The One Who's Flawed

[CONTINUATION]

Larry and James Belfork walk to the training area within their residence to begin Jame’s training.

Larry Belfork: “Since you’ve worked hard with your other training, I suppose it's time to teach you the basics of swordplay.” He said while looking at James with a calm demeanor.

James Inner Monologue: “I can finally start sword training. It hasn’t been a walk in the park trying to get to the starting point, but at least I’m finally here.” He thought while mentally grinning at himself.

[TRAINING ARC TIMESKIP]

Larry Belfork: “It seems you catch on quite fast, you’ve got most of the basics down, so I’ll leave you to practice and refine your skills.” He smirks.

James Belfork: “Okay, father.” Fake grin.

Larry Belfork walks away to do his own thing.

James Inner Monologue: “From what I’ve learned while training with my father, it seems practicing to wield a sword won’t be as hard as I expected it to be. The basics of it had been footwork, controlling my breathing, and how to properly swing a sword. I should refine my skills.”

As the rest of the day went by, James further practiced his sword skills until he was exhausted. After he finished up, he went to eat dinner with his family and do more research, amongst other things. As time flew by, he’d made a schedule that consisted of Researching, Training, and Eating. James continued to use this simple schedule for the next 11 months before he met his fiancée. (In this world, people get betrothed at the age of 3 and normally stay with each other their whole adult lives)

[11 MONTHS LATER]

2 Years and some months have passed since James was reincarnated, and it seems as if it's finally the day that he's going to meet someone special.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

James Belfork: “Is it morning already?” James gathers his thoughts.

James Inner Monologue: “I guess today's the day I meet my fiancée. I hope she's a good person.”

Larry Belfork Knocks of the door to Jame’s Room.

James Belfork: “Come in.” Interested in what’s to be said to him.

Larry Belfork walks into Jame’s Room.

Larry Belfork: “Son, it's time for you to go meet your fiancée, she's waiting in the courtyard for you." He stares at James.

James Belfork: “Alright.” He yawns

Larry Belfork leaves Jame’s room and tells the maid who was standing outside his room to take James to the courtyard.

The maid who had been standing outside entered James room.

Maid 1: “Young Master James, please follow me to the courtyard.” She bowed her head with her eyes closed in the direction of James.

James got out of bed.

James Belfork: “Lead the way.” He started moving towards and following the maid.

James and the maid he was with both made their way towards the courtyard, and James introduced himself to his fiancée, while his parents and her parents both chatted.

James Belfork: “Good day, my lady.” He bows.

Clover Winslow: “Yes, hello.” She barely peeks out from her mother's dress to look at James.

James Inner Monologue: “It seems as if she's a bit shy, but I must say, she is cute.”

Some time passes after this interaction, and James, along with Clover and their parents, are sitting inside, discussing the terms of James and Clover's potential marriage to James.

One of the maids in the Belforks home pours everyone tea to drink while they have their conversation.

Clover's Parents: “Since you’ve asked for Clover's hand in marriage for your son, as agreed between us, in the near future she’ll be living with you, yes?” They said calmly while sipping on tea.

James Parents: “Yes, of course, when will you be letting Clover move in?” They sipped on some tea.

Clover's Parents: “She’ll start moving in the day after tomorrow, we just need to pack her things first.” They glanced at James Parents.

James Parents: “Since those matters are settled, it's best we allow our children to continue to familiarise themselves with each other.” They glanced at Clover's Parents.

Clover's Parents: “Yes, of course.” They chuckled.

After Clover and James parents finished their conversation. Clover and James had spent the remainder of the day just talking and playing as 3 year olds do.

[TIMESKIP]

A few years have passed since Clover and James became fiancés, and they seem to be doing well and have similar views about things, so all is well with them.

James and Clover are now 5 years old and need to head to the church so that they can get their aptitudes checked out.

[SCENE CHANGE]

James and Clover are at the church and doing their aptitude tests.

James Inner Monologue: “It seems that it's finally the day that I see my aptitude rating, hopefully I get something good so that I can just continue to live my life in peace, but it would be a shame if i got something bad, good thing that won't happen.” Nervous internal laugh.

Clover gets called up by the priest to do her aptitude test first. she touches the crystal ball that she saw in front of her, and a few seconds later, it shows her aptitude. The priest told Clover that she had an aptitude rating of A.

James congratulates Clover after finding out she got a decently high aptitude rating, and it fills him with hope that he’ll get a good rating. Moments later, James is called up by the priest to get his rating. James puts his hands on the crystal ball as Clover had done before, and moments later, his aptitude is shown.

James Belfork: “Sir, what’s the rating that I got for my aptitude?” He said excitedly.

Priest: “...” He slowly looked at James.

Priest: “Your rating is F.” He spoke loud enough for everyone within the room to hear.

James Inner Monologue: “I’M F**KED.” Overthinking

James Belfork: “F?” All colour was flushed out of his face as he made the realisation that his life was only getting harder from there.

James Belfork: “Surely the must be a mistake, how could I get an F-rating?” He looked at the priest nervously.

Priest: “Mistakes do tend to happen, so let's try again with a different crystal ball.” He looked at James with pity.

The priest got out another crystal ball, and James then again put his hand on the ball. James thought the second rating would be better than the first, but he was mistaken; it still said “F-rating.”

James looked at his parents, wondering what they thought of the rating he got. He thought that they would try to cheer him up or make jokes of it, but he didn’t expect that the people which had been so kind and loving to him Over the past years that he’d been with them would look at him with such disdain, they looked at james as if he wasn’t even their own son.

James was shocked, but thought that maybe it had been due to the fact that they couldn’t think of anything to say at the time, so he looked at Clover to see what she’d say.

Clover told James that he “Shouldn’t worry about the rating,” but James knew that she was wrong. James studied the world over the years, he could barely use his body, and knows very well what happens to those who don't meet the standards of High-ranking noble families. (They’re tossed away and alienated from their homes and schools, seen as a burden to all.)

James Belfork gets home after the aptitude test at the church and goes in his room to think. He had gotten the worst-case scenario and knew that he had limited time before everything around him would fall apart.

James Inner Monologue: “I’m F**ked, thes actually no hope for me, I didn’t think that I would actually Jinx myself and get the lowest possible rating. I need to prepare for the worst since I’ll be attending school next year.”

James prepared for hes downfall as he knew he wouldn’t last with such a rating, over the course of the rest of the day till it was dinner time, he had taken all the lilttle money to hes name and put it in a safe place incase he gets kicked out of the family later on, and also redid hes training schedule as he need it as he was now known as a Failure in the eyes of those around him, and needed to get stronger to at least try fixed hes shatter reputaion.

[DINNER TIME]

A maid knocked on James door as he finished up revamping his training schedule and called him to the dining room. When James had got to the dining room, he had seen Clover and her along with hes parents sitting down, and waiting for inorder to discuss their ratings.

James got to the table and was told to “Sit down” by his father in a rather harsh tone. The room went silent, and everyone put their gaze on James. After what felt like forever, Clover's parent began to speak.

Clover's Parents: “Clover and James, what ratings did you get at the church today?” They spoke in anticipation of good news.

Clover: “Mother and Father, I got an A-ranking aptitude.” She said proudly

Clover's Parents: “That's wonderful news, what about you, James?” They looked at James.

James looked at his parents, and they looked away, knowing whats to come.

James Belfork: “...” He sighed.

James Belfrok: “I got an aptitude ranking of f.” He said in a soft voice

Clover's Parents: “We can’t hear what your saying, what ranking did you get?” They focused more on James and what he was about ot say.

James Belfork: “I got an aptitude ranking of F.” He said nervously with his chest.

The room went silent, and no one uttered a world for what felt like forever.

Clover's parents chattered amongst themselves of a bit as everyone was eating, then they broke the silence to speak to James parents.

Clover's Parents: “You know we can't allow this to go on, Clover can’t be the fiancée to an F-rank failure.” They said harshly

James Parents: “Yes.” They kept looking down at the food in front of them

Clover's Parents: “However, due to the agreement we made, Clover will still be staying here till she's an adult, and since she's no longer suited to be made a match, we expect reparations for this.” They spoke sternly.

James Parents: “We are well aware, and have already set everything up, everything you are owed will be done in full.” They spoke with their chest

James and Clover's parents continued talking for a while about the situation, but didn't look at James after that. They all finished their meal and everyone went their separate ways, along with an order that James and Clover are not to be seen with each other in private or public, due to James rating. Clover tried to fight for it, but her parents didn’t have any of it and kept it the way that it had been.

James began to be treated poorly by everyone around him due to his ranking. His parents no longer spoke to him, and the workers at his house didn't interact with him; his siblings started to distance themselves from him, and he was left alone. The only person who chose to stay with James was Clover; she only stayed with him in secret, but she was always the one to Comfort James during the start of his Hard times.

[1 YEAR LATER]

James is now 6 years old and does everything by himself in the house that he needs done; he's no longer served by anyone and is barely given an allowance to use. James is now old enough to enter school, so his parents ship him off to some blackwater school in the middle of nowhere. James has built and continues to build malice towards those who once cherished him, and he cherished in this life, excluding Clvoer.

[TO BE CONTINUED]