Aethros studied the young man carefully while accessing Hadrian's memories to identify him and understand their relationship.
This was Roran Steelheart, son of the Vex family's head guard and Hadrian's only remaining friend from the days before the accident that had crippled his cultivation.
Roran possessed limited talent for cultivation himself, stuck at Qi Gathering realm with little hope of advancing further, but he had remained loyal to Hadrian even when everyone else abandoned him, visiting regularly despite the ridicule he received from other servants and family members for associating with trash.
The genuine kindness in Roran's eyes and the absence of any hidden agenda in his spiritual fluctuations marked him as one of the few people in this new life that Aethros could potentially trust, though trust was something he would extend cautiously after learning exactly how easily it could be betrayed.
"I feel better than I have in a long time," Aethros said carefully while testing how his voice sounded in this new body and finding it weaker and less authoritative than he preferred. "Something changed while I was sleeping, and I think perhaps the fever burned away whatever sickness had been plaguing me, because my mind feels clearer now than it has in years."
The explanation was close enough to the truth to pass casual scrutiny while hiding the reality of what had actually occurred, and Aethros made a mental note to be extremely careful about what he revealed to anyone regarding his true identity and knowledge.
Roran's face lit up with hope that was almost painful to witness given how completely it would be disappointed once he realized that no amount of mental clarity could repair crippled meridians through conventional means.
"That is wonderful news, young master," Roran said while moving the tray closer so Hadrian could reach the food more easily. "Perhaps now you can start eating properly again and regain some of the weight you have lost, because you have become so thin that I worry a strong wind might blow you away entirely."
The attempted joke fell flat as Roran seemed to realize how close to literal truth his exaggeration actually was, and he busied himself with arranging the dishes to cover his embarrassment.
Aethros picked up the bowl of rice and vegetables that constituted his meal and began eating slowly while assessing the quality and quantity of food his new family considered appropriate for their disappointing son.
The portions were adequate for survival but barely, lacking the nutritional density and spiritual energy that proper cultivation meals should contain, and the cooking was plain to the point of being deliberately unappetizing as if the kitchen staff wanted to make sure he understood exactly how little effort they were willing to expend on his behalf
But Aethros had eaten worse during his early days as an orphan before Thaddeus found and trained him, and he consumed the meal methodically while his mind worked through the problems he needed to solve and the opportunities he could exploit in this new situation.
"Roran," Aethros said after finishing half the rice and setting the bowl down because his shrunken stomach could not handle more food without risking illness. "Tell me honestly about the current state of the Vex family and my position within it, because I suspect the fever may have affected my memory and I want to make sure I understand exactly where things stand."
The request was phrased to take advantage of Hadrian's reputation for occasional confusion and memory problems, allowing Aethros to gather information without raising suspicion about why the young master was suddenly asking questions he should already know the answers to.
Roran hesitated for a moment as if trying to decide how much truth to share before apparently concluding that Hadrian deserved honesty regardless of how painful it might be.
"The family is not doing well, young master," Roran said with obvious reluctance coloring his words. "Your father's last trading venture to the Crimson Wastes ended in disaster when bandits attacked the caravan and stole most of the goods, and the loans he took to finance that venture are coming due soon with no way to repay them without selling properties that have been in the family for generations."
The news was worse than Hadrian's memories had suggested, indicating that things had deteriorated significantly in the weeks since Hadrian last paid attention to family business.
"Lord Theron Blacksteel has been circling like a vulture, making offers to purchase the family's remaining holdings at prices far below their actual value, and your father is running out of options to refuse."
The mention of the Blacksteel family triggered something in Aethros's instincts, a sense that this situation was not random bad luck but rather orchestrated decline engineered by enemies who wanted to absorb the Vex holdings and eliminate them as potential competition.
In his original life, Aethros had seen countless similar scenarios play out as ambitious sects and families destroyed their rivals through economic warfare and manufactured disasters, and his Supreme Lord level understanding of political manipulation recognized all the classic signs of a coordinated campaign rather than natural misfortune.
"And what of my position within the family," Aethros asked while already knowing the answer but needing to hear it confirmed in Roran's words. "Am I seen as a burden or as someone who might still contribute to the family's fortunes in some capacity?"
Roran's expression shifted to something that mixed pity with genuine sorrow as he delivered the verdict that Hadrian must have heard a thousand times in a thousand different ways.
"Young master, you must know that most of the family considers you a waste of resources that could be better spent elsewhere," Roran said with obvious pain at having to speak such cruel words aloud. "Your step-sister Helena makes no secret of her belief that you should be cast out entirely, and your mother Lady Miranda has stopped defending you in family councils because she fears being associated with your failure will damage her own position."
The casual cruelty of privileged people abandoning family members who could no longer contribute to their status and power was something Aethros had witnessed countless times, but experiencing it personally from this new vulnerable position gave him fresh perspective on what ordinary people endured when the powerful decided they were no longer useful.
"And my father," Aethros asked quietly while already knowing from Hadrian's memories exactly what Lord Cassian Vex thought of his disappointing son but wanting Roran's outside perspective on the relationship. "Does he share this opinion or does he at least harbor some lingering affection for the child I used to be before the accident?"
The hope in the question was entirely artificial because Aethros himself felt nothing toward people he had never met, but Hadrian's lingering emotions colored his perception and made it difficult to completely separate his own cold assessment from the original owner's desperate desire for paternal approval.
Roran looked away as if unable to meet Hadrian's eyes while delivering this particular truth, and his voice dropped to barely above a whisper when he finally answered.
"Your father loved you once, young master, back when you showed promise and everyone believed you would restore the family to glory," Roran said with obvious discomfort at having to explain something so painful. "But that love has curdled into something bitter and resentful over the years as he watched his hopes die along with your cultivation prospects, and now I think he can barely stand to look at you because you remind him of everything he has lost and everything he fears the family will become."
Aethros processed this information with the cold analytical mindset of someone who had commanded empires and made decisions that affected millions of lives, and he understood that sentiment and emotion would not help him survive in this new situation.
The Vex family was in decline, his position within that family was barely above that of a servant, and the only person who showed him genuine loyalty was a low level cultivator with no real power or influence. These were the facts of his current existence, and dwelling on how unfair or painful they might be would accomplish nothing except wasting time and energy that needed to be focused on the practical problems of survival and eventual advancement.
"Thank you for your honesty, Roran," Aethros said while meeting his friend's eyes with a directness that Hadrian apparently had not shown in years based on the surprise that flickered across Roran's face. "I know it cannot be easy to deliver such harsh truths, but I would rather understand my situation clearly than live in comfortable delusions that will only make reality more painful when it inevitably intrudes."
The words carried a weight and maturity that Hadrian had not possessed, and Aethros saw Roran's expression shift from pity to something that might have been respect or confusion or possibly both mixed together.