After finishing the History of Ludwig, I moved on to the History of the Hestia Empire. I skimmed through the details, focusing on the key context I needed.
The Hestia Empire was founded by Emperor Edward Hestia, along with his six companions: Neil Ludwig, Edwin Asvold, Akira Frost, Lucas Morningstar, Nadia Mystic, and Agnus Blake. Together, they united small tribes, forming a modest army, and gradually conquered larger nations, eventually establishing the empire. Edward was elected emperor, and the empire was named after him, while the six companions were granted the titles of dukes. These dukes were just below the emperor in the hierarchy, untouchable by anyone, even royalty. Only the emperor himself had authority over them.
The current dukes of the empire are:
Lucious Ludwig
Ethan Asvold
Eleanor Frost
Aster Morningstar
Ophelia Mystic
Azier Blake
Each duke commands vassals beneath them: 8 marquesses, 12 counts, 15 viscounts, and 19 barons. The hierarchy goes:
Emperor → Duke → Marquess → Count → Viscount → Baron.
Four of the duke houses—Ludwig, Asvold, Morningstar, and Blake—are families of knights and swordsmen, defending the four borders of the empire. The other two, Mystic and Frost, are proficient in magic and stay closer to the capital.
As for Alex Stale, the hero of the game, he was the heir to the Stale County, which falls under the Asvold duchy.
With the empire's structure clear, I picked up the Ludwig Family Tree. I quickly skipped through the irrelevant details and landed on the current generation.
Lucious Ludwig, 49, is the current duke. He has two wives: Iliyana Ludwig, 37, a red-headed beauty, and Elona Ludwig, 41, with raven-black hair. His eldest son, Adam Ludwig, 25, is married to Amelia Ludwig, 22, and is born from Lucious's first wife, Elona. The second wife, Iliyana, has two children: Emily Ludwig, 16, my elder sister, and finally, Arthur Ludwig—me—who will turn 15 in few days.
I now had a basic understanding of my situation. But something bothered me. Earlier, Lily referred to me as the heir of the Ludwig estate. But I'm the youngest. How could I be the heir? My elder brother, Adam, is not only the firstborn but also the son of Lucious's first wife. By all accounts, he should be the heir.
I'll have to ask Lily about that later, I thought.
By the time I finished reading, the day had already passed. I stood up, placed the books back on the podium, and watched as they floated back to their original places. Enchanted libraries are really something.
opened the door, and the knights were still standing in the same spot as before. But this time, they were holding something in their hands, pointing it forward and clicking away—a glowing rectangular device. It looked oddly familiar.
While they were busy with their gadget, I quietly walked behind them, peering over their shoulders.
It was a smartphone.
But that wasn't what shocked me. What really surprised me was what they were taking pictures of: my maid, Lily. I followed their camera's direction and glanced ahead. And, well… it was a scene worth capturing, I had to admit.
Lily was slouched in a chair, dozing off. A line of drool dribbled from her mouth, and her blouse had slipped off one shoulder. One of her ample breasts was fully exposed, hanging out for all to see. Her skirt was slightly lifted, revealing black netted panties, with a hint of dark hair peeking through. The scene was… provocative
Damn, that's hot, I thought, feeling a stir in my pants.
"Ahem." I cleared my throat loudly to grab the knights' attention. They froze like deer caught in headlights, slowly turning toward me with wide eyes, trying to hide their phones behind their backs.
"What are you hiding?" I asked calmly.
"N-Nothing, Young Master," they stammered.
"Show me." I gestured for them to bring their hands forward. Reluctantly, they held out their devices. "It's our AetherPad, Young Master," one of them muttered nervously.
I took the device and inspected it. It had all the functions of a smartphone—messages, apps, and, to my astonishment, even internet access.
That's when my face darkened.
The knights, misunderstanding my expression, thought I was angry about them taking inappropriate pictures of Lily. They looked terrified, fearing punishment.
But I was thinking about something entirely different.
Dammit! I cursed internally. I've been a complete fool. Despite knowing that Eldora excels in magic-engineering, I let the presence of magic and martial arts cloud my judgment. I assumed this world lacked modern advancements. I've wasted a whole day sifting through dusty books for information when I could've just used the damn internet to get everything I needed in minutes.
Sigh~ I let out a tired breath. What's done is done. No point dwelling on it. Let's just head back to my room and cool off, I thought. I deleted the photos and retuned the AetherPad back to the knights, I turned and made my way toward Lily. Behind me, I could hear their relieved sighs.
I walked up to her, intending to shake her awake, but instead, my hand moved lower, and before I knew it, my palm had landed squarely on her exposed breast. I involuntarily squeezed, my fingers sinking deep into the softness. Lily let out a soft, unconscious moan as her eyes fluttered open.
She blinked in confusion, staring down at her bare chest and my hand. Flustered, she shot up and hurriedly fixed her clothes.
"What are you doing, young master?" she asked, her voice a mixture of shock and embarrassment. "Someone might see us!"
"So, it's fine as long as no one sees us?" I replied slyly.
At that, I heard two distinct gulping sounds behind me.
As I turned around, I noticed both knights staring at the ground, their faces flushed and eyes wide. It was clear they had seen more than they should have. I smirked and shrugged. "You didn't see anything," I said, walking away. But before I left, I glanced back at them and added playfully, "Next time, I'll bring my AetherPad to capture those photos."
Both knights stiffened at the mention of photos. "Yes, Young Master!" they responded in unison, their eyes still glued to the floor.
I turned back to Lily. "Let's go back. I'm tired now," I said, ready to put the day behind me.
Lily nodded, still flustered, and we left the library together.