"Excuse me, Master Hastora," a soft but firm knock broke the silence behind the sturdy mahogany door. Intricate lotus flower carvings adorned the surface, signifying the mansion's extravagance. Hastora was stunned. "Hastora? Is my name now the same as my name in my previous life?" he murmured, his voice echoing softly in the vast and silent room. Although the possibility was merely a coincidence, or perhaps meticulously planned by a mysterious fate, he quickly dismissed the thought and rose from his soft bed, layered with Italian silk. He took a deep breath, calming his slightly pounding heart. With a calm step, he opened the door.
Standing on the threshold was a young woman, graceful and upright, wearing an emerald green servant's uniform that shimmered subtly under the light of the luxurious crystal chandelier. The uniform appeared to be made of high-quality silk, with gold embroidery detailing depicting a moon orchid motif. From her appearance and trained demeanor, Hastora immediately concluded that the woman was a maid, but not just any maid. She had a strong aura of professionalism.
"I apologize if I'm interrupting your time, Master Hastora," the maid said in a soft but respectful voice, her voice as smooth as classical music. "I've been sent by the head of the family to summon you."
"Summon me? For what?" asked Hastora, his voice sounding slightly deeper and more authoritative than he expected.
"The head of the family invites you to dinner," the maid replied. "He instructed me to pick you up on time." She bowed slightly, showing deep respect.
The words "head of the family" aroused Hastora's curiosity about his mysterious new life. This magnificent mansion, with all its extravagance, seemed to whisper of secrets hidden behind its walls. "Was I reborn as a nobleman?" he thought. However, there was something else more pressing. The maid glanced several times towards his stomach, her gaze attentive but still maintaining decorum.
Hastora only then realized that he was not wearing any clothes. He quickly went to the wardrobe made of polished mahogany. The wardrobe was full of clothes that looked expensive and elegant. He opened several drawers, finding a variety of silk shirts, suits, and trousers made from the finest materials.
"Hmm... these clothes look pretty good," he murmured as he chose a dark gray suit that looked elegant and suited the atmosphere of a formal dinner. The suit was adorned with black onyx buttons that shimmered. He put on the clothes carefully, ensuring every detail was perfect. Then, he stood in front of a large gold-framed mirror, checking his appearance. The mirror showed a clear reflection of himself, from head to toe.
"I've always been handsome," he said, smiling confidently. He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a longer time, boosting his self-confidence before attending the dinner that might determine many things.
"Master Hastora," the maid called, her voice soft but firm, reminding him of the time. "We should leave soon. If we're late, the Head of the Family might... not be happy."
"Alright," Hastora replied briefly, realizing that the maid was still waiting for him patiently. "Let's go."
Hastora closed his bedroom door and followed the maid. He noticed that the maid seemed much shorter than him, perhaps around 155 cm. Either Hastora was too tall, or the maid was indeed petite. They walked down a long corridor decorated with classical paintings and wall lamps that emitted a soft light. The fragrant scent of roses and sandalwood filled the air.
"Wait... about how old am I now, anyway?" he asked himself. He pondered how he could immediately have an athletic teenage body, even though he had just reincarnated. The question continued to haunt him throughout the journey. However, what intrigued him most was his age.
"Emm... that... maid, how old am I now?" he asked the maid, his voice slightly nervous but calm.
"Eh?" The maid seemed surprised. "Don't you know your own age, Master? Are you experiencing amnesia?"
"No, I just... never counted my age," Hastora replied. "So, how old am I now?"
"Emm... you are fifteen years old now," the maid replied hesitantly, bowing slightly.
Hearing that, Hastora became even more curious. "Did my soul reincarnate for longer?" he thought. He felt an extraordinary physical strength in his body, evident from his trained and dense abdominal muscles.
"Is this because of the influence of the colorful energy from the purple-haired woman?" he asked himself, remembering the events in his previous life that were still vaguely in his memory.
After walking for about two minutes, they arrived at a vast and magnificent dining room. The room was decorated with shimmering crystal chandeliers, a soft Persian rug, and a large teak dining table that was polished to a shine. There, Hastora saw an adult man with blond hair, handsome, but with a cold and firm expression, and four beautiful adult women with red, blue, green, and black hair. They were wearing elegant and expensive evening gowns.
Hastora paid more attention to the black-haired woman. He felt a resemblance between her and himself, namely jet-black hair and sharp red eyes. After observing more closely, he suspected that the woman was his mother in this life.
Hastora walked towards the dining table. Several teenagers were sitting there, looking at him with condescending and dismissive stares. Only Hastora had black hair among them, the others had striking hair colors.
"Am I the only child of the black-haired woman?" he murmured.
He sat in his chair, a comfortable and luxurious teak armchair, observing everyone there in detail. He paid attention to their movements, clothes, behavior, even trying to guess the underwear they were wearing—a habit that he realized was somewhat strange, but he felt the need to gather as much information as possible.
Hastora then observed the blond man who sat calmly in the middle of the adult women. From his observation, he concluded that the man was the head of the family that the maid had mentioned earlier. The man exuded a strong aura of power.
"So, these women are his harem?" he murmured to himself, feeling disgusted by the concept of a harem that he considered archaic and despicable. How could a man fall in love with many women at once? It was truly disgusting to him.
As he was observing the man, one of the women from his harem, the red-haired woman in a dark purple evening gown, asked a rather unpleasant question.
"Why are you here?" she asked with a sarcastic and sharp tone, her voice like a knife piercing. "You're not needed here."
Hastora simply looked at the woman with a flat and cold expression. Such cheap insults would not make him angry. Instead, he intended to provoke her, to test her limits.
"The head of the family invited me here," he replied calmly, his voice sounding firm and confident. "You have no right to question me."
The woman seemed annoyed. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, showing her annoyance.
"You!" she shouted. "Who do you think you are?! How dare you speak like that!"
Hastora felt a little offended. How could a guest be scolded without a clear reason? He sighed. "Listen, okay," he said in a firm but controlled tone. "I didn't even ask you anything. You better not bother me."
"What did you say?!" the woman shouted, her voice getting higher. "How dare you say that to me!".
"It's obvious," Hastora replied. "Who do you think you are that I should be afraid of you? You are just... one of the head of the family's wives. You have no right to scold me just because I'm attending this dinner. I myself am the child of one of the head of the family's wives too!"
The woman fell silent and didn't say a word, she gritted her teeth in anger and sat back down in her chair. Meanwhile, Hastora sat calmly, waiting for the food to be served. He observed the small details in the room, from the carvings on the walls to the patterns of the tablecloth.
However, the son of the red-haired woman, a teenage boy with fiery red hair and a temper as hot as his mother, seemed angry at Hastora's words to his mother. He got up from his chair, his face flushed with anger.
"Hey!" he shouted. "What do you mean by insulting my mother like that?!"
"What?" Hastora retorted, his voice remaining calm but sharp. "What I said just now is a fact. Your mother has no right to kick me out of this dinner just because she's one of the head of the family's wives. I myself am also the child of the head of the family's wife."
"Bastard!" he shouted angrily. "I'll beat you up!"
"Try it," Hastora replied. "Who do you think you are? You're just... trash that I can clean up anytime. So, don't act tough, you're just low-class trash."
The teenage boy picked up a fork and threw it at Hastora. However, Hastora caught it easily, his movements swift and precise, like a martial arts expert. He threw the fork back at the teenager's face, hitting his nose directly.
"Damn it!" the teenager shouted in pain, holding his bleeding nose.
Although there was a minor altercation, no one tried to intervene. Hastora's mother even seemed indifferent, as if she was used to such incidents.
Hastora sighed. "You better just sit down," he said. "If you act any further than this, I won't know what will happen to you next."
"Who do you think you are!" the teenage boy shouted. "You have no right to order me around!"
Hastora released a strong killing aura, although it wasn't physically visible, everyone in the room felt it. The atmosphere in the room became tense and suffocating. The air seemed to freeze.
"I'm not saying it twice," he said coldly, staring sharply at the teenage boy. His eyes emitted a frightening aura.
The teenager trembled with fear, but still refused to give up. Seeing that no one cared, Hastora got up from his chair. The teenager trembled violently, unable to move due to fear.
The head of the family realized that Hastora was going to do something dangerous. He didn't want bloodshed to occur in his magnificent mansion.
"Enough!" the head of the family shouted, his voice authoritative and firm. "Stop it!"
Hastora sat back down, folding his arms across his chest. The teenager also sat silently, his face pale and terrified.
Everyone looked at Hastora. He felt something strange. Their gazes showed as if there was a great change in him. Hastora's mother smiled at him, her gaze also showing a great change in Hastora.
Hastora understood the meaning of their gazes. However, a question crossed his mind. "Is there a very big change in me? Are they surprised by my nature just now? Even 20,000 years ago, this kind of thing was very common," he thought. At that moment, the servants came carrying food that looked delicious and luxurious, served on beautiful porcelain plates. They served it on the large dining table.
"The food is ready."