Hearing his mother’s instructions, Ron finally snapped out of the dreamlike sense of unreality.
“Our family… is really that powerful?”
Upon hearing this, Elenda couldn’t help but burst into laughter, clearly amused by Ron’s comment.
“What kind of thing is that to say?”
“Our family is at least one of the Nine Great Houses that share rule with the king.”
“When our Nine Houses fought alongside the king to establish this country,
the ancestor of the now-glorious Phinip family was merely a horse-keeper by our family head’s side.”
“If it hadn’t been for gaining the king’s favor later on—along with a helping hand from our family— the Phinip family would never have reached the heights they have today.”
As Elenda said this, her gaze drifted to the window.
From the look on her face,Ron could sense anger and resentment.
Clearly, Elenda was deeply displeased with how ungrateful the Phinip family had become.
But no matter how strong the resentment, what could it change?
In the face of profit, humans aren’t truly loyal to anything.
“Though the royal family is cold and ungrateful, when the nation was founded, they claimed they’d share power with the Nine Houses.”
“But not even fifty years passed before four of those families were accused of treason and wiped out.”
“Then, through generations of kings’ purges, nearly all of the original Nine Houses were struck down—some died, some were ruined, others faded into obscurity.”
“Fortunately, our ancestor was a man of great wisdom. He knew to plan an exit even at the peak of power.”
“He voluntarily proposed to leave the political center—the Imperial Capital—and instead guard a region for the king, governing the wild southern lands into order.”
“For six hundred years without fail, through wave after wave of coups, our family never took sides, never interfered—just focused on tending our own little corner.”
“That is how our house has endured for over ten generations, and still holds the title of Duke today!”
Listening to Elenda recount the family’s history, Ron nodded, half-understanding.
The original Ron had dropped out of school early and was often excluded within the family.
As for family history, Ron knew only a vague outline—like a middle schooler trying to understand the Twenty-Four Histories of China.
This was the first time he’d heard directly from his mother the secret behind the family’s long-standing prosperity and survival.
After finishing her lecture, Elenda let out a gentle sigh.
After a brief silence, a smile once again returned to her face.
“Alright, no more heavy talk.”
“From today on, you are the master of this place.”
She spoke gently as she helped Ron straighten his collar.
After adjusting his clothes, Elenda reached up and gave his head a little rub.
Ron understood— just how deep his mother’s love for him really was.
This manor was located in the very heart of their territory.
Not only was the land fertile and the people honest, but it was also far from the border wars and demon invasions.
As the legitimate heir of the family, Ron didn’t need to worry about revitalizing the house or defending critical frontlines.
In a peaceful place like this, he could live out his life as a young noble with nothing to do but enjoy himself.
Even among nobles, this kind of life was something to envy.
Although Ron understood that this was an expression of Elenda’s love, for some reason, a strange discomfort welled up in his heart.
How was he supposed to repay this kind of love?
All the burden of the family was resting solely on Elenda’s shoulders.
And yet—he was just a useless person with zero magical affinity!
Facing a mother who worked so hard, could he really relax and enjoy a life of luxury in this peaceful place?
Unconsciously, Ron clenched his fists.
Noticing the change in Ron’s expression, Elenda asked with a trace of concern:
“What’s wrong?”
Faced with the question, Ron suddenly released his clenched fists and forced a cheerful smile.
“No, no~”
“I was just thinking how I should decorate the manor you gave me!”
“Haha~”
“Thanks, Mom!”
“I really love your gift!”
Ron’s words successfully put Elenda at ease.
“Don’t act beyond your position; don’t worry about things beyond your duty.”
Ron could only use such pleasant-sounding words to convince himself—so as not to make Elenda worry about him.
That was probably the only thing a useless person like him could do.
With Elenda’s relieved smile as her response, Ron gave her a big, heartfelt hug.
“The full servant team hasn’t been assembled yet,” she said.
“But you can still stay here tonight.”
“If anything comes up, just come back to the capital and find me.”
After a few more parting instructions, Elenda got onto the carriage and headed back.
Ron officially moved into the manor, becoming its new master.
“Young Master Ron~”
“The bath is ready~”
“Dinner is also already served on the table~”
“So… would you like to bathe first, eat first, or…”
Perike spoke as she teasingly lifted the hem of her skirt with a mischievous smile.
“Would you prefer I finish the service we didn’t finish this morning?”
As she spoke, she made a suggestive hand gesture, mimicking a certain motion.
However, faced with Perike’s bold flirtation, Ron’s reaction today was unusually indifferent and calm.
With no expression on his face, he brushed past Perike and walked straight into the bathroom.
“H-Hey!”
“Don’t ignore me like that!”
Perike pouted angrily.
Just as she was about to provoke Ron further, Perica firmly placed a hand on her younger sister’s shoulder.
“Perike.”
“Don’t mess with the young master anymore.”
“He’s in a bad mood.”
Hearing this, Perike froze in place.
“He… Didn’t he already come to terms with everything…?”
She felt worried, yet didn’t know what to do about it.
In that awkward atmosphere, the night passed quickly.
…
The next morning.
Ron walked into the living room in loose pajamas, yawning as he came in.
“What’s for breakfast?”
“I’m starving—I didn’t eat dinner last night.”
Still half-asleep, he looked at Perike, and all the gloom from the previous day was gone from his face.
“He already bounced back?”
Perika murmured in surprise.
Ron frowned.
“Huh?”
“N-Nothing!”
Perike practically fled to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Perica stood behind Ron with her usual graceful posture.
“You came out without calling a servant to help you dress?”
“And it’s only the first day, and you’ve already thrown noble etiquette out the window?”
Faced with Perica’s calm, deadpan criticism, Ron’s mouth twitched.
“I live alone now—why would I still care about all those rules?”
“Too talkative!”
“Today, your skirt’s getting shortened by five centimeters as punishment!”
Hearing that, Perica let out a long sigh.
“Young master, you really are… a pervert, huh.”
Ron didn’t seem to care about the insult, casually taking a seat at the dining table to wait for breakfast.
Once the hearty breakfast was served, Ron ate while reading the morning newspaper.
“Young Master Ron,” Perica said, “how would you like to arrange your day today?”
“The furniture merchant you invited yesterday is scheduled to visit at ten this morning. Would you like to meet them?”
While she spoke, Ron tore up pieces of bread and dropped them into his bowl of milk, eating it the way one might dunk fried dough into soy milk—completely unfazed.
“Ten o’clock is fine.”
“And while you’re at it, tell the cook— No more oatmeal. I can’t stand that stuff!”