The Ginehart manor was a sight to behold, it was an enormous structure that sat in the northern part of the dukedom. Before one can reach the main house, they need to pass through a gate and travel for another three hours.
The carriage finally stopped in front of the front doors and as they alighted from the carriage, they were welcomed by servants who formed two lines on either side of the path while they bowed. Linius paid them no mind and just walked towards the manor. Since he didn't do anything, Cygnus and the others followed without any words.
An old man with white hair greeted them and led them to a spacious lounge where an array of food and drinks were waiting for them. Nina nodded in satisfaction when she saw this and even more so when she sat down and felt that the cushions were soft and comfortable.
"Oh, it's really different from the inn or from our home. This place is really worthy of being called a noble's home. Master! Look at how much food is served to us!" Nina pointed at all the food on the table.
A loud and deep laugh suddenly came from the entrance of the lounge which caught their attention. They saw a tall man with a slightly big build who looked like Linius apart from the slight wrinkles on his face. His face was radiating joy and his grin was infectious. Even his blue eyes were bright despite his obvious age.
"Father." Linius stood up to greet the man. He first gave him a bow before he was pulled into a tight hug by the man that he called father.
"Why are you being so formal with me? I am your father!" His voice was loud and full of life as he patted the grown man in his arms. He pulled back and yet he did not let go of Linius. "Let me see," his eyes roamed around his son's face before he smiled once again, "I'm glad to see that you are well."
"I am glad to see that you are also doing well father," Linius also gave a small smile before it disappeared in an instant.
Ulysses Ginehart nodded before his attention went to the guests who came with his son. Linius already informed him about them and the plan that he had in mind. Although he had not yet agreed with it because he wanted to see for himself the person who caught his son's attention.
"You must be my son's friends!" He stepped forward and scrutinized these people with a grin. According to Linius, they were all magic users except for one other person.
"Yes, I believe so. I am Rigel Anzel, it is nice to finally meet your excellency." Cygnus gave a bow which visibly annoyed Nina who was standing beside him.
"What a polite young man, no need to bow to me or else the young lady beside you might come and attack me." Ulysses patted the man's arms before he gestured for them to take a seat once again.
They went back to their seats and introduced themselves to the man. Cygnus could feel the scrutinizing gaze towards them. It was subtle that no normal person could immediately notice it. Although the man was smiling while speaking to them, he knew that all words and actions they were saying and doing were being weighed and observed.
As a butler, Mr. C was impressed at how good of a host Duke Ulysses was. He was engaging and was interested in many topics which made him curious for a while now because of one detail that Linius told them.
"You have been staring at me for some time now, is there something you want to ask?" He had been feeling the stare for a while now so Ulysses looked at Mr. C and directly asked him.
Mr. C had no reaction when he got caught instead, he asked the question he had been meaning to ask the man. "I'm sorry your excellency if I have been rude. I was just wondering, according to Sir Linius you do not like mages and yet here you are casually talking with us."
Ulysses couldn't help but laugh at the statement before he suddenly became serious. All traces of the jolly master of the house disappeared. "Yes, I don't like them, mages." His gaze landed on Astrophos who had been silent ever since they came to the manor. "But if you are not affiliated to the tower then you are fine. None of you should worry because only mages registered in the tower are the ones that I don't like." The smile on his face once again returned.
"Well, that eased my mind. Thank you for answering my question, your excellency." Mr. C gave the duke a nod and retracted his gaze.
After that, the conversation flowed a lot smoother before the duke finally left for, he had other things he must do. Linius also left and entrusted them to the manor's butler. The same old man who greeted them led them to the rooms that were assigned for them.
"While waiting for dinner, you may explore the place as much as you like. Rooms with guards outside it are off limits but those without, you are free to enter. If you fancy walking outside, we have a rose garden at the back. It is quite a beautiful place if I may say so. I highly recommend that to the young lady because I'm sure that you'll be able to enjoy the view." The butler reminded and informed them. "We will be calling you when dinner is served."
With that, they chose to retire and rest for a while. Nina decided to sleep for a bit before taking the butler's suggestion. Astrophos did the same because he wanted some time to himself. Mr. C on the other hand was ordered to join the butler of the manor to learn since they will be staying in the manor for some time.
Cygnus on the other hand decided to walk around the manor and explore instead. Every room that he could open, he entered. He also found the library and a place filled with different instruments. There was also a room for painting and a hall that seemed to be a mini museum inside the manor where relics and weapons were displayed inside glass cases.
After he had a thorough idea on the layout of the manor, he decided to go outside and admire the wide front yard of the manor. He also discovered that on the right side of the manor there was a maze garden which he tried to explore. It took him thirty minutes to find the center where a fountain was standing. Around it there were benches and patches of white lilies that were in full bloom.
He took a seat for a while before he left to visit the rose garden that the butler was so proud of. The moment Cygnus stepped into the garden a gust of strong wind suddenly blew bringing with it some petals and grasses even the sweet scent of flowers.
Cygnus stood there for a while in silence as some fragments of his memories came back to him. A sweet and happy laughter followed by a vague image of a girl followed by the annoyed voice of a boy who was running after her. It disappeared as quickly as it came.
He stepped inside the garden and saw that there was a gazebo in the middle of it. Cygnus went straight to it and laid on the bench within it. There he closed his eyes and reminisced of the past. It was rare for him to find a place where he can recall bits and pieces of his memories before he became what he was now.
His black hair was being caressed by the gentle breeze of the wind. He felt calm and peaceful which doesn't happen often because most of the time his mind was full of chaos and was in a mess. It doesn't appear when he acts in front of other people but if one could enter his mind, then they would be lost in a maze of messy and dangerous thoughts.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l