Linda

In Light City, at the residence of Baron Lacy.

Within Will City, noble titles were extremely rare. These titled nobles were divided into those with fiefs and those without.

Nobles with fiefs were the golden signboard, the unshakeable pillars of the empire, like Marquis Kent.

As for titled nobles without fiefs, they could fall into decline. A fallen titled noble might only be left with an empty title, a family crest, and past glory.

However, Baron Lacy had always been a powerful noble in Will City. This family had always held sway in Will City, wielding great influence in politics, business, and noble circles.

Linda worked as a House Tutor in Baron Lacy's home, primarily responsible for educating the Baron's eldest son, Lis Lacy.

But Linda's efforts had been in vain. The Baron's eldest son, Lis, was a hooligan and a lecher. At just eleven years old, he had recently gotten a maidservant pregnant. To avoid bringing shame upon the family, the Baron, in his fifties, had imposed a gag order and dealt with the pregnant maidservant.

Baron Lacy's villa was enormous. The main structure was built from natural bluestone blocks transported from the mountains, coated with a layer of white paint. The roof tiles were a reddish-yellow, giving it a magnificent appearance.

In addition to the main villa, the estate included longhouses for servants, accompanying stables, a vast garden, tall surrounding walls, and a grand entrance.

The afternoon sun was setting, gradually leveling with the horizon. Although the sunlight was about to disappear, the temperature remained high.

Linda exited the villa's main gate. She wore a blue veiled hat, a black blazer over her upper body, and a matching knee-length pencil skirt that revealed her sturdy calves. At the end of her calves were a pair of red high heels. Ahead of her was a path paved with bluestone slabs. Linda stepped onto the path, her heels clicking as she walked towards the entrance.

The tall doorman bowed respectfully to Linda as she walked out. Linda offered a demure smile and headed towards her home in her high heels.

The Lacy family and the Russell family lived on the same street. Linda quickly returned to the Russell residence. She found the key in a hidden spot near the door, intending to unlock it, but discovered the door was unlocked.

Linda showed surprise, put the key back, then turned the doorknob. She picked up a pair of red slippers from the shoe rack, bent down to take off her high heels, and slipped on the slippers before walking inside.

She soon spotted the bottle of red wine from Veil on the coffee table in the living room, and in the kitchen, a whole chicken, already prepared and de-feathered. The chicken was within normal expectations, but when Linda saw the bottle of red wine, her body stiffened.

Linda was of noble birth, but since her parents had passed away, her family had fallen on hard times. She managed their household frugly, striving to keep their daily lives cheerful. For the first time in many years, she saw a whole bottle of Veil red wine at home. Veil was a region famous for producing the empire's finest grapes, and the wine made from Veil grapes was, naturally, renowned throughout the Van Gogh Empire.

The price of top-tier wine from Veil was astronomical. The cheapest bottle cost one gold coin.

Her monthly salary was less than one gold coin.

Linda rubbed her eyes in disbelief, then stepped forward and bent down to pick up the wine. She examined it closely, still not believing it. She tried to open the wine with a corkscrew but hesitated.

"Who bought this wine????" Linda exclaimed loudly. The main door was open, so there had to be someone home.

"I bought it," Colin replied cheerfully from his bedroom on the second floor.

"Is it real or fake?" Linda's veins bulged on her forehead, her emotions escalating uncontrollably.

"It's real," Colin answered readily.

"You scoundrel." Linda's hand trembled, nearly dropping the expensive bottle of wine. She then looked around, found a shovel in the kitchen, and marched upstairs. She violently pushed open Colin's bedroom door, seeing him sprawled comfortably on the bed with a contented expression, which only fueled her anger. Clutching the shovel, she charged at him.

"Sister, please let me explain." Colin, sensing danger, immediately scrambled away, covering his head.

"You can explain after I'm done hitting you," Linda declared furiously, raining blows on Colin with the shovel. Colin didn't dare to resist.

After a thorough beating with the shovel, Linda sat on a chair by the desk, still holding the shovel, panting. She glared at Colin and said irritably, "Explain."

Colin, with his thick skin, was naturally unharmed and not angry. He sat cross-legged on the bed and chuckled, "Teacher knows our family is poor, so he gives me some gold coins each month as an allowance."

Linda was taken aback at first, then understood that "teacher" referred to that great and wise Magician. But this teacher not only took apprentices but also gave them money? She then let out a roar.

"And so you went and bought a bottle of wine from Veil?"

"Yep," Colin replied with a grin.

"You scoundrel." Linda cursed, her heart aching, and hit Colin's forehead with the shovel again. After calming down a bit, she cautiously asked, "How much did it cost?"

"One gold coin," Colin said nonchalantly. Seeing Linda's careful demeanor, he felt both happy and pained. "While buying nice things feels good for a moment, it seems to hit my sister pretty hard."

"You prodigal son." Linda weakly touched her forehead, too angry to muster any more energy. In that instant, she had the urge to return the wine, but quickly extinguished the thought. Doing so would be too humiliating. No matter how poor the Russell family was, they were still nobles; how could they buy wine and then send it back?

Linda then remembered another issue and frowned, asking, "That wise and great Magician accepted you as an apprentice and gives you gold coins as an allowance. Is that even proper?"

"What's improper about it? Sister, you know magicians are all very wealthy. The gold coins my teacher gave me are just a drop in the bucket for him," Colin said carelessly, resting his hands on his knees.

"Alright," Linda nodded, believing his explanation. Colin had always been an honest child since he was young and wouldn't lie. Then, she looked at Colin seriously and said, "As a noble of the Van Gogh Empire, you must always remember this kindness. You must respect your teacher as if he were your own father."

"My teacher is the air," Colin's mouth twitched slightly, but he put on a serious expression and nodded heavily, saying, "Sister, don't worry, I will definitely not bring shame to the Russell family."

"Good," Linda nodded with satisfaction, then became happy again. Regardless, having a gold coin allowance was truly wonderful.

After this little interlude, Linda's mood improved after her anger. She left Colin and went to the kitchen, efficiently preparing the large chicken, which soon turned into a fragrant roasted chicken. After pan-frying a steak and preparing bread, Smith also returned, carrying an old cardboard box.

"Welcome back, Smith," Linda immediately went to the door, hugging and kissing Smith.

"Mmm," Smith replied with a tired, dejected, and absentminded hum.

"What happened?" Linda knew Smith well and felt a jolt in her heart, asking with concern.