The sun rises in the east as a new day begins. It was a perfectly normal day in this world, at least for all the humans and other races living here.
The Kingdom of Chronis, the pinnacle of human potential and invention, embodying human ambition and the beating heart of our history. For ordinary inhabitants, this Kingdom was a source of pride. After all, humans are rather hypocritical and vile creatures. If a person lacks any personal merit or achievement, they begin to take pride in the accomplishments of their ancestors or masters, or simply others who, by fortunate coincidence, live close to them. By appropriating their merits...
And like all other mighty Kingdoms, it was built on blood. The world was once ruled by Elves, before them by Demons, and before that by Gods. The first King, Lucian I the Great, exiled or killed most of the Elves, making them hermits of our society and this Central Continent. Eventually, the persecution ceased, but it was too late; here they already harbored a grudge and awaited the moment to strike.
But this doesn't mean humans are the dominant force on this planet. They rule only this, the Central Continent, and even then, they don't have complete control over it. The remnants of the elves lurk in the great forests, waiting.
It is now the year 869 since the Great War, or to put it simply, 869 G.W. The era is now called the Age of the Divided World.
The Kingdom of Chronis is currently ruled by the much-beloved by all (no), Aurelius II. He is the 14th ruler of our glorious, great, powerful, and so on and so forth.
And of course, like every Kingdom, this one also has its own noble families. There are a lot of them, sometimes it may even seem like too much. But the main ones are:
House of Ancel - the House of the leading noble family, a royal dynasty founded by Lucian I the Great. Their house symbol is a golden crown on a black background, with jagged teeth, through which a steel blade passes vertically, pointing downwards. Motto: "The Foundation Is Unshakable."
House of Cordes - the House of Bankers and Cartographers. They focus primarily on banking and legal matters, owning 24% of all banking assets. Their greatest strength is their finances, which can be their downfall if they're not careful. Their house symbol is a golden griffin on a red background, holding a map in one paw and a purse of coins in the other. Their motto is: "Every debt has a name."
House of Solveig - the House of Scholars. They primarily explore ancient ruins, searching for tablets and books from ancient times. But this doesn't mean they are weak; knowledge is one of the most fearsome weapons. Their house symbol is a silver falcon, holding a torch with a golden flame in its claws, illuminating the ruins of the tower below. Their motto: "Light Through the Ages."
House of Walden - the House of Warriors. I think the name suggests their nature. They love to fight, fight, and fight, and are our king's watchdogs, though judging by recent news, their relations with other houses are strained. Their symbol is a steel armored gauntlet crushing a shattered elven blade on a silver field. Their motto: "We strike as we break."
House of Moreau - House of Diplomats. They maintain academies, fund translators, and advocate for a peaceful world. Radicals consider them soft-hearted traitors. Their symbol is two silver palms holding a golden candle on a purple field. Motto: "Light is not divided."
House of Vernier - House of Cri... The most peaceful and definitely not vile house. They definitely do NOT sponsor an underground market and definitely do NOT engage in blackmail and espionage, trust me. Their symbol is a golden serpent entwined around a downward dagger on a black field. Their motto: "The shadow knows the truth."
The fact that, for example, the House of Cordes is engaged in Banking does not mean that they do not have troops or diplomats, this is only the specialization of their house.
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Venerian von Astor-Cordes was the heir to the Astor line of the great House of Cordes. He was a tall man, standing 1.87 meters in height, with white hair and green eyes. He had a trim build, not overly muscular but with defined muscles on his arms, legs, and abs. His face was quite pleasant, somewhere between charmingly handsome and masculine.
And what could a man like him possibly be doing right now? Of course, he's very busy recording the all-important interest income report for this quarter.
"We add this here, subtract that... Wait, why am I in the negative again?!" The young man cursed under his breath and clutched his head.
'I'm so sick of these papers. Maybe forcing myself into the reincarnation cycle wasn't my best idea, although...'
"Young master... This time, your calculations were actually correct," a simultaneously calm and melodic voice was heard from behind, to the left of his desk.
He turned his head 135 degrees to the left and met her gaze. Standing there was his personal maid and chief financial tutor, Celeste. She was a beautiful young woman, though her maid uniform hid it somewhat, but he could clearly see that her 'assets' were not far behind those of his House.
"My calculations were correct?! But how? I went into the negative," Venerian said with suspicion in his voice.
She slowly approached the table and began gathering papers. "That's the point, all those reports were fake from the start, but I'm glad you finally deigned to finish the counting and not abandon it halfway through like the four previous times..."
"So that's the thing, and I thought I'd forgotten how to count," he said all this with a serious face, but his gaze couldn't help but be directed at her large 'assets'.
'Mom, Father, I am very pleased with you, your choice of my head maid is just super!'
She gathered up all the papers and took a half step back. "So, I'll count this surprise test as a success. Your grade is a B-."
"B-? I tried so hard, Madam Examiner, maybe you could at least give me a B+?" Venerian looked into her eyes and tried to make pleading eyes like a certain cat.
"M-Madam?!" Celeste's face darkened, and if you looked closely, you could see a vein of anger popping on her forehead. But she quickly relaxed her expression, and it was as if the anger had never been there. "I'm not much older than you, Young Master."
"You know, I was thinking a C+ would be quite enough. You'll have to try harder next time, right? You're the main heir to our House of Astor, after all, you have to live up to that title," she said with a stern expression.
"You know the strict approach wouldn't be the best here. Forgive me, Celeste, you're young, beautiful, smart, and the kindest girl I know."
"Our surprise inspection is over," she said, trying to hide her smile, but Venerian definitely saw it.
Celeste walked to the door, turned to him and finally said with a sincere smile, "B+, Venerian." She left the room at the speed of sound, trying to hide her red ears.
Venerian stood up from his chair with a smile on his face. "She can be so sweet sometimes."
He surveyed his office. It was a medium-sized room with two windows facing outward, as it was located in a corner of the castle. There was a large desk and numerous cabinets with various books and his work reports. A luxurious wooden chair with a back and two armrests, the wood beautifully engraved and without sharp corners. The seat was soft, pleasant, as if you were sitting on a soft pillow. The heir's backside should be warm and not freeze.
Venerian approached a small window and stepped out onto the balcony. The view was breathtaking. There were a few flowerpots on the balcony itself, but that wasn't the main attraction. Below, the castle garden stretched out, filled with a variety of flowers, including white and red roses, peonies, hollyhocks, hydrangeas, wisteria, and so on. But even that wasn't the main attraction here. A beautiful forest was visible on the horizon, and high mountains lay in the distance.
"The Mountains of Eternal Sunset," he said, inhaling the scent of the flowers from the garden. "I'll have to go there sometime. I've wanted to go there since I was a kid, but all that studying and my parents' constant supervision..."
"Maybe I should just run away? Naah, then my father will sound the alarm and send out squads to look for me."
Below, a gardener is trimming the ornamental fence, and one of the maids is walking through the garden carrying a jug in her hand. She's clearly in a hurry.
'Considering the curves of our maids, I'm apparently not the only one in the family who loves big breasts and butts. Father... Well, it was logical from birth, considering my mother's size. I certainly didn't starve as a child.'
'That maid's breasts are definitely smaller than Celeste's. I've got my eye on it. But I am, after all, the heir to House Astor. The main branch of House Cordes. According to the rules of our house, as well as other Great Houses, marrying a commoner is forbidden, but you see...'
'She's clearly not a commoner. Her father is Sir Lysander Vane. Her full name is Celeste Vane. They are a minor noble family serving our house. A knight is the lowest title of nobility, but it's still considered noble. A commoner can't be a knight.'
'How interesting this world is, one noble house beneath another, and so on and so forth, from the king himself down to the humble farmer, someone beneath someone else. I wonder if the King is the pinnacle or not? Officially, of course, it is, but it's better to verify public information.'
Venerian slowly turns around and walks back into his office. Remembering all the work he's done here, he sighs wearily and stretches, flexing his muscles.
'So, I still have about two hours before my fencing lesson. I could go for a walk or just take a nap. My brain is a bit overloaded right now. Or maybe I should pester the maids? They seem to be okay with it as long as I don't start reaching out my hands.'
'How can I be sure of that? Well... That already happened. It's not my fault that you wave your watermelons in my face while I'm eating. You should have placed my tea more carefully.'
He looks at the door and a cheerful smile appears on his face, "So, what should I do now?"