The tragic life of Professor Desmond Sycamore

by LawLover16

Jean Descole, formerly known as the archaeologist Professor Desmond Sycamore, doesn't want to be forgotten by history and doesn't want his life's story to be slandered by those who only saw the worst in him. So he wrote everything down, hoping that his tale will discourage people to fall into despair the way he did. Professor Layton is owned by Level-5

6. Chapter 6

The tragic life of Desmond Sycamore

Chapter 6: My Family

In the last chapter, I talked about my friends. I should probably talk about my family too. I will talk about both my families, I could also maybe talk about all three, but alas, I will have plenty of time to talk about my wife and child. Let's start with my biological Family. I have talked about them and also my adoptive family briefly in the beginning, but I think you should learn everything to understand who I am and who I became.

My biological family was just me, my parents and my brother. My father, Leon Bronev, was an archaeologist, about 35 years old when he first discovered remnants of the Azran Civilation. He was an only child and has always had an interest in Archaeology and the treasures that could be found with it, so of course he dug around the backyard of his parents house. His friends did the same, and helped him discover a few treasures, not only in his backyard but also at different locations. My grandparents weren't rich by any means, they had pretty mundane jobs. My grandma was a nurse and my grandpa was a factory worker. Bronev's interest in archaeology only grew over time, so much so, that he studied it at university, using a scholarship that he earned. At University, that's where he met my mother. It was apparently love at first sight, at least for my mother. Bronev himself didn't care much about her at first, but her consistent interest in him and his work made him open up to her. My mother, Rachel Green, was a very caring woman. Bronev never disclosed what she was studying at University, but I assume it was something about childcare or something in that regard. I guess my family has a nag to find their true love at university. My parents did, I did and so did my little brother, but it seems that our happiness doesn't hold for long. Anyway, Rachel, my mother, she was an angel. She was always there for my father, weather it was during an expedition or at home. My mother was just lovely to everyone around her, Bronev had been very lucky to have met her and that she loved him. Rachel was stubborn to say the least, something I may have gotten from her, but she never held grudges, other than my father. While my mother was a ray of sunshine, always smiling, being sweet and understanding, always having some piece of advice for me or my brother, my father was more a logical type of person, always saying things the way they were, but he taught me a valuable lesson: If I were to ever fall in love, I better be prepared that it wouldn't last as long as I hoped. I forgot that lesson as soon as I met my wife, I had pictured my life with her up until our deaths, but alas. As you could probably guess, my parents got married while they were still at University, but they didn't have me until they graduated. My mother has been very loving, not only to me, my father or my brother, but also to my or my brother's friends. I didn't have many friends, I'd rather spend my time listening to my father talking about archaeology and all that.

My brother, who most people know as 'Hershel Layton', was born as Theodore Bronev, the name Hershel was mine. Theodore was the smartest boy in our home town, and I loved him dearly. I got involved in fights if someone made fun of him. Mother didn't like that I got hurt, but was happy that I defended Theodore. Now that he is known as Hershel Layton, I don't have much contact with him. His parents, Roland and Lucille Layton had given him my address as soon as I was also adopted, but he never wrote me. I don't blame him. He was young, and probably scared I would leave him again. I can understand Layton's concern. I myself couldn't bring myself to write to him, I didn't want him to grow attached to me again. Hershel Layton, my younger brother, is a professor at the Gressenheller University in London. He has studied Archaeology and became a professor for that field. I couldn't be prouder of him. Our lives couldn't have turned out more different. While he was growing up in a loving household, my adoptive parents weren't as caring. He had friends growing up, while the only people I had to hang out with were paid to hang out with me. Well, Hershel Layton also had found himself a pretty girlfriend, a woman I know as the lab assistant of a friend of mine. Claire Foley was her name I think. The two were really cute together, Scarlett once pointed out that the way they interact was similar to the way we had been interacting. I couldn't have agreed more. Maybe it was a thing that my family has. Their love didn't last long, kinda like mine, but Layton wasn't the only one that lost the person they loved. Dimitri also lost the person he loved when Claire died. I wish I could've helped him, but I wasn't myself any more.

Now to my adoptive parents. My father, Simon Sycamore adopted me to give his wife, Natasha the joys of being a mother without her having to go through labour. To be fair, not every woman likes to become pregnant, but still. Well, my adoptive father was a very distant man. All he really cared about was his business that build machines for miners and other workers to make their work easier, faster and more affordable. He wanted me to take over one day, but I refused. He wasn't really fazed by it, other than the woman I called my mother. Simon was born into a rich family, he had a high status in the high society circles of London and so when he announced that he had a son, it made the London Times. Of course, he disclosed the information that I wasn't biologically his son, but that he still considered me as such. He treated me as his own, and I'm grateful for that. His wife treated me as a pet, filled my schedule with things I didn't even wanted to do, like language classes or fencing. To be fair, I'm happy that I did take those classes though. That it helped finding friends during my time at the University was just a nice coincidence. However, my mother never treated the woman I loved as an equal. She always called her 'servant girl' when referring to Scarlett and wanted e to marry someone from our social circle. I have to admit, I cut contact with my mother completely and only talked to my father every once in a while, but even that fell off when I lost my sanity. Something I wish they hadn't told me over and over again, at adult parties they took me to, that showing affection in public was a no-go. It took me years to finally be comfortable to show that I loved my wife, to give her small kisses on the cheek or forehead, just because I felt like it wasn't proper to do so. Scarlett has always been patient with me, and let me know that if I feel uncomfortable with the 'rules' that have been set in place while I was growing up, I could always make up new rules that are more comfortable for me.

I'm glad that I had my families. I loved them, but good things don't last long. That's what I have learned the hard way. My biological parents were abducted, my brother got adopted, I was taken in by a rich family and treated like a pet by my adoptive mother, my wife and child died in a fire, I was all alone at the end of the day. I still hope that my life will be a tale of caution.