Chapter 3 - The Earl

Sith found himself lying motionlessly in a tub. As the warm water lapped at his skin, he wondered. The room wasn't what you'd expect of a noble's heir. Sure, it was well-appointed, but nothing about it screamed 'unbelievable wealth' like the rest of the mansion. He didn't mind either way.

His head continuously recalled memories that weren't his yet they seemed so familiar.

So I'm the heir of an Earl in this world? He blankly thought.

His eyes finally regained their clarity, a huge smile on his face. Not only was he a future Earl, he now had a icy beauty for a sister. He exited the tub, wondering whether incest was an abomination in this world.

He strode into a similar looking bedroom with a simple towel draped over his shoulders.

Suddenly, he sighted a mirror opposite the bed. He curiously paused to look into it. However, his body immediately turned rigid.

In a beautiful and aromatic expanse of flowers, the sounds of footsteps could be heard. An elegant, yet cold figure approached another indistinct figure holding a fishing rod into a pond.

The elegant woman stopped just before the mysterious mist that surrounded that person. Her icy blue eyes stared at that individual.

"You have performed a meritorious deed in clearing out the pirates and bandits," the figure commended.

"Thank you, Earl," the lady replied, yet no expression could be seen on her face.

With a sigh, the figured continued, "The manor's carriage would be leaving tomorrow at dawn. You'd be starting as an Academy's student in the following semester."

The lady's brows furrowed before replying, "Understood."

"As my daughter, you shouldn't be this formal, no?" The Earl asked, dissatisfaction evident.

"Respectfully, I don't believe any parental connection is present between us."

With those words, the elegant woman left without turning back.

"Sigh."

_______________________

Sith stood there in stunned silence. A pair of clear azure blue eyes stared back at him from his reflection. He was shaken to say the least. The person in the mirror looked like someone straight out of a fantasy series.

His fingers ran through his jet black hair, before rubbing the silver tips. A wide smile suddenly spread across his lips.

Although he was handsome to an extent, he couldn't be considered breath-taking. There was still immaturity on his face which only made him look cute in a way. However, his natural hair and eye colour made him ecstatic. Just how many animes had he seen the characters having rainbow hair colors? 

Analysing himself a little more closely, he realized his basic facial features were still similar to his in his past world. It was just like one of those AI image filters he tried before.

His build was not that tall, he estimated mid 5" at most. His body was thin and scrawny. According to his memories, he was a 16 year old.

Hmm... Is it really appropriate for a 16 year old to be conquering beauties? Then again, I was 17+ in my previous world. Although, I don't think I'll be conquering any beauties looking like this.

His facial features were okay but his physique was not so good. Just when he was wondering whether to start lifting weights, a light knock came from the door.

"Young heir, the Lord Earl summons you..." a young maid's voice sounded from outside. 

Sith suddenly had an idea. He casually pretended not to hear the maid, calling her in. The maid respectfully opened the door and bowed. Just when she was about to speak, she noticed the shirtless young heir. A strange expression gradually surfaced on her petite face.

Just what is the young heir doing? Wait...

Sith, who was in the middle of flexing his bony chest, noticed her expression and abruptly paused. He looked down to see he wasn't wearing any pants. A strange silence emerged as they both blankly stared at each other.

"Uhh..." the maid begun.

"F-Forget you saw anything!" Sith suddenly exclaimed in embarrassment, diving into the sheets.

The maid immediately looked down, realizing what happened. Her face was red like a tomato as she delivered her message.

After stuttering incomprehensibly, she quickly scampered away. She didn't even wait for Sith to say a word and just hastily closed the door.

Meanwhile, Sith was lying in the sheets. His mind was in a mess as he repeatedly rolled on the bed, screaming into the sheets.

After a while, he weakly laid there, staring up. He had to admit that this bed was very soft. It was a thing only rich people could afford in his previous world.

His mind had also grown clearer. But although he kept telling himself it was just a maid, it was still a person, moreover a female. What if she even spread the rumor?

He was panicking but something suddenly occurred to him. Didn't she say the Earl was summoning me to a garden? At least that was what he thought he heard just before she ran away.

He hopped off the bed to put on his clothes when he paused in front of the mirror again. He observed a moment of silence for his little guy.

Just why the heck was it so small. Hell, his former size was five times bigger than this. He wanted to cry. That was his only source of confidence when chasing Hailey.

He gloomily walked over to the wardrobe as he thought about this. However, his expression became strange. There were rows and rows of clothes there.

Does a person really need this much clothes?

He was about to check them out when he remembered the Earl was probably waiting for him. He hurriedly found some clothes, spent 10 minutes finding the right way to put it on, before sprinting through his door.

Then, he was faced with his next problem.

Just where was the garden?

He looked to the ends of the hall from left to right and suddenly felt a headache. There wasn't even any guards or maids in sight. Just where was he supposed to go?

He randomly chose a direction and continued down. He could just say he hit his head or something so he forgot his sense of direction. The Manor's size and proportion wasn't what Sith was used to. Moreover, it's layout was way too classy. Was the Earl such a sophisticated man?

He soon realized he was just getting himself lost. Just when he was about to turn back in wariness, a man came into his view.

This person's hair was neatly trimmed and cut, his expression was stoic abd indifferent. With the moustache under his nose, he looked like the stereotypical image of a butler. However, Sith knew better.

"I greet Sir Din!" Sith exclaimed, lowering his waist to a 90 degree angle. This man was none other than his strict and perfectionist mentor sent from the academy to nurture him.

The man's lips twitched.

It's Mentor... not "Sir".

But he still asked unhurriedly, "Just what is the heir looking for?"

Sith gave a half lie on how he had gotten struck by lightning which messed with his head. The man seemed to buy it as he simply led him to the garden.

On the way there, Sith was really curious just what kind of individual the Earl was. The maids and servants seemed to respect and adore him but the whole manor didn't seem to match the "friendly ruler" image Sith had. 

Eventually, he was brought into a spacious garden outside the manor. Teacher Din stopped a distance away, leaving Sith with a few words. Due to the distance, Sith couldn't tell any detail about the figure. Moreover, the pond was surrounded by a thin mist.

He walked towards the figure. However, after passing through the mist, he was absolutely stunned. An Earl? How was this an Earl?

"Uhh... Ma'am..." Sith began awkwardly.

This wasn't an Earl, it was just a woman fishing. He began to wonder whether that mentor had tricked him.

The figure didn't respond to his words. There were no movements from her as if she were made of stone. Sith warily looked her over once again.

Her figure was truly breathtaking, enough to make any man drool. Her very long and silky hair cascaded down like flowing water. Anyone could easily get lost in it.

Wait... Is this the Earl's wife?

He started to sweat and immediately looked around. If he was seen ogling at his mother, his reputation would probably become like mud.

Just as he turned back to admire her once again, he heard a graceful voice, "You seem quite hearty for someone struck by lightning."

"Eh...?" Sith wasn't sure who had just spoken, she hadn't even budged.

"Uhm. I was lucky," Sith awkwardly replied.

I was staring at her just now... His face suddenly heated up.

Finally, the woman's head turned around. Immediately, Sith felt his entire body melt.

Another beauty?!

Her clear sapphire eyes like the pond she was fishing in, her little red lips, her glistening fair skin, every inch of her body was a work of art. He felt his throat go dry.

The woman, on the other hand, didn't pay him any more attention and turned back to the pond.

"You look fine to me," she remarked.

Sith suddenly felt as if all the light in the world had disappeared. She was now facing the pool, fishing silently.

He awkwardly cleared his throat. But just when he was about to ask about the Earl, a translucent screen popped up in front of him.

[Target Acquired]

[Objective: Conquer the Female Earl]

[Rewards: ????]

[Failure to complete: -10 inches PP size]

[Mission Duration: 6 months]

"What?"