My family has been the tenant of the land of Momon Manor for generations. Viscount Bruce is a very stingy manor. The taxes here are very high. The farmers work hard on the barren land, but most of the harvest has to be handed to the lord.
Our Eric family, in my father's generation, happened to catch up with the wartime, and life as a tenant in Momon became more and more difficult. My father left my hometown to go to town when I was twelve and never came back. My mother gave birth to 4 children in total. I have two younger sisters and a younger brother. The youngest brother Sam is only 1 year old, of course only God knows who his father is.
Since I was a child, I have lived a life without much food and clothing. At that time, I longed for the life of a good person and envied the decent servants in Momen Manor. So when I entered Momon Manor and became a footman, I thought I had become a decent person, and I thought I was out of that poor and dirty identity.
But in fact... everything left me speechless...
When I stepped into the village, people greeted me one after another. They yelled:
"Look! Owen is back!"
"The promising boy from Eric's family is back. He works as a footman in the manor for the Lord Viscount. Look at him, how beautiful his clothes are!"
"He looks like those noble lords, and his wig is really beautiful, like silver."
"Why can he be a footman in the manor? My son just wants to get in and be a weeder groom, but they rejected him."
I walked on the bumpy path with my high heels and finally reached the door of my house with struggle.
Our family was crowded into a dilapidated wooden farmhouse, surrounded by a fence, and a wooden cart at the door which was hanging some old clothes, and a hen was lazily catching insects.
My mother and sisters greeted me with enthusiasm. The kids were interested in the bread I brought home, while my mother was after me for wages. Mother is a plumpish woman, she was very beautiful when she was young, and she was a well-known beauty in the village. But since my father never returned, she had become addicted to alcohol, and she would put drink first before food.
I hated her in my previous life because all the conversations she made were asking for money. She said that she would buy food for my brother and sisters, but in fact, all of the money was traded for alcohol. I had a meager salary as a footman, and I had to buy all kinds of expensive items, so it didn't take long for me to stop giving her money. I didn't even go home anymore and unilaterally severed the relationship with them. A few years later, I lost their news, and even the neighbors didn't know where they went.
"At the beginning, you said you were going to be a footman in the manor, I thought you were joking, but I didn't expect you to really make it." Mother whispered: "I am proud of you, my son, and the people in the village envy me. The old man Mores at the entrance of the village has called me several times and said that he wants his daughter to marry. But I won't agree with him. His daughter looks like a hideous goat."
"This is owing to the manor butler Aaron for giving me the opportunity." I gave my mother all my wages, and exhorted: "It should be used to buy food."
Mother gave me a big smile, took the money with both hands, and then carefully hid it in the apron. She glanced at the bread I brought home and said: "Next time you don't need to bring the bread home. Just give me the money. We will do it ourselves. Angel can make bread now."
My sister Angel is 15 years old, like a blooming flower, full of warmth and energy. She stroked my coat and said, "What fabric is this made of? It feels really comfortable. It must be warm." The black-and-white-striped footman uniform was customized by the manor. It is an expensive cloth woven from wool. There is only one set uniform per servant. It is my most valuable asset. "Tell us about what it is like in the Manor? What does the Viscount look like? Is the Viscountess beautiful? Are they wearing satin clothes only?" Little sister Ariel asked one question after another. I smiled and told them about the events in the manor, their eyes widened, and they gathered and listen to me quietly. Angel exclaimed now and then: "It's so amazing, I am so jealous. Can I also go to the manor as a maid? Brother, help me and ask the Butler Aaron."
"I am afraid that the housemaid will not work for you. Those maids are all specially trained. They don't want village girls."
"Aren't my brother also from the village? Why did they accept you?"
I smiled and said, "If there is a vacancy in the kitchen maid, I will help you ask."
Angel said: "I don't want to be a kitchen maid, I want to be a lady's maid. I can touch those exquisite and expensive silk skirts, and those beautiful jewels."
Since there was only a half-day holiday, I left soon. Under the warm sunshine in the afternoon, I hurried on the road and returned to Momon Manor before three o'clock in the afternoon.
Momon Manor is very large. Looking from a distance, on the vast plain, a pale yellow castle is located in the middle of the earth, like a small piece of cheese. But when you approach the castle, you will find out how magnificent the whole castle is. The foundation of the castle is square and it is a three-story building with hundreds of rooms and countless corridors and stairs that look identical to each other. When I first arrive, I got lost all the time, and it took a long time to get familiar with it.
The owner of the castle is Viscount Bruce, and he and his wife have raised four children together.
The eldest son William, and three beautiful daughters. William is already married. His wife Helena is the daughter of a businessman with a large dowry. They two have been married for many years but have never had children. Among the three young ladies, the eldest Miss Judith has been married, and the second and third young ladies are still waiting for princess charm in their boudoir.
The original life was so peaceful and without waves, they were like all the nobles, good at enjoying life, surrounded by laughter and happiness. Enjoy food and wine every day, horse-riding and hunting, joining in dancing balls, surrounded by groups of servants, carefree, until today...
As soon as I stepped into the castle, I knew that everything happened again without any changes, not the slightest difference.
The servants waited and all looked worried, and Simon and the maid Annie told me quietly:
"Something big happened, Master William fell off the horse and broke his neck..."
This night, the entire castle was quiet, and occasionally a low whimper could be heard.
The masters were very sad, so the servants stayed up all night, in case of any orders from the master.
Annie is a very beautiful maid. She has fiery ginger hair and is as passionate as her character. Under the dim candlelight, while she was doing needlework, she sighed in a low voice:
"Haili has been crying, I wish she could get better."
Simon sarcastically said: "Of course she should cry. She lost her virginity on Master William's bed last week. She didn't even get a penny before Master William died. She is really pitiful."
Annie glared at Simon angrily: "You are such an annoying person."
"I don't need your judgment. We now have more serious things to worry about. Master William is dead, who will inherit the title of Viscount?" Simon said enthusiastically: "Those senior housemaids have tried to please Master William for so many years. Humble like a dog, in the end, haha, in vain. Is there any senior maid who has not climbed the young master's bed, I am afraid they are hiding somewhere and crying now."
"Don't think everyone is as nasty as you !" Annie said angrily.
"I'm just telling the truth. Does our Viscount have any brothers?"
Annie said: "Who knows, there should be."
"Yes." I said, "The brother of the Viscount Lord is a Baron and has been dead for many years."
"How do you know?" Simon was a little surprised: "So does the died Baron got a son?"
Looking at the trembling candlelight, I nodded slightly: "Yes, there is a young master has inherited the title of Baron."
"So how old is he? Is he married? Does he have any children? What kind of person is it?" Simon exploded his questions.
"How could Owen know all these? It will be clear when the Sir comes to Momon Manor." Annie said indifferently.
The candle flame burned and made a soft crackling sound. I looked at the candle flame a little lost:
"Yeah, it will be clear once he arrived."