As I kneeled on both knees and waited for Ava to tell me about the tournament, I was constantly met with the guilty and apologetic gaze of Miriam as she seemed to be apologizing for putting me in this tough spot.
I couldn't respond to her due to the situation I was in, but rather than being angry at her, I was rather grateful because believe it or not, I was lost on what role I would play in the Rothschild house.
Before being hauled out of the room earlier today by Miriam in preparation for the arrival of Oliver, I planned to find a job outside the Rothschild house, trying to be independent and all that.
Only after thinking it through did I realize how bad and stupid of an idea it was.
Yes, I had the knowledge of the basic things one was to know of the world, but only after conversing with one of the maids did I realize how flawed my thinking was.
Miriam's definition of 'basic' was absurdly different from a normal citizen and I could only blame myself for not thinking about that.
She was a royal for god's sake and the last child of one of the strongest houses in this kingdom, obviously she wouldn't know about the places normal citizens would know about due to the fact that she was spoiled right from birth.
The 'normal' places one could go to buy weapons for example, are high–end smithys and weapon shops where you would need a 2–month advance booking just to be considered for getting a weapon of your choice!
That being said, it wasn't a complete loss as I got to know details about the kingdoms and politics only high ranking individuals knew about and I plan to use those pieces of information to my advantage later in in the future.
"Now, the tournament is an annual event hosted by the four empires"
My thoughts came to a halt as Ava began to explain the important details about the tournament.
"The belvedan empire which you're currently in and is the major settlement for the humans"
"The yggdrasillen empire which is the major settlement for the elves"
"The Grunvaldir empire which is the orcs' major settlement"
As Ava continued explaining, I crosschecked the memories in my mind to make sure all that I knew were correct and thankfully the memory transfer incident did not affect anything.
"It is held to strengthen rivalry and camaraderie between the four major species and the winner of the tournament has the privilege to ask of anything from the king of their respective empires."
"The families be them minor or major each send out their best fighters to defend their honor."
"And if they lose?". I asked innocently
"Then they die". Ava said coldly
I gulped as I knew that was an indirect warning to me.
"Anyways, the tournament is to be held next year on the third day in the month of Zorak"
Ava continued as she inspected her nails with a bored look.
"You can choose to stay here and train to get your rank up or leave and venture out on your own and get some experience".
I fell deep in thought as I considered the two options.
'The month of Zorak from my memories should be August if I'm not mistaken, they have 12 months so it should be the same'.
'Today is coincidentally the first of August, so I have exactly one year to get my rank to E...this is going to be tough'
I thought as I looked at my system.
: Clark Thompson
Age: 22
Lvl: 4 [Congrats to the mc for breaking through 3 levels!!!]
Skills: [Rank nullification lvl 3] [Magic fingers lvl 3] [Liar lvl 3 ], [Masseuse lvl 4 (NEW!)] [Calculative lvl.3(NEW!)]
Traits: [ slow learner, soft spoken, pushover, tenacious mind, expert masseuse, cool headed]
Mission completion: 3/??
Rank: F-
Rate of improvement: 1 level per 3 years and 11 months (improvable)
*******
I never had the chance to look at my system and get the run down of my skills since so much happened since then but looking at it now, I knew I had no chance at getting to E rank before next year.
'There's only one option'
"I'll leave the Rothschild house and come back before the time for the tournament draws near." I said as I looked upwards at Ava.
Ava seemed to have expected my response as there was no change in her expression.
Miriam on the other hand....
"W-wait you can't leave, I-i'm sure we can get the best tutors to train you–"
"Miriam Rothschild, carry yourself with the grace and dignity of the Rothschild family"
Ava interrupted Miriam's flustered please with a strict look as she looked at me.
"Very well, you may leave anytime you please." Ava added.
"I would like to leave today if possible".
"Bu–"
"Miriam"
Miriam tried to stop me but was met with a gaze from Ava that showed she won't tolerate her excesses again.
"You may leave". Ava responded with a calm look
"Thank you for your kindness, Lady Miriam, Lady Ava".
I thanked the two sisters as I stood up with a bow.
"Hm". Ava hummed in response as she stood up and went to her room, leaving I and Miriam alone.
"..."
"..."
We stood in silence for a while before Miriam eventually broke the silence.
"Do you hate me?"
Miriam asked as her face darkened
"Wha–"
"I know I've caused you alot of trouble ever since I bought you and I probably shouldn't care...but somehow...I do"
"Miriam I–"
I was once again interrupted.
"I tortured you for my own pleasure, I nearly killed you with my memory transfer, and now I've put you in the sights of my brother and the rest of my family and possibly the whole world with this tournament because I didn't listen."
"I never listen....I've always dove into things head first without concern for others and if things ever got troublesome, my family always handled it...."
"I'm careless, stupid and I don't care about others....."
"But I'll try to change I promise!"
"I-i'll stop going on missions that are higher than my level, I'll stop buying slaves for my entertainment, I'll..... please...."
As Miriam talked, tears started streaming down her eyes as she thought I was leaving because I hated her essentially abandoning her.
I didn't know what she had been through over the course of her life, but this reaction over someone you met two days ago was rather extreme.
As someone who's EQ was extremely low due to the almost non existent emotional connection in my past life, I didn't know how to deal with the issue Infront of me and the strange feeling I was having in my heart.
But I knew I had to do something... anything.
So I walked over to her....
and hugged her as tightly as I could.
'Was this the right thing to do?'
I thought as Miriam buried her face in my chest.
"Miriam....I don't hate you"
I spoke after a brief moment of silence.
"The only thing I know you did was try to help me when no one even looked my way"
The words began to flow more naturally the more I spoke as Miriam's body stiffened in response to my words.
"You gave me knowledge people would die for"
"You gave me a robe that your brother–whom you love so much. Wore during his younger days."
"You defended me in front of your family, multiple times."
"You gave me a chance to get stronger"
As I reached this point, I held on to the shoulders of Miriam as I faced her.
"I don't know what I would have done without you"
Something wet was trickling down my face.
'Tears?'. I thought
As I looked into the eyes of the shocked Miriam, I saw the reflection of my face in her teary eyes.
'Am I crying? Why?'. I still couldn't understand why I was crying when I wasn't hurt.
And then it hit me.
I was crying tears of joy.
Joy that someone finally cared for me.
Joy that someone would cry for me and ask me not to leave.
I was.....happy.
"I would never and can never hate you Miriam."
"You're the only person I can ever trust and probably ever will"
"So please.....don't betray me"
I hugged Miriam once more, this time with all my strength as I felt her warmth.
As the sound of sobbing eventually subsided, I muttered into Miriam's ear
"I'm not leaving because I hate you, it's because I want to make you proud"
"To make you see that the man who you face all these opportunities to isn't some free loader"
"To one day be worthy of you"
A slight blush appeared on Miriam's face as I said that but I couldn't see it.
"Mm"
Only a slight nod as she buried her face in my chest was what I needed at that moment.
So we stayed in that moment for a while, only accompanied by our light breaths and warmth.
.
.
.
On a rooftop far away from the large home, a shadowy figure watched the two individuals share a heart felt moment and moved agilely away from the location.
It's destination?
Oliver Rothschild's room.