" It is stated that Charlemane Grey contributed a lot in the coup and he was rewarded for his contributions by earning the title of Duke which was given to him by Julius Avartis.
However, there are certain books that state Charlemane Grey was friends with the previous Emperor and had close associates working in the palace as well.
This is only me speculating, (gotta put some emphasis on that) but I think that Charlemane felt as though he was betraying his friend and allies by going against them. Since Charlemane Grey was a person with a strong sense of justice and didn't tolerate the injustices happening in his country he knew that something had to be done.
Maybe being rewarded for an act of betrayal didn't sit right with him so he couldn't accept such a title, and Julius Avartis knowing this could only accept his refusal.
However Julius Avartis still wanted the Grey family to remain a nobility so instead of a Duke he probably would've given him the title of Marquis because I don't think he would've made him an Earl since it is a lower rank compared to Marquis.
So this would mean that Charlemane himself decided that if he was to still remain a noble it would be an Earl."
After that Simuel remained silent for a second. It felt like something was missing but he couldn't quite put his hands on what was missing.
Meanwhile Nicolas who had been observing the child the whole time remained quiet but had a small smile on his face.
"Wait!" Simuel exclaimed to himself. "why did Charlemane decide on the title of Earl instead of a Baron. It's a noble title albeit the lowest rank… but still."
Right. Charlemane is a Grey.
And throughout history at least according to the novel, they had a lot of power and prestige. Even if Charlemane was a righteous person, he was still a part of a noble family and therefore couldn't sully the Grey name.
Being classified as a Baron would be beneath them (these are direct quotes from the novel, not my words) so the only title that was left for him was that of an Earl.
"I think in this situation, Charlemane Grey didn't have any other options so he settled for the only title left.
And because Julius didn't want anyone competing for his title, he made a decree that only the Grey's would have the honour of holding that rank. That is what I think."
Hopefully this would be a satisfactory answer for him.
I wouldn't be able to say more without having to divulge the contents of the novel. On top of that, I had an inkling that this Nicolas fellow was testing me. I want him to think I'm an intelligent child without raising any suspicions.
"I think that is a satisfactory answer indeed. Just based on the information you read, you were able to deduce your own theory on the matter. Of course we have no way of knowing the exact truth but I can say your conclusion to this does seem plausible."
Good, very good indeed Nicolas thought to himself. He is a clever child with great insight. I look forward to hearing more from this little master.
"Well, I think we can end things here today. I will be assigning you some work and I would like it to be done by our next class." Nicolas said sternly.
"I'll be on my way then, until next time" He said while making his way to the door.
"Yes Mr Nicolas, I look forward to our next lesson." And with that he left.
What an interesting guy, I thought to myself. He's strange but I like him.
...…
After my lessons, I spent the rest of the day going about my normal routine.
Gwendolyn had served me lunch and I made my way to the library to read a book. After that I made my way back to my room and solved some puzzles.
The whole time I was "playing" I couldn't help but sigh. I felt incredibly bored and lifeless.
The one thing they don't ever tell you when transmigrating into the 18th century is how boring it can be as someone from the 21st century.
I found myself missing my phone and game console as well as the internet cafes I would frequent. On top of that I had to act like a 6 year child and that meant playing with games and toys that to be quite frank with you, weren't interesting at all.
Luckily for me Simuel wasn't someone who played with toys all the time but that's only because the novel didn't touch much on Simuel's childhood.
So I didn't know how to act. It had gotten so bad to the point that even Gwendolyn started to notice. I think that's why she suggested going out to play in the garden.
The garden of the manor was big enough to do some exploring and that is exactly what I did. I even brought some books on flowers so I could study the one's in the garden.
But of course I quickly got bored with that too.
That evening at dinner, which was one of the rare occasions Donellan would join me, he suggested going out to the capital with him.
"I'll be going to the Capital to do some business, you can join me if you'd like." He said so quickly I almost missed what he said.
Of course I didn't hesitate for a second and responded eagerly with a yes.
Donellan had gotten reports from Gwendolyn that the young master was looking a little lifeless, Donellan became alarmed (of course internally) thinking there was something wrong with the boy's health but Gwendolyn quickly assured him that the young master was fine physically but she could tell that he looked disinterested for the past couple days.
Donellan didn't think much of it until he was passing my his son's room and noticed that the boy was playing with his board games but had the look of "I hate my life" written all over it (of course this isn't how Donellan would've put it but I am the writer and I thought this would be the best way to describe it).
Donellan became concerned and when he went back to his office, Emille, could tell the master was in a bad room and so he suggested taking the little master out.
Donellan was a little opposed to this because he knew how weak his son's body was and he didn't want to make his condition worse so Emille told him that going out for a little bit could do him some good which is what led to this moment.
Donellan looked at his child and could tell that the boy's mood was much better than before and couldn't help but smile (of course only on the inside).