It wasn’t long after Greta Brugg left. Elias Hunt along with about fifty soldiers arrived at Laufeld. They also had a carriage with them. The amount of men was certainly far more than usual, and it created a commotion where locals gathered to see what was going on. The mayor of Laufeld welcomed them meanwhile, and It wasn’t long before Kamil was summoned.
Once Kamil appeared at the town gate alone, Elias and all guards knelt down at once. He knew what it meant. This was why his real parents couldn’t see him off because, on paper, he was now Lord Edmund Fenchel’s bastard child.
Them coming here with this many soldiers meant that he had been likely legitimized at this point.
He approached Elias and the others, and Elias spoke imposingly.
“Lord Ewald Fenchel, we are here to welcome you back to where you rightfully belong.”
Apparently, he was given a new name as well. It was time to act his part.
“At ease,” Kamil, now Ewald, spoke.
Elias and all guards stood up at once. Town folks were murmuring by the gate.
“Milord, your father awaits.” Having said so, Elias turned sideways to indirectly guide him to the carriage.
Ewald wanted to glance back in case his parents were there to see him off. Alas, he couldn’t dare. This was not the time to get emotional.
Nodding firmly once, he walked toward the carriage and entered. Elias followed in soon after.
“You’ve done well,” Elias remarked once the carriage started to move.
“Ewald is my new name now?”
“Yes, Lord Fenchel insisted that he must name you. By the way, his name is Edmund. Remember that.”
“What is going to happen now?”
“You’ve been officially legitimized. Thus, now, you are Lord Edmund Fenchel’s biological son. With that, lady Icilia has been removed from the succession pool entirely.”
She hasn’t been murdered yet, I see.
“Do I have any say in terms of adoption?” Ewald asked carefully.
Narrowing eyes, Elias fired a glance at him. “Terms of adoption?”
“Do you honestly think I am happy with this? I love my family. I love my parents. I loved my life as a farmer. I wanted nothing from the Fenchel house.”
Elias folded his arms and let out a groan.
“What do you wish for?”
“Must I tell you right now?”
“You should because I can accurately tell which he is going to accept and which he won’t. It’s better to refine your terms before speaking to him directly.”
Ewald, too, folded his arms, letting out a groan.
“Perhaps, you are right,” He conceded.
His terms were -
One, he is to be allowed to return to his family at least twice a year.
Two, while he understands and accepts that he must marry one of his illegitimate daughters, he will choose which one.
Three, he wishes to join the adventurer’s guild in Lux as a side gig under an alias.
Four, Grent of Laufeld will receive financial aid for life.
Five. If possible, promote Grent of Laufeld into nobility even if only in name.
“You drive a hard bargain,” was Elias’ immediate response. He soon added, “He will accept your second condition easily. I have no doubt about that. He will likely accept your fourth as well. I am not certain about one and three. Okay, I can understand the first and fourth. Why the third? Why do you wish to join the adventurer’s guild? And your final condition isn’t going to be accepted.”
“About the third, I will be honest with you, Mr. Hunt. I don’t think I will be able to handle the life of a noble perfectly well. Consider it as a way for me to vent my stress and be what I truly am, a farmer’s boy.”
It was partially a lie. One of the reasons he wanted to act as an adventurer was to conduct his own investigation on how the unification war unfolded. Another reason was that he wanted to see the world on his own.
“About my final condition, I figured as much,” He shrugged. “But I will find a way on my own.”
Elias took a really long breath. “Alright, I can see your third condition working out. And you are willing to drop your fifth?”
“Are you saying that I shouldn’t even mention it?”
Elias nodded and added, “Yes, drop it. You will find loopholes to promote him when you become the lord of the house but not before.”
“You sound as if Lord Fenchel could do it but he won’t.”
“Correct. He won’t do it.”
“Alright, fine, I shall drop the fifth. Anything else?”
“About the fourth, don’t use your father’s name. Use your mother’s. That will increase the chance of being accepted.”
“Hmm, I see. A reasonable take.”
Chances were that Lord Fenchel might not even recognize the name Grent. And, using Lady Vilma who was his own sister, might certainly trigger his sympathy.
“I shall do that. Thank you.”
“Finally, about the first, it’s 50-50. You are going to need an excuse to visit Laufeld that frequently.”
Ewald frowned as he racked his brain for something.
“How about I visit Laufeld to purchase Macomaco tea? I know my father sells them on a monthly basis. I could pick twice a year to be the purchaser instead.”
“That... is not actually a bad idea at all. I don’t see any issue with it.”
Elias chuckled at this point.
“For a moment, it didn’t feel like I was talking to a 7 year-old child. It felt like I was talking to an adult,” He remarked. “You do share a lot of similarities with Lord Fenchel.”
“How so?”
“In spite of all of his flaws, he does listen to his retainers and is willing to adjust when the majority of his retainers are against his ideas. You’ve done the same here. You listened to me and promptly adjusted your terms according to my advice. That ability is pretty rare among nobles. I don’t think it’s entirely a mere coincidence that you two share the same quality.”
To Elias, he supported Ewald for his quality instead of gender. Quality wise, he was clearly, objectively, superior to Icilia. If she had shown any quality, he might have taken some pity over her situation and may have done something to spare her even.
“There is something else I wish to ask you, Mr. Hunt.”
“Do go on.”
“Can you tell me anything about the five illegitimate daughters?”
“Ah, them. I don’t know much because I have rarely met them. What I do know is that they love Macomaco tea.”
Ewald chucked. They loved it so much that even Elias, who seemed to be a high ranking retainer within the Fenchel wasn’t able to get a hold of it.
“The oldest one is eight. The youngest is three. I believe...” Elias trailed off into thoughts. “Their ages are eight, seven, five, four, three.”
“So, the three eldest daughters will be candidates.”
“If Lord Fenchel agrees with your condition, yes, you will choose from those three. I honestly do not know what they are like. I don’t know their names even. My apologies.”
Then a mischievous grin emerged on Ewald’s face.
“By the way, Mr. Hunt, have Miss. Brugg accepted Mr. Harder’s proposal?”
Elias looked surprised. “Greta told you about that?”
“She did. I think she got so embarrassed that she ran away when she was proposed.”
“An interesting take on her behaviour. You may be right. And, yes, she has accepted his proposal. They are now engaged.”
Mr. Harder, you are one lucky dude.
“I am glad to hear that.”
“I am glad more for Greta than Noah,” Elias said. “Greta is the fifth child of the Brugg house. Her family wasn’t going out of their way to find her a good husband. I trust Noah’s quality and decency, so she has got herself a good man.”
“Are you married, sir?”
There was a momentary pause in Elias’ reaction.
“I once had a wife,” He eventually told Ewald. “It was about 15 years ago. There was a pandemic. She succumbed to disease during. It was before you were born.”
True, if it was Eward. He knew it well, though, since Tom’s parents also succumbed to the same disease probably.
“I never remarried, and we didn’t have any children. I’ve devoted my life to the Fenchel house since.”
That explained his full commitment to Edmund Fenchel. His well being was his well being.
Exchanging no further words, Ewald stared vacantly out to the window nearby him. Eventually, his eyelids felt heavy, and he shut his eyes.
Upon arrival at Lux Fenchel manor, Ewald could see guards all tensed up. They formed a pair of long lines along the road leading to the manor. It looked like they had undergone rehearsals on how they were going to act.
“Is this that big of an event?” He wondered aloud.
Stolen story; please report.
“Well, the general consensus is that you may be angry to have been overlooked and that Lord Fenchel is trying to butter you up.”
“My condolences to the guards.”
Elias grinned at his remark.
As the carriage made its way into the front garden, guards rose and receded their halberds like a sea wave. It wouldn’t have been easy to have them trained like this.
At the end of the road, there was Lord Edmund Fenchel flanked by Noah Harder and several maids. Once the carriage stopped, Elias opened the door. At the cue, Ewald walked down the carriage.
“My son Ewald!” Edmund opened his arms with a bright smile on his face. The dude was putting up some act. As he hugged Ewald, he patted his back repeatedly. He had some tears in his eyes.
“I am sorry to have neglected you for so many years. Have no fear however! Your enemy is gone now.”
He figured that Edmund was talking about Lady Fenchel. He played along and even went as far as acting like sobbing by wiping eyes off with his sleeve. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, they were in Edmund’s study after a while. Only Edmund, Ewald, and Elias were present.
“Phew,” The three let out long sighs.
“You played along well,” Edmund remarked.
“Thank you.”
Edmund sat down while Ewald stood a few meters from his desk. Elias stood aside nearby Edmund. Crossing his fingers, he calmly asked Ewald.
“I am sure that you have your terms, speak.”
Ewald wasn’t sure whether Elias informed him about the talk in the carriage. But, as far as he could tell, there was no time for Elias to have been able to inform him, meaning Edmund was well aware of Ewald’s feelings toward his adoption.
Nothing was free after all.
“I’d like to be able to visit Laufeld thrice a year in the name of Macomaco tea purchase. That is my first condition.”
Edmund let out a groan. “Once a year,” He countered, to which Ewald countered right back. “Twice.”
Edmund replied curtly, “Fine, next.”
Elias had a subtle grin on his face. Ewald knew Edmund would attempt to negotiate. Thus, he said thrice to make it twice in the end.
“Secondly, I’d like you to support Lady Vilma in Laufeld for life. I am not asking much. You could do this easily by slightly overpaying for Macomaco tea monthly.”
This time, Edmund did not show any objection and granted his request with ease. Elias felt this was another good attempt from Ewald. Not only did he propose a condition, he did it with a reasonable solution included. If every negotiation went like this, there would be no need for diplomats.
“Next,” Edmund said curtly.
“Thirdly, I would like to join the adventurer’s guild in Lux as a side gig under an alias, Kamil.”
“Elaborate. Why.”
“It will be a way for me to get away from the environment once in a while. Father, I was not raised in nobility. Please allow me some breaks for me to be able to adapt with less stress. This should also be a good way for me to gain real world combat experience.”
Edmund narrowed his eyes and took a while to answer.
“Very well. However, you must go with someone I appoint. He or she will watch your back and send regular reports to me whenever you are out adventuring.”
“Very well, I accept.”
“Good, is that all?”
“There is one final condition.”
Edmund seemed a little surprised that there was more.
“Alright, do go on.”
“I understand I am to marry one of your illegitimate daughters. Allow me to pick whom.”
“Hmm,” Edmund let out a groan and added, “The situation is complicated. I was going to let you choose though.”
He explained further that two of his oldest illegitimate daughters were known.
“The world knows that they are my daughters, meaning I cannot let you marry them. It will be a sibling marriage on paper after all.”
The three other illegitimate daughters were, however, not known. Thus, it was possible to manipulate their status.
“You may choose from the younger three. Once you choose one, she will be adopted by Lady Vilma and then, when she is old enough, she will marry you.”
Ewald had three women to choose from basically who, at the moment, were five, four, and three years old. The issue with this was due to the fact that it would be very hard to distinguish one’s quality and personality at such a young age.
“Whoever you choose, her mother will gain a status upgrade. In fact, I shall officially marry her mother,” He explained further.
Ewald sighed. “It is not going to be easy to choose one right now. Must I do so now?”
“Hmm, indeed. They are simply too young. Not many children are mature like you, my dear son. You are a rare gem indeed. However, I cannot give you too long. Their fates must be decided before they become too old after all.”
What Edmund was saying is education. If one of them was going to be chosen to be Ewald’s wife, proper education must be taught. The older one got, the harder it was to drill etiquette and such.
He certainly had a point.
“Two years, I will decide in two years.”
“Fair enough. Granted.”
“Are they living in the manor?”
“No, they are living in a separate manor on the other side of the city in a merchant district. Their living standards are different as it's lower than here. It’s my understanding that people view them as daughters of some rich merchant.”
Ewald had to admit that he was fairly thorough. He had thought of a scenario like this when he got his third daughter probably and was preparing for a moment like this. He got goosebumps all over his body.
It was time for his final question.
“Is the former Lady Fenchel taken care of completely?” He inquired carefully.
“She made it easy. Whether that was her intention, I do not know.”
Edmund let out a chuckle while waving away dismissively.
“The mere fact that she fled the manor even before I issued an arrest and that she did not take her daughter with her made it all too easy to force a divorce.”
It was apparently extremely rare for a noble couple to get a divorce. It was especially rarer for a noble couple that had been married over a decade. That was because the woman in question would become damaged goods once she lost her virginity and even bore a child. Therefore, the woman would do whatever options were available to her in order to avoid getting divorced.
However, her escape from the Fenchel manor was seen as an admission of guilt. The situation was so one-sided that the Mesurii begged the Fenchel not to officially bring the matter to the king. Essentially, the Mesurii was asking the matter to be swept under the rug. They agreed to the divorce but asked to keep the marriage on the surface going on as long as possible. On the surface, Lady Fenchel went home to recover from an illness.
“By the time I remarry the mother of whoever you choose, she will be gone. How she will be gone is no longer in my hands. She is not here after all.”
The way nobles do things are fucking scary.
“I see,” Ewald calmly replied. “That is all, father.”
“Good.” He grinned brightly. “I now can sleep better at night knowing that the future is secure for the Fenchel house.”
He clicked his fingers, and Noah Harder entered the study.
“Harder, take my son to his quarters.”
“Yes, sir.”
Bowing at once, he approached Ewald.
“Milord, please come with me.”
Once Ewald left the study, Edmund asked Elias immediately.
“Did you talk to him about the conditions?”
“Yes, milord. He reinforced them brilliantly in fact.”
“What condition did you make him dismiss if there was any?”
“He wished to make his father a noble, sir.”
Edmund folded his arms.
“He is a good son. I wish I could make his father a noble. But that is not something I am willing to do.”
“He has his priorities straight, milord.”
“Indeed. Prepare for a party. It is time to introduce him to the nobility as the crown heir of the Fenchel.”
“Yes, milord.”
Holy God of Life, this room is huge.
Ewald was astonished to have been led to a room that was at least twice larger than Edmund’s own study. It was so spacious that it had its own section for a bathroom and a dining room.
About three maids were waiting in the room and bowed deeply as soon as he and Noah entered.
“This is Lord Ewald Fenchel who I am sure you know already. Treat him with utmost respect,” Noah declared.
“Of course, Lord Harder.” They replied all at once.
“Milord, we shall meet tomorrow morning for practice.”
“Understood.”
Affirming, he left the room at once.
Ewald internally sighed. He wanted to sigh but had to keep an act.
“It is nice to meet you all,” He said to the maids who, once again, bowed deeply. They all seemed to be young, likely in late teens or early 20s.
The first act they did was measuring Ewald’s body in order to tailor his wardrobe. Once that was done, he was taken to the bath. They were going as far as taking his clothes off for him at which point he put a hard stop.
“I am old enough to take a bath on my own. You will stay out.”
It was actually his first time taking a bath but, well, whatever. He was given a bath robe after the bath. Then dinner arrived which included dishes he had never seen. When he was at the manor last time, all he was given was soup and stews. Alas, he just had to play along as if he knew what he was doing.
Once dinner was over, the maids brought in a scroll and books.
“The scroll is the current family tree of the Fenchel house,” She pointed out. “The books are just novels. We don’t know whether you’d like the stories. Tomorrow, we will guide you to the library.”
He missed his former life as a farmer already. He missed adorable Faro and Taro. He missed the beautiful and kind mother of his, Vilma. He didn’t miss his father, Grent, though.
The first day at the manor was, simply put, dull.
The next morning, the maids brought in breakfast. Again, he had no idea what he was eating. Then he headed to the training around where he met Noah. He was with Greta. They were conversing casually when he entered the ground at which point Noah threw a casual greeting.
“Little master, good morning.
“Good morning.” Then Ewald’s eyes went wide because Greta was wearing a dress and she looked damn good in it. “Miss. Brugg, good morning. Or should I call you Mrs. Harder now?”
Greta blushed upon hearing that. “It’s still Miss. Brugg,” She responded timidly.
“Little master, let us spar,” Noah declared. “I am prepared today.”
Indeed he was. He was wearing plate armour. Thankfully, Ewald himself had improved as a swordsman as well although most of his self-practice went into archery.
“Sir. Harder, I consider myself more of an archer than a warrior.”
“You are?” Noah blinked his eyes. “Oh, right, indeed. You did hit bullseye before. Still, let us spar. Practicing melee is important in case of emergency.”
True indeed. Thus, Ewald got into his stance and drew out his short sword, and so did Noah.
“Come!” He shouted.
This time, Ewald did dash toward him. Their swords clashed, and Ewald pulled the same trick as before.
“Nope!” Noah responded by backing off a few steps and maintaining his balance.
Ewald beamed a grin. He’d be a fool to fall for the same trick indeed. But then he was wearing heavy armour on this occasion.
Using ability as his weapon, Ewald circled around him swiftly, swinging and hitting his sword on various spots on Noah. None of the hits did any meaningful damage due to his plate armour, but it was clear how the fight was going because Noah couldn’t even land a hit and kept on missing.
“Damn the armour!” Noah cursed. Eventually, Greta put a stop to it.
“That’s enough!” She exclaimed. “If this was a real battle, you would have lost, Sir. Harder.”
Slumping shoulders, Noah agreed as he lifted off his helmet.
“Little master, you are good. Have I fallen for your trick again by equipping a plate armour?”
“You have,” Ewald responded with a giggle. “I would have stood little chances if you donned a half plate.”
“Hah!” Noah laughed pleasantly. He didn’t seem to mind the loss. “You will be a fearsome opponent once you grow up, little master.”
Once the practice was over, they had chit chat at which point Ewald felt it was the right moment to ask something that had been bothering him ever since he arrived here.
“You don’t know what you are eating?” Noah repeated his question.
“Yes, what’s the brown thingy that I ate?”
“The brown thingy?” Greta repeated after him. She, then, punched her fist into her palm. “You mean bread? You don’t know what bread is?!”
Noah’s jaw dropped, unable to speak.
In his former life as Tom, the hunter, he never ate bread in his entire life. Bronn was a mountain village, and there weren't simply any lands to produce wheat or even rice. All they grew was some vegetables to go with the meat. Normally, he consumed either some soup, or stew with pieces of veggies and meats, or just straight roasted meats.
As Kamil in Laufeld, he never ate bread, either. Laufeld did farm wheat, but all produce went straight to the Fenchel house. He usually consumed veggie salads, soup, and veggie stews. Meat was a rare sight in Grent’s household. The only time he saw any red meat was when his mother was pregnant. It was the only time Grent went out of his way to purchase meat.
Greta explained what bread was.
“It’s from wheat flour. I do believe Laufeld farms wheat. I didn’t think they were selling their entire produce to the Fenchel , however...” She trailed off with a slight frown, realizing what commoners had to go through. “Once wheat is in flour form, bakers do their basics, and a loaf of bread is born.”
Noah was still in shock although his jaw was now closed.
“Okay, I think I get it now. And what’s the yellow stuff and white water?”
Noah’s jaw dropped again, this time probably never to be seen.
Greta cutely put her index finger on her chin, tilting her head in slight confusion.
“Oh! You probably mean butter and milk.”
She took her time explaining what they were, telling him that it was basically a product from an animal called a cow.
“Thank you, Miss. Brugg. I have one more to ask.”
Noah became pale, deeply fearing what he was about to ask.
“What’s the white circular thing with some yellow stuff in the middle?”
Noah collapsed to his knees. Ewald was talking about eggs.
“Wow....,” Greta uttered in shock as well. What they had been eating on a daily basis wasn’t so for commoners apparently.
It took a long time for Noah to recover. It was a culture shock to him. He had been consuming bread, eggs, and milk for his entire life. Upon the realization that what he had for granted was something of a luxury shook him to his very core. Greta took it better although her sad eyes indicated that she, too, was feeling what Noah was feeling.
“Little master, eat well and grow stronger,” was what Noah told Ewald eventually in the end before leaving.
Ewald didn’t honestly feel that his diet had been that bad. Okay, it wasn’t great but it wasn’t the worst, either. The bottom line was that he did not starve. That’s what mattered for commoners.
It was at this moment that he swore to bring bread and meat whenever he’d visit his family in Laufeld.