Chapter 3
New Members
Chapter 3 New Members
Early in the morning, Hobart left his room and went to the dining room on the first floor, where his sister and brother were already having breakfast.
Her adoptive father, Christine Jeffrey, was a brigadier general, but he didn't seem to be highly regarded.
Even though he was not highly regarded, the brigadier general was still a senior officer and a member of the upper class in Backlund, with a spacious two-story villa and a sizable garden in Queens.
In addition, Hobert, Hobert's adopted son, Donna, who is one year younger than Hobert, and Tyron, who is three years younger than Hobert, can all attend top-tier public primary and secondary schools in Backlund and can easily get into Backlund University, which is known as the "first university in Loen".
However, it was still far inferior to the residences and treatment enjoyed by the nobles.
Hobert judged that his adoptive father Christine was not valued because his adoptive parents' family was not very wealthy, and he remembered that Emilius, who was also a general, seemed to be very rich.
Hobert's recent savings amounted to only £15, which is probably less than a fraction of Miss Justice's allowance.
However, compared to Kristen Stewart, Hobart's start was much better. He remembered that Kristen Stewart's start-up capital was only about £1, which included the food expenses for the three of them.
Donna, with her naturally curly blonde hair, looked at the milk and sweet bread rolls in front of her and said, "Hobert, you don't seem to be feeling well."
Hobert, sitting at the dining table, casually remarked, "I had insomnia last night."
The maid served Hobart breakfast, which included salad and fried eggs—a very lavish meal.
Hobert glanced at the black tea and said, "Give me a glass of milk instead."
Having been here for so long, he still felt a little uncomfortable drinking tea and coffee early in the morning.
However, he quickly got used to being served breakfast.
Just as the three were finishing their breakfast, Hobert's foster mother, Monissa, appeared on the second floor: "Hobert, come home early this afternoon. Your father is coming back today, and he says he has something important to discuss with you."
Hobert stood up and said, "Yes, Mother."
Donna said happily, "Dad's coming back today? I wonder what gift he brought me."
"Oh, darling, you still have hope for your father's gift?" Monissa rubbed her forehead. "Believe me, I've been married to your father for so many years and I've never received a satisfactory gift."
Donna laughed and said, "That's because Daddy doesn't have a good personal male servant."
The three siblings finished breakfast while chatting, then went back to change their clothes, packed their school supplies, and took the family's horse-drawn carriage to their respective schools.
Hobart was a law student at Backlund University. In the afternoon, he secretly skipped class and found a secluded equipment room to prepare for the upcoming tarot session.
At three o'clock sharp, Hobart seemed to suddenly enter a dense, grayish-white mist, and then a magnificent hall and a long bronze table appeared before his eyes.
Miss Justice, Audrey, bowed. "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool. It's a pity there's no wine here... otherwise I could have toasted your success."
Just last week, she and the "Hanged Man" tried to make a request to Mr. Fool using the three-part name of "The Fool," and they both received a response from Mr. Fool.
This further reinforced their understanding of the Fool's power. However, what they didn't know was that a new member was repeatedly disturbing the Fool's sleep with his three-part honorific title.
The pause in "Justice" was because she had discovered a new member, so she began to observe as usual while speaking.
The new member was a young man, quite energetic, and likely a sporty person. He appeared calm, without the nervousness or surprise one might expect from someone new to the Tarot Club. His clothing was somewhat blurry, but one could discern that it was made of high-quality materials, had a novel design, and clearly reflected the style of the Kingdom of Rune.
"Justice" concludes: He should have been born into the upper class of Loen and most likely lived in Backlund. Although young, he appears very composed and calm.
Justice's living environment was a whole level better than Hobart's. She and her two brothers were taught at home by tutors and did not need to attend grammar school or university.
Only the illegitimate sons of Earl Hobart, or the children of family members who did not inherit the title, would receive the same level of education as Hobart.
That's why she didn't immediately guess that Hobart was a college student.
Alger, the "Hanged Man," on the other side of the long table, also praised Mr. Fool, saying, "Your power far exceeds our imagination."
He also saw the new member, which made him frown. Although Mr. Fool was powerful, he and "Justice" should have been informed before the new member joined.
If he hadn't just witnessed the power of the "Fool," he would definitely have protested.
The Fool said, “Very good. This shows that we are on a very effective path. In the future, if you have something to do and cannot get away on Monday afternoon, then hold the ceremony in advance and let me know.”
He added, "As you can see, there will be new members in the Tarot."
Then "The Fool" began to introduce: "This is Miss Justice, this is Mr. Hanged Man, and the newest member is Mr. Emperor."
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," "Justice" greeted with a smile.
This emperor is likely a member of high society in Rune, which makes "Justice" feel somewhat close to him.
"Good afternoon," Hobart said. "It's an honor to attend your gathering."
The Hanged Man didn't greet him, but simply observed Hobart for a while.
The party officially began, and "Justice" first gave "The Fool" a page of Emperor Roselle's diary. She kindly reminded Hobart, "The notes written with special symbols left by Emperor Roselle are actually his diary. Mr. Fool is very interested in these diaries. You can collect those diaries and trade with Mr. Fool."
Hobert politely replied, "Thank you for reminding me."
He thought to himself: I do know that, it's simplified Chinese! But then again, "Justice" is really kind-hearted.
Just as he thought of this, he realized that something was wrong with the atmosphere in the hall. "Justice," "The Hanged Man," and even "The Fool" were all staring at him intently, as if they regarded him as a monster.
Oops!
Hobart belatedly realized: When I heard about Emperor Roselle's diary, I didn't show enough surprise, not even a little bit.
What should we do now? Should we quickly explain, or pretend we have "powerful connections"?
He soon realized that whether he explained or not, the final result seemed to be the same: his identity would remain mysterious.
Then I won't explain it; let them fill in the blanks themselves.
(End of this chapter)