Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
"Coming, coming. Give me a second…" I muttered, half-dressed as I lazily pushed myself out of bed and reached for the door handle.
I opened it to find Aria standing there, fully clothed and holding a richly colored red robe in her hand. The cool morning air from the hallway brushed against my skin.
"Uh…" She looked away, blushing. "Young master, can you please put on some clothes?"
It wasn't my fault I slept in just my underwear. Why was she even here this early?
I grabbed a nearby shirt and pair of shorts, throwing them on to ease her embarrassment. The floor was cool under my bare feet, the faint scent of polished wood and old parchment hanging in the air. I'd spent most of the night wide awake, thinking about everything Aria had told me yesterday.
"T-Thank you," she mumbled, cheeks even redder as she stepped into the room. "The reason I'm here so early is because the Patriarch has asked for your presence. I-I need to get you ready."
She lifted the red robe slightly, the fabric catching the morning light seeping through the curtains.
"Do you want me to dress you?" she asked.
"Sure, why not?"
I'd never experienced this kind of thing in my past life. Getting dressed by a hot maid? Definitely on the bucket list.
"Y-You want me to dress you?" Her eyes widened. "But you usually say you can do it yourself…"
I stayed quiet. Aria hesitated, then stepped forward, clearly flustered.
"Then… I'm sorry," she said softly.
She reached out and pulled my shirt off in one swift motion. The air hit my skin — cold and sharp.
Despite what she'd claimed yesterday, this body was in ridiculously good shape. Rock-hard abs. Defined muscles. The kind of physique that came from either a hellish workout schedule… or magic. Probably magic.
Aria bent down to remove my shorts.
Ahhh… this is so embarrassing. Why am I doing this to young master Jake?
She was clearly panicking as she knelt, her face inches from… well. You get the idea.
The second the shorts came off, she jumped to her feet and hurried to wrap the red robe around me. The moment it was on, the awkwardness vanished.
Aria. Hypnosis.
Her body shivered slightly. Her eyes glazed over.
I'd figured this out yesterday — when I deactivated [Hypnosis], it wiped her memory of the commands. She had no recollection of what I said or asked. That made this power extremely convenient.
"Tell me what you found out yesterday."
"I tried speaking with some of the maids about you, but none of them mentioned anything unusual. However, the maid serving your older brother, Alex, seemed a little fidgety."
I frowned. "Were there any rumors that I was poisoned?"
She shook her head. "No. I didn't hear anything. No one should know about what happened yesterday except the culprit."
I clicked my tongue.
I'd assumed the Patriarch summoned me because of the poison… but it looked like I was wrong. Something else was going on.
I snapped my fingers.
Aria blinked, snapping out of her trance with a slight jolt. She glanced at her wristwatch — and her eyes widened.
"We're running late. Let's go, young master!"
She rushed to open the door, and we stepped into the corridor — a massive, polished hallway with high arching ceilings and windows spilling in crisp sunlight. The walls were lined with portraits and velvet banners, and the marble floor reflected our steps in faint ghostly shapes.
We hadn't taken more than a few steps before an irritating voice rang out behind us.
"Well, well. If it isn't my talented little brother. Were you summoned by the Patriarch too?"
I turned around, already knowing who it was. Aria stiffened beside me.
She tugged on my robe, trying to steer me away — but I kept facing him.
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[Name]: Lucien Vale
[Age]: 21
[Stage]: Second Mana Circle
[Affinity]: Fire (High)
[Stats]
• Strength: C+
• Agility: C
• Vitality: B
• Charm: B+
[Skills]
• Flame Blade (Rare) [Comprehension: 51%]
• Fire Manipulation (Rare) [Comprehension: 34%]
• Noble Presence (Passive)
[Loyalty]: 11/100 — Contemptuous
[Mental State]: Arrogant. Haughty. Annoyed.
[Hypnosis Resistance]: High
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Definitely stronger than Aria. And with loyalty that low, there was no way I could hypnotize him. Aria had good reason to be cautious — Lucien was here to start something.
"Heh. To think Father still bothers with you after everything you've done to disgrace the family," Lucien sneered. "If I were the Patriarch, I would've kicked you out years ago."
Aria clenched her jaw beside me.
But I wasn't the impulsive idiot I used to be.
"Is that all?" I said, smiling faintly. "Sorry, but I'm not about to be late for a meeting with the Patriarch just because of a pointless conversation with my brother."
"Just don't ruin the family's reputation any further. You've done more than enough already."
He brushed past me and slammed his shoulder into mine in a deliberate show of dominance. His footsteps echoed down the corridor behind us.
Five minutes later, we arrived at a towering double door guarded by two armored knights. Their blank visors gave nothing away as they stood silent and still.
I spent the walk trying to guess what might be happening. Why call in multiple family members? Why summon me now?
But the moment we stepped into the room, it hit me — the place was packed.
Soft murmurs buzzed through the air like a low hive. The scent of incense hung faintly near the front of the chamber, mixing with perfume and the tension of expectation.
A full crowd. Nobles. Retainers. Important people.
What the hell is going on?
"Isn't that the wasted talent of the Vale Family?"
"What's he doing here?"
"Isn't today a very important day for House Vale?"
"I heard a rumor that today's the day the Patriarch announces which son will marry one of the princesses of the Royal Family…"