52 The Lord of Evergreen (1/2)
The ancient forest shuddered under the brilliance of the sun as it came up from beneath the horizon. Glistening drops of dew infused with Anima formed on the leaves of the trees, giving them a fantastical, otherworld appearance. A view from afar who saw the forest would see a resplendent aura, a transient halo of glittering beauty for a moment.
Eventually, the sun would rise and the dewdrops would evaporate and so too, would the breathtaking sight until the next day came.
A certain boy had grown accustomed to the morning sight and relished the magnificence of nature. He had never been fortunate enough to witness such a thing in his previous word.
In his world, he was usually awoken by the bitter arguments that his next-door neighbors would have. The first thing he'd usually hear was, ”You don't like my cooking?!! Why don't you have that whore of yours cook for you then!!” and the crisp sound of shattering glass.
These days, things were different. A young maid walked into a lofty bedroom that looked far too big for anyone to inhabit. It was excessively large even for a master bedroom, as if the architect wanted this room to be for giants. She secretly found it amusing that it had become the bedroom of her new master, a young boy who was no older than her.
She wondered how he had come into possession of the Evergreen Estate, her original master's property. It was one of the Kingscrown family gems, a secret manor that had been built during the Unification Era as a hideaway for the royal family. Located in a highly guarded area of the Eternal Forest, the manor sat next to a serene lake that possessed a unique ability to ward off monsters in the area.
It was a place far removed from the evil claws of monsters, the scheming aristocracy, and misery. A small slice of heaven on earth that few would ever know about. And now… it belonged to someone she'd never heard about.
I still can't believe that Lady Violett willingly gave him the Evergreen Estate as a graduation present. Not only that but a noble title, too!
He had been bestowed the rank of a Lord and the personal title of Evergreen. Henceforth, he would be referred to as Lord Evergreen of the Eternal Forest. But astonishingly, the boy despised it and hated the title to the bone, to the point he even asked the manor's staff to refer to him by his name, of all things!!
Mira sighed. It looked like her life was about to get harder now with her new master. She quietly strolled over to the other side of the massive bedroom and approached the gigantic bed like a specter, her footsteps quieter than her master's gentle breathing.
The new mistress of the house was an oddball, for sure. She had never spoken to anyone other than the master since they'd arrived several months ago. The way she ignored anyone other than the master was extremely peculiar, even for some like Mira who'd served many nobles in her lifetime.
It was as if she did not register anyone other than the master as a living being. She cared for everyone else as much as she'd care for a blade of grass or a pebble on the road. As if everything else was just a thing — an object or decoration. It was a type of cold indifference that she'd never seen in her life.
It wasn't spiteful or malicious, it was… she possessed a completely different mindset than everyone else. It wasn't normal in the slightest.
”...…” Mira gazed at the sleeping pair and wondered where these oddballs had come from. They did not belong. They were different.
”…Master Reed, it's time to wake up,” said Mira as she lightly shook her master.
Reed groaned in protest but after enough prodding, he finally opened his eyes and woke up. He let out a long yawn and said, ”Mira, what time is it?
”It's half-past ten, Master Reed. Please make your way to the dining hall for breakfast when you are ready, milord. The Beauford, Tilato, Roseheart families have sent invita—”
”Mira, you already know what I'm about to say, right? Let's not repeat ourselves anymore, okay?” said Reed.