**Chapter 2: Living in the Stable**
“Neigh!”
“Breeheehee!”
“…Was that a dream?”
The sound of horses whinnying echoed in his ears. With their low calls whispering to him, Rest returned from the realm of dreams to the reality around him.
Rest had been sleeping in a small shed tucked away in the corner of the estate’s garden… in other words, a stable. One of the horses, nestled in its feed, had playfully nibbled at Rest’s hair, tugging him awake.
“I know, I know. I’ll bring you water right away. Just wait for me.”
Stifling a yawn, he rose and brushed off the bits of feed clinging to his body. Sleeping in the stable, being awakened by horses, and tending to them was all part of his daily routine. He fed them, changed their water, and carefully cleaned the inside of the stable. Finally, he brushed the horses’ coats, eliciting contented whinnies in response.
“Neigh!”
“Feeling good after a nice grooming, Jenny? Lucy?”
“Neigh, neigh!”
“Ah, I feel good too. I had a dream about my mother for the first time in ages.”
As he recalled his mother’s gentle smile, Rest smiled softly.
It had been exactly two years since his mother had passed away. The cause was a rampant illness. Rest had desperately gathered money to buy medicine, but it had been too late. Until the very end, his mother had worried about him. It was a small consolation that she had been able to depart peacefully, free from suffering, thanks to the medicine.
Rest was twelve years old. He had come to this estate at the age of ten after losing his mother. In this country, the age of adulthood was fifteen, which meant he couldn’t find a proper job. Thus, according to the laws of the land, he was taken in by his blood relative… in other words, his father, who had abandoned both him and his mother.
(Well, I doubt that man wanted to take me in anyway…)
As he used a farming tool to spread the feed, Rest narrowed his eyes coldly. He didn’t want to have anything to do with his father either. If he had been an adult, he could have stood on his own two feet, but as a minor, that wasn’t an option. It seemed his father had been looking for reasons not to take him in… but he had his own reasons, and reluctantly welcomed Rest into the estate.
Later, he learned that his father, the Court Magician, had political enemies who were engaged in a power struggle. The king ruling this land was known for his integrity. If it became known that he had abandoned a child who had lost both parents, it would tarnish his reputation. To avoid giving his enemies any leverage, he had reluctantly taken Rest in.
(Even so… the fact that he made me live in the stable shows just how vile that man is. Though, it might be his wife who’s truly malicious.)
“Aah… it’s time again. I’ll be off.”
“Breehee!”
Rest patted the horse’s head with a weary expression.
“**Clean!**”
He activated the magic as a final touch. Instantly, fresh air flowed into the stable, erasing the lingering bacteria and odors. The two horses whinnied happily.
(I wonder what that man would think if he knew I could actually use magic… Well, it doesn’t matter.)
Shrugging, Rest exited the stable. His morning routine of caring for the horses was complete, but there was still a particularly unpleasant task ahead.
Facing his father, stepmother, and… his half-brother for the first time in a day. It was time to curry favor with a family that looked down on him.
—
Rest’s father, Lucas Ebern, the Viscount of Honor, was a second-generation nouveau riche and lived in a manor that wasn’t particularly large for a noble. However, compared to the stable, it was like night and day—well-maintained and aesthetically pleasing.
There were about ten servants working in the manor. In the estates of great nobles, it was common for noble children to serve, but as a new noble, the servants were commoners. For Rest, they felt much more relatable than his blood relatives.
“Good morning.”
“…Good morning. Is it that thing again today?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“I see… Just hang in there. Don’t let it get to you.”
The male butler patted Rest’s shoulder with a sympathetic look. Entering the manor, Rest greeted the passing servants as he made his way to the dining room. After knocking, he was quickly granted permission to enter. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.
“Excuse me. Good morning, everyone…”
“Take this!”
“Ow…!”
As soon as he opened the door, something hard flew at him. It struck his forehead and fell to the floor—a stone no bigger than his palm.
“Ahahaha, bullseye! I did it!”
Clapping his hands in delight was his half-brother, Sedrick Ebern. Sitting at the dining table, he wore a broad grin, mocking Rest, who was bleeding from his forehead. Though they were brothers, there was only a six-month age difference between Rest and Sedrick. Rest was the child of a maid whom their father had taken as a mistress while his legitimate wife was pregnant.
(Still… even with the same age, the treatment is worlds apart.)
Rest pulled out a handkerchief—more like a rag—and wiped the blood from his forehead. There were three people in the room: the master of the manor and his wife and child. The dining table was already set with food, and the three were in the midst of breakfast.
“…Good morning. My lord, my lady, Sedrick.”
“…Hmph.”
Ignoring the injury, Rest bowed his head to greet the master of the manor. Lucas Ebern, the Viscount of Honor, showed no sign of reprimanding his legitimate son for his childish prank, merely snorting in boredom.
“Oh dear, you’re filthy again today. Just looking at you makes me feel like I might catch poverty!”
The one who spoke with such disdain was Lucas’s wife and Sedrick’s mother, Lisa Ebern. She looked at Rest as if he were trash, her manicured fingers pointing disdainfully at him.
“A filthy child born from a dirty womb deserves to eat like a dog! Hurry up and eat your slop!”
“Yeah, that’s right! Eat up, you tainted blood!”
Sedrick laughed heartily, stomping his feet on the floor as he sat across from his mother. His behavior was far too crude for a meal, yet neither of their parents reprimanded him.
“…”
As Rest lowered his gaze to the floor, he saw a plate piled with something brown. This was his daily routine. The three of them were telling Rest to crawl on all fours and eat like a dog.
“…I’ll eat.”
Enduring the humiliation, Rest got down on all fours and began to eat. He wasn’t allowed to use a knife or fork. If he didn’t eat like this, he would be whipped on the back.
“Oh my! How ugly you are! To want to eat so badly that you’d go this far, it seems the child of a lowly mother is just as lowly! Truly, the child of a thieving cat!”
Watching Rest eat from the plate on the floor, Lisa sneered in disgust.
“That woman and this child… how utterly disgraceful! I can’t stand being in the same room as such lowly beings!”
Despite saying she couldn’t stand it, Lisa called Rest to the breakfast table every morning. She still hadn’t forgiven her husband for his infidelity. She hated Rest, the child born of her husband’s affair, and trampled on his dignity to vent her frustrations. It was also Lisa’s decision to make Rest sleep in the stable.
(Women’s jealousy is truly ugly… If she has complaints, she should take them up with her unfaithful husband.)
Killing his spirit, Rest mechanically ate his breakfast while internally exasperated with his stepmother.
It was his father, Lucas, who had cheated. Lucas had forcefully taken advantage of Rest’s mother, who had been working as a maid, and impregnated her. His mother was a complete victim and had no reason to be hated by Lisa.
“Thank you for the meal! Now, shall I practice magic today?”
Having finished his meal first, Sedrick stood up. As he was about to leave the dining room, he casually stepped on Rest, who was still on the floor.
“Ow…!”
“Hey, be my practice partner for magic today! I’ll change, so wait for me in the garden!”
“…Understood, Sedrick.”
Rest groaned in agreement, and Sedrick laughed heartily as he exited the dining room.
“My apologies, my lord, my lady. I must take my leave as Sedrick has training to attend.”
“…Do as you wish.”
“It can’t be helped… I won’t tolerate any disobedience from my son.”
“Of course. Excuse me.”
Rest hurriedly left the dining room. To be honest, he was grateful to Sedrick for allowing him to escape the uncomfortable breakfast.
(…They were as arrogant as ever today. I wonder what’s so enjoyable about this?)
Rest touched the wound on his forehead and activated his magic. The still-bleeding cut vanished. He had used healing magic to treat his injury.
“Just to be safe, I should wrap a cloth around my head…”
To avoid revealing that he had healed his wound, he wrapped a cloth around his head. The people in this house were generally indifferent to Rest, so this should suffice to deceive them. Even after two years of living together, none of them had noticed that Rest could use magic.
“Well then… let’s go.”
With a weary sigh, Rest walked down the hallway, heading toward the garden to accompany Sedrick for his training.