NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28: Handsome male lead
Rian was good with magic. After some effort, Rian succeeded in creating ice with direct manipulation. He tried again and again, succeeding again and again.
Rian smirked. “Hm, that wasn’t so hard.” He created a shard of ice floating above his hand, attracting Ayden’s attention to him.
Ren Xiyang looked at the plain ice shape, the kind of thing that beginner ice-ability-users could do. He thought about praising Rian for his hard work—it was good for children’s development—but then remember that Rian wasn’t an actual child. So instead, he held his own palm up. “Can you do this, then?” He formed a ball of fire, shaping it into a square, then a thin rod, then a circle, then a rose of fire.
Rian tilted his chin up, full of determination. “Of course.”
Unlike the spell that produced consistently shaped ice, direct manipulation meant the shape came out how Rian shaped it in the moment. So rather than having to search for a suitable spell, Rian had to control the shape himself.
A few ice shapes later…
“Prince Rian, that is a rhombus, not a square.”
Rian huffed. “It may not be perfect square, but that’s because ice shows flaws more easily than fire. Look, can you create this?” Rian carefully made a lattice pattern with the ice with its nice clean lines. Cough, the lattice was more rectangular than square.
Ren Xiyang compressed the flames until they were thin and white hot and made that delicate pattern. No fire dare flicker under his iron-tight control.
Rian narrowed his eyes. “How about this?” he challenged. He created another shape with the ice.
And Ren Xiyang perfectly recreated it in fire again.
“Try this one now!”
“—Now Prince Rian, why don’t you recreate this?”
The corner of Ren Xiyang’s mouth went up as their little game continued. Rian’s eyes were bright in return, lips curled up in enjoyment even as he lost again.
After they started making increasingly complicated flowers and flower bouquets of fire and ice, Ren Xiyang had a thought. His eyes curved slightly in amusement. “Prince Rian, in my world, we had a wealth of stories. In some of those stories, when handsome male characters appeared, they would be accompanied with beautiful decorations, such as flowers and glowing lights and hearts. Prince Rian should learn to make ice flowers float around him, like a true handsome male lead.”
“Have you forgotten the novel already? My little brother is supposed to be the handsome male lead,” Rian said.
Ren Xiyang raised one eyebrow. “Is Prince Rian not handsome when he grows up?”
Rian narrowed his eyes. “Say that again, Earl Rosewood.”
“So it would seem that your younger brother is the most handsome prince, aiya…”
A moment later, Rian instinctively, nonverbally, cast a spell that produced ice flowers. “Sufficient for the Earl’s high standards?”
Ren Xiyang gravely shook his head. “The flowers must be more, more delicate, more beautiful. Have them move slightly to catch the light. Unfortunately, you’re not a plant mage and cannot produce real flowers.”
Rian huffed slightly. Such an obvious challenge from the Earl. Rian wasn’t falling for it, he wanted to do it anyway.
“Next time we meet, you will be dazzled,” Rian promised.
The corner of Ren Xiyang’s lips went up. “I’ll remember to close my eyes beforehand.”
Rian rolled his eyes. “If you dare, Earl Rosewood, I will have one of my guards pull those eyelids open!”
“If they can defeat me.”
“…I hear you have some new guards too.”
“I can defeat them.”
Rian chuckled. “Let’s not tell our guards this little fact. They will feel unappreciated.”
Ren Xiyang blinked. “I already have.”
Rian’s chuckles became a laugh. “I pity them, then.” He smiled at Ayden. “Today has been a productive meeting. Shall we convene again in two days?”
“Hm,” Ren Xiyang agreed.
Rian left the Earl’s room with a triumphant feeling and a good mood.
The Royal Guards gave each other confused looks when the Prince suddenly started making a variety of ice flowers—
D
o you know what is happening?No, I don’t know.
Rian was still in a good mood when Count Aegean came for the afternoon’s tutorial.
When Rian told Count Aegean that Earl Rosewood was interested in importing fish and seaweed, Count Aegean had mixed feelings. When Rian told him that the Rosewood funerals were next week, Count Aegean finally felt a sense of happiness and relief.
“Very good! After the funerals are over, you and I are returning to the Capital immediately!”
“I agree,” Rian said.
“I’m glad you have reflected over the afternoon and realised that you should return to the Capital,” Count Aegean said.
Rian nodded. He could read Count Aegean’s expressions—he couldn’t wait to get him away from Earl Rosewood. But in fact, Rian’s return to the Capital was necessary for his and Ayden Rosewood’s joint plans. He’ll let the Count rest easy for a while~
News of the free lunch provided by Earl Rosewood spread across Redmond town.
“Dammit, today, today, we went somewhere else and missed it!”
“I heard it was delicious…”
“…This Earl is definitely different from his father, don’t you think?”
“Lily told me that Ali reckons that the Earl was the one heating up the soup they were handing out!”
“Didn’t…the Earl also announce some new rules or something?”
“Ah, I don’t remember, I was too hungry!”
“First giving out free money, and now giving out free food? What is the Earl thinking?”
It wasn’t just the townspeople who didn’t know what Ayden Rosewood was thinking.
Ayden Rosewood was simply a great source of gossip. His actions—along with Prince Rian’s actions—spread across the kingdom, reaching the ears of nobles, servants, and the common people.
The nobility had many questions about Earl Rosewood’s and Prince Rian’s behaviour. Was the ‘bereavement entitlement’ a whim of a child lord? Or was Ayden Rosewood planning some kind of conspiracy? Was the charitable lunch an enticement for something the new Earl Rosewood was planning? Were the rumours true at all, or were they a fabrication to cover up something else?
The servants started secretly talking and recalling which servants had died while on duty, most often due to being killed under the orders of their very own masters. Better pay, holidays, and a more generous lord—they now knew that it was possible.
And the common people were attracted by the idea of free food. They didn’t know if Earl Rosewood would make the charity lunches a regular occurrence. During this time period, it also was very difficult for them to travel. But made them a little restless nonetheless, and the few that could, or dared, to travel decided to do so.
The Rosewood fief and the previous Earl Rosewood had been nothing special. But now, there was a lot of attention.
All this news came to Solicitor Carmine’s ears, along with Earl Rosewood’s latest letter. He and the other Rosewood managers convened in a large meeting room in the Rosewood’s Capital house to talk about Earl Rosewood’s newest commands.
“The Rosewood funerals will occur next week,” Solicitor Carmine announced first. He looked at the most junior manager in the room. “Send out the invitation letters as I had noted.”
“Yes, sir,” the junior manager said.
Solicitor Carmine continued, “In addition, Earl Rosewood has listed several laws he wants to change or implement in the Rosewood fief. I will need at least one person to help me draft the updated legislature and determine whether they will conflict with Sedaverian law.”
“Law?” Manager Gregory frowned. “Earl Rosewood seems to be in a hurry.”
Manager Ashdown made a cautious hum. “Solicitor Carmine, what laws does Earl Rosewood want?”
“Firstly, the abolishment of the death penalty. Secondly, the criminalisation of assault against any and all persons, under which Earl Rosewood has listed many different forms of assault that must be penalised…”
There were both things that Earl Rosewood wanted to criminalise and things he wanted to decriminalise.
The eyes of the people in the room all turned a little strange. Solicitor Carmine was the only calm one, having read the letter beforehand.
If they didn’t commit any of these acts that Earl Rosewood wanted to criminalise, then they knew someone who did.
Manager Gregory barely suppress his urge to sneer. Earl Rosewood clearly wanted to make the Rosewood fief the laughingstock of others! No more death penalty? Then all the criminals would flock to the Rosewood fief along with all the beggars who wanted food!
“These are Earl Rosewood’s commands,” Solicitor Carmine said.
The managers in the room glanced at each other.
“I will help you,” Manager Ashdown offered, not looking at Manager Gregory. He used to follow Manager Gregory’s words, but now…now, he didn’t want to be on that side.
Solicitor Carmine inclined his head. “Much appreciated. If anyone else would like to contribute, then come to me afterwards.”
The group discussed a few other matters before dispersing, each with their own thoughts.
Since Earl Ayden Rosewood’s inheritance ceremony, two ‘factions’ had appeared in the upper management. There were those like Solicitor Carmine who obediently carried out Earl Rosewood’s orders and did not show any overt unhappiness. And there those like Manager Gregory who carried out Earl Rosewood’s orders but displayed dissatisfaction behind closed doors.
It wasn’t Solicitor Carmine’s job to manage the managers. Earl Rosewood had been quite clear in that very first meeting: unsuitable people will be swept out of Rosewood employment. All that was needed was time.
Starting on the very next day, Ren Xiyang started to meet with every single employee on the Rosewood summer manor estate—of which there were over one hundred, including indoor and outdoor workers.
With Kel’s help, he made appointment times for everyone across several days. And since Kel was helping, she knew who was first: herself.
She sat in the chair in front of the Earl Rosewood’s desk, feeling more nervous when Earl Rosewood said, “Don’t be nervous. There is no problem with your employment.”
Wait, this meeting was related to her employment?!!!
Kel was then blindsided by all the questions the Earl asked of her—
“You have been working for me for a bit now. Do you feel that there’s too much work, or not enough work?”
“If there was any work you could do, what would you want to do?”
“Consider a place where no one goes hungry, regardless of background. A place where everyone has the opportunity to learn to read, regardless of things like gender and class. What do you think of this?”
“There must be many things about the Rosewood fief that you would like to change. Please tell me those things and I’ll note them all down.”
Kel mustered the best answers she could in the moment, and even hesitantly requested some time to think about it.
At the end, Earl Rosewood told her, “Thank you for all that, Kel. Please help me call the next person in.”
Kel had to suppress her sigh of relief. She hurried up to call in the next person, who was Maria. While Maria went into the suite to meet with Earl Rosewood, Kel remained outside. There was a group of other servants waiting. They weren’t nervous, because the last time Earl Rosewood had asked to speak with them, he had given them a pay raise or a holiday!
“So, Kel, what did the Earl want?” one of them asked curiously.
Kel truthfully shared the questions she had been answered.
The servants were stunned. This was a lot more serious than they had realised!
One by one, the servants visited the Earl’s office in turn. Most of them left dazed…and a handful of them left disgruntled because the Earl put them on probation with potential for employment termination.
“—Probation! There was nothing wrong with my answers!” The disgruntled ones gathered together to complain.
The other servants gave their condolences…but somehow, the Earl had picked out many of the arrogant and unpleasant servants to put on probation. There would be no spilt tears if those ones left permanently.
Rian: Ayden called me a handsome male lead~!
Solicitor Carmine: Certain managers want to dig their own graves. Not my problem.
Ren Xiyang: Admin (=_=)