Chapter 13 Duke's Mansion

"Ding Dong."

A bell rang as soon as Josephine pressed a button. After a few minutes at the entrance, Gloriana got out of the carriage and the guards guarding the mansion were surprised to see her. They quickly opened the golden gates and we passed through the large garden, where numerous servants worked on the Duke's property.

Flowers, plants and fountains decorated the place. We were now in front of the imposing doors of the mansion when...

"Crunch".

The doors opened revealing a group of women dressed in black and white skirts, simple white blouses, and white aprons, an elegant yet eye-catching maid's outfit.

"Why?...why do they wear their skirts so short?" I thought.

The maids' skirts were so short that they barely showed their underwear.

I felt a chilling look when I looked at the maids' skirts. I looked around and noticed that Gloriana and Luna were looking at me sternly, as if their eyes penetrated my being with just a glance.

With both hands I made a denial gesture, implying that I wasn't seeing what they might think.

Of course, I'm not one of those perverts who look at women's private parts like legs or chest. I'm not that kind of man, but seeing them thinking badly...

"I sighed."

In front of me were two staircases on each side, a glass chandelier on the ceiling, and a white-upholstered ceiling. The marble floor shined under the lights, with paintings and luxurious furniture typical of a noble and rich mansion.

"Tap Tap".

Footsteps were heard from the top of the stairs. I looked up and saw at the bottom of the stairs a burly man with a beard, dressed in noble clothing but without a jacket, and black sneakers that matched his outfit. He quickly descended the stairs and bowed to Gloriana.

"Your highness, it is an honor that you visit my mansion in comfort," the man said, a hand on his chest as he bowed.

I looked at Gloriana and noticed his expression became serious, her voice taking on a more confident and authoritative tone.

"Thank you very much, Duke Edmund Blackwood, for allowing us to spend the night at his home."

"It is a great honor for me to have the princess of the continent visit my home," replied the fat man named Edmund.

Edmund spoke elegantly, as did Gloriana, but my face reflected surprise. Gloriana was different when she talked to me, which might be one of the reasons why Josephine, the gentleman who brought us, looked at me with contempt and anger. According to the information in the history book I read, there are ranks in the nobility, although it did not specify how high each one was.

Edmund looked around, taking in each person present. When he saw Luna, he spoke:

"Wow, the next matriarch of the Hazard family is here too," Edmund said, bowing again as before.

"Don't worry, Mr. Edmund, I appreciate that she's allowing us to stay one night at her home," Luna responded, although her face didn't show that she was happy that Edmund was talking to her.

"...,"

She also changed her expression and tone of voice, showing a different personality than usual and the one I knew.

Edmund looked at other people again and his eyes fell on me. He analyzed my clothes and my posture, seeming to determine whether he was addressing me to a noble or not. When he finished observing me, his face changed to one of indifference.

"What is a commoner doing here?" he asked.

"He... is..." Josephine didn't finish speaking when Gloriana intervened.

"He's coming with me. If you have any problem with him, tell me," she said.

"D-don't worry, princess. Don't worry, I won't bother this boy."

He looked at me, but his indifferent expression persisted.

"What is your name?"

"...,"

My face showed no emotions. At that moment, I had the same expression as in my past life: cold, looking at people indifferently without being fazed by his arrogance.

A vein stood out on Edmund's face when I finally spoke.

"I'm Asher Frostblade," I said, this time bowing like he had done with Gloriana and Luna.

I looked up and saw surprise in his eyes. From his expression, he seemed to be thinking "Is he really a commoner and not a noble?" Just by seeing a little of his face, I knew what he was thinking. Then I returned to my normal posture and looked away. My gaze met Luna and Gloriana, who had the same expression as Edmund at that moment.

"Why are you looking at me like that? What's so strange about bowing to a person? It's even considered polite in my past life. Although I was trained in assassination, I also received instruction in manners for a long time in my previous life."

"Because you showed manners even better than those of royalty," Encrid said.

"...,"

But what I did was practically the same as Edmund, with the same tone of voice and body movement, both in details and posture. It was like a copy, so my manners seemed even better, as if I had perfected them beyond even those of royalty.

"Really, I didn't know anything about that..."

"Well, never mind," Encrid replied.

"Sigh".

Edmund put aside his surprise and turned his gaze towards Gloriana.

"Princess, do you want her to show you her room?"

"Thank you," he replied simply.

***

—Change of scene.

Edmund showed us the rooms assigned to each person. First it was Gloriana and Luna, then he continued with Josephine, who seems to be a nobleman who works as a knight for the king and queen. Edmund was very kind to him, but when it was my turn, everything was different.

"What kind of room is this? Even the slave rooms are better."

He was in a dirty room, with cobwebs everywhere, a bed with lumps on the mattress. Every corner was dirty and there was hardly any light. I wanted to complain, but it would be better not to. After all, to the nobles, commoners are considered dirty, hungry and lazy. It was better not to make an enemy over something so absurd and allow Gloriana to make some unnecessary move for me.

In the end, that was all I got. I only stayed one night, since the next day we would go to the imperial city, Mengrana, where the royal family resides.

I felt very uncomfortable. It was possible that he would have to speak to the king and queen. It is an uncomfortable situation and, furthermore, I come from another world that is completely different from this one, especially in terms of customs, similar to the Medieval Ages.

"Great, let's go see them."

"Yes, but they say he is a commoner."

Hearing voices coming from outside the mansion, I approached the window of the dirty room. They were two women, but from their attire they were definitely not maids. They were not wearing the typical maid outfit that all the women in that mansion wore, but were instead wearing identical elegant dresses. Looking better at their faces...

"They were twins." I thought when I saw their identical faces.

They both had yellow and black hair respectively. It was strange to see twins with such different hair colors, but I figured maybe it was normal in this world. Although he wasn't sure about the twins' genetics and if they could have different hair colors.

"Sigh".

"Mr. Edmund really hates commoners, doesn't he?" the black-haired woman asked.

"That's right, but let's not talk about it. Someone could hear us and the princess is here," the yellow-haired one responded.

Just from their tone of voice it was obvious that they were nobles.

Why were commoners so hated? If given a chance, things might be different. But what led the nobles to think that way about the commoners? Nobles were supposed to be polite, but in reality they were very rude towards commoners. Was there a story behind the hatred that the nobles felt towards the commoners?

He was annoying. More than annoying, it was outrageous how they looked down on commoners.

"Why are you like this, boy?" Encrid asked.

"I-it's nothing. But do you know why nobles hate commoners so much?"

"..."

His silence intrigued me. Was he hiding something or did he just not want to talk about it?

"You're not going to answer me, are you?"

"..."

"Boy, I will tell you everything I know once you become a ninth circle. You need strength, but you don't have it yet. The story between nobles and commoners is...

He paused and did not continue speaking. What's up with this relationship between nobles and commoners? There is something I don't know, but I can't know more at this time.

But why a ninth circle? What does it have to do with the relations between nobles and commoners? Is there something Encrid could tell me just because I'm weak? But who knows if Encrid will tell me anything about that relationship? So what is the problem? I don't see any sense.

"I sighed."

I lay down on the bed and the dust rose abruptly.

"Cough" "cough."

The silence in this room felt like it did in my past life: an empty place with nothing... An overwhelming silence that I didn't like at all.

I quickly got up and walked out the door, walking down a hallway decorated with furniture and portraits. On the ceiling was a smaller type of chandelier, but they were still chandeliers. I looked to my right at the windows that let in the sunlight.

I wanted a quieter place, one where that kind of silence wasn't felt. Maybe a library would be better, even if there was silence, it wouldn't be the same as in that room that brought back memories of my past life.

I turned left and at the end there was a large door: the library.

"Crunch."

I opened the door without anyone seeing me, but...

"Asher, what are you doing here?"

It was Luna who spoke to me. She was behind me right before she could enter the library. He wanted to know a few more things about the history of the Agrona continent and some magic, if he could find a book, but Luna suddenly appeared.

"I was going in to read some books."

"You shouldn't just walk in like that. Dukes are highly respected and sometimes keep secrets in their libraries, so don't walk in," Luna said.

"I sighed."

My plan had been ruined, but what could I do? Thinking about it, Luna was right. She was attempting to enter another person's property without their permission.

"Shit, why didn't I think about that before coming here!" I thought.

"And you, what did you come to do?" I asked.

"Eh... Well, I was bored and I wanted to go for a walk... Do you want us to go see the surroundings?" Luna proposed.

"Sure, why not? I was also bored and that's why I came to the library."

***

—Change of scene.

In a room decorated with very luxurious furniture and a desk next to a red seat, sat Edmund. He was writing something in a letter.

"Damn commoners."

He just said that while his face was red with anger, with veins visible all over his face. He was completely furious as he quickly wrote on a white letter with black ink. It seemed like he wanted to finish as quickly as possible and send her to someone.

"Why did Princess Gloriana bring a commoner? It's not possible for the royal family to stoop so low as to be with a commoner," Edmund thought once he finished writing.

"This will be ridiculous, but I must do it," he murmured.

"Tomorrow will be your last day, damned commoner."

With those words, Edmund had something on his mind, but why did he seem so worried? His face was sweating intensely and his hands were shaking hard.

"Damn, I hope he doesn't get killed for this, but..." he couldn't finish his sentence when a dull sound echoed from the bedroom door.

"Mr. Edmund, the... the commoner is with Miss Luna. The two of them are wandering around the garden."

The yellow-haired woman spoke firmly, while the black-haired woman behind her also intervened.

"That's right, my lord. You must do something about it."

Edmund became even angrier, pushing and throwing everything on his desk. He was so angry that his face was covered in veins and his eyes almost turned red from the palpable rage inside him.

"Damn commoner... I'll quickly go try to get that scum away from Miss Luna. I can't allow the next patriarch of the Hazard family to be with a commoner."

Edmund stormed out of the room, full of anger. But why was he so angry? Edmund definitely hated commoners too much, in this case, Asher...