Chapter 30: A Day in the Life of a Noble Lady (Part I)

Lu Xing strolled through the gardens of the Duke’s castle.

It was easy to see that this northern fortress, bordering the orc territories, served a dual purpose as a military stronghold. The walls were imposing, the grounds were vast, and the remnants of numerous low-lying houses still cluttered the area beneath the battlements.

Why remnants?

Because the window frames and doorways of those small buildings were mostly dilapidated, some even collapsed, clearly long abandoned. Yet, this also indicated that the castle had not seen war for a very long time.

Correspondingly, the living quarters for the Duke’s family had become quite spacious. The garden was not only large and exquisite, filled with flowers and greenery, but also cluttered with many superfluous luxuries: a fountain featuring an angel statue, suits of armor standing amidst flower beds, and even a small maze of hundred-square-meters with waist-high shrubs—could this have been Anne’s childhood play area?

As Lu Xing passed by, the gardeners working in the grounds kept a respectful distance. He walked into the flower beds and leaned down to sniff a bloom unlike anything found on Earth.

Just then, a maid’s voice came from behind him:

"An unsettling, wretched soul. What are you doing?"

Lu Xing turned to see Katherine. She approached with a calm expression, her long black legs moving in a steady rhythm, her heels clicking against the stone path. She was followed by several other maids and an ornately decorated carriage drawn by a white horse.

"Just smelling the flowers. What’s the matter?" Lu Xing replied calmly, then added, "Where is the classroom? Take me there. And by the way, what do you mean by 'unsettling'?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Katherine was in a foul mood. After the Duke and Duchess had questioned her, they were deeply concerned about the mysterious soul inhabiting their daughter, and upon learning it was a man, they had exchanged horrified glances. Although Katherine hadn't described the process of changing clothes in detail, the couple could surely imagine that their precious daughter’s body had been profaned by the gaze of this wretched soul.

Lu Xing said, "Actually, you all misunderstand me."

Katherine looked sharply at his delicate, slender shoulders and warned, "Do not use Lady Anne’s body to perform such impudent, masculine gestures!"

Lu Xing took a deep breath to steady himself. Deciding not to bicker with the maid, he smiled and said, "Very well, my dear, long-winded, and deceitful Katherine. Can you take me to my lesson now?"

Katherine felt a shiver run through her. She knew he wasn't Anne, yet the voice was Lady Anne’s. By deliberately speaking in this tone, it was almost as if Anne were cooing at her.

Especially the part about her being long-winded and deceitful—how could he mimic Anne’s cadence so perfectly?

"Disgusting."

Katherine murmured under her breath, yet her fair hand reached out toward Lu Xing, and she bowed slightly.

*Calling me disgusting while still serving me—are you saying one thing and doing another?*

Lu Xing rolled his eyes, lifted the small, white-gloved hand of Anne, placed it on her palm, and allowed himself to be guided into the carriage.

The snow-white steed pulled the ornate carriage through the dreamlike castle gardens. The young noble lady in her golden gown sat inside, leisurely admiring the scenery, followed by a procession of maids. In the morning light, the scene looked like an oil painting.

The carriage circled half the castle and arrived at a building where a tall, slender figure in refined attire was waiting. Seeing the carriage, the tutor turned and bowed respectfully.

"You should get off immediately and return the greeting to Master Noi," the maid whispered a reminder.

"I know."

The noble lady in the golden dress stepped out, took two steps forward, pulled her left foot back, kept her upper body still, pinched her skirt, and curtsied gracefully to the elven tutor. Her voice was soft and delicate:

"Good day, Master Noi."

"Good day, noble Lady Anne. The Goddess of Holy Light watches over you."

The half-elf Noi Asa smiled and returned the greeting, praising, "Anne, your attire today is exceptionally elegant and beautiful. I believe even the true Elven race would be captivated by your beauty upon seeing you!"

"You should thank him for the compliment," the maid whispered, her voice barely audible.

The beautiful noble lady smiled and replied, "Thank you for your kind words, Master Noi. Your attire is also elegant and appropriate; it is a breath of fresh air."

Noi paused for a moment, then laughed. "Anne, you used a very rare term from the Elven language. It seems you were listening carefully in the last lesson. Come, let us go inside and begin today's study."

Anne—or rather, Lu Xing—breathed a sigh of relief inwardly: *You bet I was. I spent fifty experience points to exchange for basic knowledge of Ancient Elven just to pass today!*

To pull off playing Anne, he was giving it his all.

The two, accompanied by the head maid Katherine, entered the building. It was constructed specifically for Anne’s lessons, furnished with bookshelves, desks, and a blackboard. On the other side was an alchemy lab; after the Elven language lesson, he would immediately head there to study alchemy.

Dressed in her little golden gown, the elegant Lu Xing sat in the sole student’s seat. Katherine sat behind him to observe. Before they parted, she had specifically instructed: "You must focus. Lady Anne never loses focus during class. Furthermore, if Master Noi asks a question, stand up and say you have forgotten; do not mumble or be vague. The daughter of a Duke must be poised and dignified."

Lu Xing didn't bother answering her.

Because he suspected that even the real Anne couldn't do those things!

The lesson soon began. Noi wrote a few symbols on the board before turning to Lu Xing. "In our last lesson, we were discussing—"

"Master Noi."

Lu Xing raised his hand.

Katherine, behind him, was startled. *The class has only just begun—what is he doing now?!*

"Yes, Anne?" Noi signaled for him to speak.

Lu Xing put on an embarrassed expression. "Master Noi, I have forgotten some of the previous material. Could you spend a few minutes reviewing the history of the Ancient Elves and the characteristics of their script?"

Noi thought for a moment, then readily agreed. "Taking a moment to review can help a student better start a new lesson; that is a very good suggestion. Very well, Anne, let us briefly review the history."

Lu Xing sat straight in his seat.

When it came to completing quests, he was a professional. After all, in computer games, he had completed countless missions—from difficult tasks like "The Flying Fish and the Swimming Fish" to class advancements for Battle Mages. What was a mere day of role-playing a noble lady?

"As we know, in ancient mythology, our world was born from a void. The Creator Goddess Kaia first created the boundless sea, then the vast sky; the land was born from the intersection of the sea and the sky..."

Lu Xing knew that ancient mythologies inevitably involved creation through procreation; that was standard.

"...After many years of facing the empty world alone, Kaia decided to create life to make the world flourish. Thus, the World Tree was born. It is said that the original World Tree stood with its trunk on the earth, its branches and leaves reaching into the sky, and its roots spreading to the deepest parts of the sea. Countless living beings were born from it."

"Does that include the Ancient Elves?" Lu Xing asked.

"No, Anne, you remember incorrectly. The Ancient Elves were created after Kaia saw the many lives on the World Tree and felt joy. The breath She exhaled, the wind created by Her movements, and the loud, beautiful sound of Her voice transformed into individual living beings. That is the origin of the Ancient Elves!"

Lu Xing nodded, treating it as a story. Even in his world's myths, Pangu's flesh and blood had transformed into many races, and a pool of his filthy blood had nearly ascended to sainthood.