'Alphabet exists in this world?? ' Luke and Lysandra thought in shock. Darius turned away from the papers to face Sophia.
'I did know that their writing system doesn't use the alphabet,' the twin thought to themself. 'That's why we even used it in the first place for communicating, we assumed no one would recognize it.'
"You were a scholar before, right?" Darius asked.
"Yes! I researched ancient languages, but our studies led nowhere. Half of the scholars, including me, eventually quit. That's why I'm now working as a nanny in House Elsher," Sophia said, her voice full of excitement. "But this is amazing! For the young master and young lady to know one of the ancient words, it's unbelievable!"
"But it looks different from the ancient words I've seen before, so..." Jenessa said, her face full of doubt.
"W-Well, it does look different," Sophia admitted, "but I'm sure these are ancient words! They just look a bit messy because of the children's lack of strength, and even though they're a bit messy, the style definitely resembles ancient writing!" she said excitedly, unknowingly cutting off her lady's words.
"O-Oh! S-Sorry about that, my lady. I got too excited! It's just that our ancient language research always hit a dead end when we tried to decipher it," Sophia added anxiously.
Jenessa chuckled. "No worries. I know you scholars are very passionate about your research," she said, waving her hand dismissively to show she wasn't offended.
"But our children have never touched a book, let alone seen any ancient language," Darius said, clearly puzzled.
"W-Well, I did read them a few books about ancient language," Sophia confessed, "but that still doesn't explain how they could know it so well."
'Ah! Is that what she's been reading to us? She did read us a few of those boring books... but we fell asleep almost immediately and never even got through half of them,' Luke and Lysandra both thought.
"So, what makes them know about ancient words?" Darius asked again.
Sophia paused, looking between the twins and the paper. "Honestly... I don't know. There are still so many mysteries surrounding ancient language that I can't pinpoint the exact cause."
She glanced at the twins again, then added, "It's also possible that their knowledge, combined with their unusually sharp intellect at this age, somehow resonates with the ancient language, maybe even connecting them to some kind of mysterious force tied to it... but again, it's only speculation."
Darius furrowed his brows. "So what did you researchers even study if all your answers are this vague?" he asked, irritation creeping into his voice.
Sophia flinched slightly at his tone, then took a calming breath before continuing. "W-We may not have had all the answers, but I can say confidently that there's something more to the ancient language something powerful and hidden. During our research, we discovered strange phenomena linked to ancient language."
"We ancient language researchers discovered something while trying to decipher it. Even though our research led nowhere, we still found something big, though the discovery was never made public and is only known by royalty and upper nobility. But because I've pledged my loyalty to Lady Jenessa, I'm willing to share it if you'll allow it, my lady."
"Go ahead," Jenessa answered.
"At first, we were just researching the history of our continent from thousands of years ago. But the ancient words revealed something far more incredible."
"And what is that?" Darius asked.
"Well... although it's not yet proven, we discovered that if you pronounce the ancient words correctly, mana and aura increase tenfold! The energy fills up so much that it can cause a mana or aura outburst from the sheer overload."
"And this happened during your research? Did you witness it?" Darius pressed.
"Yes! All of us researchers saw it happen, that's why we never gave up, even after so long."
"Then why did you stop researching, Sophia?"
"Well... the nobles and the public think we stopped because we finally realized how useless the research was. But the truth is... we were forced to stop by a harsh order from the royal family."
Jenessa, who had been listening casually, began to furrow her brows, and Darius did the same.
"The royal family? But I thought your organization wasn't connected to the royal family?" Jenessa asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.
"Yes, we were independent researchers. We didn't even start as a proper organization, just a small group of scholars. But when some of the researchers quit and began using that knowledge in the academy, our work became known among the nobility and royalty. Even then, we stayed independent, refusing any investments from nobles or the royal family. And they never offered, anyway."
She sighed. "But there was another reason we stopped. Even without the royal threat, we'd hit a wall. We had no new leads, and everything we tried ended in failure. It was like chasing shadows. In the end, the pressure from the royal family only pushed us to give up what already felt hopeless."
Hearing that, Darius and Jenessa exchanged tense, hostile glances, clearly irritated and suspicious. Then they turned their attention back to Sophia.
"If you were independent, why did the royal family have the power to disband your group?" Jenessa asked, her voice low and stern.
Sophia's face grew serious and determined. Without a hint of hesitation, she said, "In the end, we were just a bunch of commoners. With a single threat against our families or our lives, we had no choice but to comply."
"Should've known," Darius muttered under his breath, quiet enough for himself, but still heard by Luke and Lysandra in his arms.
"So, how is this phenomenon connected to our twins knowing the ancient language?"
"Well, it's not proven yet, but we've formed a theory. The ancient language might do more than just increase mana or aura; it might even enhance one's wisdom, especially if they're somehow connected to it."
"—! —"
"—? —!"
As the adults continued their conversation, it only grew more confusing for the twins, who were in the middle of it all, struggling to keep up.
'What, what, what's happening?! I wanna know! FUCK!' Lysandra cursed inwardly, hating being left in the dark. She shot Luke an intense glare, silently demanding an explanation.
Luke sighed inwardly. 'Why is my twin so dumb? Why ask me when I can't even talk yet?!' Then his face shifted to a more serious, thoughtful expression. 'But this is weird... there was nothing about alphabets being called ancient words in the story. Or... could this not be the world of "Fuck You, Bad Ending"?' He pondered deeply, his eyes drifting to Sophia, still busy answering Darius and Jenessa's questions, questions about politics, which didn't concern Luke or Lysandra at the moment.
'It can't be... the empire and the emperor's names are the same as in the manhwa,' Luke reminded himself, thinking back to the bedtime stories Sophia uses to read them, stories that included real facts about the world they were now in.
'Well, there's still a 90% chance that the kingdom and the emperor's names just happen to be the same as in the manhwa. But the notifications said we'd reincarnate into the world "Fuck You, Bad Ending" and this information about ancient words... it sounds similar to something from the manhwa. But what was it...?' Luke furrowed his brow, straining to recall the manhwa's plot.
Then suddenly, Luke felt a soft tug on his clothes near his chest. Lysandra, having gotten his attention, cupped her hands together as if trying to convey something through that gesture.
'Huh?' Luke raised an eyebrow. 'Drink?' He mimicked her gesture but brought his hands near his mouth, suggesting drinking. Lysandra shook her head.
'No? Then what?' Luke stared at her, but Lysandra simply turned her head away, a clear sign that she was done communicating, and the rest was up to Luke to figure out. Luke sighed inwardly.
'A cupped hand... a vessel to carry water? Not a cup, since it's not about drinking. Collecting rainwater? No, that doesn't seem right... It must be something related to the manhwa.' Luke thought hard, frustration building. 'Ugh, I'm so jealous of Lysa for remembering all the story details.'
'Ah! I know — a pond! She must be talking about the Luminarch Spring!' Luke's face lit up with realization. But by the time he figured it out, they had already been laid down in their cradle in the nursery, and Lysandra was fast asleep beside him.
'So that's why it felt familiar — it's just like the Luminarch Spring!' Luke thought excitedly. 'Although there are a lot of differences, two things connect them: ancient words and the outburst of mana and aura! Plus, the Luminarch Spring is under the royal family's supervision... but I've never heard of any ancient language researchers.' Another puzzle began creeping into Luke's mind.
'Well, this only means one thing, there's additional info about this world that wasn't shown in the story. We can't just expect the real world to follow the story 100%. There must be things that were never explained.' Then Luke suddenly chuckled inwardly. 'Although this does prove one thing, the alphabet wasn't used for writing in this world since it's claimed as an ancient word. That's definitely something to be careful about from now on.'
**********
"What's wrong, dear? Not going to sleep?" Jenessa asked, her voice soft as she finished drying her hair. She gently massaged her husband's shoulders. Darius, who had been staring at the fireplace with a serious expression, leaned into her touch.
"I'm worried, honey... the kids..." He trailed off, his lips pressing into a tight line, a gesture immediately softened by his wife's gentle touch.
"Don't clench your lips like that, you'll ruin your perfect lips," Jenessa teased softly, brushing her fingers against his mouth before giving him a light peck, hoping to ease his tension.
"What's on your mind? Please, share it with me," she urged, settling beside him on the sofa.
"You heard what Sophia said, our kids know about the ancient words. They couldn't have learned that just from a nanny's storytelling. I don't want to sound like a doting father, but if Sophia's right, this means Luke and Lysandra were born with something... special. And that might be exactly what the royal family is after." Darius finally voiced his fears.
Jenessa sighed softly, resting her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his.
"You're saying they might be targeted by the royal family?"
"The royal family... or the nobles. Anyone who craves the power tied to the ancient words could become a threat to our children," Darius said grimly.
"Then you'll just have to do your best to protect them," Jenessa said with quiet reassurance, looking up at him. When he didn't answer, she continued. "Of course, I'll do everything I can, too. And Sophia is a loyal servant, I trust her completely. I'll make sure she stays silent about this. We just need to keep this between us and Sophia."
Darius sighed, some of the tension easing from his shoulders.
"Alright... but I'm appointing Sophia as the twins' personal attendant," he said firmly.
"Do whatever helps you feel assured, my love. I'll always be here to support you," Jenessa whispered, her warmth a steady presence beside him.