Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The New Member
TL/N: I'm going to do a mass release into I reach the word count so it can be rank also feel free to leave a review or some power stones
In the early morning, Hobert left his room and went to the dining room on the first floor, where his sister and brother were already having breakfast. His foster father, Christian Geoffrey, was a brigadier general, though he didn't seem to be in favor. Despite this, a brigadier general was still a high-ranking officer and a member of the upper class in Backlund, owning a spacious two-story villa and a sizable garden in the Queen's District.
Furthermore, his foster children—Hobert, his sister Donna, who was a year younger, and his brother Tyron, who was three years younger—could all attend the best public primary and secondary schools in Backlund and easily get into Backlund University, reputedly the top university in Loen. However, this was still far from the residences and treatment enjoyed by the nobility.
Hobert deduced his foster father Christian was not highly valued because their family wasn't very wealthy. He remembered that General Amilius seemed quite affluent. Hobert's recent savings amounted to only 15 pounds, probably not even a fraction of Miss Justice's pocket money. However, compared to Klein, Hobert's start was much better. He remembered Klein's starting funds were about 1 pound, including the food expenses for his siblings.
Donna, with her slightly curly golden hair, guarded her milk and sweet bread roll and said, "Hobert, you don't look well."
Hobert casually replied, "I had trouble sleeping last night." A maid served Hobert's breakfast, which was rich with salad and fried eggs. Hobert glanced at the tea and said, "I'll have milk instead." Having tea or coffee early in the morning still felt unusual to him despite being in this world for so long. However, he quickly got used to being served breakfast.
As the three of them were about to finish breakfast, Hobert's foster mother, Monlisa, appeared on the second floor and said, "Hobert, come home early this afternoon. Your father is coming back today. He said he has something important to discuss with you."
Hobert stood up and replied, "Yes, Mother."
Donna cheerfully said, "Father is coming back today? I wonder what gift he'll bring me."
"Oh, dear, you still have hope for your father's gifts?" Monlisa sighed, "Believe me, I've been married to your father for so many years and never received a satisfactory gift."
Donna laughed, "That's because Father doesn't have a good personal servant."
After some small talk, the three siblings finished breakfast, changed their clothes, gathered their school supplies, and took the family carriage to their respective schools. Hobert attended the law department at Backlund University. In the afternoon, he secretly skipped class and found a secluded equipment room to prepare for the upcoming Tarot Club meeting.
At three o'clock, Hobert suddenly found himself in a dense gray fog. Before him emerged a grand hall and a bronze long table.
Miss Justice, Audrey, greeted, "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool. It's a pity there's no fine wine here... otherwise, we could toast to your success." Last week, she and The Hanged Man had tried using the Fool's three-part honorific to pray to him, and both had received responses, reaffirming their understanding of the Fool's power. However, they didn't know that a new member repeatedly using the honorific had disrupted the Fool's sleep.
Miss Justice paused, noticing the new member. While speaking, she began her habitual observation.
The new member was a young male, energetic and seemingly athletic. He appeared calm, showing no nervousness or surprise at his first Tarot Club meeting. His attire was somewhat blurred but appeared high-quality and stylish, with a distinct Loen Kingdom flair.
Justice concluded that he was likely born into the upper class of Loen and probably lived in Backlund. Although young, he seemed very composed and calm. Her living conditions were a whole tier above Hobert's. She and her two brothers had private tutors and never needed to attend grammar school or university. Children of an earl's illegitimate son or family members without titles enjoyed the same level of education as Hobert. Because of this, she didn't immediately guess that Hobert was a university student.
On the other side of the table, The Hanged Man, Alger, also praised Mr. Fool, saying, "Your power exceeds our imagination." He also noticed the new member, furrowing his brows. Although Mr. Fool was powerful, he should have informed him and Justice before adding a new member. Had he not recently witnessed the Fool's power, he would have protested.
The Fool said, "Good. This indicates we are on an effective path. If you have matters that keep you busy on Monday afternoons, perform a ritual in advance to inform me."
He added, "As you can see, there is a new member in the Tarot Club." The Fool then introduced, "This is Miss Justice, and this is Mr. Hanged Man. The new member is Mr. Emperor."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Emperor," Justice greeted with a smile. She felt a sense of familiarity with him, thinking he might be from the upper class of Loen.
"Good afternoon," Hobert replied, "It's an honor to join your gathering."
The Hanged Man did not greet him but observed Hobert for a while.
The meeting officially began. Justice first handed the Fool a page from Emperor Roselle's diary, kindly reminding Hobert, "Emperor Roselle's notes written in special symbols are actually his diary. Mr. Fool is very interested in these diaries. You can collect them and trade with Mr. Fool."
Hobert politely replied, "Thank you for the reminder." He thought to himself, "I already know this—it's in Simplified Chinese! But still, Miss Justice is quite kind."
Just as he thought this, he noticed the atmosphere in the hall had changed. Justice, The Hanged Man, and even the Fool were staring at him intently, as if he were a monster.
Oops!
Hobert belatedly realized that he hadn't shown enough surprise upon hearing about Roselle's diary. Even a little surprise would have been better. What should he do now? Should he explain, or act as if he had strong backing?
Quickly, he realized that whether he explained or not, the outcome would be the same: his identity would remain mysterious.
So, he decided not to explain and let them draw their own conclusions.
(End of the chapter)
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