Klive continued to read the book, sounds of the flipping pages echoed in the once moonlit room. The little guy was hooked by the chronicles of the dukes and duchess to the point that he forgot his own bedtime.

The dawn came without even asking the busy kid. The light it carried shaded the book and the little guy’s contours in crimson as he bathed in a rosy glow.

[Knock. Knock, knock]

“Good morning little master Klive are you awake? Please wake up, it’s already morning, It's time for breakfast.”

The greetings strained the ears of Klive as he slowly woke up from his hours of fixation towards the memoirs. Feeling a bit of shock from the voice and steps coming from the outside, the little guy immediately closed down the wooden book, acting like a thief that was about to get caught in the act, Klive hid the book under his bed.

He ran then jumped towards his bed, covering his head with a thick blanket, trying to look like as if he was still sleeping. Peeking through the tiny gaps, Klive’s eyes snooped towards the creaking door, spying whether the owner of the voice would enter or not.

Hearing no answer from the little guy, sounds of the door opening echoed in the room, it eventually stopped midway as if the maid was uncertain whether to wake up the little guy. After a few moments of hesitation, the maid firmed up her decision to let the kid get more sleep.

“I’ll just return again later little master. Anyway, sleep well and grow bigger soon,” said the maid as she leaked a few giggles before closing the door again. “Oh, I’ll just go help little Ciera tidy up, she is definitely already awake.”

After ensuring that the maid was already gone, the adrenaline coursing through the little guy’s body simmered down. He was burnt out, hours of accumulated fatigue embraced young Klive after he pulled an all-nighter just to read the memoirs from Trea’s magical book. A melody of snores was then heard resounding across the four sides of the room as a drowsy spell struck the little lord.

Unbeknownst to the sleeping kid, the book wriggled its way out of the pillow. Its shining thin pages flapped as it flew towards the little lord’s bed. Continuous shuffling sounds were heard across the room before it closed again.

It was as if the book and the stories within saw the sight of the sleeping Klive, opting silence so as not to disturb the little boy.

♠♠♠♠♠♠♠

Like an orchestra, the spoons, forks, plates chimed together in the long buffet table producing a refrain of hums as the knight Brooks’ family (except for Klive who was still sleeping) and their most trusted aides ate breakfast together. The mahogany table was full of mouth-watering delicacies, mostly meat which came from the devil tusk boar that esquire Davin hunted down in the village outskirts. The maids and attendant continued to add more and more food from various diverse recipes. Fruits and vegetables of all colors were also sprawled in the table along with some condiments and spices, making things more vibrant and lively.

It was a running tradition of the Brooks family to let other people who they categorize as trustworthy or worth grooming to eat with them during breakfast. There would always be some short talks about future plans of the family, briefing the people about the paths the family would take. Pieces of advice and suggestions coming from the attendants and adjutants were also encouraged in this weekly breakfast meeting. The ways of the knight family gave the aides a sense of belongingness, unity, loyalty, and responsibility. Pledging themselves towards the knight and his family, they decided to put their best for the knight. It was a feeling the madame wished to nurture throughout their new fief.

According to the knight and his family, it was of extreme importance to bridge the gap between the Lord and his retainers. Success in this area would, in turn, yield a better community. A society where the citizens respect the authority of their lord and the lord caring more for the prosperity of his vassals, citizens, and territory. It was a win-win situation for both the lord and his citizens.

“Ehem, Good morning everyone. I hope everyone is having a good time with the dishes we prepared, of course, spiced up by our dear Davin’s sincerity;” The knight said, inviting the laughter and whistles from the crowd especially after they heard what happened to the esquire yesterday. “We will now start this week’s breakfast meeting. It will be composed of general reports about the village status. It's trading dealings, infrastructure, public health, farming, and harvest. You all know that this new fief will be our lifeblood. So, I hope everyone will listen carefully then  share their thoughts and insights about the village.”

“Yes, milord!” The crowd answered in chorus,  loud and clear.

“But before that, I would like to introduce to you our two new members to join us starting from today. You can consider them as the villager of Lothar’s representatives. Go on now, don’t be shy, do introduce yourselves.”

The attendants and aides turned all ears after the remarks of the lord. Their eyes now focused on the new members of the group. The madame taught them that it was essential to understand the specialties and talents of your colleagues, for future reference. Though new comrades must be first acknowledged by everyone. After all, no one in the room could be branded as useless and incompetent. The few dozens in the room were well-learned individuals in various fields of learning. There were people knowledgeable about war strategies, trade, commerce, agriculture, etiquette, diplomacy, history, magic, and even alchemy.

“A pleasant morning to everyone. I am Bose, the old chief of the village of. It would be a great honor to work with everyone in serving the Lord.” Bose said as he put his hand towards his left chest, a sign of respect in Eudorian etiquette.“ Though, I hope you’ll treat these old bones of mine a bit well.”

A series of nods was the answer of the aides and attendants after the introduction of Bose. Their eyes beamed in approval and respect for the old man. Aside from historians, learned individuals, and old noble families - those who still knew the old Eudorian etiquette were few in numbers especially if it was someone coming from a small territory like the village of Lothar. The village chief’s knowledge was not something to be trifled with. His years of experience as a merchant’s storekeeper helped him gain and learn many things about the diverse culture of the Eudorian continent.

The next villager to introduce himself as a new member was also an old man. His hair white like snow while his beard reached up to his chest. Like an expert, the old man continuously stroked his beard.

Seeing the slick actions of the old guy, the eyes of the aides glimmered in curiosity and anticipation, their eyeballs scanning the old fellow up and down. On the side, knight Levo and Madame Annis couldn’t help but release a chuckle after witnessing the spectacle.

Unbeknownst to most of the crowd, the old man was actually drying his sweaty hands using his long beard. His heart was pumping so hard as if thousands of galloping war horses were playing in his old chest. The old man's two feet tapping the floor were also shaking, not because of old age but due to simple anxiousness. Feeling the stares concentrating towards his body, the old man’s head went blank, forgetting almost everything of the speech he prepared and memorized for this day.

Taking a few gulps of saliva, he began his introduction:

“We-ll, erm, good d-day. I-I am Gazz. Ya could ca-call me old man Gazz or Gazzy. Y-your choice. I am 76 years old, I have five big sons and three cute daughters. I tended to the fields for al-almost all my life. My hobby is. I-I…

Watching the old guy making fun of himself, the eyes of the people inside the room couldn’t help but twitch, the thoughts in their heads were full of sarcasm. No one asked you to tell us your age. The number of your children is as irrelevant as your speech. And damn! What the heck is Gazzy anyway? It sounds like a fart. It doesn’t even suit your age.

“...”

“Okay people, let us cut off some slack for our new friend here. Let me help him with his introduction. After all, this is his first time being ogled like lady, of course, he would feel shy. Right?” The knight purred as he intervened the introduction of the now flushed old man, inviting a few mirths from the crowd, dispersing the tense atmosphere. “Our friend here is someone whom I and wife personally recruited. He might stutter but don’t worry, he’s a real deal. Everyone can call him pervy Gazzy. Erm, I mean old Gazz. “

Pftt.

Hearing that the old man was recruited by both the madame and the knight, the crowd felt a bit envious. Sighs of relief were also heard, they knew that when the Lord decided to recruit someone, the person was definitely skilled in a certain aspect. Questions about the abilities of the old man clouded the minds of the crowd, their interest now piqued.

“I hope the single word I will say in this room will not spread anywhere”, said the knight as a bit of seriousness glinted in his eyes. “The word and the reason is ‘Aspects’.”

A series of gasp resounded on the room, some even poked their ears for any excess earwax, thinking that may have actually heard it wrong. They looked at each other's eyes, curiosity now filling their minds. Their gazes seemingly wishing to bore a hole at the old man.

“You can return to your seat now Gazzy.”The knight said with a grin as he hinted the old man to take his seat, like an ungreased alchemic iron-golem the old man moved, his steps like a puppet whose strings had been cut. “Back to the topic, my wife will now read the reports about the overall assessment of village condition. So keep your ears open.”

With the knight’s cue, Madame Annis stood up from her seat then strode towards the mini-podium, on her hands were a thin volume of papers containing the summary of the information collected about the village as well as the important concerns of the knight's new domain that would need everyone’s help to solve.

With the crowd’s attention now solely focus on what would the madam say, the meeting continued.

ChronicleCrawler

Sorry for the long wait everyone. I was a bit preoccupied with my parents who just returned from abroad. You know RL stuffs. Aside from that, I'm also writing a new novel for everyone. It's titled "How a Neet Survive in a New Eon of Spirituality". Wait for it, I believe you would definitely love it. Please click the heart button on the right side below to support me. Comments and Grammar corrections are still extremely welcome. Stay tuned by following me or simply by saving my web series on your Reading list. Be my reader. Thanks. [bows]