=== Chapter 04: Dinner ===
After styling himself, walk out of his room and was greeted by one of the maids of the castle who escort him to the dining room where his family already waiting for him.
As he enters the dining room, Wulf look at the seat of honour that his father supposed to occupy, but after his death 5 years ago, weeks before he himself fall into coma, the seat have been vacant since then.
Wulf saw his mother and sisters already seated and are happily conversing with one another about their days, when the three finally realize Wulf presence Maeve Beautifully smile and greet Wulf to sit.
“Wulf! You arrive~ it good that you are healthy enough to eat with us, come now, take a sit the food will shortly be serve~”
Maeve Vou Eisenerz, this beautiful mother of three have age gracefully, though she already enters her forties she didn’t look pass her thirties.
Maeve has a wavy long black hair and blue eyes, a characteristic of the Germia People, her motherly aura calms the turbulent hearth every time one saw her.
As for Maeve figure, after she gives birth to three children the remaining baby fat on her waist enhance her mature charm, beside that her figure is like those of the sand hourglass, prefect in all the right spot.
Though her beauty is fame among the noble society of the Trias Kingdom and even the Gaiser Empire, her true worth lay in her ability to lead and manage the house internal and external affair, she has been leading the Eisenerz house internal affair even since before her husband death.
Sitting beside her is blanche the youngest daughter of the Eisenerz house and the doted princess of the house, she is fifteen years old, she inherits most of Maeve characteristic such as wavy black hair but hers are shorter only reaching her shoulder, blue sapphire eyes.
Listening to Maeve word Wulf sat at the dining table with the rest of the family.
He sat across Maeve while beside her is blanche and beside him are Blair.
These two sisters of Wulf have a beauty matching that of their mother, Blanche is just a mini version of Maeve with shorter hair and the same Sapphire eyes, though no doubt she will grow up as voluptuous as her mother for now she still in the growing phase having a petite body and a modest bust for her age.
As for Blair, she can be said as a splitting image of Maeve in her twenties, her hair, figure and bust, the only thing different is that Blair is has heterochromia with one her left eyes being sapphire blue and her right eyes being Ruby red.
Typical medieval world Blair faces many persecutions from other kids especially girls who envy her beauty, but with the Eisenerz statues in the past and the love she receives from the family and servant she didn’t develop any self-deprecation or insecurities and was brought up as a kind and smart woman.
She helps Maeve run the household on her father absent leading her to be the second in command of the house.
Now that Wulf is seated Blair could clearly the change happening to her little brother
The family notice Wulf change of appearance.
“Wulf! You look different? You look healthier!”
As soon as Blair said this Maeve and blanche also finally noticed and exclaim
“Big brother also looks more handsome than he already does!”
“Dear, your hairs! Did it always have that reddish colour tips?”
The three women start interrogating him, but Wulf just fakes ignorance and say he himself didn’t know, that he already like this when he woke up or that because of the castle bad lighting the three just noticed now.
Fortunately for him his family are very trusting in him and with the food arrival the three stop their interrogation on him.
the servant began to serving food on the table and after some prayer lead by Maeve the family began to eat except for Wulf who is looking at the food with a frown on his.
‘What is with this food course?! The Small portion and the low quality? How can my family eat like this?’
Its not that Wulf is acting ungrateful or acting spoil it’s just that as a margrave household Wulf thought that this kind of food are not acceptable in a nobility household especially in a margrave household, even a baron eat well than this.
‘Now that I think about it there’s been many things off since I’m awaken’
Wulf look around on the dining room, it lacks any mean of decorations befitting their household, and he can also see some cracks on the stone wall and ceiling of the castle showing how ill maintain the castle is.
Thinking back Wulf also notice on his way on the hall on his way here he also notices the same problem, no decoration and unmaintained castle wall and ceiling, he also notices that there have been fewer servant and guard in this castle as well.
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As Wulf keep think more of the off thing around him the frown on his face deepens and it didn’t miss Maeve watchful eyes as she notice her son frowning while not touching his food.
“Is something wrong dear? Is the food not to your liking? I can ask the kitchen to get something else for you”
“Oh, no, it’s just, I’ve been noticing that our house seems to be lacking its decoration and are lacked maintenance, is the house having some sort of… ‘difficulties’ that I should now?”
Hearing Wulf question the three women flinch and put down their silverware, it seems his question hit right on the mark. It’s not like the three women try to hide fact as the clue were spread everywhere in the castle for anyone to see.
But with Wulf questioning this obvious fact it just pains them as they are reminded of how low their family have fallen.
To this question Maeve sigh as she can only answer her eldest son question trustfully.
“*sigh* Wulf, you are now an adult and as the eldest son of the Eisenerz I guess it’s time I told you about our family history and the relation it had with the current state of our family, Blair and Blanche can stay too… “
Maeve began to unfold their family history to her three children. It began in the founding of the Trisha Kingdom, the founding king build Trisha Kingdom with the help of his three loyal retainers.
These three retainers would then establish their own noble house to help the Trisha Royal family, commonly they are called the three-founding noble, the house of Gaul, the house of Frank, and the house of Eisenerz.
The house of Gaul helps the founding king incorporated the lesser noble under the rule of the Trisha royal family through politic manoeuvring, while the house of Frank help manages the financial and economical affair of the newly established kingdom, as for us the house of Eisenerz preside over military affair of the kingdom as field marshal. Whenever a war broke out with other kingdoms or with other races Our house was always been tasked by the founding king to lead the coalition of army sent from all the noble houses.
Under the Trisha royal family rule and with the help of the three-founding noble the kingdom of Trisha flourish, experiencing this level on prosperity so early in its formation the fledgling kingdom caught the Gaiser Empire attention.
A decree by the emperor of Gaiser was sent to the Trisha royal place demanding it to join the empire as a vassal or perished. Obviously, the founding king decline and war was declared upon Trisha kingdom.
An army of 50.000 was sent by the empire to take over the fledgling kingdom, expecting an easy fight the empire was doused by cold water when the news came that their army was repelled by Trisha kingdom force lead by yours truly, the Eisenerz.
What they thought as an easy conquest turn into 5 bloody years of skirmish between the empire and Trisha force, as the war prolong the empire keep sending more and more force to overwhelm Trisha force.
Though Eisenerz expertise and genius the kingdom still faces huge casualties, this prompted many noble to advice the Founding king to sue peace with the empire for though the kingdom has repelled the empire many attempts they can only last for so long and with them initiating the negotiation when they are still having the upper hand they’ll benefit more than when they didn’t.
And so, the king proposes to negotiate peace with the emperor, a delegation as was sent by the emperor.
The result was that Trisha would join under the empire as vassal but keep it autonomy and didn’t have to pay tribute, the empire wouldn’t meddle in its affair but when need they must head to the emperor call for war.
Trisha only needs to answer to a call for war in return for protection from the empire and without even needing to pay tribute too? too the kingdom this negotiation was a big success!
But the empire stated that they only agree to this term if Trisha fulfil one condition.
The Eisenerz must relocate their territory to the north most point of the empire. In Yuropa continent the north is a unique environment, eternal winter and mountainous range make it almost unsuitable for settlement. But Gaiser Empire is especially worse because it is where the Glaser Mountain pass located, a path that connected the Glaser plain to Yuropa.
The Glaser Plain is directly connected to the north pole though a strait and both are controlled by the beast race, with the Glaser plain being surrounded by the Glaser Mountain range the Glaser Mountain pass became to only path for the beast race to invade outside its territory.
That mean the north most part of the empire was especially beast infested and if the Eisenerz was to be put on the north most point of the empire they’ll be the first to face any form of beast invasion to Yuropa.
The emperor intention of doing this is clear, vengeance for the grievances they cause to the empire.
The founding king and the two other founding nobles want to refuse but the Eisenerz agree to the clause to ensure peace and with the other nobles insistent of accepting the peace the founding king with heavy heart agree to let one of his close’s aides to the north.
With the Gaul and Frank help the Eisenerz establish it territory on the north and thus the current Eisenerz house was form. Hundred of years later the Eisenerz are now renowned for their capabilities in hunting Beast and protecting Yuropa from Beast race invasion.
Wulf father was especially legendary amongst the pass head of Eisenerz household and are very close with the former king of Trisha, he fought to beast and stand by the king side with loyalty, this please the former king the same cant be said for his son Lucien Vou Trisha who was not only lazy and dim-witted but incredibly petty and spiteful.
The king always been disappointed at him, and this did not go unnoticed by Lucien himself, but what he did even after knowing this?
He did nothing and kept indulging in his vanity while this time looking at Wulf father spitefully, he didn’t like how he always being compared with the fame Eisenerz head times and again and was looking for an opportunity to take him down. That opportunity came on his father, the former king death, after his crowning he immediately suppress the Eisenerz family with his power.
Supply such as Food, Clothes and Weapon that the Eisenerz rely on to survive and fight the beast race was stop being shipped, even then the Eisenerz prevail, that is until one faithful day.
The beast from Glaser Plain invade but unlike the previous invasion the beast come in waves forming a beast tide. Wulf father along with his loyal retainer and knight fought the beast tide head on, he sends many requests for reinforcement and supply to the capital, but none receive any reply.
Weaks pass after the beginning of the beast tide as the last beast are slain by the Eisenerz knights, Victory was reach but at the cost of most of the Eisenerz force, unfortunately in this battle even Wulf father have fallen.
The news shook the entire kingdom, after the funeral Maeve took her husband place as the head of the house to the disapproval of many of the house old retainer, what’s more days after the Eisenerz head death, Wulf, the eldest son of the Eisenerz family have succumb to coma and his fate was unknown, this cause many of the dissatisfy retainer of Eisenerz to take back their support.
Seeing the Decline of the Eisenerz house many noble families set their sight on Eisenerz land, after decades of development the north became safer without beast roaming around and it was revealed that the territory was rich in metal ore.
Using this opportunity of a weaken Eisenerz and with king Lucien encouragement in the background many of the Eisenerz land was taken by other noble family, even the Gaul and Frank participate because the head of both families have long envy the close relationship of the former king with the late head of the Eisenerz.
With many of their land taken the Eisenerz was left with only their capital that they have build on the other side of Glaser Mountain on the Glaser plain.
The territory is originally set as a foot hold against beast invasion and the city, Bieststadt, is design as a Fortress city which would defend against beast invasion and garrison soldiers while providing home for their families, it high and thick wall provide sufficient protection to it inhabitant.
Since then, Meave have ruled the land with the help of loyal retainer and her eldest daughter to ensure their families survival. The past 5 years that Wulf was in a coma have been hard for the Woman in his family and his awakening was the best news they got in the past 5 years.
After Recounting the past Maeve stop talking and looking at her children reaction, she wants to let them sink in what she has said in the past hour.