Betrothed (Part 1)
After about five minutes, Alessia finally let go of Kael's embrace and stared into his black, lusterless eyes. This made her heart clench.
She knew of the hidden repression of the fourth young master and the sixth young lady. She was not so stupid as not to realize the influence of these two people, who held resentments towards her son.
But what could she do? She did not have a force to back her up, she did not possess great power, nor did she have any friends or allies. On the contrary, she had many enemies in this clan due to their common origin.
With a sigh, Alessia sat up, quickly regaining her composure, and said softly and with some bitterness:
"I'm sorry, son... for not being of any help to you... and not being able to give you anything. Sorry for not being strong and that you have to suffer so much because of me..."
Kael held his gaze. After eight seconds, he also sat up, got out of the bathtub, and, without any embarrassment, toweled himself. He walked out of the bathroom and, standing in the doorway, said without turning around:
"You don't have to apologize, mother. Life is like that." His voice sounded calm, as if his fourth-oldest brother was of no consequence.
Alessia looked at Kael's sword for a brief moment. Her emotions were complex; she didn't know how to express them. It was the first time she had seen her son so confident and calm, no funny jokes, lies, or excuses.
Once out of the bathroom, Kael noticed that both Lydia and his mother's exclusive maid, Sophie, were in his room and looking at him curiously.
"Young master, shall I help you dress?" asked Lydia, expecting a clear refusal.
However, Kael nodded, approaching the gold-framed full-length mirror in the luxurious room near the window.
Lydia was surprised by the affirmative answer, since whenever she asked, she was always turned down, and she couldn't help but think:
Did the blow of that three-horned blue horse calf produce such a change in the young master?
She took out of the closet a black linen shirt, woolen pants of the same color as the shirt, and, as footwear, low leather boots. She began to dress Kael in a very professional manner.
After a few minutes, Kael was fully dressed. He looked at himself in the mirror for a moment and turned his gaze to the window, where he could see the gardeners, along with some servants of this mansion, walking and watering the flowers, among other tasks.
The sun was already setting on the horizon, painting the sky an orange-red hue, while the west was darkening like a wolf's mouth.
Kael looked away from the window. He had to act fast. Six months was not enough time to achieve what he needed. Besides, he could not move recklessly, as he was being watched by both his father and his two older brothers.
Before I make any move, I must improve my physical strength. Only then will I be able to go and search for that inheritance. If I had access to the "Zu", I could explore that inheritance without a problem. But now that I have a system, I have awakened my body's innate talent, so I can accelerate my plans.
Kael watched as his mother gave directions to the maid, for it would not be long before dinner time.
After Alessia gave orders to the maid Sophie, she approached Kael with a smile. She looked him over, noting his attire. Although her son did not possess great beauty as she did, to her, he was the most beautiful in the world.
What mother does not believe that her child is the most beautiful? Even if his appearance is like that of a curly-haired baboon.
Just at that instant, she remembered. "Kael, I had forgotten that tomorrow your fiancée arrives on the mountain."
Kael turned around. He frowned slightly; he had completely forgotten that he had a fiancée. At the thought of her, the memories that lay shrouded under a thick fog dissipated a little.
I see... So she's coming to the mountain tomorrow. He thought. A cold gleam appeared in Kael's eyes.
His gaze turned to the window, spending a brief moment thinking of his betrothed, but his mind focused again on the inheritance on this mountain, which would help him.
His fiancée was of no importance. For Kael, his heart had a clear objective, and he was not going to waste time with her. He looked away from the window and left the room; it was time for dinner.
Tomorrow will be a busy day.
...
The next day, a light drizzle was falling on Kiran Mountain, while gradually the sun was rising and illuminating the place with its golden rays, fading the darkness.
From the top of the mountain, several buildings could be seen, giving a touch of humanity to the place.
The mountain was not completely uninhabited, so there were plenty of forests, where the wild animals lurked in the quietness of the place.
In the training field of the Medici mansion, Kael could be seen pacing around the place with a steady rhythm. His breathing was controlled, while sweat was running down his forehead, and steam was coming out of his mouth every time he exhaled.
After doing a few more laps, he stopped and approached Lydia. He grabbed the towel, wiping away the sweat, and grabbed the glass of water to hydrate himself.
Just a few turns and this body is already complaining. In this life, I'm not going to let weakness drag me down like before. Thought Kael as he sighed softly. He hadn't done much, just run laps on the training field, and he felt extremely tired.
He knew this was because his body had never been trained, but he was not sad or worried. On the contrary, he was satisfied, as he had started working on his physique much earlier than in his past life, where he had started too late.
Kale opened the mission window that had appeared before him earlier that day, just after waking up.
[Daily Mission #1]
· Push-ups 20: Incomplete (0/20)
· Sit-ups 20: Incomplete (0/20)
· Squats 20: Incomplete (0/20)
· Pull-ups 20: Incomplete (0/20)
· Burpees 10: Incomplete (0/10)
· 10 km run: Incomplete (9/10)
· Reward: 1 stat points.
---
I have one kilometer to go, and then I will move on to the exercises.
Kael finished drinking water and went back to running around the training field. His main goal was to increase his stamina and strengthen his body before the Awakening Ceremony. The system's mission fit him like a glove.
After finishing running the remaining kilometer and stretching, he started with the basic exercises.
The sun finished coming out, and the morning drizzle stopped, leaving the sky clear without a single cloud. The atmosphere had a pleasant smell of damp earth.
Kael finished with his exercises, his body was soaked with sweat, and his breathing was irregular.
Ding!
[You have completed Daily Mission #1.]
[You received 1 stat points.]
After receiving the reward, he opened his status window and was going to use the points he got at once
Kael Medici
Title: Strayed Demon.
Talent: SSS.
Mana Core: No awakening.
Traits: Refinement (A), Swordsmanship (A) Melee (S), Tamer (C)...
Strength: 5 +
Endurance: 6 +
Agility: 7 +
Vitality: 10 +
Mana: No awakening
Stat points: 5
Kael looked at the slight change in his status: the (+) symbol that was missing before, but he wasn't too surprised.
Then he clicked one times on the "+" of his stamina.
[+1 in Endurance]
The notification window appeared, followed by an increase in his endurance from 6 to 7. The stat points were also reduced to 0.
Kael did not feel any change in his body. Although it was to be expected, since he had not improved his strength or agility.
After making the improvements, he left the place before the knights of the Medici Clan arrived to train in the field. Currently, he was taking a bath and then going to breakfast.
He went downstairs to the dining room, to a long wooden table with seating for ten. There was only his mother, Alessia, sitting at one of the booths. She watched him with a soft smile as he entered.
"Good morning, son," she greeted him calmly, pointing to the seat next to him. "Come, sit down."
"Good morning, mother," Kael replied as he took his place in front of the table, which was overflowing with food.
It was a hearty, almost festive breakfast. There was roast dragon-duck meat, blue-horned veal soup, fresh salads, and several pitchers of wine, both rice and grape. Variety was typical of the mornings at that mansion.
The Medici Clan, as one of the great duchies of the kingdom of Aragon, possessed a wealth of resources.
As they ate in silence, Kael thought about the inheritance lying on that mountain. He knew that that heirloom had a pretty good Zu, which would help him a lot in his plans.
Well, if I keep up the pace of my training and with the help of the system, I may not need so much time to go claim that inheritance, thus accelerating my growth by at least three or four times. But I also have to think of a way to elude the vigilance of both my father and my siblings. He mused.
He knew that, for the time being, he could not leave the mansion until he went through the Awakening Ceremony, which would be in six months. Kael already had something in mind to evade the surveillance of his father and brothers.
But, as someone with so much experience, he did not trust this method he had devised, since something unforeseen could happen.
There is no hurry. I must first strengthen my body. He thought as he took a swig of wine to counteract the heaviness of the fat from the duck-dragon meat.
"Son, don't be nervous. Your betrothed will not be long for the mountain," Alessia said as she wiped her lips gracefully.
Kael did not respond immediately. He ate a bite of salad, indifferent. The matter of his fiancée was the least of his concerns.
"I'm not nervous, Mother," he replied at last, his voice serene.
"You don't mind seeing her?" Alessia bowed her head. "I know the engagement was your father's idea, but.... Not even curious?"
Curiosity, hehehe... laughed Kael coldly inwardly, remembering his past life. "No, I'm curious, mother."
Breakfast continued with Alessia asking questions and Kael answering briefly and ambiguously. The food on the table grew less and less as the seconds ticked by.
After breakfast, Kael returned to his room and resumed reading the famous book <
As he was reading quietly, sipping chamomile tea, the door to his room opened, and in walked Lydia, who informed him:
"Young master, your betrothed has arrived."