"What?" Lucian frowned, not expecting to hear the news.
"Yes, Young Master." Pavel repeated in a calm but firm tone. "For the time being, I won't serve you first. But later I will ask one of the servants to serve you in my place."
Lucian clicked slowly, unable to hide his reluctance. Even though I would rather not have a servant, it makes me not free, he muttered to himself. He doesn't really like people who always pay attention to him all the time.
"It's okay, you're actually his servant, right?" he continued casually, referring to Marquis Hale without mentioning titles or terms like 'Father'. Lucian didn't know how his original self usually addressed Marquis Hale, so he chose to remain ambiguous.
Pavel looked at him with an unreadable expression. There was a slight change in his gaze, as if he caught something strange in Lucian's words. "Young Master...?" he said, as if wanting to confirm something, but he didn't continue.
"Why?" Lucian looked at Pavel with a faint curiosity.
Pavel sighed, his eyes staring at the floor for a moment before turning his gaze away. "No, nothing," he replied quickly, as if trying to hide something. "Then, good night."
Pavel lowered his head slightly as a sign of respect, then looked at Lucian's back which was slowly disappearing behind the door. In his heart, he muttered, "Young master, even though he used to be very interested in hearing the news from the Great Master, after the treatment of the Great Master all this time, maybe... Poor young master." Pavel expressed the sentence in a slow tone, full of unspoken regret. "Either way, this Pavel will definitely be by your side."
After closing his room door, Lucian sighed and leaned against it for a moment. His eyes stared at the ceiling, his mind starting to fill with questions he found hard to answer.
"Lucian's dad, huh... I'm a bit confused about how to face him tomorrow, I don't even know his name," he muttered softly. He walked over to his bed, casually taking off his coat, but his mind was still stuck on the person he was going to meet.
"But from Julian's reaction earlier, it seems like Lucian doesn't have a good relationship with his dad," he continued, recalling his words with Julian when he heard about the Marquis's return.
Lucian sighed, then threw himself onto the soft bed. "Ah, whatever. Let's think about that later," he said, closing his eyes in resignation. Without realizing it, exhaustion finally caught up with him, and in a matter of minutes, he was fast asleep.
A few days later, the soft morning sunlight peeked through the gaps in the curtains, slowly warming up the room that had felt cold all night. Lucian blinked a few times before finally letting out a long sigh.
Lucian blinked his eyes a few times, his head feeling a bit heavy as his awareness slowly returned.
"Ugh…!" he groaned softly, raising his hand to rub his eyes that still felt heavy from sleepiness. He turned towards the window, finding the morning sunlight starting to sneak into his room.
"It seems like I've started to get used to this life," he muttered, while sighing lightly. Although this world was different from his previous life, his rhythm and routine slowly began to feel familiar.
But before he could ponder further, suddenly a transparent window appeared before him, displaying a text he hadn't seen in a long time.
[Notification: Update successful.]
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "So this system is still around? I thought they disappeared since they haven't shown up all day."
As soon as he finished speaking, another notification popped up, as if responding to his comment.
[Notification: Developer disagrees with your statement.]
"Huh??" Lucian stared, looking at the screen with a puzzled expression. He could even feel the protest tone from this system.
Still feeling confused, he got up from his bed while stretching his body, trying to shake off the remaining sleepiness. But before he could enjoy the moment, another notification popped up.
[Notification: The developer is sad because they feel ignored by you.]
Lucian paused for a moment, then closed his eyes in resignation. "...This system is really starting to act up."
Lucian lay there for a long time before throwing himself back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling with a blank look. But before he could think any further, another notification popped up, this time with a slightly bolder font, as if emphasizing the feelings it wanted to convey.
[Notification: Developer feels disappointed with your response.]
Lucian rubbed his temples, feeling a bit frustrated. "Should I apologize now?" he asked rhetorically.
Not long after, another notification window appeared.
[Notification: Developer is waiting for an apology.]
"… Are you serious?" Lucian raised his eyebrow, staring at the screen with an expression that was a mix of tired and amused. He finally sighed and raised both hands in surrender. "Alright, sorry. Happy now?"
The system was silent for a few seconds before a new notification finally appeared.
[Notification: Developer is considering your apology...]
Lucian groaned in frustration. "What the heck is this?!"
[Notification: The developer has forgiven you. However, as a punishment, you will receive a random quest soon.]
Lucian sat up straight. "Wait, wait! That's not part of the deal!"
But the system didn't respond anymore, the notification screen just disappeared, leaving Lucian feeling not only pranked but also trapped.
He stared at the ceiling with mixed feelings. "Why does it feel like I'm dealing with a kid whose power is way too big?"
Lucian crossed his arms in front of his chest, staring at the notification that appeared with a flat expression.
"By the way, I've only been in this world for five days, but why does it feel like this system updates every day?" he muttered. "Or is this just happening because I'm still in the adaptation phase?"
Lucian sighed. "Why do I feel like I'm dealing with a whiny little kid?"
He could only shrug. "Yeah, yeah, thanks for the compliment. I love you too," he said half-heartedly. "Now show me my status quickly."
It seems like following his command, a transparent screen appeared in front of him, displaying his current status.
[ Showing your status ]
────────────────────
Character Information
────────────────────
Name : Lucian Hale
Class : [Not Detected]
Job : [Not Detected]
Statistics:
STR : 10 MP : 20/20
AGI : 20 HP : 50/50
INT : 85 CHA : -17
END : 10
EXP : 13 [Skill] [Quest]
────────────────────
Lucian stared at the status screen in front of him with a blank expression. "CHA is still negative, huh..." But what caught his attention the most was the increasing EXP.
"My EXP went up? As far as I remember, I haven't fought or completed any quests..." As if responding to his confusion, the system quickly sent a new notification.
[Notification: Your EXP increases based on actions relevant to character development.]
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "So... just by surviving in this world I can gain EXP?"
[Notification: Not completely. EXP also increases because you managed to interact with NPCs more effectively than in the original version of Lucian Hale.]
Lucian paused for a moment before finally smirking. "So, if I fix my relationships with the people around me, I can level up my exp without having to fight or complete quests?"
There was no reply from the system this time, as if letting Lucian conclude on his own. Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard from outside. "Young Master, I was asked by the head servant to give this to you."
Lucian sighed before walking to the door. When he opened it, a young servant stood in front of the room with a tray in his hands. On it was a cup of warm chamomile tea and some dry bread that he was already familiar with—snacks that Pavel usually brought every morning.
Lucian glanced at the tea, then looked back at the servant with a flat expression. "Did Pavel send you?" he asked.
The servant was shocked to see Lucian's face without a mask, his hand holding the tray trembling slightly. Usually, Lucian always wore a half mask, and this was the first time the servant had seen his face directly. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to look any longer.
"That old man, even though I told him before." Lucian sighed softly, taking out a cup of tea and dry bread from the tray. "Thank you, you can leave now." Without giving the waiter time to respond, Lucian immediately closed the door of his room.
The maid swallowed, then quickly walked away. In his heart, he muttered, "Whether he forgot or deliberately, I thought he would scold me if he saw his face without a mask. Looks like I'm getting lucky today."
Lucian brought the tea and bread to the small table near his bed. He sat down casually, raised the teacup to his lips, inhaling the scent before taking a sip. "Chamomile, huh... as usual." He put the cup back and stared at the status screen that was still floating in front of him.
Just as Lucian was about to put the tray aside, something caught his attention. On the tray, hidden among the dry bread, is a neatly folded piece of paper. Lucian picked it up and opened the folds.
"Young Master, I'm very happy to see your face, but for now please wear a mask while the Great Master is in the mansion."
Lucian stared at the writing for a few seconds before snorting softly. "That's it?" he muttered, placing the paper on the table.
He drinks his tea again before leaning back in his chair. "Well, for now, I guess I'll just use it," he said with a resigned tone. "I still don't know what Lucian's deal is with Marquis Hale." His gaze was directed at the wide-open window right now. "If Pavel is writing this, it seems like I really need to be more careful."