding out my hand to the door. Apparently, there was another young girl who wanted to dance with me, but I was compelled to ignore her for Farina. Truthfully, I knew that she wanted to dance with me on this day as well, but she wasn't the kin of a noble. She was the daughter of a peasant woman, and it meant that we were of different statures.

However, I didn't care at all about ranks or social standings. All I wanted to do was to make my friend smile. Somehow, I knew that she was too embarrassed to come in. I noticed that she was wearing a Circassian blue evening gown and I gathered that she had been preparing for this dance as well. Moreover, Lianna mentioned a few days ago that there was a surprise young lady that wanted to dance with me. I wasn't quite sure who it was, for I never viewed Farina in that manner before, so I just assumed it was some noble girl that my parents set me up with.

Steeling my resolve, I marched to the banquet hall door, dragged Farina from out of hiding and onto the dance floor. I bowed to her, and she curtsied in return. I then took her hand, and soon, the musicians played a very moving tune. The violin's strings were humming a pleasant tune, and the sound of the harp intoxicated me.

Right now, all I could see was Farina's face, and all else was void to me. The Circassian blue dress she wore today brought out the very best of her features. Her pale brown skin glistened under the moonlight and the chandelier above us. I was in awe of her captivating eyes. And the way she smiled at me as we moved to the rhythm of the music captured my very soul.

Truthfully, it was quite fascinating to find someone so young so beautiful. This may not be love, but I do admire the way Farina looked tonight. I would like to think that she felt the same of me, and it excites me to think that she admired me just the same.

With every step she took, I followed in kind. Whenever I twirled her away and back into my arms, I could feel a certain connection between us. "You're pretty good," Farina said to me.

"You're not so bad yourself," I bantered. "I knew Lianna was teaching you. I saw you practicing a few days ago. Were you looking forward to this?"

When she heard me say that, her face turned red, but it did not shake her composure. She just closed her eyes and avoided looking at me.

"Well, if you're not gonna answer, I will. I was excited that you wanted to dance with me, but I never imagined that we'd actually be dancing now..." I paused for a moment, perhaps for dramatic effect. I enjoyed seeing her anxiously waiting for what I would say next.

"I'm glad we did this. You look beautiful, Farina."

After I said that, her face had now completely turned red as an apple, and even her ears looked ripe. I chuckled at how flustered she was, but I was pleasantly surprised that she was still able to continue dancing. Perhaps she had resolved herself to finish this dance no matter what.

Soon, the music stopped, I let go of her hand, and I bowed to her while she curtsied. "Thank you for the dance, Mestre Altair."

I took her hand again, and kissed the back of it. "The pleasure is all mine, Dama Farina."

Right after I did that, she quickly withdrew her hand and ran away from the banquet hall. Perhaps all of her courage had been expended just trying to finish that dance.

After the a long and grueling event, I was just about ready to turn in for the night. However, my father invited me to the back garden where I used to train with him. The old dummy that I used to beat up was still standing there along with the wooden swords that my father and I used for practice.

Azlan handed me a glass of wine, and I took a sip. This one was a little stronger than the ones they served during the party, but its taste was richer and more refined. Perhaps my father only poured this glass for special reasons.

"You noticed the difference, huh?" Azlan remarked.

I nodded slightly, taking a whiff of the wine's bouquet. "Is this wine unique?"

"You can say that," Azlan replied nonchalantly. "It's a 10-year-old wine. I made it myself days before you were born. I told myself that I would open it and share a drink with you on your tenth birthday, and I managed to keep myself from opening it."

"That's... oddly sweet of you, Father," I bantered.

Azlan scratched the back of his head. "Give me a break, son! You know I can only show brief bursts of kindness!"

I laughed at his remark, and clinked glasses with him. "Thanks, Father. I do hope that I can live up to your expectations."

He put a hand on my shoulder and said, "I am already proud of you even if you don't. I don't want to put any pressure on you, but there's one thing that I want you to do when you grow older."

"What is that?"

"Live a life that you can be proud of. Not for your old man, not for your mother, or for anyone else. For yourself, Altair."

Strangely enough, a tear fell from my eyes. I never imagined that Azlan would be able to impart such wise words. "Who are you and what have you done to my father?" I jested.

"Quit yanking your old man, Altair!" Azlan said while breaking into a hearty laughter.

After taking a sip of wine, I looked at the horizon and stared at the purple moon. "I will, Father."