Chapter 71: Autumn Lessons and Loyal Service

Words : 1010 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 71: Autumn Lessons and Loyal Service Trying to hide the redness creeping up his face, Shiao Yi focused his attention back on the handwriting discussion. The script in this world resembled a decorative form of Latin, at least compared to scripts like Chinese or Arabic. By contrast, Intercosmo—used in his previous world—was, of course, made entirely of dot symbols. The letters here didn’t even start with A-B-C. In this language, the sounds would begin with something more like "ah," "eh," "oh," and "oo." This society was still rooted in a manuscript culture, and it might very well be experiencing the golden age of handwriting styles. But if education spread further and printing technology—like movable type—were to be introduced, then these decorative styles would likely be simplified. The characters would become more symbolic, more standardized. "I think I’ll stick with this Thalvian Dictionary style," Shiao Yi said. "I’ve been practicing with it for a while now, and it feels natural in my hand." "That makes sense," Mr. Gaius nodded. "Thalvian is a beautifully simplified script. Its decorations are minimal, making it both clear and elegant. It’s a good choice." And so, every afternoon, for two hours, Shiao Yi studied under Mr. Gaius. At the time, Shiao Yi only saw Gaius as Dominic’ former teacher. It would be some time before he learned that the man was actually a well-connected scholar with a notable reputation. ... "Mr. Lbard, could you bring some tea to Madam?" As Lambard returned from his usual morning inspection of the estate, he was stopped by Eline, the head housekeeper. She was carrying a large basket filled to the brim with freshly washed laundry. There were so many sheets and towels. Ever since Lord Dominic returned home, the amount of bedding being washed had noticeably increased. No one commented on it, but everyone seemed to understand why without saying anything. "Jude has errands to run outside, so I’m counting on you." "Yes, leave it to me," Lambard replied with a friendly smile. He picked up the tea tray and a small plate of sweets, then headed toward the terrace where Lord Shiao Yi was, as always, diligently studying. Since the day after his return, Lord Dominic had been going to the royal palace every single day. While the second division, who had completed their mission at the Dashtadem Fortress, were now on leave, their captain—Lord Dominic—seemed to have no time to rest. That probably showed just how serious the current situation was. Lambard had overheard that meetings were being held daily. Lord Gabrant, the head of the household, had even been urgently called back from an expedition to attend them. However, he had not once visited the estate. He was likely staying at one of his several mistresses’ residences, moving from one to another. Eline had once told Lambard how Lord Gabrant had been overjoyed to marry a royal princess. But after Princess Ashe began treating him with open disgust and contempt, he had completely shut down emotionally. Since she had been given to him by the king himself, divorce wasn’t an option. The two of them had simply maintained the appearance of a marriage for the sake of formality. "He didn’t even hold Lord Dominic in his arms after he was born," Eline once said, wiping her eyes with the corner of her apron in anger. Lambard had been hired to serve as an attendant-in-training for Lord Dominic. At the time, Lambard had been fifteen, and Lord Dominic just five years old. Lambard had trained hard in swordsmanship and physical combat, earning recognition from his instructors. Over time, it became clear that more than a simple servant, he was expected to be Dominic’ bodyguard. Lord Gabrant had little interest in the estate. He would appear perhaps once or twice a month to receive reports from the tutors in charge of Dominic’ academic and martial education. Though he was raising Dominic as his heir, Lambard had never once seen him express any fatherly affection. It was another beautiful autumn day. The terrace was warm and filled with light. Autumn in this region tended to be dry and sunny, but that also meant water shortages were a concern in the winter. The Narethil and Solandar rivers, which flowed north to south through Rosaria, would shrink in volume during these dry months. In contrast, during spring, the snowmelt would swell the rivers, and then come the early summer downpours—often causing flooding downstream. "Adam, I’ve brought your tea." Lambard carefully arranged the tea set and sweets on the table. "Thank you, Lambard," Shiao Yi said politely. Lambard stood quietly as Shiao Yi who is seated at the terrace, raised his head from the blackboard where he had been writing words he picked out from the dictionary. Ever since Lord Dominic had left earlier that day, Shiao Yi had been sitting there, completely focused on his studies. He was incredibly diligent. Even Mr. Gaius, the tutor scheduled to arrive that afternoon, had been astonished by how quickly Shiao Yi absorbed knowledge. "Don’t you get tired from working so hard like that, Madam?" Lambard asked gently. "Lambard, you don’t have to be so formal with me, you know?" Shiao Yi said with a small smile. "I’m afraid I can’t do that," Lambard replied. "You are Lord Dominic’ partner, after all." Shiao Yi didn’t like being called "Madam" and had asked everyone to just use his name instead. But Eline insisted on calling him "Madam" anyway. It seemed Shiao Yi had given up trying to correct her. Shiao Yi stretched his arms above his head and let out a satisfied sigh, then tilted his head to the side and looked up at Lambard. The way he did it was rather charming. "Hey, Lambard," he said, "since you’re also doing security work, that must mean you’re pretty skilled, right?" "Well, I’ve been trained with Lord Dominic," Lambard answered. From the time Lord Dominic was a small child until quite recently, Lambard had often served as his sparring partner when there was time to spare.

Chapter 71: Autumn Lessons and Loyal Service

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