A Mother's Plea and the Baron's Indifference

The Baron's voice was cold and distant, and as soon as he finished speaking, Lady Alice burst into tears.

"How could you treat me like this... you can't treat me like this...," she sobbed.

"Why are you so sad? Did I do something wrong?" the Baron asked.

"I am your mother, yet you call me a guest. You even ask me why I am sad!" Lady Alice replied.

The Baron didn't care about Lady Alice's hysterical voice. He answered slowly and calmly, "This manor, everything here belongs to me. You are not a guest, are you the owner?"

Lady Alice put her hand to her chest, as if unable to bear the blow. She fell to the ground, lying face up, looking at her son, and large tears rolled down her thin cheeks. She pleaded, "I know, I know you hate me, and I hate myself too. I didn't take care of you properly, but I have repented. Can't you forgive me? Please forgive me," she begged.

Seeing Lady Alice so sad, the Baron didn't even frown. He said, "Mother, you think too much. Your hysteria makes me doubt your sanity again..."

Lady Alice shivered and stared at the Baron, "No, you can't send me to a mental hospital..."

"If you are not ill, of course I won't," the Baron sighed. "What brought you here this time?"

Lady Alice wiped her tears and stood up from the floor. She hesitated for a moment, biting her lip and nodded, "I need some money. You only give me a little each time, like giving to a beggar, so I have to come and beg you every time..."

"How much do you need?" the Baron interrupted her.

"I need...2000 pounds!" Lady Alice replied.

"2000 pounds? 2000 pounds can buy a whole village," the Baron said.

"You have so much money! You...," Lady Alice started.

The Baron immediately wrote a check and handed it to her. "Take it. It's the only thing you can get from me. Please leave Delman Manor this afternoon, and I don't want to see you again for a year," he said ...

In the spring and summer, the capital of the kingdom was the time for nobles to gather. They would go horseback riding in the morning, have tea in the afternoon, and dance the night away.

Every noble, every gentleman, and anyone of status would not miss such a good time. Of course, there were also those who were actively climbing the ladder of power, who would use such opportunities to make connections with the powerful and do whatever it takes to rise higher.

As a member of the nobility, Baron could not miss such events either, and the entire Delman Estate became busy as the owner was heading to his residence in the capital.

Unlike the leisurely life in the countryside, the capital was a true metropolis in this era, and in the world of this era, it was among the top cities in the world.

Because the city had the world's most advanced factories, the largest docks, merchants from all over the world, and was the largest goods distribution center, where all goods passed through, this created the city's prosperity and wealth.

Unlike in the countryside, where a manor would come with garden and lawn areas tens or even hundreds of times larger, land in the city was particularly concentrated and expensive. Buildings were crowded together, and the land became more valuable the closer it was to the living quarters of the wealthy, making the available building space smaller and smaller.

Baron's mansion in the capital was a three-story house, and his neighbors were all high-ranking nobles or gentlemen, I suppose this is convenient for men and women to communicate privately.

As for the Baron, there is a beautiful lady hiding among these eye-catching flowers, quietly conversing with him.

She is Miss Emily, the daughter of the Count. "... They expounded on the cosmic system and thus calculated the movements of stars and oceans... Emily said, "All of natural philosophy can be calculated using mathematical principles, isn't that a great discovery?"

Unlike the empty-headed aristocratic ladies, Emily was not only beautiful but also very intelligent. She and Baron Oscar talked about topics that I couldn't understand a word of.

The baron seemed to be very interested in these topics, so he talked with Emily in high spirits. They talked about planets, comets, the moon, about cosmic systems, and the romantic affairs of some mathematicians, as if they would never stop talking about these topics.

Emily's green eyes looked at the baron the whole time, filled with affection. Her voice was also very charming, with her thin red lips opening and closing, it had an ineffable seductive power.

For some reason, I suddenly felt a strong dislike for this lady, even though this was the first time I met her. I even mocked her in my mind, "It's no use, Baron Oscar doesn't like women." And even more spitefully thought, "It's so disgusting of her to brazenly flirt with a man."

But then I thought, Baron Oscar had told me that he wanted to get married, even if it was a marriage without love would make him happy.

Yes, Baron Oscar liking men is no problem. Doesn't he still get married? He will definitely get married sooner or later, to a beautiful and noble lady.

This lady must be beautiful and extraordinary, coming from a noble family, with good manners, intelligence, and wisdom, just like Emily.

They looked so well-matched when they talked, they had similar status, shared interests, maybe one day Baron Oscar would propose to her.

Compared to her, what do I have?

I am the son of a farmer, who never read a book, can we have a deep conversation about such profound topics? Do we have common interests? I am never equal to Baron Oscar, if Catherine is worlds apart from me, then I am even more distant from Baron Oscar.

As I was immersed in my chaotic thoughts, Baron Oscar bid farewell to Emily.

"I had a pleasant evening, but I'm a bit tired now. Please excuse me for leaving." Baron bowed politely.

"Oh, let me show you the way," Miss Emily whispered.

The Baron frowned and said in a flat tone, "No need for you to do that, my servants can help me."

With that, the Baron walked through the crowd and left first.

I hurriedly followed the Baron away, not noticing that Miss Emily was still gazing affectionately at the Baron's departing back.

Did she love him? If she did, that would be fine... I thought.

From that day on, I tried to read some difficult books.

I found several books that the Baron had read in his study, including "The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" by Sir Isaac Newton, and "The Solution of Equations by Algebraic Methods" by Joseph-Louis Lagrange...

I didn't know what I was doing. I couldn't understand these books at all, whether it was music, literature, or mathematics. They were all too difficult and obscure. Perhaps nobles are different from the rest of us. They can understand these books, while I am stupid like a cow.

Despite this, I forced myself to read these books, even if I didn't understand them, it would be good to memorize them. I thought maybe one day, when Baron mentioned these topics, I could talk to him a little, rather than knowing nothing.

Until one day, I fell asleep on the sofa with a book in my arms, not because I was too tired, but because the content of the book made me sleepy.

When I opened my eyes, Baron Oscar was standing in front of me, looking at the book in my arms with a raised eyebrow.