Chapter 39: To Punch a Brat.

I stretched myself on my bed and rolled around, moving the balls of water at the same time. This was working well, my control was improving.

After rolling over to one side completely, I stopped and stared at Maria who was standing inside my room. The deputy butler was relieved from his duties and they let me have Maria again. I was more glad than I could express. Lily, though, had slipped up and called me something weird so she was currently being straightened up by the castle maids. Yikes.

I looked and Maria and started speaking.

"Do you know who the guest that the Marquis had to attend to was?" I asked.

"I have heard it was the heiress of Margrave Mirxa, young master." Her replies were still as detached and formal as before. What was it that was bothering her? I had an idea, but I didn't know how I could clear it off.

She didn't seem to have any problems with my having the memories of a previous life. It must have been shocking, and she probably didn't understand the effects such a thing had on one's psyche or personality, only someone else who had faced the same thing would know, but that wasn't my concern. As long as she knew it, I was happy. Her being upset had a different reason.

"What do you think of her?" I asked.

"She's your age, young lord. But she's brilliant. Powerful with her magic and a master when it comes to administration. Lady Sophia vi Mirxa and her father, Margrave Dragoon vi Mirxa are both truly the ones fitting of being called the kingdom's shield."

Ahhh why her! Why is she so stiff? Usually, she would have no qualms about giving her impressions without using any titles. But still was acting like this.

"Well, I was asked by the Marquis to stick with her from now on."

"... Excuse me?"

She flinched.

I only chuckled and started performing some handstand push-ups since I was bored and wanted to continue training my magic.

"I am going to be moving with her from tomorrow till she leaves, she wants to explore the place."

"I see... I'll have to prepare well."

"Something seems fishy to me."

Maria flinched again.

I finished my tiny set of 50 and landed back down on the bed.

"What kind of person would want to see the capital city of their enemies?"

There was another odd thing here. Despite both Keith and Maria calling them enemies, the Marquis had openly declared the heiress and her family as his friends. He was also supporting her in whatever fishy digging she was to do, so he attached me to her. It would not only shut up everyone who believes those guys shouldn't be allowed to move around, but it also made it clear to the heiress that she wasn't going to be monitored with a discarded son by her side.

It was a witty move, that's why I destroyed it.

It wasn't time to tell Maria any of it though.

"That's not all, her envoy was extremely tiny, and she is here five days earlier than the beginning of the founding festival. One could say it was to see more things as a to-be administrator, but something's still fishy."

I moved toward the window with my back turned toward Maria as I said that.

"What is it, young master? I believe she must have been sent so early by the lord Margrave to dig up some dirt?"

"The Marquis wouldn't have placed me with her if that was the case," I opened the window of the room and stretched my hand outside.

Right on time, a small dove flew over from the skies and landed on my arm. I pulled out the letter attached to the pigeon's foot and brought the bird in. My back rested against the open window sill, the breeze from outside stroking my hair.

"The lady Mirxa left her territory three days ago."

Maria gasped.

That was almost the same time as us. The distance between Apollon and the Marquis' territory wasn't that great but was still considerable. We moved over rather relaxedly, but those guys were clearly in a rush.

"Why would they run all the way here, Maria?" I flipped the paper in my hand and picked up a quill from the table next to me. Writing a word of praise, I attached it to the pigeon and sent it back with the pigeon.

"The moment I was left alone, I used the bird we had brought with us and sent it to the glasses. He sure does work fast now after being beaten up so many times."

Maria seemed to be hesitating to say something. This pretty much confirmed that the heiress of Mirxa was here with an ulterior motive. Others could investigate it too, but their Marquis was letting her be.

If she was here to dig up dirt on the Marquis... or to hide dirt about the Margrave...

"I could use both of them well..."

Maria slightly lowered her head. "I'll prepare well for us to move, young master."

"Before that." I checked the time again. It was about to be evening soon. I was sure my dearest elder sister wasn't going to let me go so easily. Since my first impression was fucked anyway, I would be taking it to the extreme, naturally.

"Get me something easy to move around in," I said. "Something flashy."

"Are we going somewhere, young master?"

I only smirked at her words.

***

Evening rolled around. And as expected, my sister sent over someone.

With the clothes that I looked the coolest in, I now followed that butler to the training grounds inside the castle.

The entire grounds were emptied out, and the same person I had seen this morning stood alone in the center. Even her knight outfit seemed as extravagant as the dress from earlier.

As I passed by the stands in the training grounds, my eyes landed on the empty stands which had almost no one other than a group of children on the other side. She had cleared out the stands as well, likely thinking she'll be 'saving my honor,' this girl was more decent than she let on, it seemed.

I turned to Maria who immediately leaned closer and whispered. "They are your other siblings standing across you, young master. They are looking at you right now."

I smiled at them and turned to the field again.

"Maria," I said. "I'll go punch a brat and be right back, ok?"

"Hah. Please don't overdo it, young master."

Maria smiled.

I couldn't see it, but I had seen her smiling enough to know when she did it. And this was the first time she had smiled in a long while. I turned to look at her as she noticed what she did and turned gaze away. Was she blushing too? I couldn't tell.

In a better mood than before, I went inside the training grounds and stopped in front of my sister.

"My lady, thank you for your guidance today. Please do not hold back in my consideration."

Vienna Golden Hall looked at me and started placing her pressure on me. I wanted to yawn at this almost unnoticeable pressure, but decided to stick my brows and act a bit.

"Are you sure, lord Eugene?" She asked, smirking.

"I'll do as you ask, but I should you warn you..." Vienna narrowed her gaze coolly and whispered in a threatening voice, further increasing her pressure. "I am about to breakthrough to the Aura Ki realm."

All that buildup for just that. How cute.

I was really looking forward to straightening this girl up.