"I'm back... finally."
"Neeigh!"
When Rest returned to the stables after finishing the cleanup of the training grounds, two horses greeted him with a spirited neigh.
He stroked the head of one horse as it nudged against him, his eyes scanning the dim interior of the stable.
"Ah... another gift today. I'm truly grateful."
An inconspicuous cloth bundle had been left in a corner of the stable.
When he untied the bundle to check its contents, he found bread, cheese, dried meat, and a jar of healing ointment.
It was a secret gift from one of the servants working at the mansion.
Rest’s mother had once served as a maid in this very house. After the master, Lucas Ebern, had forced himself upon her and she fell pregnant with his child, she was cast out. Yet, among the long-serving staff, some still remembered her fondly.
The servants who had been close to his mother sympathized with Rest’s plight and looked out for him however they could. They couldn't openly shield him from abuse under the master's nose, but they could still provide for him in the shadows.
(Mother certainly had good coworkers... a shame she was so unlucky with her employer.)
"It's good..."
He took a bite of the bread and followed it with a piece of cheese.
The flavors were simple, but compared to the leftover scraps he was fed at breakfast, it was a feast.
As he ate, he gazed through the stable window toward the main house. The warm glow of lamps leaked from the mansion's windows, making it look incredibly inviting. It was a world away from this dark stable, where the biting wind whistled through every drafty gap.
(Those people wouldn't bat an eye if I froze to death right here...)
Putting aside his scorned stepmother or his half-brother, Cedric, it was his father’s coldness that baffled him. How could Lucas Ebern treat his own flesh and blood with such utter disdain? Even if the child was the result of his own violence, the man showed no intention of taking the slightest responsibility.
(Is being a nouveau riche noble really such a grand thing? He’s just an 'Honorary' Viscount without a scrap of land to his name. He’s barely any different from a commoner.)
Rest spat the words in his mind. If he ever dared to say them aloud, his father would surely fly into a murderous rage and beat him senseless.
Though they were technically a noble house, the Honorary Viscount Ebern House's title was not hereditary. An honorary noble held a temporary title attached to a specific government position; once they left that office, the title was revoked, and they returned to being commoners.
As a Court Mage serving directly under the King, Lucas had been granted the rank of Honorary Viscount solely by virtue of his office. They swaggered around as if they were true blue-bloods, but in truth, they weren't much better than the common folk.
(However, if Cedric can secure his own title, they'll finally be recognized as an official noble family...)
While an honorary title was temporary, if a family could obtain the same rank for three consecutive generations, they would be recognized as official hereditary nobles.
The Honorary Viscount Ebern House had already produced two generations of Court Mages. If Cedric, the third generation, could secure that same position and title, the family would finally be granted a hereditary Viscountcy. They would become true nobles in name and fact.
(No wonder they pamper Cedric and his natural magical talent, indulging his every selfish whim. It's utterly ridiculous.)
If they cared so much about their legacy, they should have been even stricter with his education to ensure his character was beyond reproach. A true Viscount would eventually have to navigate high society; with his complete lack of manners, Cedric would do nothing but disgrace himself.
(...Well, it's none of my business. It doesn't matter to me where Cedric makes a fool of himself. I'll just focus on honing my magic.)
When he reached fifteen, the age of adulthood, he would leave this mansion and make his own way in the world. Until then, he would sharpen his skills and become as strong as possible.
"...Maybe I'll go to the forest again tonight," Rest muttered, popping the last bit of cheese into his mouth.
The Ebern estate sat on the outskirts of the Royal Capital. A monster-infested forest lay nearby, and Rest made a habit of disappearing into its depths.
His goal was simple: hunt monsters and train his magic.
He would leave this place one day and establish himself by his own power. Until then, he would remain in the shadows, quietly sharpening his fangs.