"…."
It was early the next morning. Arnold was eating breakfast alone in the dining room. His mind felt empty as if he had no other thoughts besides eating.
'It wasn't a dream after all…'
He had gone to sleep but woke up in Arnold's body again. His first day as Arnold had already passed by but he was already tired of what awaited him in the future.
Not just the main storyline. There was the worry if there were other players in this world. The thing he was worried about was whether they would be friendly or not.
A person with the knowledge of the future could do whatever they wanted. If they decided to kill lots of people then few would be able to stop them. Players differed from the non-playable characters in this world.
If a player at the level cap were to go on a rampage then only a ninth star powerhouse could stop them. Arnold was no match for such a person at his level.
It would be a different story if he could gain his original magic items and his beloved battleship.
'I wonder if I can use magic…' He thought as he looked at his hand. It was thick and hard, which was fit for a swordsman. Being a swordsman, not many were suitable to use magic as well. Magic swordsmen were rare.
The only reason he wanted to learn magic was because the majority of the items on the ship–and the ship itself–needed magic to work. That was something he didn't have.
If he ever found his beloved battleship then there would be no way for him to use it. There was also no way he'd let others use it. It was much too precious.
While Arnold was eating mechanically under the gazes of the servants, another person entered the room.
It was Luke. He was wearing a nice shirt and a pair of shorts. It was embroidered with expensive materials. Looking at the crest sewn into the left side of his chest, the shirt was made by one of the household's tailors. The crest was in the shape of the Berkley family. A golden lion's head.
He looked like any other noble boy in the attire he was wearing.
"Morning, big brother!"
"….!?" Arnold almost choked on his food. "W-What did you call me?"
"Big brother?" Luke tilted his head at Arnold's reaction. It was one of pure innocence and confusion.
The servants who were present found it hard to hold in their laughter.
"Why are you calling me that?" Arnold frowned in displeasure. It just didn't sit right with him that Luke called him big brother.
"Eh, but last night you said: It's a big brother's responsibility to buy the little brother his first weapon."
"That doesn't mean I am your brother now…" Arnold rubbed his forehead. "Just sit. I'll explain where we're going. Where's Lauran?"
"She's waiting for us outside by the cherry tree on top of the hill."
'She still goes there, huh…'
That was the place she always goes to whenever she was sad or unhappy. It was a place where she could clear her mind. Looking over the city from that hill gave her a different sense of peace.
"Did she inform you of what I told her last night?"
"That she'll become my personal maid? Then yes. Miss Lauran didn't seem very happy about something. She just told me about big brother's words before leaving the room." Luke had a worried expression on his face. "Norn tried to ask her what was wrong but she didn't budge."
"Forget about her. She must be having that time of the month." Arnold shrugged.
"O-Oh."
A maid arrived to bring Luke his food. Arnold continued speaking as Luke began eating.
"Our first stop will be the auction house. The bidding starts early at seven sharp. And Luke…" Arnold bent forward. "No matter what you see, turn a blind eye."
"…?" Luke didn't understand what he meant.
"They don't just sell items and weapons. Humans are also a type of product in society."
"!!!!" Luke stiffened.
"Surprised? The world isn't full of rainbows and butterflies as you think it is. Anyone can become a slave. Be it failing to pay a debt, committing a crime or being an enemy soldier; all those people ultimately end up as a slave. They will forever repent for how they have sinned."
"B-But isn't there a way to stop this? This is technically our city, right?"
Arnold shook his head. "If I or my father acted then the lives of the regular citizens would be in danger. We would be forced to allow the criminals to continue their activities again."
"That's horrible…" Luke clenched his fists.
"Moving on. You've heard from father that you'll get married to princess Olivia, right?"
"Y-Yeah…Is this necessary…?" Luke averted his eyes.
He couldn't just marry someone he didn't love. It felt wrong.
"We can unite the Imperial family with ours that way. Although you are an outsider, you must still marry Olivia since you are the heir."
Arnold said calmly. This was the woman original Arnold was obsessed with. Everyone in this house knew how much he loved her. Yet he was calmly giving her away?
The servants were uneasy if that was really the case. Just yesterday he was threatening to kill a servant due to his anger. That anger was caused by the one he loved.
"She's expected to visit us in about a week. Assuming she received the letter that my father sent her." Arnold drank the juice next his plate. The original Arnold was a heavy drinker despite being 17 but the current Arnold didn't like the taste of alcohol.
The servants had picked up on this. Including the one who knew him the best; Victoria. She was standing behind him and watching his every movement.
"I-I heard that big brother loves her highness…Is this really okay? Even if it will benefit mister Marcus…" Luke was still uncertain if it was a good idea to continue with this situation.
"Luke."
Arnold put down his cutlery and looked at Luke. "I do indeed love her. Even to this day. However, this is something I must bury deep within the depths of my soul. For the greater good…."
He leaned back in his chair and picked his teeth with a toothpick.
"--As I am now, I'm not worthy of her being my wife. Only the heir of the Berkley family is worthy. What can I do? Sure, I can indulge myself with every women in this empire I can find, but to me she remains a special page in my memory book. Unless I can become someone worthy of a woman of her caliber, I must stand down."
""""""….."""""""
Everyone present in the room looked at him in silence. One or two looked at Arnold with hearts in their eyes. Others were just shocked. They thought Arnold only loved Olivia for her beauty and body.
The were wrong.
He was like the definition of what a man in love should be.
'He's so bold. And look at me…I can't even confess to Norn about how I feel.'
He thought that maybe it was because Arnold was more mature.
"So try your best to make her fall for you. Guys like me are probably not her type." Liam chuckled at the thought of the licking dog Arnold was. "You better treat her right, otherwise I'll beat you up."
"H-Haha…" Luke laughed nervously.
'He's joking, right?'
He looked at the servants in the living room. They seemed to know what he was thinking of and shook their heads.
'I'm toast…'
◇◇◇
"Has everything been prepared?" Victoria looked at Lauran who was walking next to her. She had gone to fetch Lauran since it was time for them to go.
Unlike Lauran, Victoria wasn't wearing her uniform. She was wearing casual clothes. It was a white sundress and a white hat. It blended perfectly with her brown hair and physique.
"Yes, lady Victoria." Lauran nodded seriously.
"You remembered to contact the auction house beforehand to inform them of Al's arrival, right?"
"I have."
"Have you checked that the coachman and escorts are legitimate?"
"Yes."
Only then did Victoria smile.
"Good. Don't screw anything up. Two very important members of this household will be in your hands alone."
"E-Eh? You're not coming with?"
"No. I have to go to Whitage city to finish everything on that end. I can't let Al walk into a messy office, now can I?"
"…." Lauran looked towards the carriage. Arnold was busy talking to Luke about how he must behave as the heir of the household. It was pretty ironic as he had never followed the same advice.
"I will make sure everything goes smoothly, lady Victoria…"
"Good. Here. Advance payment." Victoria put three gold coins in Lauran's hands.
"...Isn't this too much?"
It was literally three times more than what she received monthly.
"This is your salary from now on. Since I am in charge of Al's finances, he told me I can increase your salary." Victoria walked past Lauran. "Remember, if I hear you messed up then punishment awaits. This will impact how the lord views me as well. I cannot let my juniors make mistakes."
With that, she left after climbing on another carriage that headed in a different direction.
Lauran looked at the money in her hands. It was an amount she hadn't received before.
'My position didn't change. I'm still serving the heir so why was I given a raise?'
She walked over to Arnold and Luke while thinking that.
"Miss Lauran! We're just about to leave. Are you ready?" Luke asked when she approached them.
"Yes." She answered while looking at Arnold. The latter seemed oblivious to this and was busy looking into a mirror. Typical perfectionist. Not a speck of dust must be on his suit.
The three of them boarded the carriage a moment later. As it was etiquette, Lauran was the last to enter. She closed the door and the curtains.
After sitting down, she silently observed the two. They looked like the ordinary duo of younger and older brother. Arnold was the smart, reliable older brother while Luke was the naïve, kid brother.
"Miss Lauran, are you okay?" Luke spoke to her while she was absorbed in her thoughts.
"Hm? Ah, yes. I am fine, young master Luke."
His face was right in front of her. There was worry evident on his face.
"I heard that you couldn't sleep last night. Was something bothering you?"
Luke had heard from the nightshift maids that Lauran was up all night. She was apparently in the library. When they found her, she was asleep with her head on top of a magic book. She must've only slept for an hour before she had to get up again to prepare for their departure.
'Why is he sticking his nose in my business?'
"No. Nothing is bothering me, young master." Lauran answered appropriately.
"Oh…Remember to get lots of sleep. Miss Claudia says that you won't grow that way."
"Who's Claudia?" Arnold asked.
"Oh, that's Norn's mother. Since I'm living with them, I refer to her as miss."
"Speaking of that little demon with auburn hair, where is she?" Arnold seemed pissed about what she did.
"She left this morning. She heard that her mother and sister came to do some shopping in the city so she headed to where her mother was."
"Is that so?" Arnold stroked his chin. "Why not invite them for dinner at our residence?"
"N-No thank you. I'm sure they aren't used to noble customs." Luke answered.
It was already hard enough for him and Norn to maintain their manners at the table last night. Norn's mother wasn't of noble birth and hadn't come into contact with any nobles her entire life so she had no idea how everything worked.
"I see. Well, then tell them my father said that they are welcome anytime."
Arnold leaned out of the window.
Lauran silently looked at him.
'What's he thinking about?'
Just last night he looked like a demon who had no queries murdering a person. His tone, expressions and body language were all dangerous.
Lauran had never feared someone so much before in her life up until then. She had thoughts of what he'd do to her the next day. She shouted and hurled insults at him after all. It was something no servant should do in front of their lord.
What could've been worse was Victoria's reaction if she heard of it. Although Victoria didn't openly show it, Lauran could tell that she was even more dangerous than Arnold.
It was a kind of feeling she had whenever she interacted with Victoria. Of course, since Victoria was her superior, she had to act proper.
'Since I will be Luke's maid from now on, I don't need to follow her orders anymore.'
Victoria would basically be beneath her. Lauran would be the personal maid of the next patriarch so her authority in the household would be equal to Sebastian.
'I'm looking forward to it.'
Lauran hid the smile on her face as she looked outside how they sped by the buildings and the people on the streets of Lockinge.