Reborn As Noble

Chapter 971: Away From Open Ears ( 971 )

The morning haze lingered gently over the Armand estate. Maids moved briskly across the front courtyard, their brooms sweeping fallen leaves into neat piles. Others busied themselves near the fountain, polishing the stone edges and arranging crystal flowers in preparation for the upcoming wedding.

A loud gust blew through the courtyard as a blur of orange darted past the maids.

Leaves, buckets, and carefully placed decorations went flying.

“Aaahhh!! The tablecloth!”

“The garlands!!”

“BUDDY!!”

“Don’t make a mess right after we cleaned everything!”

The maids shouted in unison as the massive Pekko stomped to a halt. With his glossy feathers ruffled and chest puffed out like he owned the place, Buddy turned his head toward them and gave a lazy squawk.

“Cuquawk.”

He tilted his large head once, twice, then strutted confidently toward the manor like nothing had happened. He stopped outside javier room windows and tilted his head inside.

“Cuquawked!!”

Inside, under a pile of blankets, Javier stirred with a tired groan.

Another loud squawk. This time, closer.

“Cuquawked! Cuquawked!!”

He opened one eye and turned toward the window. Buddy’s enormous beak was already wedged halfway through the opening, eyes blinking down at him.

“Ugh…” Javier sat up and ran a hand through his hair. His voice was dry. “Buddy… I’m trying to sleep.”

The Pekko squawked again. Impatient.

“You do know I didn’t get enough sleep last night, right?” Javier grumbled. Looking at buddy.

“Cuquawked?” (What?)

“Forget it.” Javier yawned. “What do you want?”

Buddy pushed his beak in a bit further.

“Cuquawked!” (Food!)

“…Ah.”

Javier blinked. “Come to think of it… we haven’t hung out in three days, huh?”

The Pekko chirped.

“Alright, alright. I’ll wash up and get dressed.” He threw off the blanket and rolled to his feet, still scratching his head. “Just give me ten minutes. Don’t break anything while waiting.”

With another satisfied squawk, Buddy pulled his beak back and turned away from the window, strutting off toward the main entrance like he owned the estate.

Javier glanced around after his buddy had disappeared from the window.

Where were they?

He reached for his pocket watch on the table and checked the time.

It was still early. Had they gotten any sleep at all? Weren’t they tired?

Javier set down the pocket watch and grabbed a towel.

I guess it’s better to shower first. I’m sure Buddy’s waiting for me outside.

After hanging out with my pekko, I think I’ll head straight to Athine’s room and ask how she wants her wedding dress designed, since that’s all I’m doing anyway.

Mother said she would handle the rest of the decorations and the wedding venue, leaving me with Athine’s gown and Aelius’s groom outfit.

Javier stepped inside and turned on the shower, washing his feet first before stepping under the warm spray. The water cascaded over his shoulders, easing the lingering tension from the night before. He scrubbed his face, letting the heat wake him up fully.

After finishing, Javier dried off, wrapped a towel around his waist, and stepped out of the bathroom.

He walked to the wardrobe and opened it.

Ugh… Now that I’m a prince, I can’t wear casual clothes like when I was just the count’s son.

Whatever… I’ll just wear something comfortable.

Meanwhile.

Human Kingdom.

Royal Palace.

“GARIUS!!!!!” Kimar shouted from the throne.

He still couldn’t believe it. Garius had now become king of the Armand Region, with Arjam under it. And his niece, who had been stripped of her title by him, was now ruler of Arjam under Armand.

That low-born scum! How dare he declare independence and claim the same rank as me?

I used money and gained votes from the council just to secure this throne, while Garius simply declared independence because he commanded the strongest army among all human regions.

“Why doesn’t anyone even know what Garius was planning?” Kimar shouted toward the assembled nobles.

“Your Majesty… pardon me, but… as we all know, Garius was indeed a strategist. We all know that during his class assessment back when he was still young and a student at the Noble Academy, he had a class that no one knew about, Your Majesty.”

“Then why the hell are we sending our spies, our scout units, and even our best intelligence units? Where are they!?”

“Your Majesty.” The royal advisor stepped forward and bowed. “We still haven’t received any updates from them. We don’t even know what happened. But as Your Majesty knows, Armand has the best counter-intelligence units in the entire human kingdom.”

“Harrghhh!!!” Kimar roared.

“Not only does that low-born scum Garius have Alf, the strongest assassin; Erinette, the best dual-sword user; her brother Hesbeirn, the strongest berserker, he has all the talented sons whose classes are the best among all! Not to mention his youngest brat is the one who crafts everything for Armand! And yet, where are we now!?” Kimar was furious.

“Harban!!!!!” Kimar shouted.

A man in a dark robe stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty.”

“What is the current status of our research?”

“We are still in the early stages, Your Majesty. My special unit was only formed recently, but we have already made progress.”

“How long will it take?”

“With our current budget and the talented people we have recruited, we can expect results within a year or two, Your Majesty. But if you give us more time, we might perfect it and make Your Majesty’s troops even stronger, equipped with weapons capable of crushing Armand’s Elite Knights.”

Harban whispered with a sly smirk.

With a brief glance toward the assembled nobles, he leaned in and spoke quietly to Kimar.

“Your Majesty, such matters are best discussed away from open ears. If you’re interested in the results of our progress, I’d be honored to show you the underground research facility myself. Given Armand’s aerial surveillance systems… discretion is necessary.”

He paused, letting his gaze sweep the chamber before adding in a lower tone,

“Forgive the bluntness, but not everyone dressed in silk comes with clean intentions.”

Kimar’s lips curled slightly, an amused glint flashing in his eyes.

“Hmm… I see.”

He lounged back on his throne, scanning the room with a cool gaze that settled briefly on a few of the nobles. Then, with a flick of his hand, he addressed the court.

“This council session will proceed without me.”

The quiet order was enough. A subtle wave of his fingers, and Harban moved to clear the path as Kimar stood to leave.

( End Of Chapter )

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