Golden Manor
Before the towering and majestic castle, the butler Greg stood anxiously with a group of estate managers and servants, awaiting their arrival.
Today was the day their new master, the newly appointed Count of the Golden family, would arrive. None of them had ever met this new master before, and they had heard little about him. No one knew what kind of person he was or whether he would be easy to get along with.
To make a good impression on their new master, the butler Greg had gathered the managers and servants outside the castle early in the morning.
However, the notification they received only stated that the new master would arrive today, without specifying the exact time. As a result, the group had been waiting from daybreak until nearly noon—though initially, only a few servants were stationed there, eagerly looking out—without catching sight of the new master they were expecting.
As the wait dragged on, the people awaiting their new master grew restless. What began as silence gradually gave way to hushed whispers, as they exchanged whatever tidbits they knew about the new Count.
The butler Greg, unlike his usual self, did not scold them for their lack of decorum. He, too, was uneasy.
Although no one knew what their new master was like, they were all aware that they were waiting for a young lady.
This was truly unbelievable. Had someone told Greg two months ago that a woman could inherit a noble title, he would have laughed at them for being delusional.
But now, two months later, the delusion had become reality.
The story began two months ago.
Golden Castle was located within the borders of the Kingdom of Atlan. Two months ago, the Atlan Empire welcomed a new ruler—their young Her Majesty the Queen.
Shortly after ascending the throne, Her Majesty the Queen, in an effort to secure the support of several major noble families to stabilize her regime, issued a new decree: if a noble family lacked a male heir, a female could inherit the title, with the order of succession following the royal line of inheritance.
Originally, such a law, which affected the rights of the vast majority of nobles, should not have been easily passed.
But in recent years, for reasons unknown, several powerful noble families in Atlan, including the royal family, lacked direct male heirs. Among the collateral branches, there also seemed to be a shortage of outstanding descendants. Instead, the daughters of these families were exceptionally well-educated and accomplished. It was precisely for this reason that when Her Majesty the Queen proposed this bill, even knowing her intentions, several major noble families helped push it through to achieve her goal.
However, this bill should have had little impact on the Golden family, a distant and impoverished Count’s family far removed from the capital’s political scene, as the old Count had a son.
But who could have foreseen that not long ago, the Golden family’s sole heir, the old Count’s 16-year-old Young Master Golden, would suddenly fall gravely ill and pass away?
Devastated by the loss of his only child, the old Count fell seriously ill and remained bedridden for over a month before eventually following his son to the grave.
The Golden family had always been small in number. The old Count originally had three children, two of whom died young, and the only son who survived to adulthood had also passed away not long ago. The old Count himself had no brothers, and among the collateral branches, there was only one cousin—their grandfathers were brothers—so their relationship could be considered somewhat close. They had maintained some correspondence over the years, but this cousin had also passed away a few years earlier, leaving behind only an only daughter.
Under normal circumstances, after the old Count’s death, all the Golden family’s lands and assets would have been confiscated by the crown. However, after Her Majesty the Queen issued the new decree, this cousin’s daughter became the sole heir to the Golden family.
Count Golden had few connections in the capital, so he was initially unaware of the new law. By the time the news reached Golden, more than half a month had already passed. Upon learning of it, Count Golden immediately had a letter written to this cousin’s daughter, summoning her to Golden Castle. He wanted to use the little time he had left to observe and mentor this last surviving descendant of his bloodline.
Unfortunately, after his cousin’s death, Count Golden had lost contact with her. He only heard that his cousin’s daughter had gone abroad to study and travel. Fortunately, the Count had the address of the school she attended, so the letter was eventually sent. However, due to the limitations of transportation at the time, the Count passed away before receiving a reply.
Thankfully, before his death, the Count had written his will and arranged for all the inheritance procedures to be completed. As long as his cousin’s daughter arrived at Golden Castle, she would directly become the new Count Golden.
Completing the inheritance procedures without knowing the specific circumstances of the heir was, in fact, quite risky.
But Count Golden had no other choice. Otherwise, the family’s hereditary title and lands would have reverted to the crown. Moreover, this happened to be the early stages of Her Majesty the Queen’s decree, and Count Golden’s inheritance application was even the first case. Both Her Majesty and the nobility were closely watching, so the procedures were completed very smoothly—even without the consent of the person involved.
As the butler of a Count’s family far removed from the circles of power, Greg was unaware of the intricacies involved. He only knew that the enactment of this new law had a tremendous impact on the Golden family, and even more so on the servants like himself.
If the Count’s lands had been confiscated, some of those who had served the Golden family for many years might have been retained to work for the new owner, but most would have been dismissed—especially a butler like him. The new noble inheriting the lands would certainly have their own butler and would likely not keep an old one like Greg. Greg was no longer young, and finding another butler position would be difficult, not to mention that the treatment would not be as good as it was now. At best, he could only work for minor nobles or merchants—something Greg, who had served the Count’s family his entire life and took pride in it, could not accept.
But with this new master, such worries should no longer be a concern.
Although he had never met the new mistress, Greg had heard Count Golden mention that his cousin held no noble title and had spent his early years enthusiastically roaming the world as an Adventurer. While the state of the family’s finances was not entirely clear, it was unlikely they could afford a professional steward like him.
But this was merely Greg’s speculation. If reality differed from his assumptions, Greg might very well lose his job.
At the same time, an even greater question loomed before them.
—Could a young and inexperienced girl truly manage the responsibilities of a countess and uphold the Golden family?
No one voiced this concern openly, but privately, everyone was worried—though their anxieties centered on their own jobs and livelihoods.
The people in the castle were not only employees of the Golden family but also subjects of the count. As subjects, they generally could not leave their designated territory. If dismissed, they would struggle to find such respectable work within Golden Castle again.
Amidst the growing unease, the anxious crowd waited for what felt like an eternity until finally, news arrived from the servants sent out to investigate: their new mistress was about to arrive.
Everyone began tidying their appearances, and those who had been idling in the castle under various excuses hurriedly rejoined the waiting ranks.
Soon, a carriage appeared in everyone’s line of sight.
Greg perked up: “She’s here!”
The crowd straightened up, their eyes fixed on the slowly approaching carriage.
It was an unremarkable carriage, its frame somewhat worn, devoid of any patterns or crests to indicate its origin. Pulling it was a piebald horse with a mismatched coat that did not align with aristocratic aesthetics, though it was young and strong, its limbs powerful as it ran. On the driver’s seat, besides an unfamiliar coachman, was the servant who had been sent to deliver the message and locate the new mistress.
The carriage soon came to a halt before the crowd. Greg stood before the carriage door, bowing uncertainly as he inquired through the door, “Might this be Miss Theresa Golden?”
“It is.”
A young, pleasant, yet not overly delicate female voice came from inside the carriage. Then, the door opened, revealing the girl—or rather, woman—seated within.
She appeared to be around twenty years old, with platinum-blonde hair simply tied up at the back of her head. Her forehead was covered by bangs, beneath which a pair of strikingly bold, sword-like eyebrows were faintly visible, complementing her dark, bright, and captivating eyes, exuding an aura of authority.
As he took in her appearance, Steward Greg’s eyes flashed with astonishment.
The new mistress of Golden Castle was undoubtedly a beautiful and enchanting young lady, yet she was entirely different from the elegant and delicate noble daughters of the time. She lacked the pale complexion pursued by aristocratic women, instead possessing a wild and agile honey-toned skin, like fresh honey flowing from a jar. Her features also carried a heroic and spirited charm, a kind of handsome beauty that blurred gender lines.
But what drew even more attention was her bold, almost startling attire.
The new countess was not wearing the beautiful long dresses expected of women. Instead, she was dressed in trousers, a long shirt, and boots typically worn by men. Over her narrow-sleeved shirt, she wore a brown leather vest, with a black cloak fastened at her shoulders. The legs of her trousers were tucked into practical, action-ready boots, and at her waist hung a sharp sword—clearly the attire of an Adventurer.
How utterly shocking and unconventional! Butler Greg had never seen a woman dare to dress like this before, his face twitching in astonishment. The servants behind him, however, had yet to notice this detail, as they dared not lift their heads to look at their new mistress.
As if oblivious to Greg’s slightly uncontrolled expression, the woman emerged from the carriage.
Once she stood upright, Greg was even more astonished to realize that Miss Theresa Golden, the Countess, was exceptionally tall. With her heels included, she appeared to be nearly six feet tall (182.88 cm). In this era, the average height of a normal adult man was only around five feet eight inches (approximately 1.73 meters)—such as himself, who was roughly that height—while adult women generally stood at about five feet three inches (approximately 1.6 meters).
This meant that the new Countess was not only taller than women her age but even half a head taller than Greg himself.
Standing before such a tall and imposing new mistress, Greg felt cold sweat breaking out on his back.
Greg now felt no need to worry about whether the new Countess might be too delicate. Instead, he felt as though he were being utterly torn apart by the sharp, overwhelming aura she exuded.
Even the most formidable knight under the old Count had never given him such a terrifying experience.
Author’s Note:
I ran out of inspiration while writing the previous book, so I’m starting a new one.