Awakening from a profound sleep, Leo slowly opened his eyes to the sight of an elegantly decorated ceiling. Laying down, he savored the peaceful moment for some time, before finally deciding to get out of bed. A faint smile appeared on his face, as he swung his legs onto the ground.
'That's the best sleep I've gotten in the last years… Truly amazing.'
Awed by the refreshed sensation, Leo pushed his feet deep into the ground, and spread his arms towards the ceiling, stretching his body as a whole.
Filled with energy, Leo approached a large mirror. With a beaming enthusiasm, he tugged at his cheeks, widened his eyelids, combed his hair with his fingers, and tilted his head side to side to examine his face.
'Judging by my raspy and toneless voice, I thought I was in my teen years, but never imagined at the beginning of them.'
While trying to guess his age, the mirror revealed a young boy, likely between the age of twelve or fourteen years old, with black straight hair, piercing light blue eyes, and a whitish skin. All features that perfectly embody the Reylheart family.
'Mmm, I won't get any more information from my appearance.'
Satisfied by his inspection, Leo hovered over to his dressing room. A modest yet well organized spaced filled with a variety of clothing. Shirts, trousers, and coats of different colors, patterns, and styles hung neatly on the side walls, while a small shelf filled with an array of jewelry occupying the central space.
'I don't remember owning this much cloth! Well, a simple and stylish outfit should do the trick.'
Without overthinking, he cladded himself with a black trouser, a crisp white shirt, and hanging over, a dark blue coat. Not ignoring the central shelf, he took out a marvelous golden pin with a blue spinel encrusted in its center.
Before leaving, Leo gave himself one final look in the mirror. With the help of his reflection, he carefully fastened the pin on the collar of his coat.
'Looks good!'
Pleased with his appearance, Leo left the mirror behind as he exited his room. Greeted by a long and spacious hallway with sunlight streaming through the large windows on the other side, he finally took a step outside his room.
To his surprise, the hallway wasn't empty. To his right side, Pierre was leaning against the wall, his posture was slacked, and his eyes were baggy and unfocused.
Startled by his master's unexpected appearance, Pierre quickly pushed off the wall and straightened his posture, bowing deeply, as he greeted his master.
"Good morning, young master"
As he straightened, his tired eyes scanned his master's figure. Perplexed by him being so well-dressed after being ill, Pierre was filled with surges of sorrow.
"If you required assistance, you should have rung the bell, especially as you are recovering, young master."
Pierre's concern was carried in his answer.
" Oh right… Thank you for worrying, but I feel much better now. See, I am full of energy."
Grinning, Leo flexed his arm playfully, as to prove he was better now. Dropping his arm, he searched for what to say, but before he thought of something, Pierre interjected.
"Young master, would you like to have breakfast?"
"Sure, just tell the chefs to prepare more food. I am quite hungry today."
Although he didn't feel hungry, years of eating simple and moderate meals, left him yearning for a feast.
"Right away, young master."
Pierre bowed and headed out towards the kitchen without further delay. Watching as his butler walked away, Leo couldn't help but notice the weary state his butler was in.
'That foul…he surely stated up all night worrying about me.'
Just before Pierre disappeared, Leo called out to him.
"After speaking to the chefs, go and get some rest."
Touched by the thoughtful order, Pierre turned around, staring at his master with a grateful expression before bowing deeply in respect for his master. Pierre happily turned away in order to complete his assignment.
With some time to spare before breakfast, Leo began to stroll through the nostalgic halls, eventually finding himself in the main entrance hall.
Spacious, awe-inspiring, and magnificent. These were the most fitting words to describe the hall. Marble walls and floors shined brilliantly under the natural sunlight coming from the skylights, while expensive vases and paintings adorned the side walls, adding a layer of elegance and grandeur.
At the far end of the hall, a large, beautifully crafted dark wooden door performed as the main entrance. Substituting the cold marble floor, a luxurious dark red carpet with golden borders stretched across the grand hall from the entrance. The carper ran in a straight line, leading to a massive wall.
Lost in the remnants of old memories, Leo walked on the silent and comfortable carpet, approaching the massive wall. Hanging there, in a grandiose way, was an imposing painting.
The current head of the Reylheart family was drawn into the marvelous artwork, with rich colors and flawless strokes. Beneath it, a golden slate with a fancy writing rested.
'Magnus Reylheart. The eleventh lord of the Reylhearts. Noble, proud, and outstanding, worthy of the title Lion Knight.'
"A man of few words, just like always."
Leo muttered into the air, his voiced expressed a bittersweet emotion. He felt anxious to see his father and family alive and well again, yet at the same time, he felt a pang of guilt for seeing them suffer in his past life.
With slow, deliberate movements, he lifted his gaze to the painting. His father appeared exactly as Leo remembered. Short black straight hair, sharp light blue eyes, a groomed black beard, and a fair white skin. Magnus Reylheart even in a picture was a man whose presence alone is capable of silencing the room.
Sometimes Leo joked to himself that his father might be a vampire, as he never seemed to age.
Shaking off complex thoughts and emotions, Leo averted his eyes and turned away from the portrait. Having spent enough time wandering the halls and reminiscing, Leo finally moved on to the dinning hall.
.
.
The Reylheart family are an exemplary and important family. Though they only hold the title of barons, they're one of the most well-known and respected noble families within the kingdom of Altear.
From the moment of their establishment, the family set its sights on singularly educating, training and producing elite knights. Whether for the royal family, the nobles houses, or wealthy merchants, the Reylheart supplied the kingdom with knights of remarkable skill and discipline.
To avoid political entanglements or internal conflicts, the Reylhearts have maintained a strict neutral position with the noble factions, defecting all political power they hold and compensating the loss with military power.
Thanks to their tradition of forming exceptional knights for the royal family, the nobles, and the rich merchants, the Reylhearts have amassed a hefty wealth. However, they spend most of the wealth reinvesting heavily in better education and training programs for the knight trainees.
To prevent succession disputes, only one rightful successor is chosen to be the next lord. At the age of eighteen, he or she will be tested as a knight, if proven worthy, they would be appointed as the next head of the family.
If they fail but showed a promising performance, they would be given another chance in the upcoming years. If the test is a definite failure, the position of rightful successor would be passed down to another.
Once the rightful successor officially succeeds, the previous lord or lady shall renounce the title, smoothening the transition. The former head would still hold power and influence within the family, acting as a second in command and guiding the new leader when needed.
These traditions have ensured the continued Reylheart family legacy, one of strength, honor and unwavering beliefs, freed from internal or external conflicts.
.
.
After dazing off, thinking about the heavy weight of being the rightful heir to the Reylheart family, Leo finally arrived at the dinner hall.
Welcomed by a long and extravagant dining table, with a lavish meal resting upon it, Leo took his seat in the top right corner of the table. While accommodating himself, two servants approached, and gracefully serve the meal and poured drinks.
'Finally!! Every single day, I dreamed of eating like this again… Bon appétit.'
Eating in a calm, yet fast manner, it didn't last long before he finished eating all the main course. Just as he started with the desserts, a retainer stepped into the room silently, trying not to bother the young master.
Seeing the retainer standing still waiting for an acknowledgment to speak, Leo waved a hand, giving the retainer permission to communicate.
"Young lord, we received a letter from madam Adeline. She states she will be returning to the manor in two days.
Not surprised with the message, Leo merely nodded to the retainer and continued to savor his dessert. Successfully delivering the message, the retainer bowed, excused himself and left the room as silently as he had arrived.
Satisfied by the delicious dessert, he reached out for a cup of tea out of habit.
'Ha ha ha… In the end, she really imprinted the enjoyment of tea onto me.'
Chuckling to himself, memories of his fiancée surfaced, ones of when she pressured him into sampling all types of tea. Enjoying the warm, pleasant, and nostalgic memories of a distant future past, he finally found himself back into the present.
Normally, the Reylheart manor is bussing with servants and knights, however whenever both the lord and the madam are out, the manor falls into silence. Despite the quiet, there were many servants and knights working in the shadow, maintaining the manor spotless and well guarded.
'Seems I came back just right on time. After all, my mother and siblings would frequently stay away for months at a time.'
Joyful by the great timing, Leo finished his cup of tea and left the dinning hall. Wandering through the halls, a thought arose in his mind.
'Time to start training!'
Announcing his next task with determination, Leo confidently marched his way to ward the training grounds.