My name is Eric Noble. Noble sounds like a prestigious name, right? But I suppose I am anything but. I’m about to turn 28 years old, a corporate accountant, single and not loving it. I don’t look it, but I’m into nerdy things like video games, comics, and fantasy stuff. Put it simply, eh…I can pass for a regular person, but I’m not. I haven’t made all the right decisions. I settled for less in college and ended up with this desk job. Hell, I’ve only even had one serious girlfriend…Stephanie. And I messed that up too. It’s been almost four years since the breakup. She told me my lack of ambition in life had put me back into the friend zone. I guess that’s okay though. We still keep up. At least I’m not as bad off as my best friend Wraith. Yeah, that’s right, his name’s Wraith. Well, it’s actually Ernest Weathers, but he’s always gone by Wraith. We’ve been best friends since the 8th grade, and he used that nickname for everything. Screen names, video game characters, passwords, etc… Well, he’s a pizza delivery guy at the ripe old age of 28. He’s like me and looks like a normie, but he’s just…well…a little more forward, personality wise, with his nerdiness.

As far as I go, nobility didn’t exactly run in my family. My dad left me and my mom when I was just a baby. He sent us money every year to support us, but never called or visited. Turns out, he inherited an estate in England that he didn’t even know about shortly after he married my mother. After he flew over to check it out, he sent her a letter that said, ‘I’m staying here, and I never want you to come to this place.’ They say money changes people. In my experience that would be accurate. My mom always said that maybe I would end up inheriting the place someday too,but I never put much thought into it. I’m really not sure I’d even want anything from him after what he did to us. That is until the letter arrived…

It came from a man named Reginald Higgin’s who claimed to be a business associate of my father. Apparently, the old man kicked the bucket. But it wasn’t an invitation to the funeral. In fact, it didn’t even mention a funeral. All it said was that he was coming to the US to meet with me and discuss my father’s final wishes. I was to meet him at a local attorney’s office for international affairs, since the estate was in another country.

It was late January, and when the day of the meeting came, I almost didn’t even want to go, but I figured, what could it hurt? He gave us financial support when I was growing up after all. I suppose he’s probably just dropping a pile of money on me and hoping that it would make up for a life of neglect.

As I entered the office, the secretary summoned the Senior Attorney.

“Hello, Mr. Noble I presume,” said the somewhat hefty middle-aged man as he shook my hand, “My name's Mr. Ford. My office here will facilitate the transaction of any foreign assets you may acquire. Terribly sorry to hear about your loss.”

“It’s alright, I didn’t know him,” I replied brazenly.

Mr. Ford’s mouth was agape for a moment before he continued, “Right. If you’ll follow me, please…”

He took me back to his office and brought me in. A tall man in a light gray suit was waiting. He had a gray bushy mustache with a part in his equally gray head of hair. And he had a western bow tie, you know, like the ones Colonel Sanders would wear.

“Mr. Noble, this is Mr. Higgins,” said Ford, “He had your fathers Power of Attorney and is Executor of your father’s will.”

“How do you do?” Higgins said, in an English accent.

“I’m well,” is all I could respond with.

“Mr. Noble…”

I cut Ford off before he could continue.

“Eric is fine. I don’t mind speaking formally, but I’d prefer to hear my own first name.”

“Very well…Eric,” he continued, “Mr. Higgins has informed me that your father left a video recording, specifically for you. And that only you and Mr. Higgins are to see it. This will take place before all the formal signing, but for my own legal protection, I require that you sign a waiver that permits me to exit the room during the video.”

“Fine, I’ll sign it,” I said as I took a pen and obliged Mr. Ford.

“Excellent. I’ll be waiting in the lobby. You can come get me when you’re finished.”

The lawyer left the room and shut the door on his way out. Higgins and I stood across from each other in silence for a moment.

“So, you were a close associate of my fathers, huh?”

“That’s right. He was a colleague of sorts…and a dear friend.”

“Yeah, well, glad you got to know him. I never did.”

“I understand your resentment, Master Noble. But I assure you, your father had you and your mother’s best interest in mind.”

“My mother died a few years ago. Shame she went first. And what’s with the ‘Master Noble’ bit?”

He didn’t reply. We stood there for another moment in silence before I took it upon myself to sit down adjacent from the television screen. Higgins took the cue to start the video and inserted a thumb drive into it and then sat in the chair beside me. He clicked the remote to turn on the video.

On the screen was a man who was only vaguely familiar to me. It was an aged version of the man who appeared in some old pictures of me and my mother. He was a little buffer than I imagined. I recognized him as my father, but not as a dad…

“Hello, son. I know that if you’re viewing this, you probably don’t have a very favorable view of me. I could spend countless hours explaining to you why I did what I did. But I know none of it, no matter how much you accepted as truth, would make up for my absence. So, I will not attempt to defend myself any further. However, unfortunately, during the time of this recording I am terminally ill and require a favor of you. Believe it or not but our family is more significant than you realize. My estate in England has been passed down for generations and long before the Mansion that was built on that land, it has been under our family’s care. Though it carries a great burden. My biggest regret in life was having the hubris to think I could shield you from that burden. I’m doing you a great disservice even now by leaving you ill prepared. The secret of our family lineage is so great that I can’t take a chance by explaining it even now in this recording. So, I’m giving you an ultimatum. Take the estate and all of the wealth that comes along with it, but also know that it comes at a price or take $100k cash right now, no questions asked. Higgins will leave and you will never see him again. The burden of our lineage will be taken off of you and you never even have to think of me again. I wish I had done things differently, but it is what it is. I know you’ll make the right decision. It’s in your blood. I will direct any questions you may have to Higgins. Goodbye Eric.”

The video stopped. Higgins turned to me and said, “Well, Master Noble?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond at first, so I thought for a moment. Finally, I replied, “First off, what's with all this ominous talk about family burden? Second, I don’t even know what the estate entails. How do I know the place isn’t a dump and will cost me a bunch to fix it up? Is it even worth $100k on its own?”

“I assure you Master Noble, it is worth a substantial amount more. But we cannot discuss the details without Mr. Ford present. As far as your family burden, your father has forbidden me from answering anything about it unless you accept his ultimatum. Once you’ve arrived at the property all shall be revealed. I can only say that the life you will assume once accepting will be a difficult one, but it will lead to glory.”

“Glory? Difficult? The old man abandons me for a quarter of a century, then pops back up right before he croaks and says, ‘here ya go, here’s some difficulty for you’. No thanks. I’ll take the hundred grand and go back to my 9 to 5. As if that's not difficult enough.”

Higgins gave a sad look for a moment and then responded, “Very well…I’ll go fetch Mr.

Ford and we’ll finish up here.”

He left the room as I stood there and held back tears from a lifetime of grudge holding against the man, we just watched on the video clip, knowing that there's no way I could tell him off personally. He was nothing to me. I knew him as well as I knew Higgins and Mr. Ford. Once the door shut on this office, I could hopefully shut out what memories of him I did have.

But then something happened. It was faint. Just a blip and only for a second. It was a memory from four years prior. The day Stephanie broke up with me. I was on the couch, playing a video game, and right before she slammed the door she said, “You have no ambition!”

She was right. I made excuses for the easy way out. My lack of ambition held me back from everything good in life. Including her. I read books and played games about characters who sought glory, but I sought none of it. Higgins said the difficulty I’d face by accepting the inheritance would lead me to glory. Maybe it was time I stopped letting my own laziness get in the way of the life I deserve. Perhaps the old man's best gift to me was opportunity rather than fortune. What’s the worst it could be? Maybe the burden was just a bunch of hoity-toity prestigious events I’d have to attend. Or juggling a bunch of bobblehead gold diggers. That’s what my mom always thought my father did. Whatever it is, I’m certain it's better than my accounting job. I could even win Stephanie back if I show I’ve done something with my life!

Just then, the door opened and it was Higgins and Mr. Ford returning to finish the ordeal.

“Ready to wrap things up, son?” Mr. Ford asked with a slight smile.

“As a matter of fact, I am!” I said confidently, seeming to startle the somber Mr. Higgins.

“I’ll do it,” I continued, “I’ll take my father’s offer and accept his estate. I’ll take on any challenges that it presents.”

Higgins seemed elated, he closed his eyes, smiled from ear to ear, and clapped his hands together once and said, “Very good sir! Your father would be proud. He was confident you’d make the right decision.”