It has always been the dream of many, to be the protagonist of their own story. Some get to realize it.
But others, they are not so fortunate.
As Leon blacks out from that heart-rending pain, he descends into an ethereal dream.
In that dream, he gets a good aptitude of 45 Inner Shell and Outer Shell force. He became a specialist in the application of Shell Energy for everyday life.
Researching and developing techniques that he thought of while growing up. He was a Livelihood Specialist.
He then continues to gain acclaim in the Royal Court as a loyal subject and a good Prince.
He also got a fiancée and goes to a fun date with her. She touches his fair face with her delicate hands. He has shed his fatty body.
He then grabs her hands and slips his fingers right in between hers and leans forward to give a kiss.
As Leon and his fiancée's lips were about to come together, he was awakened by a shout.
"KYAAAAK! PERVERT!" *slap
Leon was startled awake by the sharp shriek and the burning sensation on his face.
It was then that he noticed that he was actually holding another maid's hand instead of a fiancée and he was actually leaning towards the maid for a kiss like some filthy pig of a noble.
"Kyak, oh no. I am sorry lady maid. I did not mean to do it."
Leon explains in an urgent voice.
"Wait! Stop! Do not go near me, pervert. Do not move from your place."
The maid steps back from Leon as she walks backwards towards the door as she tries to escape the room.
Leon is left at a loss for words by the maid's actions.
"Please, let me explain properly. I truly did not mean to assault you. It was just a mistake. Miss- um, may I know your name?"
"Hmph, like I would believe anything a man would say. Especially the words coming from a perverted man like you. I will definitely tell the Madam about this."
"Come on, can you please give me a chance to express my side of the story? My lady, I really did not mean to touch you in that manner."
"What my lady! My name is Issa. You better keep your hands to yourself. You may be a noble but I will not take things lightly when it comes to injustice."
"Okay, Miss Issa, I truly did not mean to touch nor kiss you. It was just a spur of the moment incident, I was having a dream and it just happened. You know that I was clearly sleeping. It is really the truth."
Leon tries to tell the truth and ease the tension between Issa and himself.
"Did you really not mean to touch and attempt to kiss me awhile ago? Do you swear on your words?"
"Yes, I do solemnly swear that I have not done those things with any bad motives and it is a pure and innocent mistake by my bedtime fantasy. I swear on my pride as a man."
Leon resolutely swears to a doubtful Issa.
"Why don't we shake it off as a coincidental mistake and be cool with it. I personally want to get to know you better and I do not want our first meeting to be an unpleasant one. So, how about it?"
Leon offers his hand out for a handshake for Issa to finally call it chill.
"Okay, I also did not mean to hit you. It is just an involuntary action to defend against assault. I am also sorry."
Issa also steps forward to accept the Hand shake.
Unbeknownst to Leon, as he focuses his attention to his hand to do the Hand shake, he was able to unconsciously channel Shell Energy into his hand, an ability that he should not be able to do prior to this day.
He did this without his prior knowledge and control. He just felt a different sensation that feels relaxing, it feels as if it is a natural part of his whole being.
Unfortunately, when this energy goes in contact with another without prior notice, it is a weird sensation that many might mistake for something else.
Because of how rare this ability is, not many knew of the sensation that goes with it.
As Issa grabs hold of Leonvolt's hand for a handshake, the energy within Leonvolt's hands was transferred to Issa in a rush.
Issa felt a hot gush of energy rush towards her whole body and it caused a sudden tingling reaction that she recognize well enough for her age.
It is a feeling exclusive for when she is seeing her romantic fantasies.
"Kyaaak! You really are a pervert!" *bam
And once again, poor Leonvolt was smacked hard and back to bedtime by the fiery maid.
-
The welcome party was pushed back to the evening as the star of the show was unable to show up earlier.
Leonvolt, still haven't recovered from the commotion earlier in the morning, is currently having dinner party with his grandparents together with some of their close friends and their families.
He feels a bit alienated as he does not know anyone from this place.
"Everyone, I thank you for attending our grandson's welcome celebration. He is now the current heir of our Estate, your future leader. Please do take care of him as well as you did with me. Accept this toast of mine as a thanks for your heartfelt service for this family. Cheers!"
"Cheers to Lord Oliver!"
"Cheers to you Gregory, my friend."
"Cheers to you my Lord."
The Oliver family's vassals and friends are descendants of the earliest followers of the previous Oliver family generation. They have stuck with one another since the time the territory was born.
And so, this sense of camaraderie that not many noble families can recreate is the true strength and beauty of the Oliver family.
Arnold, one of Gregory Oliver's closest confidant, approaches Leonvolt with a clumsy smile on his face.
"Hello young Lord. I am Arnold Bell, a friend of your mother since her childhood. I am currently employed by the Oliver family as the Head chef. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Hello, Mr. Arnold. It is nice to meet someone of my mother's generation. Please do continue to take care of us. I am sure to treat you well for the days to come."
"Haha, you truly are Alice's son, you look and talk the same way as she does back in the days. Ah, how nostalgic were those times...
Oh, I am so sorry young Lord, I was distracted by my reminiscence of those old times."
"Please, by all means call me Leon, I am of the younger generation. And I do not yet believe that I have the capability to grab the helm of your Lord in the future. I am still quite a big disappointment. Even earlier this morning.... Ehem, never mind, this is just useless banter."
"Uh, my Lord...."
"Please, call me Leon."
"Y-Yes, Leon. Actually, I wanted to talk about the incident this morning. I am really sorry for my daughter's uncouth behaviour. She even went and hit you so hard that you passed out."
Arnold spoke with disbelief.
"However, I would like to ask for forgiveness for my daughter's actions. It is her first time serving a young man as she usually spends time with the Madame."
Leon is dumbfounded by this sudden development. He is currently conversing with the father of the lady that he had sexually harassed albeit unintentionally.
The man even went ahead and asked for forgiveness. This conversation just went wrong in a whole new level.
Seeing as Leon was still stiff and was not moving, Arnold thought that the young Lord may have gone through quite a bit of trauma earlier.
He also noticed how Leon began perspiring heavily and even had a hard time breathing as though having a panic attack.
"I assure you young Lord that I shall give my daughter a good beating as soon as she comes home. To actually raise a hand on her employer, it is unacceptable and it is a huge misconduct in service. Please do however, forgive us young Lord for this insolent deed."
Arnold thought that Leonvolt may be too heavy-handed in his punishments as a former member of the Royal family and asks repeatedly for his pardon.
Evidently, Arnold had mistaken the incident in the morning as solely Issa's misconduct towards the Young Lord Leonvolt Machia Oliver.
"Mr. Arnold, I can assure you that I do not have a problem with your daughter for what she did this morning. Perhaps there may have been a misunderstanding in the information given towards you."
Leon tries to correct the situation.
"I understand that you may think that she has overstepped her bounds but I think it is not necessary to punish her. However, I would appreciate it if you can help me speak with her."
"Of course young Lord, I-I mean, Leon. I will call her right away. Please wait for a moment."
As Arnold walks away to get his daughter, Grandma Elizabeth walks toward Leon with her kind smile.
The Oliver's were minimalistic and do not want to flaunt their miniscule wealth to their friends too much.
Grandma Elizabeth simply garbed one of her less worn out dress from her wardrobe as she does not fancy going out to shop for more clothes.
However, despite her modest attire, Grandma Elizabeth did not lose the elegance of an excellent noblewoman.
Even Grandpa Gregory only garbed his traditional noble clothing given to him by the Royal Castle for formal events.
He did not wear those fancy golden accessories nor did he wear any of those gifts from his friends. But he still has that warm aura that draws the crowd towards him.
The Oliver's may be poor compared to other noble houses but their grandeur is not in their wealth but in their eloquence and genuineness.
That is also one of the reasons why the Oliver family have so many friends.
They may not be wealthy, but some of their friends are as deep-pocketed as those 1st-tier nobles.
Even their neighbor, the Miller family refuse to act against the seemingly poor noble family.
Grandma Elizabeth walks towards Leon with a smile. Leon grabs a chair and offers it to his grandmother to sit in.
"Little Leon, how are you feeling now? It is unfortunate that we had to push back the celebrations until the night but we really need to hold this celebration to welcome you in the family."
Grandma Elizabeth explains the importance of the event to Leon.
"Please forgive that little lass Issa. I was the one who asked her to tend to your needs. After all, she is the only child close to your age currently working in the mansion."
"Grandma, please forgive me. I really did not mean to do those things to lady Issa. It was an unfortunate accident. I want to apologize to her properly. I just met Mr. Arnold before you came, he introduced himself as lady Issa's father so I asked him for a favor."
"Hmm, that kid Arnold is truly a gentleman he always takes care of us, your grandpa and I, with our daily essential needs. Without him, I might not be the robust old lady that I am right now."
Leon chuckles in response to his grandmother's banter.
"Little Leon, about what happened to you earlier in midnight. Do you have any idea why it happened? It looks like you are truly in a lot of pain as you cried on the floor. Oh, I was so worried they did something to you before we left."
Grandma Elizabeth asks worriedly towards Leonvolt.
"Actually, I am not too sure why it happened. I did eat that candy that increases Shell Energy accumulation. I have taken that candy for years with no visible effect so I just ate it like normal last night. I did not expect it to cause that sort of reaction. I really have no idea what happened Grandma."
"Always be careful Little Leon, you are our most precious treasure. The Royal Family may only need talented people. But the Oliver's are different. We give our faith to people in general. No matter how weak the talent. We believe that the people is the most important resource in this world. Do you understand why we follow that philosophy?"
Leon shakes his head.
"Well, you will soon understand it yourself. Your very own understanding of the world will be the foundation in which you will build up your belief in life."
Grandma Elizabeth stands up to give Leon a hug. His soft and fat belly gets in the way allowing Grandma Elizabeth half a hug.
"Be strong Little Leon, we will always have your back in your endeavors. I see a resoluteness in your eyes that many noble children do not have. You have experienced the failure and bitterness of a life of dependence."
Grandma Elizabeth continues her piece of advice.
"There is no true safe place that is simply given to you. You must create that safe place yourself. Do you understand? Be a man that will help people build a safe place of their own."
Grandma Elizabeth ends the hug with those words.