Solomon walked away from the room but was brought back by a sudden crash that echoed through the servants’ quarters.
By pure instinct, he ran back.
He almost passed the doorway, but thankfully his hand caught the door jamb, stopping him just in time.
“Marvin, are you okay?” he asked, breathing a little harder from the sudden sprint.
When his eyes finally settled on the room, he saw Marvin’s suitcase with its contents dumped entirely across the wooden floor.
Blankets, clothes, cooking utensils, and a cookbook were scattered everywhere.
He lifted his gaze higher as he came face-to-face with the culprit behind it.
Jessica stood there, staring back at him as though she had done absolutely nothing wrong.
Meanwhile, Marvin knelt on the floor, looking as though his entire life’s work had just been destroyed.
“What’s the meaning of this—” He was cut off.
“Just a minute, young master.” Jessica raised a finger without even looking at him.
“Marvin, you know you can’t do this.”
“Do what?” Marvin muttered, his attention still fixed on his belongings.
“Inconvenience the young master.”
“And how did I do that?”
“You’re packing like we’re moving to a different plane of existence.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“We’re only accompanying him to the academy.
We won’t even be outside except when buying groceries.”
“I still need to be prepared.”
“Then do this instead.”
She knelt on the floor.
Before Solomon knew it, the mess had been sorted out.
Jessica folded every piece of clothing with astonishing speed before arranging everything neatly inside the suitcase.
She shifted the blankets around, tucked the cookbook into one corner, placed the utensils together, and somehow managed to make everything fit perfectly.
The bag looked much lighter than what Solomon had seen before leaving, yet it still contained everything Marvin could possibly need.
“How did you do that?” Marvin gasped, pointing at his noticeably lighter suitcase.
“It’s not a big deal.” Jessica dusted off her hands proudly.
“I thought you didn’t like working,” Solomon mentioned, raising an amused eyebrow.
“You also know that I hate disorganized things more, young master.” She brushed an imaginary speck of dust from her sleeve.
“I’ll get back to my own packing now.”
“She really is dependable, huh,” Solomon murmured, watching her leave.
“Quite so, young master,” Marvin agreed with an enthusiastic nod.
The two of them looked at one another before bursting into laughter.
For some reason, Solomon had a feeling Jessica would end up taking care of all of them once they reached the academy.
Oddly enough…
That thought eased the anxiety weighing on his heart.
After leaving Marvin to the rest of his packing, Solomon’s legs somehow led him to the training grounds.
The crisp afternoon breeze swept across the open field, carrying with it the familiar sounds of wooden practice swords colliding.
Every clash echoed throughout the grounds as knights and trainees continued their drills beneath the clear blue sky.
When he finally got within viewing distance, he saw Wilfred fighting toe to toe with his sword instructor.
The two exchanged a rapid flurry of blows.
Wooden blades collided with sharp cracks before separating again.
Wilfred slid back a step, steadied his footing, and immediately pressed forward once more without giving his opponent room to breathe.
“I guess this is why Father decided to send him.”
When the spar finally ended, both men lowered their practice swords.
Wilfred wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand before catching his breath.
“Wilfred, good job,” Solomon called out, clapping lightly.
Solomon picked up a nearby water bottle and tossed it toward him.
Wilfred caught it effortlessly with one hand.
“Thank you.”
He uncorked the bottle and downed half its contents in two seconds flat before letting out a satisfied sigh.
“That must have been intense.”
“I’m staying in shape.”
“Oh, anything special happening?”
Wilfred looked at him before slowly shifting his gaze toward the horizon beyond the training grounds.
“Apparently, I’m accompanying you.”
“Why do I get the feeling that you don’t sound thrilled about it?”
“Your father made it sound like I’d be guarding a reasonable young man.”
“And?”
“I’ve met you.”
Solomon stared at him.
Wilfred stared back.
He didn’t know how to respond.
It felt like he was talking to a version of himself that no longer existed.
“Didn’t Silvia say Solomon was always reading?
How is he so close to all these people?”
Once more, he had questions but no answers to them.
“At least I’ll be safe.”
“At the price of my sanity.”
“Heyyyy.” Solomon pointed accusingly at him.
Wilfred simply chuckled, unable to keep a straight face.
Although the people accompanying him all had past relationships with the original Solomon Ashbourne—someone he knew next to nothing about—thinking about spending the next few years getting to know them like he once had filled him with excitement for whatever the future held in store.
Before he knew it, dinner time had arrived, and his departure for the academy was just twelve hours away.
“Let’s focus on dinner first,” Solomon muttered quietly as he made his way back toward the mansion.
Silvia walked into the dining room wearing an elegant evening gown that accentuated her beauty.
Her long black hair flowed neatly down her back, and the soft glow from the chandeliers reflected gently in her violet eyes.
“Don’t embarrass House Ashbourne,” she said as she took her seat.
“I’ll try.” He smiled wryly.
“No.
Don’t try.
Succeed.”
“Classic Silvia.”
“I can only do so much, Silvia.
I’m only human.” Solomon spread his hands helplessly.
“No.
You’re an Ashbourne first, then a human second.”
“What kind of logic is that?” He let out an incredulous laugh.
“One that makes you a confident winner.”
“Such a thing exists?”
“Yes, in the mind.”
She said it with such seriousness that Solomon couldn’t stop himself from laughing.
Silvia fell silent.
A servant quietly served the evening meal while neither of them spoke another word.
Only the soft clinking of cutlery against porcelain filled the dining room as they ate together, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts.
“Let’s eat.”
That was the last thing she said for the rest of dinner.
Then, when they were done eating, she asked him a rather unnerving question.
“If someone leaves…
they come back eventually, right?”
“What brought this on?” he gulped, his fingers tightening slightly around the edge of the table.
“Forget I asked.” She stood up, smoothed out her gown, and quietly walked out of the room.
“Could this be a heroine side effect…
or because Solomon Ashbourne didn’t come back for months?”
As always, the system chose the worst possible time to pop up.
Ding
MAIN MISSION
Enroll in the Royal Academy.
Locate Special Target #2.
Reward:
20 Desire Energy
System Restoration +1%
Unknown
“So I finally have another major task.”
He stood up and walked outside.
The cool night breeze greeted him as he stepped onto the front porch.
He lowered himself onto the stone steps and gazed up at the sky.
It was a beautiful night.
The stars stretched endlessly above him, brighter than any he remembered from Earth.
The moon hung peacefully overhead, bathing the Ashbourne Estate in pale silver light.
Crickets chirped softly from the gardens, while a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees.
It was a night he would probably remember for a long time, just like the first sunrise he had watched in Elaria.
Ding
Reminder: Host remains a virgin.
“I am seventeen.”
Reminder acknowledged.
“Stop acknowledging things!”
The system went quiet.
“I’m mortified.”
He gazed up at the sky once more.
Tomorrow, he would see new lands.
Tomorrow, the journey to find more Special Targets would continue.
But tonight…
it would just be him.
The estate he had come to love and the stars.
At that moment, Solomon couldn’t wish for more.
My bad