Chapter 1: Another Morning

Inside a slightly dim stone house, sunlight shone through a small arched window in the wall, reaching one corner of the room.

In the diffused light, a boy could be seen sitting cross-legged on the bed, his hands stacked with fingers interlaced over his crossed legs. His breathing was calm and rhythmic. After a while, he stood up from the bed and began patting and rubbing his entire body.

“Bang—bang—bang.” Along with three short knocks on the door, a slightly thick and soft female voice called out from outside, “Young Master George—Young Master George—it is time for breakfast.”

“I know, Ilena. Go down first and bring a basin of water and a towel up with you.” The boy named George turned his head and gave the order through the door, “By the way, ask the cook to prepare two extra slices of smoked meat for breakfast today.”

After finishing his words, the boy continued his previous action, rubbing and patting his own body. From the perspective of modern medicine, this practice could relax the muscles and at the same time speed up the discharge of lactic acid from the muscles.

When George finished his previous rest, he casually picked up a book about two fingers thick from the table inside the room and leaned against the bed to flip through it.

“This is the tenth time I have read this book. Next time I go to Cardala, I must hurry to the library to exchange for a few more books.” Thinking about how rare and expensive books were in this world, the boy could not help but complain. At the same time, he recalled his failed paper-making experiment.

Reading was one of the few hobbies George had before he transmigrated. But in this era where paper-making was not developed and printing was nowhere to be seen, books were truly luxury items. Even with his current identity, he could not read books as he pleased.

“Young Master George, may I come in?” The voice of the girl from before came from outside the door.

As soon as the words fell, the heavy ironwood door was slowly pushed open with a “creak.”

A girl was seen holding a dark copper-colored metal basin with both hands and carrying a towel in her right hand. She used her left shoulder to push against the wooden door, one leg slightly bent, and her body leaning towards the door.

A deep black one-piece corset dress, with a hem that covered the top of her shoes. The cuffed long sleeves made movement convenient and also helped prevent scrapes. The white apron with trim gave a clean and capable feeling, yet it was also very practical. Most importantly, it matched the original dark-toned clothes, showing a unique vitality in the contrast.

Under the middle-parted bangs, a pair of big blue eyes blinked. The teeth, which were rare to be so white and neat in this era, were the main reason she became George’s personal maid. Her medium brown hair was combed neatly, though it was still a bit frizzy, tied up into a ponytail with a ribbon. A few freckles on her face gave her a bit of playful color.

After neatly arranging the toiletries she was holding, the girl squatted down and smiled at the boy reading: “Young Master, may you wash and change clothes now?”

“Let’s start, but I have to say one thing. Ilena, be careful when combing my hair. Don’t keep scratching my scalp.” George tried to remind her.

“I know, Young Master, I will be careful this time.” Ilena blinked her eyes, hugging George’s arm against her chest and shaking it back and forth.

Feeling the soft touch on his arm, George said helplessly, “I really can’t do anything about you.”

Saying this, he reached out and patted Ilena’s head.

The master and servant walked through a narrow and slightly gloomy corridor. Torches stuck in the walls flickered endlessly as the air in the corridor moved, making the light dim and bright alternately.

George turned his head and asked Ilena, who was walking behind him, “Has anything new happened in the neighborhood recently?”

“Hmm—let me think. Uncle Edward’s dog disappeared two days ago for some reason, and everyone searched for a long time but couldn’t find it.” Ilena answered, propping her chin with her hand.

“Eh—have many pets been lost recently?” George asked, following up on the topic.

“Oh—in that case, the cat from the Ray family also disappeared last week. If there were any left, I wouldn’t know. After all, only these two families near my home keep pets. The other news is that the gangs in the West District have had quite a bit of conflict in the last few days. People say you could still smell the scent of blood on the streets in the morning.” Realizing she had fallen a bit behind while talking to George, Ilena quickly stepped forward, lifting her skirt to return to her original position.

“So such things are happening. It seems the decline in public security is not without reason,” George muttered to himself.

After passing the corner and going downstairs to the dining hall, George sat properly at the oak long table and placed his napkin, while Ilena went to get the breakfast.

At this time every day, George was extremely grateful that he had not transmigrated to medieval Europe, but to a world with a Western fantasy style.

Because of the existence of the True God, the competition between Churches was far longer than imagined. It was precisely because no single Church dominated that the interference of divine power in secular affairs was not very obvious. Medicine was also relatively advanced; at least one did not have to take a bath only a few times in a lifetime. Doctors did not just bleed people or give them enemas; their use of herbal medicine was quite good. If there were really difficult cases, there were Divine Arts and Magic available. Of course, the latter was not something ordinary people could afford.

More thanks should go to the transmigration god who knows who he is. George had transmigrated into a noble family and did not have to suffer from a life of hardship from a young age. Moreover, the “Golden Finger” that was a must-have for transmigrators had given him an even broader future.

In his daydreaming, Ilena had already brought the breakfast. As for the diet, this world was far from comparable to his previous life. The staple food for breakfast every day was Black Bread, with side dishes of goat Cheese, fried eggs, and roasted onions. Today, extra smoked meat slices were added as a treat. Of course, vegetable soup was indispensable. Hah! Hah! It was really hard to swallow if the Black Bread was not soaked soft in the soup.

Just as George was holding his knife and fork, ready to dig in, he saw the butler, Mr. Craig, walk in through the side door. He turned to Ilena behind him and said, “Ilena, take the chance to tidy up my room now.”

The Little Maid received the order, nodded, and turned to leave.

“Is something wrong, Mr. Craig? Usually at this time, you should be arranging the servants’ work for the day.” Saying this, George put his knife and fork back on the sides of the plate.

“I just received news. Young Master George, the master hopes you will go to Cardala by the end of this month.” The Old Steward Craig threw a new question at George.

“According to tradition, shouldn’t I go to Cardala in the middle of next month? Why is it advanced?” George scratched his head and asked.

“The master did not say specifically, but Young Master, you have also reached the right age.” The Old Steward showed a weird smile.

Fortunately, he had not started eating yet. Otherwise, seeing the Old Steward, who was usually so serious, show such a lecherous expression, George would have definitely spit out the food in his mouth. Wasting food would invite heaven’s punishment.

“What right age?” George thought about Craig’s previous expression. ‘Could it be that the legendary decadent night life of the Nobles is about to unfold for me? There is such a legend in this world. Nobles’ young boys who reach a certain age are arranged by their elders to go through a period of nightly revelry. The purpose is to prevent them from becoming completely addicted to a certain woman and damaging the family interests in the future. Isn’t this just a fantasy of the Commoner class? Like the jokes about the emperor’s golden spade heard before transmigrating. And what if someone really gets completely addicted? Are they not afraid that the heir cultivated for years will be ruined?’

However, if he really had to face such an experience! George could not help but feel a little excited in his heart.

“Young Master, I think the master might want you to go get engaged.” The Old Steward broke George’s imaginative train of thought without mercy.

“What? Engaged—” George was struck hard. Before transmigrating, although he was not a handsome guy and a master of strategy, he had at least entered the hall of marriage after a formal love relationship. This time, he was going to get engaged without even seeing the girl’s face. It looked like it was mostly a political marriage. He hoped he would not meet any weird girls. Indeed, responsibility and rights were equal. A relatively comfortable life did not come without a price.

Seeming to sense a bit of the Young Master’s thoughts, the Steward Craig explained: “Every autumn, Cardala holds the Autumn Hunt. This is both the day for the real sealed Nobles of this country to communicate with each other and pay tribute collectively. It is also a good opportunity for eligible unmarried Nobles to choose marriage partners. The master probably hopes you make preparations early so that you do not make mistakes due to haste for the first time.”

So it was a blind date. I thought he was going to hide the marriage and force me to marry. I finally felt relieved, but I still tried to ask: “It is almost time for the autumn harvest. Is it not bad for me to leave at this time? After all, it is a very busy season.”

“Do not try to find any excuses, Young Master. The master has given a death order on this matter. And in the city, the civil servants at the City Hall will handle general affairs. As for the Manors outside the city, they can be handled according to tradition. The only slightly troublesome part is the port, but let the civil servants and those Merchant Guilds discuss and handle it for now; it can be managed for a while. You still have more than ten days to arrange specific affairs. Besides, even if you stay longer this time than before, it will be at most two months. Some things can be handled after you return. If a real big trouble happens, we also have a way to contact quickly, right?” The Old Steward blocked most of George’s retreat paths at once.

For a moment, George could not find a better reason to bargain. ‘Is my single life destined to end so early? I have to accept the shackles of a marriage contract as soon as the second puberty starts. Although I was not without psychological preparation, it came too fast.’

Since he could not hide, he might as well face it calmly. He would handle the affairs scheduled for today first.

George picked up his knife and fork again and started his struggle with the breakfast. The Old Steward stood by, watching the Young Master, whom he thought was sulking, with a half-smile.

For a moment, the only sounds in the hall were the noise of knives and forks cutting food and the sound of chewing.

“Ding—dong.” These two sounds were the contact of knives and forks with the plates. George wiped his mouth with a napkin and said to Craig, “Prepare the carriage. I want to go to the City Hall to handle public affairs. I will probably go to the harbor today, so I will not come for lunch. For dinner, if possible, add a rabbit; if not, replace it with other fresh meat.”

“As you wish, my Young Master.” Craig smiled, bowed, and then turned to prepare the carriage.