Trace woke up from the bed and his eyes moved to each part of the room scanning with scrutiny. His eyes with the dark glimmer stared at the man dressed as butler and the maid holding the food tray in her hand. He nodded to the butler who took it as the sign for bringing over the food and guided the maid to do so. He sat up on the bed with the back of the bed as support and feeling the smell of the wonderful food ate it with proper manners. His every action was as if that of thoroughly monitored by him as if his every action and every part of it henceforth to infinity should hold grace and is of the utmost importance.

Trace thought about the days of his past life, how he was a famous king of magic in the Plagaria continent and ruled wonderfully. Sadly he died. The previous owner of the body was a light hearted sissy. Trace almost wanted to kill him when he thought about having to have a particular past of that sissy. Men should be when. No even women should be men. What he meant was strength is supreme. At least since the parents of his current identity died, he can be just himself. He liked being cold and strong, like the world works, someone's loss is other's gain.

Trace finished his food and stared at the butler with a slight gaze at the maid. He spoke to the butler, "Bring in commander John inside. Tell him i prefer him to be quick."

The Butler named Lancel who looked to be the same age as trace bowed and left through the door. The maid named Sicily was astonished to hear the cold and dignified voice of her young master. Her young master always weak willed and rarely voiced any suggestions. The act of Trace giving the order was nothing more than astonishment to the young girl and was easily visible on her face.

Neither the complete obedience of the butler nor the emotions on the face of the maid mattered to the new duke. Trace remembered the rule type power he had been granted with and was slightly happy. The power named "extreme autonomous currency".

The power was that every moment with a second as his self observation of the world's time taken as the unit, every moment the limit of his account increases by 10 times with his base being 1 gold coin.  The limit is improved implying that the every moment he can withdraw that amount unlimited times. The power was called autonomous as the money itself was of no use and it could edit world or reality itself or change the precepts of beings through the power of normality so as to have the exact as such currency as he withdraws in any form of representation of currency be it virtual or real. The most important factor is that he can use it for direct exchange if resources in supposed and hypothetical manner even beyond the times. He could theoretically use a million gold coins and exchange it for a properly crafted magical sword by the best craftsman in the world which would indeed have cost that much but where in case he was not in the position to obtain it even in relation to the fact of his explicit interest for that supposed currency exchange. He could get any resources that can be acquired through money even human labor unlimited times.

Trace smiled. His infatuation with money in the previous life was nothing more than an acquired one  to hold on to his idea of power. Now he just wanted to rest. he did not care about any of the so called protagonists or the heroines. He just wanted to be happy. He got up from the bed and walked towards the mirror. He wanted to change his attire to a proper one but before he could fulfill the wish a knight and butler came in. The knight kneeled as soon as he saw Trace and spoke in a rough voice, "My lord, i am at your service."

Trace moved from the mirror in the room and walked in a calm and steady manner to the chair and sat down. He looked at the knight in the eyes,

"James, what I want is not for you to be in service to me. Your ancestors had sworn fealty to my ancestors and so had you to my father. I do not seems to see any reason for you not to swear your fealty to me."

Slight pressure was released centered around trace. This magic was one of the things he brought from his previous life or more so from his memory. The body though was a little sissy type still carried the bloodline of the ancient family Revarie. The effect of the magic was visible as the armor on the knight began to vibrate. The control over his power was precisely done such that nothing else in the room had pressure over it except maybe the man wearing the armor himself.

John stared into the deep eyes of the lord he had pledged to serve. The thought of disloyalty had never arisen in his mind nor did he have any slightest hesitation in serving the lord. His heart ached at how his lord acted from the king boy before, had the accident to his family done such damage to  his fragile mind that he became some cold hearted. But regardless he was happy to see the boy he once protected grow up. He, with determination spoke his words clearly,

"I John Lionheart, the knight and patriarch of the house Lionheart, swear my absolute fealty to lord Trace Markum asa Revarie and to his house and his descendants. I shall slay whoever shall be pointed to me by my lord and shall slay whoever points against my lord. I shall walk into the end of the world wherein lied eternal darkness until life parts along with my breath."

Trace smiled and stood up. Walking towards the knight he patted the shoulders of the man who had taken an oath to him. Trace said with a serious face,

"I lord Revarie, accept your fealty on my honor and the honor of the house."

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Trace went and sat on his chair while the butler and the knight stood by his side.

"Young master, the insignia of the position of the duke was with the previous lord when he left and some of the lords sworn to the house may take that as the case for trouble. " Lancel spoke.

"Not to worry Lancel, the insignia is with me. I had been entrusted both the insignia of the house and that of the dukedom before my family left for the state banquet."

Trace immediately used his powers and exchanged the currency for as such of how much money it would have taken in order to find the information of the insignia and then to find and get it by paying mercenaries secretly. With just twelve million he had the insignia placed in his private drawers with his power and the currency never got reduced. Suddenly he thought of the problem with information. He spent another huge amount of money just to get the information related to the present things.

"The Countess of the Ross and the Marquis of Eleanor are both united in a front with the claim for the compensation needs to be given to them on the fact that their family members were dead on the trip the Revarie family had the responsibility of taking care of. " Lancel said..

"Lancel make sure to remind me to sign  a letter to both of their families for their wonderful idea of having to shirk the responsibility of their involvement in the assassination of the previous Duke of Revarie. Sign it as from me, the duke."

Sicily slightly gasped and when the attention of the men in the room were pad to her she slightly blushed and lowered her head. Yet after facing the embarrassment of the council, she spoke with sincerity.

"My lord, we should declare war on them. If they had a hand in the death of the mistress they should be slaughtered and their families erased."

Trace smiled slightly and said "But they were not involved in the ploy of demise of my parents and siblings. I am just using some political leverage here against them and all potential rats trying to jump out in front of the big pie by showing some madness and grief of a powerful person." Seeing the disgruntled faces of his servants and vassals he added, "I will look into the matter of the assassination. I will make anybody no matter who pay the price of their actions. But be it known you all, if any of my reasons or decisions or actions unless specified by me myself is spread outside, be ready to face the full wrath of myself."

Lancel and John did not have much difference as it was to expected from the servants of a lord so was there not extra reaction from Sicily. Lancel sighed and spoke, "You cannot claim to be the duke of the dukedom without the approval of the or the Royal council."

Trace smiled and said, "For how long was i bedridden since that incident."

Lancel spoke, "A month my lord."

Trace smiled and said, "The loss of the leader of a dukedom or the result death of the patriarch of one of the ancient families needs a call in from the royal family which had not been done. I now have the full authority to claim independence from the state and declare sovereignty."

John faced showed horror and spoke, "but that will plunge the realm into war and neither side will ever have peace nor prosperity for centuries."

Trace stared at John who then shut up and stood there silently. The silence permeating in the room was heavy for the beings standing but the man sitting there just smiled.

"I did not claim sovereignty of the dukedom but have claimed the dukedom. Since even with the presence of the great magic, until and unless of which is absent can only the royal family not come to claim the governance direction rights from the duke even after a month. I having claimed the dukedom had become independent from the King still being the part of the kingdom. The only thing they can do is either directly offer me a marriage or to offer position in the council. "

John smiled slightly. Lancel interjected, "It was right of you my lord, the royals were encroaching on the dukedom and the absence of your claim could have given the royal family or other ancient families chance to claim the dukedom or part of it. "

"Not happening under my presence Lancel. Lancel, prepare the letters neccessary and also be ready with a banquet for the next week. Also send the invitations. Use the messaging feature of the tele-lines ".

Lancel bowed slightly, "yes my lord".

"John, send two thousand men ranger battalion each towards our esteemed vassals the Countess and the Marquis. Also have some military movement showing we are ready for the battle."

"Should we not be ready for the battle my lord" John asked.

"The claim of the ancient families comes from magic and bloodlines. Our powers are high enough to outmatch any armies. The royal family nor the ancient families will dare to declare war with me as a fully thriving patriarch. As for others, those ants can be stepped on any time. What i need now is some display?"

"Yes lord, but if others know these things it becomes unnecessary to do the act."

John spoke to Sicily, "Be Silent Sicily. Appearances has to be kept for the sake of appearances. The family draws its strength from the lakes, the sea is formed from the lakes. A slight loss of profit can cause huge loss in long run."

"Well said John,, now you and Lancel go and do as i say."

They both bowed and left leaving Trace alone with Sicily. Trace walked to the dressing room and walked out with proper dress. He smiled and walked over to the balcony and stared into the outside of his realm. Sicily came over to his side, surprised by his unseen dress, "Master, where is this dress from. Is it from your fiancée Rosaline. I never saw Madam weaving this."

Trace smiled and said, "I made it with my instant magic Sicily. The design is what I thought of."

"Master was always good at magic. Master was always better than the professors of the royal college. Master..."

"Sicily, be a good maid and get me some orange juice."

"But there are not any oranges in the house."

"Then fly to the market and get some"

"Matriarch never allowed food from outer sources."

"Then get some from the personal farm."

"But master i do not have much mana to fly such large distances."

"Sicily, go and inform Lancel,. If you are still like this in the future i may need to change your position."

Sicily had some tears welling up in her eye. Her emerald eyes had a slight lackluster but she nodded and then bowed before leaving in search of Lancel to complete the task she received. Trace after seeing he was along used his power to summon a glass of orange juice and drank it looking farther away. He had a new agenda to fulfill now after all. He had a fiancée and her whole family to be slaughtered and erased.