Chapter 0005: New Family

"Uncle, I'm not tired yet; I'd like to go to the study room and read for a while," Oldington requested after the family had chatted for half an hour following dinner.

"Of course you can, Mr. Morris, take Oldington to my study room," Otum said happily, "Your father often tells me that books are the cobblestones on the path to nobility. I've bought many books to decorate my study room, but you know, I don't like reading."

Otum himself couldn't bear to read, but he was very pleased to see his nephew enjoy reading.

Led by the old butler, Morris, Oldington said goodbye to his uncle and aunt and went up to the second floor to the study room. The room had magical lights, a "technology" developed by magicians, which relied on the city's magical network to provide magical energy, allowing the small magical array within the light bulb to continuously release a constant illumination spell.

The magicians in this world were not a group that could unleash magical spells with incredible destructive power; they were more like a group of "scientists," using magic to improve life. The magical lights were one of the great inventions of the magicians.

However, the magicians had not yet invented products with high-tech content like "cell phones," "computers," "trains," "planes," or even "telephones."

"Master Oldington, the coffee is over here; if you need anything, just pull the bell rope," Morris said.

"Okay, Mr. Morris, you can go to sleep now. I'll rest in my room after I finish reading," Oldington nodded slightly, thanks to the years of noble etiquette education he received at Grey Iron Castle. Now, his every move conforms to the conventions of nobility, leaving no room for criticism.

Once Morris the butler closed the door, Oldington did not start reading but instead leaned back in his chair and lost himself in thought.

From the morning until now, he hadn't had a chance to properly contemplate his current situation, and he took this opportunity to sort it out.

The experiences of the previous life on Earth felt like a dream. Although dying of an epidemic was an early death, he had already been in his thirties, and he had enjoyed all the pleasures of life without leaving many regrets. His parents had passed away two years before him, and he had not married or had children.

He could say he died with no regrets, except that his good friends might occasionally miss him, and no one else would likely be concerned.

Even during the epidemic, knowing he wouldn't survive, he had made full preparations mentally. So, waking up to find himself soul-crossed into a new world, he wasn't panicked but rather felt a secret joy. Who wouldn't want to live another life, especially in a fantastical new world!

"Originally, I thought that after death, everything would fade away, but I didn't expect to be able to experience the exotic charm of a foreign land. How beautiful!"

The story of the previous life had come to an end, and the story of this life was just beginning. He looked at the prominent iris crest hanging on the study room wall and began to sort out his "new" family.

About one hundred and twenty-six years ago, in the capital city of the Golden Rose Kingdom, Versailles, under the feet of the King of Fontainebleau Palace, his great-grandfather had kneeled down to accept a fief.

From then on, there was the title of Baron of Red Leaf Town.

His great-grandfather had chosen his favorite iris as the surname of the family and began to manage the family estate. Although his great-grandfather was a military noble, compared to those noble families with thousands of years of heritage, he was akin to a nouveau riche wearing a gold chain. However, he had awakened the bloodline of the Power of Thunder under the inheritance of the dragon knight Lungetre the Thunderbolt.

This meant that in one fell swoop, he had extended the family's heritage by several thousand to tens of thousands of years, instantly transforming the family from nouveau riche to the most noble of bloodline nobles.

But the stronger the power, the lower the fertility.

His great-grandfather had only one son, and his son, the grandfather, had a poor talent and failed to awaken the Power of Thunder, becoming only an elite knight in his lifetime. The grandfather had married the second daughter of Count Caluck Greenleaf of Amiens, Karla Greenleaf, and had two sons, Orenol and Otum.

This was the first noble marriage in the Yarrow family. Count Caluck was an imperial count, of course, now the Count Caluck had passed away, and his eldest grandson, Kadell, had inherited the title.

The grandfather had passed away, but the grandmother was still alive, living in the castle in the countryside of Red Leaf Town.

Oldington's father, Orenol, inherited the title upon reaching maturity. Although he hadn't awakened the bloodline either, he had exceptional talent, and Count Harington of Eagle Strike Castle, who admired him greatly, had married his daughter, Helen Harington, to him, giving birth to the sister and brother, Audrey and Oldington.

Count Harington was also an imperial count, making this the second noble marriage for the Yarrow family.

As for Oldington's uncle, Otum, with poor talent and no title to inherit, could only serve as an official in Little Versailles in the capacity of a Junker. However, thanks to the glory of the dragon knight bloodline, he had married the daughter of Baron Louis Reed of the Reed Town,Flora Reed, and had a son, Ostago.

Louis was an imperial baron, making this the third noble marriage for the Yarrow family.

Therefore, from the time the Yarrow family became noble, it had passed down for four generations. Audrey, Oldington, and Ostago were all the descendants of the fourth generation.

"I wonder if Aunt Flora will continue to have children. It's probably likely, as Baron Louis still hopes for a grandson who can awaken the bloodline," Oldington thought. A significant portion of the nobles who married into the Yarrow family wanted to share in the glory of the dragon knight bloodline.

He also thought of his sister, Audrey Lun Yarrow.

The fourth noble marriage for the Yarrow family was when his sister got married last year, and her husband was Baron Alva Purple Flower of the Sunset Valley.

Alva was just a common baron.

But his father, also his liege lord, was Count Arnold Purple Flower of the Champs-Élysées Palace. The Palace Count was a shortened title for the Court Count, like the Duke, the Border Count, and they were all at the level of marquesses with their own counties. And the surname Purple Flower originated from the royal family, though it had been a long time ago.

"Four marriages have connected the Yarrow family with one Palace Count, two Imperial Counts, and one Imperial Baron. With such intricate relationships, as long as the Yarrow family doesn't make any major mistakes, and there's a guarantee of offspring, it's not difficult to maintain the heritage for a thousand years. Moreover, it seems that in a few years, I'll also have to marry?"

On Lafa Continent, specifically in the Golden Rose Kingdom, there was no talk of free love. The nobility generally only married other nobles, with an unbridgeable chasm between the common people and the nobility.

Indeed, there were cases of noble knights falling in love with common girls, or commoners marrying noble beauties, but these situations were more common in knight novels.

"What am I thinking? Just thinking about women and reading after just crossing over!"

He chose a book from the bookshelf titled "The Institutional Examination of the Danube Province," a book that tells the history of the establishment of the Danube Province, written by a Junker who had served as an official in Little Versailles.

Oldington wanted to look at this material to deepen his understanding of the complex situation in the Danube Province.

However, as he opened the book, it seemed either that his mind was wandering or his eyes were playing tricks on him, because as he read the preface on the front page, the content changed.

A picture that glowed with fluorescence appeared.