Luke was more tired than he had expected, so he had an early meal and headed straight to his room. He had started the day hoping to awaken a class and ended it single, considerably richer, and politely kicked out of his own home.
Somewhere between all that, he had also acquired a talent that could potentially make him the luckiest bastard alive. He needed a good night’s sleep before deciding how he felt about the whole thing.
He let out a breath of air as he collapsed on the bed. He covered his face relaxing a little. He was still not sure where he found his newfound nerves and the courage to deal with so many people, powerful people at that.
In his previous life, a routine office meeting had been enough to leave his shirt damp with sweat. He used to rehearse simple requests before approaching his manager, only to agree to extra work and walk away without asking for anything. Today, he had asked a man who could probably burn down a building to let him browse his treasury.
Perhaps the previous Luke’s memories helped. These people were his family, after all, and some part of him remembered sitting at the same table long before he understood how powerful they were.
Knowing that he had a talent worth looking forward to probably helped too. Their disappointment still bothered him, but he no longer felt quite so desperate to change their minds.
Luke lowered his arm and stared up at the ceiling. He wouldn’t say he had suddenly become brave. He had still spent half that conversation hoping nobody would ask him another question. But he had spoken when it mattered, and for tonight, that was enough.
The next morning Luke woke to sunlight slipping through the curtains and immediately opened his status panel. He ignored every other attribute as his eyes went straight to the bottom.
[Luck: 2]
It had actually increased. He lay there grinning for a few seconds before sitting up.
A knock came just as he sat up. Emma entered carrying an empty travel case but the usual smile on her face was missing.
Her eyes looked a little puffy, and although she managed a small smile, it disappeared as she crossed toward the wardrobe.
"Good morning, young master. I’ll pack your things while you get ready."
"Morning. Did you sleep?"
"Yes."
Luke watched her open the case on the bench at the foot of his bed. She took several shirts from the wardrobe and began folding them with unnecessary care, smoothing the same sleeve twice before setting it down.
"Emma."
She looked up. "Have I forgotten something?"
"No. You just look more upset about this than I am."
Her hands stilled over another shirt. "You only came back from the ceremony yesterday. They could have at least given you some time."
Luke chuckled. "Don’t worry about it."
Emma lowered her gaze and resumed packing. Luke climbed out of bed and went to wash up while she moved on to the rest of his belongings. When he came back, his clothes were neatly packed, his everyday things had been tucked into a smaller bag, and Emma was checking the drawers to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind.
"Everything is ready, young master." Emma still looked like someone died.
"What happened? What is bothering you? I already told you. Don’t worry about me. I will be just fine." Luke was worried about her. Emma might be his maid, but she and the previous Luke had been good friends for years. "Did someone say something to you?"
"No, young master." Emma shook her head.
"Did my grandfather-" Luke started but before he could talk, Emma abruptly blurted out. "Young master, take me with you!"
Luke blinked. "You want to come with me? Are you sure?"
"Yes." She answered so quickly that Luke almost smiled. "I know how you like things, and I can cook and look after the house. You won’t need to hire anyone else."
"Emma, you don’t have to convince me you’re good at your job." He glanced at the cases she had packed. "I just want to make sure you’ve thought about it. You have a steady position here. Coming with me means leaving that."
"I have thought about it. That’s why I barely slept."
Well, that explained the puffy eyes. Luke had assumed she was upset on his behalf, but she had apparently spent the night worrying about how to ask him this. He sat on the edge of the bed and gestured for her to stop fussing with the luggage.
"Have they told you who you’ll be working for after I leave?"
"The household manager said he would decide this afternoon." She hesitated before adding, "But I’d want to come with you regardless."
Luke looked at her for a moment. She knew nothing about his talent. As far as she was concerned, he was an unawakened young man whose family had just withdrawn most of its support, and she still wanted to leave with him.
"All right," he said. You go pack your things."
"Really?" Emma’s face immediately brightened up.
"Yes. Now go pack."
Emma hurriedly nodded her head, smiling through the tears. Luke smiled and waved her along. The moment she disappeared into the corridor, he opened his interface and sent his father a message asking whether she could leave with him.
The reply arrived while he was putting on his shoes.
[If that is her choice, I’ll notify the household manager. Her wages will be your responsibility.]
Luke sent back a brief thanks and forwarded the message to Emma. That had been easier than expected. He had been prepared to argue, although he supposed his father had more important things to worry about than one maid leaving the estate.
By the time he finished breakfast, Emma appeared with a single travel case and a small bag slung over her shoulder. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and she looked as though she had run most of the way.
"You didn’t have to rush," Luke said. "Have you eaten?"
"I’ll eat once we arrive, young master."
He pulled out the chair beside him. "Sit down. The house isn’t going anywhere."
She glanced toward the dining room entrance before reluctantly taking the seat. Luke pushed the basket of warm bread toward her and asked a passing servant for another plate. After spending the entire morning worrying about him, she could at least have breakfast before they left.
"Is that everything you’re bringing?" he asked, nodding toward her case.
"Yes. I don’t have much."
Luke looked at the luggage waiting near the doorway. His clothes alone occupied more space than everything she owned, and she had packed his things far more carefully than her own. He decided they would do some shopping once they settled in.
Outside, the driver was already loading their belongings into the car. Luke glanced around the house one last time while Emma finished eating. He had spent three weeks trying to get used to living here, and apparently that was all the practice he was going to get.
Nobody came to see them off. His father was probably at the guild already, and his grandfather had made his position clear yesterday. There wasn’t much left to say. Perhaps if the previous Luke’s mother had been alive, things might have been different. Not that it mattered. He did not plan to stay here for long anyways.
The driver closed the luggage compartment and opened the rear door. Emma hesitated beside it until Luke gestured for her to get in, then slid onto the seat with her bag held in her lap. A few moments later, the car rose above the driveway, and the mansion began shrinking behind them.
Luke watched until the roof disappeared beyond the trees, then turned toward the front. "How far is the house?"
"About twenty minutes, young master."
That was all it took to leave the family estate behind. Luke settled into the leather seat, enjoying the view outside. They were just moving across the city so it was not really a big move.
Beside him, Emma opened the property details on her interface and began checking the household supplies. She seemed much happier with something practical to do, occasionally asking whether he wanted his usual breakfast groceries or a particular kind of tea. Luke agreed to almost everything, more interested in the streets below.
The sprawling estates gradually gave way to smaller properties, then rows of shops and apartment buildings with rooftop landing bays. People crossed elevated walkways between towers, while a man in a delivery uniform floated past their window carrying enough takeaway bags to feed a small army.
Luke watched him go with familiar resentment. Two points in luck and he was still jealous of a man delivering noodles.
The car eventually descended toward a quiet street lined with trees. Their new home stood behind a low wall, with cream-colored stone, a dark tiled roof, and a balcony stretching across the second floor. A narrow driveway ran beside a small front garden, where someone had recently trimmed the hedges.
Luke leaned forward as the car stopped. "This is it?"
"Yes, young master."
He looked at the house, then at Emma. He had known they weren’t sending him to a shack, but apparently his family’s idea of reduced circumstances still came with several spare bedrooms.
"Well," he said, opening the door, "Welcome to our new house."