บท 1: Death and Reincarnation I
The sky is bathed in soft shades of blue and violet. The horizon is increasingly lighter in hue indicating the impending sunrise. As the sun begins to rise over the horizon, the first rays of light filter through the silhouette of trees and a huge palace-like house.
The atmosphere is filled with a soft silence, broken only by birdsong announcing the new day. Rays of light filtered through one of the many windows of the mansion, the curtain of the room stopped the rays of light but failed to stop everyone.
In this room was a young boy sleeping in a large and very luxurious bed. The rays of sunlight that managed to get in fell on his face, his eyes opened slowly, and his face did not look tired at all. The room is a large size, decorated in shades of blue and white, with golden details and ornamental elements. The furniture is elegant and antique. It even has a marble fireplace and the walls are adorned with valuable works of art.
The boy has a healthy and youthful appearance, his complexion is fresh and light-toned, with smooth, flawless skin. He has large, expressionless eyes that are blue in color and sparkle with great intelligence. His eyelashes are long and his eyebrows are well defined. His hair is a shade of blond and falls in wavy locks that frame his face.
This young man was Edward Rothschild, his well-polished appearance and intelligent, expressionless eyes would lead one to believe that he is 18 or 20 years old, but he turned 15 a few days ago.
Edward got out of bed quietly and with graceful movements, walked calmly to the window, and opened the curtain allowing all the rays of light to enter. The clock read 6:30 AM.
He stood contemplating the landscape for a few seconds. The palace-like mansion was known under the name of 'Waddesdon Manor', it has a neo-renaissance French chateau style and is one of the most famous properties of the Rothschild Family.
The family to which Edward belonged was one of the 5 families that control the world. It is a European dynasty that dates back to the end of the 18th century. It is one of the most influential lineages of bankers and financiers in the world, if not the most influential.
After contemplating the landscape, Edward began to do some light stretches to wake up the body and relax, while he was bathed by the rays of light.
After that he made up the bed, leaving it as good as new, and went to the bathroom in the room itself. He washed his face with warm water and after that brushed his teeth thoroughly for at least two minutes.
His expression in the mirror never changed, as if he was programmed to do the same thing every morning. He took a quick shower, dried his hair, and combed it. His appearance was very attractive, however, he never smiled or anything, giving an apathetic expression.
Finally, he dressed in clothes he had previously chosen for the day. As he finished buttoning the last button on his shirt, someone knocked on the double door.
Knock, knock.
The clock read 6:55 AM.
"Mr. Edward, it's time to wake up"
When the voice finished speaking, Edward as if expecting this opened the door. He found himself facing an older man. The man's hair was gray, he had an odd mustache and some wrinkles on his face. He wore a very formal suit with a black bow tie.
"Good morning, Mr. Edward. On time and perfect as always" complimented the older man.
"Good morning, Alfred" said Edward in a monotone and without changing his expression.
"Mr. William and Mistress Elizabeth are waiting for you in the main dining room" said the man named Alfred who was one of the many butlers in the mansion.
Edward nodded slightly, knowing Alfred would say those words, as it was the same every morning. Giving a slight nod of his head he said goodbye to Alfred and began to walk through the huge mansion.
Alfred bowed respectfully as he watched Edward walk quietly, then entered his room and began to clean and tidy up, although he knew that the cleaning was minimal, as Edward was very meticulous.
Edward walking through the large and luxurious corridors, stopped and looked at a wall on which hung a large painting of an older and somewhat bald man. The man had a serious and very dignified expression. He wore an old nobleman's suit and had a medal that looked very valuable as a necklace.
Edward knew the identity of this individual very well. The person depicted in the painting was Mr. Mayer Amstel Rothschild who passed away hundreds of years ago.
The history of the Rothschild family begins with Mayer Amstel in his time was a German banker who is known as "The founding father of international finance" and was Edward's great-great-grandfather.
He stopped looking at the painting and continued walking, until finally arriving at the main dining room, a long table of very expensive material was in the center with many chairs around it. At the end of the table sat a middle-aged man, his face was attractive and similar to Edward's, and his expression was also blank, no one would know what was going on in his head. This person was Edward's father, William Rothschild.
Next to him, there was a woman with long straight black hair, her features were very attractive. The woman's gaze was serious and stern, the only similarity to Edward was her small-sized and very symmetrically perfect nose. This woman was Edward's mother, Elizabeth Rothschild.
"Good morning, father, mother" Edward said in a polite and respectful tone.
"Good morning, son. You may sit down" nodded William.
A maid came over and moved one of the chairs, so Edward could sit down.
"You're two minutes late, Edward. What happened?" asked Elizabeth, as Edward sat down in the chair and scooted closer to the table.
On one of the walls of the dining room, there was an antique clock that read 7:02 in the morning.
"I'm sorry, Mother. I was contemplating the painting of great-great-grandfather Amstel on the way here" replied Edward who was already expecting the question about his tardiness. His mother was very controlling of her time, even 1 minute can serve to be more productive than your rivals or so she always repeated.
"Your great-great-grandfather was a very successful man, he built the foundation for the family. If you want to live up to him, you can't make even the slightest mistake" Elizabeth said in a calm and repressive tone.
"Your mother is right, son. A small difference can be the determinant to be the winner" said William in agreement with his wife.
'It was only 2 minutes' thought Edward a little annoyed by his mother's reprimand, however, he was used to this, so his expression did not show dissent towards his parents and remained as always, inexpressive.
"You're right. I'm sorry, it won't happen again" Edward said politely and without arguing, very different from boys his age who at 15 are in their rebellious stage.
"Although for a genius like you, I don't think 2 minutes will make you lose" William added with a slight smile of pride.
"It's not good for you to pamper him, darling. Despite Edward's talent and genius, if we want him to be successful and lead the family back to its golden age, we must be strict. Talent and hard work. That's the formula" said Elizabeth who had no plans to give her son 2 minutes of free time, as she thought they should be used productively.
If anyone overheard the conversation they would put on a strange expression, it would be odd to be considered pampering a son for giving him two minutes of free time.
"As you say" said William who knew he couldn't win an argument with his wife about Edward's education.
"Well, Edward. Make me remember, what's your schedule today?" asked Elizabeth as she ate her breakfast elegantly, even though she knew the answer, she wanted to hear it from her son's mouth.
"At seven-thirty, I have Math class with Professor Thomas White. Then I will have Ethics classes with Professor Amelia Moore. And lastly classes with Professor Richard Baker on Economics and Finance" answered Edward.
The classes were not normal, that is, going to a school with other kids your age and learning. The teachers Edward named would particularly come to his house to teach him, they are very famous teachers and renowned for their academic achievements.
Despite the great wealth they possess, Elizabeth thinks it is a waste of time to send Edward to a school, even if it is the most prestigious school. She thinks it is much more productive to bring the best teachers in the world to the house so that her son can make the most of his time and not waste time at school.
"Fine, that will be until noon. At 12:30 your tutor will come, today you will be with him for only 1 hour, since, as you remember, we must attend a meeting held by the Mars Family, they are very anxious to meet you. You must make a good impression" said Elizabeth.
The most worrying thing about Edward not attending a school is that he will not be able to make connections with people who will be important in the future like him, but his mother solved this by taking him to meetings held by wealthy families, this way he can socialize and start building his circle.
"After the meeting, you will come straight to Rothschild, there will be an important meeting and all the members of the board agreed that you should participate" William said with a slight smile.
By "Rothschild" referred to N M Rothschild & Sons Limited or Rothschild Group which is the British multinational investment banking company controlled by the family. It was founded in 1811, being the seventh oldest continuously operating bank in the UK.
"I understand, father" nodded Edward.
"Then you will return home, and your language teacher will be waiting for you, as you have already mastered 5 languages to perfection, we have decided that you will start learning Mandarin" said Elizabeth in a tone that hid pride.
"At this rate, you will become a hyper polyglot, admirable indeed" praised William.
Hyperpolyglots are people who speak more than 6 languages at an advanced level. Edward is currently a polyglot as he speaks 3 or more languages.
"I can't wait to start learning" said Edward, in a tone that didn't sound at all enthusiastic.
His day was already completely planned and structured, and this had been the case for as long as he could remember. So he decided to accept it. Besides his study in languages, he would then have more things planned to do until finally going to bed at 10:00 PM. During the whole day, he has no time to relax or do any hobbies of his own choice, even the rest intervals he has are short, 10 to 30 minutes at most.
The family of three finished breakfast. William said goodbye to his wife and son and headed to the company. As for Elizabeth, she made sure that Edward had everything he needed for today's study. And she went to greet the mathematics teacher.
Edward was now in a dedicated room for his study, he was sitting at a polished wooden desk with his books and supplies needed for today.
"Good morning, Edward" said Professor White entering the room.
"Good morning, Professor" greeted Edward rising from his seat.
"Have you done the homework I left you last day?" asked White.
Edward nodded and showed him a notebook where he had completed all the homework that the professor had left him. Math class lasted 2 hours, when the clock struck 9:30 AM, Elizabeth entered the room.
"Good, Edward, take a rest. In 10 minutes teacher Amelia will be here. Go get things ready" said Elizabeth.
"Yes, mother" nodded Edward as he put away the math books.
Professor White looked at the boy with pity but said nothing, he knew his opinion was worthless.
"How did you do in class today?" asked Elizabeth looking at the professor.
"Perfect, as always. Edward's comprehension is incredible, he is learning much faster than we thought. At this rate, we will finish the study plan we devised in 2 months. And these are university-level topics!" replied Professor White in amazement as he looked sideways at Edward who continued with a stoic expression.
"It's what is expected of him" said Elizabeth who looked normal to her.
"Miss Amelia should be arriving shortly, if you'll come with me" added Elizabeth as she began to walk beside Professor White toward the exit.
"Goodbye, Edward" said White saying goodbye.
"Goodbye, Professor" said Edward in a monotone.
'Poor boy...' thought Professor White feeling sorry for Edward, he started to be his teacher since 2 years ago and he never saw the boy change his expression, neither sadness nor anger and even less happiness.
Professor Amelia arrived and they started the class instantly without wasting a second. After teacher Amelia's class, he had another short break and had the last class with the Economics and Finance teacher until 12 noon.
At the end of the last class, food was already waiting for him at the dining room table, he had 30 minutes to eat, before his tutor arrived.
"After your tutoring, I have prepared a suit for the meeting with the Mars Family. You must prove to them all that you are the most promising Rothschild heir" commented Elizabeth as she ate lunch next to Edward.
"I understand, mother" said Edward keeping his monotone monotone.
"And hide your apathy, although you always do, you must show that you are interested in socializing with them. Despite being pawns, it is necessary for them to be happy" Elizabeth said matter-of-factly. The Mars was a family of great power and a lot of money, but to Elizabeth Rothschild, they were nothing more than pawns.
"As you say" said Edward who incredibly his tone changed to a friendlier one, and his once apathetic expression, seemed more sociable. Elizabeth seeing this nodded inwardly satisfied.
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