DONG. DONG. DONG.
A bell hanging in the tower of the villa rang out. Its ringing emanated out through the entirety of the Town of Ascot. Additional bells sounded in the circular city in response. And then more bells sounded from the fields stretched out to the horizon.
It was an announcement. The funeral procession was starting.
The sun hung high in the clear blue sky, and birds fluttered through the air. A light breeze swung gently through the air and felt cool against the ...
2022-11-22 20:15:55 +0000 UTC
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Step. Step. Step.
Thudd.
Noises around me awoke me. I peeped open one eye and saw a rather short maid standing nearby. Before her, sunlight peered through the cracks in the curtains.
Wooooosh. Wooooosh.
The curtains were pulled open, and the bedroom was flooded with light. Birds chirping outside made the morning seem far more pleasant than it really was.
"Young master Luca, I apologize for the abrupt awakening," Ben said and rolled a trolley over to my bedside. "...
2022-11-19 18:30:01 +0000 UTC
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"Ben, why is there a dragon living below the villa?" Luca broke the silence.
He and Ben were long out of the cave and at the end of the hallway with the cages. The prisoners called out to them, and it dawned on Ben that Luca had no reaction to their cries.
That's a normal reaction I'd expect from Micah and even the two youngest Frey children, but not Luca.
Ben paused at the end of the hall by the locked door and turned to face the young master. Luca looked more and ...
2022-11-15 14:51:07 +0000 UTC
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“A dragon?”
I blinked.
Had this been my original life, I would have presumed this man had lost his mind from being caged up too long.
Dragons did not exist. They existed. Past tense. Their skeletal bodies were found across the continent; many were used as decorative pieces in royal palaces. However, breathing dragons did not exist.
DRUHH DRUHH DRUHHHHHHH
Another rumble shook the space. I gazed into the dark opening at the end of the hallway.
...
2022-11-12 17:14:55 +0000 UTC
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What a pain.
I leaned my head back and gazed up at the library's vaulted ceiling and the hanging chandelier with its many lights along its length.
And here I thought I had a bad reputation.
After having enlightened me on his current state of affairs within the Genuiver Duchy, Duncan had left the library.
His situation was… significantly worse than I could have ever imagined. Restoring him to his original position was equivalent to piecing back together a broken vase ...
2022-11-08 16:06:29 +0000 UTC
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"Madame!" Ben grabbed hold of my grandmother to prevent her from falling.
She had stood up from the dining table but stumbled. A coughing fit overtook her.
Her weathered hand waved towards him, and Ben immediately produced a Red Poppy Potion for her. Grandmother gulped down the pink liquid, and her coughing subsided.
"Luca, dear…" She smiled at me as if nothing was the matter. "I'm afraid I'll need to head to bed early. We'll have a chess match tomorrow morning instead."
2022-11-06 01:09:55 +0000 UTC
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Micah's steps echoed through the long palace hallway. Large chandeliers and wall lamps embedded with glowing yellow stones provided a warm radiance to the empty hallway, save for the multitude of guards standing in attention.
It was late in the evening, and he finally had a spare moment to visit Evelyn.
Julius, Evelyn's mage guard, nodded his head toward Micah upon his appearance.
"Princess Evelyn is inside," he said and opened the large door into Evelyn's study, where the p...
2022-11-01 21:50:19 +0000 UTC
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“Well, you certainly look much better,” I commented upon seeing Duncan.
Ben had escorted me into the family dining room, where Duncan was already seated and gazing about. Large framed paintings covered the walls of the room, depicting the Frey household members along with grandma’s extended long-passed-away family members.
Duncan sat at a circular oak table larger than the one grandma and I dined at the night earlier. It was the one I had eaten at the most frequently when ot...
2022-10-29 21:58:01 +0000 UTC
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Remlend saw the red Arankagul carriage coming up from the bottom of the hill and positioned himself in the courtyard, ready to greet Luca Frey.
The sun had lowered, but it still shone brightly across the Town of Askot. The Summer Festival continued to go strong along the town's perimeters, with sounds of different instruments and people's voices wafting over.
Duncan Genuiver?
Remlend took in the man that stepped out of the carriage after Luca. The man looked like he...
2022-10-25 21:59:01 +0000 UTC
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"Stop right there," Ben's voice thundered. "Do not come any closer to the young master."
His body moved in front of me, walling me off from Duncan Genuiver. A saber extended from his hand, the tip touching Duncan's chest.
Another two people I had initially assumed to be regular townsfolk also moved to surround Duncan Guiniver with daggers pointed at him.
One was a young woman who had been selling flowers, and the other was a teenage boy who had been eating a pasty.
Loo...
2022-10-22 21:55:01 +0000 UTC
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"Did you hear what I said?" Grandma's voice pulled me out of my head.
I gazed up at her.
We were sitting outside enjoying our breakfast near the edge of the white marble balustrade railing surrounding the patio. The smell of roses wafted in the air, and we had a perfect view of the town below, and green farmlands stretched out as far as the eyes could see. Something was taking place in town, with various sounds and music floating from below.
"I'm sorry. What did you say?" I ...
2022-10-18 22:06:00 +0000 UTC
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"Checkmate."
Grandma moved her rook forward, toppling my queen and cornering my king. She left me with no moves out.
I leaned back and sighed.
"That's five times you've beaten me," I said.
Technically, I hadn't played chess in years, and now was getting a grilling of a lifetime.
Grandma waved over a servant. They quickly cleaned up the board and put the pieces back in place. Then, another servant arrived with more tea and another slice of cake for Leona.
"P...
2022-10-15 22:00:04 +0000 UTC
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"Young master Micah! Wait!" a voice called out.
"What is it?" Micah turned around and scowled. "I'm in a hurry."
It was long past dinnertime and the capital city was shrouded in darkness. Tonight, there was no moon. Yellow lights flickered around the manor's courtyard, providing sufficient light towards the waiting black carriage, with its door held open.
"A message came from you. It's from your brother—it's from young master Luca," the servant gasped out.
"Ah." Mica...
2022-10-11 21:59:01 +0000 UTC
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"It's been so long," Luca mumbled, looking out the carriage window.
In his hands, he was absent-mindedly playing with a pen.
Is there some significance to that pen?
Remlend noted how well made it was, with a dark-green marbleized lacquer and what appeared to be a platinum coat.
There must be something to it. Henry had given it to Luca in his dying moments.
Remlend gazed out of the carriage window as well.
Not that it matters. I'm not b...
2022-10-08 21:59:01 +0000 UTC
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"System, how long has it been since Remlend came and said it'll take only an hour?"
I stifled a yawn and gazed out of the carriage. As far as I could see, the repairs were done, the bodies were removed, and the paved road was cleaned.
[ It has been 1 hour and 32 minutes, and 28 seconds. ]
What's the hold up, then?
I propped open the carriage door and stepped out. A faint smell still remained in the air, a remnant of the battle that took place.
"Peep!"
Leona...
2022-10-04 21:59:01 +0000 UTC
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Remlend had worked in the Frey household for two years, one of which he had spent attending to Luca Frey.
In those two years, especially this past year, Remlend surmised the young master to be… an idiot.
Luca Frey constantly pulled stupid pranks, skipped all of his lessons, and only seemed to care about his appearance. However, the most extraordinary part was how blindly ignorant he was of his family's position and dealings. Even the youngest Frey children, Elda and Jarvis, were...
2022-10-01 22:00:11 +0000 UTC
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"Peep!"
I smell something delicious from that box.
Leona fluttered her plump body off Henry's head and onto my shoulder. Her golden eyes gazed at the box in my hands with the yellow ribbon.
"Don't tell me you're still hungry," I said.
No, I am quite full, but I can still appreciate a delicious scent.
"Good. Because this is for someone else."
I wasn't about to let a strawberry pastry go to waste when it could better serve to butter up a cer...
2022-09-27 22:47:01 +0000 UTC
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//Author's Note 1:
Woohoo! I was feeling a bit better and could write ahead.
Here's an extra early chapter release of Ch 40 instead of waiting till Tuesday to celebrate having Alex and LemonTart join as additional Patrons this month! Thank you for your support!! °˖✧◝(^▿^)◜✧˖°
Future chapters will continue their normal release on Tuesday/Saturday.
...
2022-09-25 19:48:47 +0000 UTC
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"Young master, Luca." Remlend smiled at me.
I staggered back and shut the bedroom door in his face out of reflex.
How long has he been standing outside my bedroom? Denise at least knocks. And Jasper simply barges in. But he just waited?
I collected myself and opened the door again after a few moments. "Sorry, I forgot something."
"No need to apologize," Remlend replied. He didn't look the slightest bit fazed and maintained his usual ordinary expression.
There has...
2022-09-24 22:00:04 +0000 UTC
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[ Intelligence : +2 ]
[ Intelligence : 41 ]
I stared into the air at the blue notification screen.
Did something about my conversation with Leona cause the stat to increase?
I frowned.
I thought the System couldn't read my mind? So how did it increase my Intelligence? Or was what I said aloud enough for it to make a judgment?
I glanced down at Leona.
"Peep?"
What is it? You have an odd expression on your face.
"The System is here....
2022-09-20 22:00:05 +0000 UTC
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// Author's Note 1:
Woooo!! I got another Patron! Welcome LemonTart!
There might be an extra early chapter in the foreseeable future in celebration. (~‾⌣‾)~
Four sets of eyes gazed at my head when I entered Father's office. They were all no doubt staring at Leona in the form of a fat, overindulged yellow bird.
My eyes, however, stared above the head of the boy in ...
2022-09-17 21:55:36 +0000 UTC
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The Frey manor was enormous, with more rooms than necessary, given how little hosting our family did.
Denise had led Kathy and me into the Rose Tea Room, which, while it had an excellent view of the rose garden that Jarvis had raised, was very peculiar. However, that wasn't to say that the roses were ordinary themselves.
"I presume your brother grew those as well?" Kathy gazed out the large window, admiring the view.
"He did," I replied.
"They're beautiful," Kathy gush...
2022-09-13 14:13:06 +0000 UTC
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"Ridley, what happened to your eye?" Micah looked up from his paper at the man in his mid-forties that entered his study.
Micah had grown used to Ridley's piercing gray eyes, and to have one of them covered by an eye patch was a surprising sight.
"This happened." Ridley set down a crate with black mana stone-infused walls atop Micah's desk.
"The cat?" Micah furrowed his brows.
"Aye," Ridley said.
Ridley had been in Micah's service for a few years now and...
2022-09-10 22:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Before the Kobar Empire began its expansion, the Daylan Dynasty had been the continent's largest and most feared country. They had expanded into the behemoth that they were in just two generations, first under King Lothair Daylan and then again under his daughter, Queen Yadana Daylan. I didn't recall much of my history lessons, but I knew enough that it was a bloodbath.
Queen Yadana Daylan was in her mid-sixties by this point in time and, luckily for the rest of the continent, had grown...
2022-09-06 22:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Leona watched Luca walk away. She looked up towards Micah and shuddered, seeing his eyelids lower slightly as Luca disappeared, just enough that his green eyes seemed to darken.
His cold gaze slid over her.
“Luca asked that I keep you unhurt. But I can only do that if you remain still on my shoulder and don’t go fluttering away anywhere, is that understood?”
His words sounded more like a threat than anything else to Leona.
She felt her fuzzy body shrink down.
...
2022-09-03 22:03:32 +0000 UTC
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//Author's Note:
Wooo! Here's an extra early chapter because I was so happy to have an additional Patron, Donttouchmyfrog, alongside Undead Writer and Greg. Next chapter will be out on Saturday like usual. (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
I shooed Remlend out of the room after he finished helping me dress in a dark suit, detailed with shimmering black alligator skin.
"Young master Luca, you need to leave soo...
2022-08-31 22:00:05 +0000 UTC
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// Author's Note 1:
What?!? I got another Patron! Welcome Donttouchmyfrog!
In celebration I'll have an extra early release of CH 32, so instead of waiting till Saturday you'll see it up either Wednesday or Thursday (depending on when I finish editing it). Chapter after that will be released as usual on Saturday. ＼(o￣∇￣o)/
I stared down at Leona, sitting amongst the glittering gemstones...
2022-08-30 22:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Leona settled comfortably on my shoulder as a round ball of yellow fluff. She was so light I barely felt her there.
I smiled.
No one would ever imagine this yellow fluff ball to be an actual phoenix.
"Fiona, about Leona—" I realized I had one witness to Leona’s proper form. If this information got out, it would be one severe headache.
"Luca, I assure you, I have seen far stranger things in this household. I'll keep quiet on this matter as well." Fiona waved me off....
2022-08-27 22:54:54 +0000 UTC
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"The whole pot is glowing," I commented.
"It's the heat mana stone! I don't know what that egg did, but it made the mana stone go completely bonkers!" Fiona cried out.
She and I both stood flat against the kitchen wall after having entered. We were both too afraid to get closer, expecting the pot to explode. I even held a chair in front of us like a shield.
We were the only ones here. I had ordered Henry to stand guard outside and prevent anyone from entering.
The pot ...
2022-08-23 22:00:04 +0000 UTC
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"Come in," Micah called out. Henry entered his study.
"Have you something unusual to report for me?" Micah asked. He set his pen down and leaned back in his chair.
Henry typically came by weekly to provide a report on Luca. However, today wasn't the customarily arranged day. Not that today had started out like a typical day either.
Micah had hired Henry to protect his brother, but also so he had a line of sight into how Luca was doing. It was his only way of knowing what his...
2022-08-20 22:11:48 +0000 UTC
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