Chapter 2: Living in the Stable
“Neigh!”
“Breeheehee!”
“…Was it a dream?”
The sound of a horse whinnied softly in his ear. With its low whinny whispering to him, Rest returned from the world of dreams to the reality around him.
The place where Rest had been sleeping was a small hut in the corner of the mansion’s garden… in other words, the stable. A horse inside the enclosure had bitten and tugged at Rest’s hair, waking him from his slumber.
“I know, I know. I’ll bring you some water right away. Just wait for me.”
Stifling a yawn, he sat up and brushed off the hay that clung to his body. Sleeping in the stable, being woken by a horse, and then taking care of them—it was his usual routine. He fed them, changed their water, and carefully cleaned the inside of the stable. Finally, after brushing the horses, they let out contented whinnies.
“Neigh.”
“Feeling good after getting cleaned up, Jenny? Lucy?”
“Neigh-neigh!”
“Ah, I feel good too. I had a dream about Mother for the first time in a while.”
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 an epidemic disease. Rest had desperately gathered money to buy medicine, but it had been too late. Until the very end, his mother had worried about him. Thankfully, the medicine allowed her to depart peacefully without suffering.
Rest was twelve years old. He had come to this mansion at the age of ten after losing his mother. In this country, the age of adulthood was fifteen, so he was unable to find a proper job. Thus, according to the laws of the land, he was taken in by a blood relative… namely, his father, who had abandoned both him and his mother.
(Well, that father probably didn’t want to take me in anyway…)
As he smoothed the hay with a farming tool, 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 been independent, but as a minor, that wasn’t possible. 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 mansion.
Later, he learned that his father, the court magician, had political enemies who were engaged in a power struggle. The king ruling this country was known for his integrity. If he were to abandon a child who had lost their parents, it would bring him disfavor. To avoid giving his enemies an opening, he had reluctantly taken Rest in.
(Even so… the fact that he made me live in the stable shows just how cruel that man is. Well, it might be his wife’s malice as well.)
“Ahh… it’s time again. I’ll be going now.”
“Breehee!”
With a weary expression, Rest patted the horse’s head.
“Clean!”
He activated the magic spell as the final touch. Instantly, fresh air flowed into the stable, erasing the lingering bacteria and odors. The two horses neighed happily.
(I wonder what that man would think if he knew I could actually use magic… Well, it doesn’t matter.)
Shrugging, Rest left the stable. His early morning routine of caring for the horses was complete, but… an even more unpleasant task awaited him.
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.
His father, the court magician, Baron Lucas Eberrn, was a second-generation new noble, and the mansion he lived in was not particularly large for a noble. Still, compared to the stable, it was like night and day—well-maintained and aesthetically pleasing.
About ten servants worked in the mansion. In the case of a grand noble’s residence, noble children would typically be employed, but as a new noble, the servants came from commoner backgrounds. To Rest, they felt far more relatable than his blood relatives.
“Good morning.”
“…Good morning. Is it that thing again today?”
“Yeah, well…”
“I see… hang in there. Don’t let it get to you.”
The male butler patted Rest’s shoulder sympathetically. Entering the mansion, he greeted the passing servants as he made his way to the dining room. After knocking, he was granted permission to enter almost immediately. Rest let out a deep sigh before opening the door.
“Excuse me. Good morning, everyone…”
“Take that!”
“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 larger than his palm.
“Ahahaha, bullseye! I did it!”
Clapping his hands in delight was his half-brother, Cedric Eberrn. Sitting at the dining table, he wore a broad smile, mocking Rest, who was bleeding from his forehead. Although they were brothers, the age difference between Rest and the Eberrn family was barely six months. Rest was the child of the maid his 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—or rather, a rag that resembled a dirty cloth—and wiped the blood from his forehead. There were three people in the room: the master of the mansion and his wife and child. The dining table was already set with food, and the three were in the midst of their breakfast.
“…Good morning. My lord, my lady, Cedric.”
“…Hmph.”
Ignoring the injury, Rest bowed his head to greet the master of the mansion. Baron Lucas Eberrn, the master of the house, did not reprimand his legitimate son for the childish prank, merely snorting in boredom.
“Oh dear, you look filthy again today. Just looking at you makes me feel like I’m catching poverty.”
The one who spoke with a sarcastic tone was Lucas’s wife and Cedric’s mother, Lady Liza Eberrn. Liza looked at Rest as if he were garbage, directing her manicured fingers toward the floor.
“A filthy child born from a dirty womb is suited to eat like a dog! Now hurry up and eat your food!”
“Yeah, yeah! Eat up, you tainted blood!”
Cedric 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 his parents reprimanded him.
“…”
As Rest lowered his gaze to the floor, he saw a plate piled with something brown. This was the daily routine. The three 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 was not permitted to use a knife or fork. If he did not eat in this manner, he would be whipped on the back.
“Oh my! How ugly you are! To want to eat so badly, it seems that a mother’s filthiness passes down to her child! Truly, a child born of a thieving cat!”
Watching Rest eat in such a manner, Liza spoke disdainfully.
“That woman and this child… how utterly unsightly! I can’t bear to be in the same space as such lowly beings!”
Despite saying she couldn’t bear it, Liza called Rest to the breakfast table every morning. She had never forgiven her husband for his infidelity. She hated Rest, the child born of her husband’s affair with a maid, and trampled on his dignity to vent her frustrations. It was also Liza’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 inwardly exasperated with his stepmother.
The one who had been unfaithful was his father… Lucas. 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 Liza.
“Thank you for the meal! Now, shall I practice magic today?”
Having finished his meal first, Cedric 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, Cedric.”
As Rest groaned in response, Cedric laughed heartily, “Ahahahaha!” as he left the dining room.
“I apologize, my lord, my lady. Although I’m in the middle of my meal… I must attend to Cedric’s training, so I’ll take my leave.”
“…Do as you wish.”
“I can’t help it… If you go against my son, you’ll regret it.”
“Of course. Excuse me.”
Rest hurriedly exited the dining room. To be honest, he was grateful to Cedric for helping him escape the uncomfortable breakfast.
(…They were all arrogant again today. I wonder what’s so enjoyable about this?)
Touching the wound on his forehead, Rest activated his magic. The still-bleeding wound vanished. He had used healing magic to treat his injury.
“Just to be safe, I should wrap a towel around my head…”
To avoid being discovered for healing 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 living together for two years, 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 Cedric for his training.