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(3rd Person POV)
In the Bertium's estate,
A person was lying down on a sofa in the office of the head of Bertiums.
His golden blond hair shone due to the sunlight falling on them. His face was delicate and his overall appearance looked quite cute.
It seemed like an angel was resting and their peaceful aura was radiating throughout the room.
A white-haired man, the personal butler of the head of the Bertium's sighed with exasperation apparent on his face.
His slightly annoyed voice said, "My lord... You should really wake up. It's noon. Who sleeps in the noon when there is a lot of pending paperwork?"
No reply came from the person it was addressed to.
The butler was vexed at the tardiness of the person he served.
He called a servant in and gave them an order.
An order which regularly had to be given due to the laziness of the head of the Bertiums.
A few minutes later, a deafening sound was heard throughout the estate.
A sound made by banging a humongous gong built just for this purpose...
When the gong was struck a few times in succession, Noel Bertium woke up suddenly and fell off the sofa he was resting on.
He stood up in a hurry and he said with a panicked expression, "What happened, Roel?! Why is such a sound coming from the estate?!"
When he looked at his butler, he felt a shiver run down his back as Roel had a dark expression on his face.
Roel clenched his fist while his forehead had a vein bulging out and said, " My Lord... You have been sleeping for four hours! You woke up at 7 in the morning and you slept again at 8. How will the household work if you don't do your duty properly?!"
Noel replied in a whiny voice, "But Roel... Haven't I already made so many dolls yesterday? You should know that making them continuously gives me a lot of fatigue."
"I know about that, my lord. But a very important matter came, the Gastors and the Huipelions contacted us. They want to set up a meeting."
Novel's eyes slightly widened as a serious expression descends on his otherwise carefree face.
He starts striding across the room several times while he is muttering something under his breath.
"Oh, fuck... fuck... fuck... What our ancestor said may come soon... Ah shit, I would have to work harder... Ah fuck. Why did this have to happen in my lifetime... Why couldn't I live lazily..."
Roel didn't interrupt his master's internal conflict. He knew that the future was full of difficulties and conflicts.
His lord should brace himself for any change in the usual lifestyle.
Because this time every person in the territory will be in danger.
And his master should know the burden and the responsibility he holds.
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In the Gastor's Estate,
The heir of the house of Gastor was training in the training grounds.
He was using his sword to strike the metal mannequin in front of him as fast as he could.
While he was doing that, his upper body was shirtless and he was incredibly sweaty.
The name of this person was Luzak Gastor, the future head of the house of Gastor.
His training was interrupted by a maid calling out to him. He took the towel she offered and wiped the sweat off his body.
The maid blushed on seeing the handsome young master of the house half-naked in front of her.
Luzak saw the reddened cheeks of the maid in front of him and a frown appeared on his face. His glaring eyes turned sharp as he said, "Is my father summoning me?"
The maid replied nervously, "Y-Yes, young m-master. The l-lord of the h-house asked you to go to his office as soon as possible."
Luzak nodded but still his frowning expression didn't leave his face.
Many might not know, but Luzak had a phobia of women. He detested them from his core. It was related to an incident in his childhood which only he and his father knew about.
His face always turned into disgust whenever a woman came near him...
Still, he moved those thoughts to the back of his head and walked to his father's office.
When he knocked on the door, a heavy voice said, "Come in."
Luzak entered and greeted the lord of his house, "Greetings to the lord of the Gastor house."
The head of the house was Markus Gastor, Luzak's father.
His battle-hardened face with a scar on his face and a full grown beard gave him an intimidating appearance.
Though, when he saw his son's face, a wide smile appeared on his visage as his eyes twinkled.
He laughed a hearty laugh and said, "You don't have to be so formal, my son. I am your father."
Luzak nodded with an earnest countenance, though a sliver of smile came onto his face.
"Son, how is your training proceeding?"
"It's going well, father. I need to perfect my sword style just a bit more, then I can rival the captain of the Gastor Estate."
"Very good, son. You are the most talented person our clan has ever seen. We have our hopes on you so that you may take the Gastor name to greater heights."
"Of course, Father. Leave it to me. I will not let you down. But, did you call me today just for this?"
Markus had a grave expression as he said, "Luzak, I believe it's time to put the plan in motion. The Bertiums, Huipelions and the Pedelians also agree with it. The Pedelians were the one to suggest it as their heir was kidnapped by the Agriches."
Luzak had a pale face as he said, "Is it wise to do that, father? There might be lots of bloodshed in the future."
"Yes, my son. If we don't follow our ancestor's advice, the world we know might not exist. The Phoenixes will always remain a danger."
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(End of the Chapter)
[Noel Bertium Illustration]
[Roel Illustration Illustration]
[Luzak Gastor Illustration]
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