Chapter 37: Spiritual Intuition

I decided I needed to leave the house.

Not because I had suddenly forgotten everything that had happened, but because sitting around was accomplishing nothing. I had already spent enough time doing that, and if I continued, I would probably end up staring at the same walls until evening.

The academy seemed like a better option.

I walked into the drawing room and approached the telephone. After turning the handle, I waited for the connection to go through.

"Hello?"

It was Arthur’s butler.

"Good morning. This is Edmund Rhys. May I speak with Arthur?"

"Of course, my lord. One moment, please."

There was some movement on the other end before Arthur’s voice replaced his butler’s.

"Edmund?"

"Morning."

Arthur paused.

"I heard you were going to stay home for a while."

"Well... I changed my mind."

I leaned against the table beside the telephone.

"I’m going to the academy today."

There was another brief silence.

"Alright."

I couldn’t help but smile slightly.

"That’s all you’re going to say?"

"What am I supposed to say?"

"I don’t know. Something."

Arthur gave a quiet laugh.

"Alright, then. I’m glad you’re going."

His voice became slightly more serious afterward.

"It’ll be good to be together."

I knew exactly what he was thinking about, even though neither of us mentioned it.

"Yeah. I’ll see you there."

"See you."

I placed the receiver back onto the telephone and turned around.

Mr. Rowan, our butler, was standing a short distance away.

"Mr. Rowan."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Could you ask the chef to prepare some orange juice for me?"

"Certainly."

I went upstairs to change.

A few minutes later, I came back down wearing a white buttoned shirt, black coat, black trousers, and a bowtie. I placed a hat on my head and adjusted the white feather attached to its side before heading toward the sitting room.

Mother looked up when I entered.

She examined me for a moment before smiling.

"You look good, Edmund."

"Thank you, Mother," I said, giving her a polite nod.

Mr. Rowan soon arrived with the orange juice. I took the glass from him and finished it in a few gulps.

"Will you be taking the carriage?" Mother asked.

"No. I’m walking."

Mr. Rowan looked at me.

"Would you like me to accompany you, my lord?"

"No, that’s alright."

I adjusted my hat.

"I want to embrace nature."

A small smile appeared on Mr. Rowan’s face.

"An admirable decision."

I smiled back.

The truth was considerably less poetic.

My spiritual intuition had been unusually insistent about walking today. I couldn’t explain why, but I had learned that when that strange instinct pushed me toward something, there was usually a reason behind it.

So, I decided to listen.

I left No. 9 Ashwell Row and started toward Kingsmere.

The distance wasn’t great. Ashwell Row was only about five minutes on foot from Kingsmere main gate, and the morning weather was pleasant enough that I had no reason to regret my decision.

Ashwell Row itself was a comfortable place to live. The houses were well maintained, the streets were clean, and the area was considerably better than the ordinary middle-class districts. Still, it was nowhere near the wealth found inside Kingsmere.

My father was a Baron, but a title did not automatically make a family rich. The highest-ranking nobles lived within Kingsmere, particularly the Counts, Earls, Marquesses, and members of the Five Great Families: Adam, Abraham, Noah, Jacob, and Moses.

The King’s Palace stood there as well.

Compared to those families, Ashwell Row was modest.

I didn’t mind that of course, because back on earth, I lived in a one room apartment filled with unwashed clothes.

The enormous walls of Kingsmere soon appeared ahead of me.

The main gate towered thirty feet above the ground and stretched roughly fifty feet across. Dark stone formed most of its structure, reinforced by heavy metal supports. On either side, walls nearly a hundred feet tall stretched into the distance before curving around the city.

Kingsmere was essentially enclosed within a massive circle.

Two City Police officers stood beside the entrance.

One was a broad-shouldered man holding a tobacco pipe between his fingers. His uniform was dark and neatly pressed, with polished buttons running down the front. His name was Dunn, as written in the golden nameplate on his left chest.

Beside him stood Daly, a young woman wearing the same uniform. She watched the surrounding road calmly, her attention shifting toward me as I approached.

Dunn stepped forward.

"Good morning," he said, politely.

"Good morning."

"May I see your identification?"

"Of coursse."

I handed him my identification card.

Dunn examined it carefully.

"Edmund Rhys?"

He looked up at me.

"Yes."

He nodded and turned toward the gatehouse.

"Open the gates."

A moment later, machinery rumbled above us.

Heavy chains rattled as the enormous gates began to open.

Dunn handed my identification back.

"Would you like me to arrange a carriage, my lord?"

"No, thank you."

I slipped my identification back into my coat.

"I’m walking today."

Dunn glanced at my hat and then smiled.

"Embracing nature?"

"Exactly," I gave a little laugh.

He chuckled and stepped aside.

"As you wish, my lord."

I gave him and Daly a polite nod before walking through the gate.

The moment I entered Kingsmere, I noticed how different it felt.

The air seemed fresher, despite Ashwell Row already being protected by strict regulations concerning factories and smoke. The streets were immaculate, and the buildings became noticeably grander the farther I walked.

Tall gas lamps lined the roads, their intricate metalwork looking almost decorative beneath the morning sunlight. They weren’t lit at ten in the morning, of course, but I could easily imagine how beautiful the streets would look once evening arrived. I felt regret for not focusing on these things while traveling to and from the academy in a carriage.

The markets were already busy.

Clothing stores displayed expensive dresses behind enormous glass windows. Jewellery shops glittered beneath polished signs, while cafés and restaurants had already begun filling with customers. Noble ladies walked between the shops with their butlers following behind them, carrying large bags filled with purchases.

I continued toward the academy, enjoying the walk far more than I had expected.

Then... my spiritual intuition suddenly reacted.

My steps stopped as I turned my head toward the left.

Outside an elegant clothing shop stood a young noblewoman.

She wore a yellow dress with white gloves, while dark red lipstick stood out against her fair complexion. A matching yellow hat rested upon her head, decorated with a single black feather.

She was simply standing outside the shop, apparently waiting for someone.

I stared at her.

My spiritual intuition had deliberately brought my attention toward her.

I didn’t know who she was.

But whatever had caused that instinct to stir...

... It had something to do with her.