Time felt like it flowed at an incredible speed and nine years had passed since the day I announced to my family that I awakened my gift.
During that period, I had many things because I wanted to achieve new heights in this life but I had to admit that I got more attached to my new family than I first expected.
My father was strict but very thoughtful, and he had that almost comical side to him despite his usual composed and noble behavior.
On the other hand, my mother was calm and sweet, and she was still attractive and extremely beautiful despite her age, but also a little scary when she had that sweet-sweet smile on her face.
I tried to spend more time talking with them, and as I did, I learned that they were wonderful people loved by many.
My father was a level 5 Lord and he was promoted to this rank mostly because the technology and the form of civilization on the planet that he managed were quite advanced.
Ranks were given by the Empire to the most important person on a planet and ruled over it as its Lord, but my father was also respected by the other influential Lords because of his achievement, so he could advance in rank during a relatively short period.
Furthermore, our planet was also rich in natural resources and full of mana stones that were sold at a very high price due to their usefulness, as they were often used to create battleships and armors for the soldiers.
Because of this, the military department of this planet was quite something and the economy was booming, and although there were monsters, it was quite peaceful.
Consequently, the people living on this planet were grateful to him and supported him heartedly.
Despite all of that, it was unavoidable that some people were jealous of my father's achievements and my mother's dazzling beauty so they were always waiting for an opportunity to bring harm to my family.
I was even surprised that they didn't make their move all of this time but even if they came, I would not show them mercy.
I only had my mother in my past life but she passed away when I turned 20, and I never met my father; although he never showed his face even when my mother passed away, I didn't have any issue with it because I never considered him as a family anyway. Such a stranger wasn't worth my time.
But now, I had new people that I could consider my family and I was prepared to protect them.
That was why in addition to these things that I needed to do as a future Lord, one major thing that I did during these years was to train, physically and mentally, to increase my power and efficiently control it.
I also did some research related to artificial intelligence and nanotechnology which seemed to be not completely explored in this universe since people here tended to rely on their gifts, artifacts, and mana stones.
There must be some kind of computer helping with the calculation related to space travel and other things, but if AI existed, then the Empire must have done something to hinder the research related to this field, or so I deduced.
I believed that the result of this experimentation will come in handy for my journey.
I was engrossed in all of these things, so much that I felt like I lost track of the time.
*****
The morning sunlight squeezed out from the gaps on the thick curtain and lightly covered my face with golden glimmer as I lay on my luxurious bed.
It should be about six in the morning, so I opened my eyes slowly, waking up from a good night of sleep.
It was a new day but not a typical one because, on that day, I turned 15 years old.
Knowing my father, I already knew that he went and organized some extravagant events to celebrate my birthday, and because of that, the date of my birthday was considered a festive day for all of the people living on the planet under the jurisdiction of our family.
People were looking forward to this day every year since my seventh birthday and millions of people came to the main continent to attend the festival. There were even influential and high-ranked Lords from different planets that had good relations with my father who were invited as very important guests.
Also, some of the scheduled events were broadcasted all over the planet all day. My father outdid himself every year, and even if it was a bit over the top for a former commoner like me, I couldn't help but be grateful and enjoyed what he prepared for me so I didn't disapprove.
Moreover, this event was relatively important compared to the previous one because, in this world, a person was considered an adult when they turn 15 and had to make an official speech to mark their coming of age.
I had to do the same and it will be also broadcasted all over the planet.
"This is bad," I muttered as I imagined myself standing in front of millions of people.
I could manage if I spoke in front of fifty or more people but this was something else.
However, I didn't have the choice since it was my duty, and it was only because of my status as the heritor of my father's legacy that I could live in this world without worrying about food and money, focusing solely on improving my strength and acquiring more knowledge.
If it wasn't because of that, I would have struggled with many things and these last fourteen years would have been so chaotic that thousands of webnovel chapters wouldn't be able to tell the whole story.
Now, however, it was time for me to assume my responsibility and face this world. I had more or less finished the basic preparations to set out for my epic adventure and find my ideal woman, and honestly, I was a little bit excited despite all of this.
I had many things on my mind but I stood up from my bed and walked to the huge mirror nearby.
My room was a room fit for someone who royal status so it had everything that a room should have but with a touch of luxury added to them.
As stood in front of the mirror, my face was reflected in it, revealing my pitch-black eyes, soft black hair, and white and smooth skin.
'I definitely look better than before.' I thought, feeling satisfied with my new physical appearance because I was taller than the average boys that had the same age as me and my well-trained muscle made my standing posture look firm and noble.
Tok, tok, too!
As I was examining my body, I heard someone knock then a maid spoke politely from beyond the door. "My lord, your father wants to talk with you. He asks you to join him outside in the garden, as soon as possible. He is already waiting for you there." She said, using a very respectful tone.
"Thanks for telling me. Please tell him that I will be there soon." I answered back with a calm voice.
I was sure that my father wanted to tell me about his past exploits again this time too because he did this every year on my birthday, to the point that it had become a sort of ritual.
"I understand. Now then, I will report back to your father." The maid quietly left as soon as she finished saying these words. I could hear the sound of her quiet but rhythmic footsteps fade away.
After that, the other maids helped me to dress up after I finished eating my breakfast, then went to the royal garden to see my father.
*****
:::[Third person POV]:::
The royal castle was so enormous and spacious that it looked like a whole town.
It took some time to walk from one place to another.
Consequently, there were thousands of maids, butlers, and other workers that managed the whole place kept it clean, and made sure that everything functioned perfectly.
One such worker was Lilia. She was a maid that came from a poor family but she was talented and with her hard work, she managed to become one of the royal maids. It was a real honor and she always felt grateful to the Lord that allowed her to prove her value. She promised to herself that she would always do her best to not waste the chance that she was given and to not disappoint the Lord.
There was one thing that she particularly had to do flawlessly, and that was her most important duty as one of the maids that took care of the young lord's needs.
On that day, the young will have a coming of age ceremony and will deliver an official speech for the first time in his life.
Lilia had a profound respect for the young Lord because for the people that worked inside the castle, the young lord, Adam, was always a source of inspiration and awe.
For people like Lilia who worked hard every day, seeing their young lord always busy trying to learn new things, train his body, and sometimes perform various experiments made them feel like their work was worth it.
After all, they knew that this young lord would one day become the Lord of this planet, and a hardworking person like the current lord, Julius, would surely become extraordinary too.
Moreover, it was said that the young lord was a genius but he wasn't arrogant like the other talented people of this world. He was humble and respected his parents and the people that took care of him. Most of the time he would talk politely to the maids and exhibited an aura of a true noble.
Furthermore, thousands of young girls and even older girls were captivated by his handsome face and cool personality but the young lord didn't even pay attention to them and most of the time, he seemed to be unaware of all of these things.
In addition to this, the young lord was surprisingly powerful and he was already a level 4 gift holder despite his young age. This was a fact that shocked the world and it was said that the rumors made it to the Empire so they will send someone to assess the potential of the young lord on his fifteen birthday. With this, it was guaranteed that he will be invited to take the entrance examination of the Holy Academy.
Lilia never traveled far from the main continent, let alone to another planet, but such news made her feel proud.
"Okay, I need to do my best." Lilia steeled her resolve because on that day the young lord needed to look perfect.
After that, she joined the other maids and stood in front of the young lord's room.
She straightened her back and held her chin up gracefully then lined up perfectly with the other maids and waited.
In total, there were six maids and one butler who were tasked to dress up the young Lord and serve his food as soon as he finished changing.
The oldest maid and the most experienced one walked forward and knocked on the door.
She announced to the young lord that his father was waiting for him and she asked someone to report back the young lord's reply, and then she asked for permission to enter the room. "My lord, we are tasked to help you with your preparation for today. Do you permit that we enter the room?"
"Yes, please do." The young lord answered with a clear and quite charming voice.
As soon as the maids heard these words, they entered the room cautiously and began to perform their duties skillfully while the young lord was standing in front of the mirror.
Some of them tidied the bed, some opened the curtains and organized the room, and some took care of dressing the young lord.
Lilia was one of the maids that were tasked with dressing the young lord. She and the other maids skillfully performed their job while the young lord stood straight and his well-defined body was reflected in the mirror.
Lilia couldn't help but hold her breath every time she witnessed this sight. The young lord must have worked hard to achieve this kind of perfect physical appearance that looked like a work of art.
'The young lord is a thousand times more amazing than his description from these rumors.' Lilia thought and her respect for the young lord grew up.
After finishing their job, the maids lined up in front of the young lord and admired the result of their effort: A young and talented handsome man dressed nobly and elegantly in royal clothing and had the future of the whole planet on his shoulder.
Feeling satisfied, the maids bowed elegantly and exited the room in an organized manner, and looked forward to the events that were scheduled on that day.
The thought of something going wrong didn't even cross her mind, and not only her, but almost every else.
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