"Hahaha! I’m rich! I’m so fucking rich!"

Standing barefoot atop the roof — yes, the roof of his townhouse — with his hands outstretched and a glass of red wine in his right hand, Cedric barely suppressed the urge to shout that out loud.

...Because he was, of course, now very, very rich. In fact, putting into perspective just how rich the young man was, with the exception of Leon, he was richer than the households of all his friends.

Wait, actually, would it be too greedy of him to say that he might even be richer than all their net worths combined?

Crazy!

What made it even better was that this wasn’t his family’s wealth. This was his own. He didn’t have to show who his father was, or say shit like, "Do you know who my father is?" Because he earned it himself!

Suddenly, the air felt warmer, life felt sweeter, and everything just seemed so much better. And if Cedric had ever had depression, that shit was now long gone!

’To think there was once a time when just thinking about purchasing a house gave me headaches.’

Now, as a Count himself, he was laughing at his previous state.

Of course, he had not been officially invested yet, and had not been given any physical lands or castles. However, the sheer potential of what was coming next was intoxicating enough.

After his meeting with the King two days ago, he had received a letter from the office of the Lord High Chancellor scheduling his investiture for a month from now.

It would be then that he would receive his insignia of state, and his Royal Charter which shall detail the exact boundaries of his new territory, the fortresses under his command, and the revenues he was entitled to collect.

Also, yesterday, he had gotten a private visit from the Grand Herald to decide on his personal heraldry and the visual legacy of his house.

As for his personal coat of arms, he had chosen the striking image of a raven in a field of daffodils. For his personal signet ring, he had just requested a simple, unadorned raven, to serve as his absolute legal mark.

Ah... just the thought of being the founding patriarch of a new house and the beginner of a new lineage was exhilarating.

Cedric smiled as he refilled his glass, then he raised it up as a silent toast, before finally downing the rich liquid in a single, smooth swallow.

He was, without a doubt, the youngest true Count in the entire empire right now.

Of course, he knew about all the political headaches that would come about from this sudden rise to power, but he wasn’t about to think about that right now and just wanted to enjoy the moment.

He was going to leave tomorrow’s issues to tomorrow.

While he was still savoring the sweet taste of his quiet victory, something suddenly caught his attention. Through the eyes of one of his ravens who was perched on the gates of his townhouse, he could see a black carriage outside his iron entrance.

’Huh? Who could that be? I wasn’t expecting anyone today.’

Cedric’s gatekeeper, a young man with blonde hair and brown eyes, who went by the name of Luke, approached the iron bars of the gate.

Luke had been hired by Arthur a long time ago. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that he was chosen by Alicia and handed over to Arthur. He was a quiet, unassuming-looking man who just hung out in the gatehouse unless it was time to do his job.

Upon getting to the iron gates, Luke narrowed his eyes as the doors of the carriage swung open, after which a somewhat handsome man wobbled out of it.

The tanned-skinned man with long silver hair looked slightly drunk. In his right hand, he held an alcohol bottle and a black raven was perched on his shoulder.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Miko?" He mumbled as he turned to look at the raven on his shoulder.

In response, the raven cawed and nodded its head in a remarkably human gesture.

The man smiled and walked over to the front of the carriage, then handed a small pouch of coins to the coachman, while mumbling under his breath.

"Gods, I can’t believe he lives in this district. It’s so expensive just getting up here. I’ll have him return this money to me."

The coachman snatched the pouch, gave a quick nod of appreciation, and flicked the reins to drive away.

At that moment, Luke cleared his throat and stepped closer to the iron bars, drawing the young man’s attention to him.

"Who goes there?" Luke asked in a polite but cautious tone.

There were not usually public carriages in this district or any upper district, as everyone who lived here was more than capable of affording their own private carriage. The departing carriage did not have a noble crest painted on the side, which meant it was a public hackney carriage.

"Ah.. you must be the gatekeeper." The man smiled as he swayed slightly on his feet. "Cedric lives here, right?"

When Luke didn’t respond and grew more guarded, the man chuckled softly and added, "Oh, I’m Dion, Cedric’s brother. Look, look."

He pointed to the raven on his shoulder as if that was some kind of proof.

Luke arched a brow. ’Brother? Does the master of the house have a brother?’

Come to think of it, none of the staff in the house really knew much about the master of the house. All they knew was the information Arthur had given them, and that’s it.

Meanwhile, Dion’s gray eyes darted around briefly as he studied the beautiful townhouse in awe. And when his eyes landed on the roof, he could see a figure standing beside the chimney.

He leaned forward slightly and narrowed his eyes. "Huh? Is that...?"

Suddenly, he brightened and waved a hand like a madman as he yelled at the top of his voice. "Brother! There you are!"

Luke, who had raised one hand to cover his ears, turned to the roof in sheer confusion.

Up on the roof, Cedric’s face was twisted in absolute disbelief.

’Brother? What the fuck is this drunkard doing here...?’

Cedric suddenly felt like running away.

While he was still contemplating whether he should actually run, Dion complained loudly, "I see you, and I know you see me too. So don’t you dare think of running away! You hear me?! Here, let me in already! I’ve had a long day, you beautiful, magnificent bastard!"