Chapter 13: Don't Worry, My Ship Will Never Capsize
Chapter 13: Don’t Worry, My Ship Will Never Capsize
Father will be back tomorrow? So fast?
Roel was surprised because he didn’t think that Marquess Carter would get a break all of a sudden. He subconsciously stroked his lower jaw contemplatively, seemingly emulating the gestures of old scholars in the Country of Scholars, Brolne.
Amused by the sight of an elderly gesture on the little boy, the watching servants couldn’t help but chuckle a little.
For Marquess Carter, a noble of the Saint Mesit Theocracy, the concept of fixed workdays didn’t exist. Who could possibly force someone of his standing to work? That being said, as the Chief Magician of the Holy Knight Order, Marquess Carter could be considered a military man, and he was responsible for researching new spells and training his subordinates.
The key behind the continued prosperity of the Ascart House lay in its deep-rooted connections with the military. The presence of talented magicians in its lineage allowed its influence to permeate the military. In fact, if one were to trace a few generations up the lineage, there were even some from the Ascart House who had risen to the very top of the military.
As such, Marquess Carter often spent his time with the knights, choosing to entrust the management of the fiefdom to the officials under him. He would only return for three to five days per month to conduct a routine inspection and hold meetings to set a direction for the fiefdom’s development.
Needless to say, this was also the reason why Roel grew up without any family members, and Marquess Carter felt deeply guilty about it.
Roel did a quick calculation, it had only been half a month since his father last departed. It was peculiar that he was returning so quickly and for him to bring a guest back with him too…
One should know that those qualified to become guests of the Ascart House were no minor figures. At the very least, they had to be a noble of at least viscount rank for Marquess Carter to take the trouble to inform the mansion in advance. His underlying meaning was ‘It’s a VIP, so prepare yourselves!’.
Roel couldn’t help but wonder just who it could be.
He earnestly thought about it for a while, and in the end… he decided to dig into his dinner instead.
It couldn’t be helped that there were only so many people he knew! Rather than let his mind wander aimlessly, he might as well do something useful like filling his belly and earning some Affection Points!
“Come, Alicia. Ahhh——”
“Glomp!”
“What a good girl. How does it taste? I told the chef to add a little more sugar, so it shouldn’t be too sour this time.”
“Mm, it tastes much better than before. Thank you, big brother Roel.”
Alicia raised her head up and revealed a sweet smile. Her sparkling ruby eyes looked as if the rays of the morning sun were concealed within their depths, tempting others to gaze within.
Ahhhhh! How adorable! I’m really going to die from this one day!
Roel had to give his all to resist the urge to rush forward and give this adorable little sister a tight hug. With effort, he kept his composure, picked up a napkin, and gently wiped away sauce that had gotten on the corners of Alicia’s mouth. The little girl’s eyes narrowed on touch, reminiscent of a little cat being spoiled by its owner.
This job should have been done by the servants, but the servants were not people who didn’t know how to read the mood. They chose to stay put in their position and watch the interactions of the little duo with slight smiles… though Anna’s gleaming eyes were a little hard to bear.
Such sweetness for my eyes to feast on everyday!
Over the past month, Alicia’s standing in the Ascart House had risen swiftly. From an adopted daughter from a baron house, she was now viewed by the servants as the future matriarch of the Ascart House.
The interactions between Roel and Alicia did play a huge part in that, but the decisive factor was actually the unintentional result of that conversation between Roel and Marquess Carter.
That heart-to-heart talk between father and son had not only allowed Roel to achieve his motive, it had also brought about some unintended side effects, including a change in how his father treated Alicia.
After learning that his ‘using-another-similar-aged-child-to-guide-my-wayward-son-back-to-the-proper-path’ stratagem was a resounding success, Marquess Carter was deeply thankful to Alicia. He began doting on her all the more. While it was his gratitude that motivated this change in behavior, it was taken very differently by the servants of the house.
The old master indeed favors Alicia! He’s intending to have the young master wed her in order to ensure the continuance of the Ascart lineage!
Such rumors had already spread far and wide within the manor, and Roel’s actions only served to affirm it. The ‘Roel X Alicia Ship’ had been expanding at an astonishing pace, providing a massive source of Affection Points for Roel.
On the one hand, the sweet childhood tale of romance between those two highly attractive individuals proved to be extremely popular amongst the slightly older maids, and on the other, any servant would prefer someone whom they had known from a young age to become the future matriarch of the Ascart House, rather than take their chances with an unknown stranger from elsewhere.
Well done, young master! Snatch Miss Alicia’s heart over with your charms, and our Ascart House will be set for the future!
Anna clasped her fists tightly before her chest as she cheered for Roel inside her heart.
Roel’s train of thoughts, however, was completely different from hers.
It was simply too much to think that a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old would really understand what romantic love was. Even Roel, a past adult, had no feelings toward boy-girl relationships at the moment due to his undeveloped body. He only doted on Alicia because he thought that the latter was simply too cute; she was the chicken soup that healed his exhausted soul.
After feeding Alicia, Roel also quickly cleared his food too. Since the two of them weren’t able to spend time together earlier in the day, they decided to make up for it after dinner. Marquess Carter wasn’t around at the moment. With no one to keep them on schedule, they could stay up as long as they liked!
That being said, their young bodies still tired out very quickly. By the time the clock struck eight, Roel and Alicia had already retired to their rooms.
But here came the question—what did Roel and Alicia do together in the period of time after their dinner and before their bedtime?
Due to the exorbitant price of nighttime illumination, most commoners would simply opt to have a relaxing cup of tea or a conversation with their loved ones before heading off to bed. As for whether there would be any additional activities in the bed, that would be up to the individual.
But for nobles, their nighttime activities were far more extensive than that. Since money wasn’t a problem, there were many things that they could do, such as playing chess or reading books. Those who embraced their artistic side might opt to dance or play some music. When there were more people around, they might even choose to hold a ‘moon-gazing party’.
Alicia and Roel would usually spend their time together chatting or reading books, but due to their prior conversation about their studies, inevitably, the topic headed that direction.
“Big brother Roel, I’m having trouble solving this problem. Can you teach me?”
The moment Alicia took out her assignment and consulted Roel, the room suddenly plunged into an unnatural silence. The servants, who were still cheering for Roel a moment ago, suddenly froze on the spot. Even the professional Anna was caught off guard and failed to conceal her shock in time.
Is there where it all comes crashing down?
Anna, as Roel’s personal maid, knew about his current progress with his studies better than anyone else. Given that Roel was lagging behind Alicia at the moment, how could he possibly solve the latter’s problem?
In the face of this crisis, Anna stood forward and interjected.
“Miss, our young master had a busy day supervising the taxation process, so I fear that…”
“No, it’s fine.”
To the horror of the servants, Roel rejected Anna’s timely assistance. He elegantly snapped-up Alicia’s assignment before looking at the latter with a confident smile.
“Which part are you having trouble with? I’ll teach you.”