52 The Lord of Evergreen

The ancient forest shuddered under the brilliance of the sun as it came up from beneath the horizon. Glistening drops of dew infused with Anima formed on the leaves of the trees, giving them a fantastical, otherworld appearance. A view from afar who saw the forest would see a resplendent aura, a transient halo of glittering beauty for a moment.

Eventually, the sun would rise and the dewdrops would evaporate and so too, would the breathtaking sight until the next day came.

A certain boy had grown accustomed to the morning sight and relished the magnificence of nature. He had never been fortunate enough to witness such a thing in his previous word.

In his world, he was usually awoken by the bitter arguments that his next-door neighbors would have. The first thing he'd usually hear was, "You don't like my cooking?!! Why don't you have that whore of yours cook for you then!!" and the crisp sound of shattering glass.

These days, things were different. A young maid walked into a lofty bedroom that looked far too big for anyone to inhabit. It was excessively large even for a master bedroom, as if the architect wanted this room to be for giants. She secretly found it amusing that it had become the bedroom of her new master, a young boy who was no older than her.

She wondered how he had come into possession of the Evergreen Estate, her original master's property. It was one of the Kingscrown family gems, a secret manor that had been built during the Unification Era as a hideaway for the royal family. Located in a highly guarded area of the Eternal Forest, the manor sat next to a serene lake that possessed a unique ability to ward off monsters in the area.

It was a place far removed from the evil claws of monsters, the scheming aristocracy, and misery. A small slice of heaven on earth that few would ever know about. And now… it belonged to someone she'd never heard about.

I still can't believe that Lady Violett willingly gave him the Evergreen Estate as a graduation present. Not only that but a noble title, too!

He had been bestowed the rank of a Lord and the personal title of Evergreen. Henceforth, he would be referred to as Lord Evergreen of the Eternal Forest. But astonishingly, the boy despised it and hated the title to the bone, to the point he even asked the manor's staff to refer to him by his name, of all things!!

Mira sighed. It looked like her life was about to get harder now with her new master. She quietly strolled over to the other side of the massive bedroom and approached the gigantic bed like a specter, her footsteps quieter than her master's gentle breathing.

The new mistress of the house was an oddball, for sure. She had never spoken to anyone other than the master since they'd arrived several months ago. The way she ignored anyone other than the master was extremely peculiar, even for some like Mira who'd served many nobles in her lifetime.

It was as if she did not register anyone other than the master as a living being. She cared for everyone else as much as she'd care for a blade of grass or a pebble on the road. As if everything else was just a thing — an object or decoration. It was a type of cold indifference that she'd never seen in her life.

It wasn't spiteful or malicious, it was… she possessed a completely different mindset than everyone else. It wasn't normal in the slightest.

"...…" Mira gazed at the sleeping pair and wondered where these oddballs had come from. They did not belong. They were different.

"…Master Reed, it's time to wake up," said Mira as she lightly shook her master.

Reed groaned in protest but after enough prodding, he finally opened his eyes and woke up. He let out a long yawn and said, "Mira, what time is it?

"It's half-past ten, Master Reed. Please make your way to the dining hall for breakfast when you are ready, milord. The Beauford, Tilato, Roseheart families have sent invita—"

"Mira, you already know what I'm about to say, right? Let's not repeat ourselves anymore, okay?" said Reed.

Mira paused for a moment and then said, "As you wish, milord. I will tell them that you have declined their invitations. I will be waiting for you at the dining hall, but please feel free to call me if you need me, milord." She slowly bowed and silently left the room, closing the door behind her on the way out.

Reed silently observed Mira until she walked out of the bedroom and sighed when she finally left. Mira was incredibly beautiful for a maid, something that always made him feel awkward. She was also a non-human, which often had him staring at her unique physical traits, so to speak.

She was Avunian, a race that always pleasant to the eye and was widely regarded as one of the fairer races on the continent. Her long pointy ears resembled that of the Elven race except they were semi-transparent near the ends. The Avunians also possessed unique eyes that changed color depending on the Anima quality in the environment.

One of the oldest rumors was that they could even see other people's emotions as colors, but Reed thought it to be than hearsay. Nevertheless, they were one of the first races to have been summoned to Mulia and were seemingly one of the fastest races to adapt to the presence of Anima.

It's still a pain in the ass being called "Master Reed" and "Milord", though…

Right after Reed's graduation, Violett barged in and forced a golden medallion upon him, telling him that she'd transferred the rights to a "quiet little house" that he'd be able to live in from now on. It wasn't until later after he reached the Evergreen Estate, that he learned about what Violett did.

He more or less understood why she did it — the noble rank and estate would serve as protection from those who would have tried to manipulate him by using his status against him.

Although he was now a fully-fledged contender and possessed greater rights than the average commoner and noble family, it wouldn't have been enough to protect him from the truly powerful families and organizations like the families that had a Marquis or Archeduke in their lineage. Royal families also posed a threat as well, although it was unlikely that they'd ever move against a single individual…

Admittedly the rank of a lord was only above those who possessed a knighthood. No, it wasn't his noble rank that was protecting him — it was his personal title as the esteemed owner of the Evergreen Estate of the Eternal Forest. It was a title reserved for royalty and yet, it had been passed down to him in an unexpected turn of events, something that had never happened the millennia-long history of the North.

His link to the royal family was his shield, courtesy of Violett and for that, Reed was immensely grateful. He had no idea what kind of difficulties she must have gone to pass the Evergreen Estate to a commoner who wasn't even a Mulian native. He was now in her debt, as much as he hated it. It was what infuriated him the most; he didn't know how he'd repay her.

How does one even repay someone like her, who has everything or could conceivably get anything she could ever want with ease? What can I even give her or do for her to pay back the favor…

Reed groaned and pulled his bedsheets over his head in despair. Whether Reed liked it or not, he'd been protected from the storm but in return, he'd also been thrust into the world that the nobility resided. Sure, there was safety in the lion's den, but for how long?

"Mhmm… Stop hogging the bedsheets, Ka'an…" said Lu'um as she pulled the bedsheets back towards her. She lazily grumbled, "…There's more than enough to go around," and went back to sleep.

Then don't sleep in my damn bed, you insensitive little…! Don't you know that guys need their own privacy too! Why can't you understand a young man's heart, despite being able to read my damn mind whenever you want?!!

Lu'um lazily opened her eyes and said, "…Did you say something, Ka'an? I thought I heard you call me…" and fell asleep again before Reed could even answer. Sleeping beauty waited for no man, it seemed…

Whatever, I guess it's time to wake up, or else Mira will end up coming in here again. That girl loved living a strict life filled with rules, unlike her new lord…

Well, shit. I guess it's time for another day in paradise, I guess…

Life was great if a bit strange. That was what Reed thought, at least…