Episode 21: My Abs Are Starting to Show!
Day after day, while Luke never tired of admiring Alexia, he threw himself into his daily training regimen, tackling various exercises with enthusiasm.
Crunch, crunch, pull, push, run like hell, swing that sword until arms feel like jelly…
Taking advantage of any free time, he trained with Nicholas and others, alternating swordsmanship practices with Julius, Klaus, and Marius for about two months.
As obvious changes began manifesting in his body, Luke couldn’t help but shiver in excitement.
“…My abs… are starting to show…!”
Cautiously, he lifted the hem of his shirt.
Just the other day, his abdomen had been nothing but a flat expanse; now, it was distinctly carved into four glorious sections.
“Could it be because I’m eating so much every day…?”
During his time with the Valten family, he had never been allowed to eat the same meals as the rest of his family.
His stepmother, Hermine, had a taste for gourmet dining and spent lavishly on top-tier ingredients, but the most delicious and nutritious parts were exclusively served to her, his father, and his brother; any leftovers? Forget about it—Luke never laid a finger on them.
Still, he ate the same meals as the servants, so he wasn’t exactly starving.
Having learned various tasks from the servants and busily helping out, he wasn’t exactly lacking in exercise either.
But during his time at the Valten household, Luke had always been scrawny, struggling to gain muscle or grow as tall as one might hope.
And yet, it had been only two months since he moved to Rietberg.
Two months—just two months—and yet, his physique had changed astonishingly.
The more he moved, the more stamina he developed, and the harder he trained, the more muscle he built.
Even though he thought he had passed his growth spurt, he had grown taller, and his perspective had noticeably shifted. His chest and waist had expanded and firmed up quite nicely.
His transformation felt almost like his body was being reborn from the inside out.
He had a hunch about it all.
Since coming to this land, Luke had breathed freely for the first time in his life.
Back at home, his stepmother Hermine ruled like a queen. Luke was hated, shunned, and constantly silenced, hiding in the shadows.
But here? No one yelled or hit him without reason.
Nobody got blamed, fired, or tossed aside for being nice to Luke.
Surrounded by warm-hearted people every day, mentored by jovial knights, he spent his time filled with laughter and joy.
Fresh air, yum.
Delicious food, yum.
Nice people, yum.
No angry shouts, hooray!
No violence, yay!
In short, the stress had vanished.
Finally free from the suffocating pressure and stifling atmosphere that had shackled Luke, it felt as if his body had adapted, allowing him to absorb the nutrients he consumed properly.
It even felt as if every cell was rejoicing, activating, and growing vigorously to make up for all the stagnation it had suffered before.
And of course, the best nutrition of all?
Her.
The one he dearly longed for.
In simple terms, his oshi.
Whenever he spotted Alexia, whether inside or outside the castle, Luke would clasp his hands in prayer and express his gratitude to the deities.
(So good for my health…!)
How wonderful it is to live in a place filled with people one loves.
Seeds and seedlings, which struggle to thrive in barren soil, can flourish magnificently when replanted in rich, fertile ground.
For Luke, Rietberg was undeniably a bountiful new world.
Truly, a place to call home. No, it was far better than the royal capital.
In this paradisiacal environment, soaking up the sunshine of love, Luke truly savored his life.
“This is amazing…! It’s like a dream!”
*
“This is terrible! What a nightmare!”
The porcelain teacup slipped from Hermine’s grasp.
With a smash, the cup, along with the saucer, soared through the air before shattering into a myriad of pieces.
“M-Madam…?”
The young maid, who had brought the tea, looked timid and frightened as she frantically tried to gauge Hermine’s mood.
“What is this lukewarm tea?! There’s no way I can drink this swill! Rebrew it at once!”
“I-I’m so sorry, Madam!”
The maid bowed profusely, trembling hands scrambling to pick up the shattered fragments while desperately trying to mop up the tea that had spilled onto the carpet.
The moment any stain remained, it was clear she would face dire consequences. Hermine’s furious voice roared again at the maid’s already quaking, half-sobbing face.
“I told you to brew it again! What are you hesitating for?!”
The Valten maids stood huddled together, whispering in hushed tones.
“…Is the mistress irritable again?”
Hermine’s outburst came suddenly—one moment calm, the next like a raging fire, hunting for anything, no matter how trivial, to unleash her pent-up fury upon. She’d ignore any sobs or apologies as the servants bore the brunt of her wrath.
It was pure chaos for those targeted, forced to simply wait out the storm.
“When Luke-sama first left, the mistress was in such a wonderful mood…”
“The mistress has long regarded Luke-sama as her arch-nemesis…”
Hermine despised Luke, her husband’s eldest son, who bore no blood relation to her.
While she acted as the accommodating wife of the family in public, those who even slightly understood the internal dynamics of the Valten household knew full well that Hermine lavished affection solely on her biological son Matthias, consistently treating Luke with cold indifference.
The kind-hearted servants all sympathized with Luke and sought to connect with him discreetly.
Luke, obedient and adept, swiftly absorbed everything—from cooking techniques of the chef to the art of landscaping from the gardener, caring for horses, and all manner of household chores.
He was not merely a pathetic, unlucky son. He didn’t look down on the work and took the initiative to learn, a secret source of solace for the servants.
So when Luke was expelled from the Baronial household, disappointment filled everyone’s hearts.
He had been the sole conscience of the household—a kind-hearted, pure-hearted, and valiant young man. The thought of him left them heartbroken with sympathy.
At the same time, many hoped this would finally bring Hermine to her senses and help her calm down.
And indeed, right after Luke’s departure, Hermine seemed to be in exceptionally high spirits.
But suddenly, everything went awry.
With Luke gone, whom she had used as a punching bag to vent her simmering frustration, Hermine found herself directionless, with no target for her grievances.
Now, she often displayed even more intense irritation than she did while Luke was still present.
The main victims of her wrath became the servants, but sometimes even her husband, August, or her beloved son, Matthias, found themselves in the line of fire due to the new worries concerning Matthias’s upcoming marriage.
“Matthias-sama’s fiancée seems to be quite a willful young lady. She doesn’t seem willing to change her demands even with our Lady.”
“Well, that’s rather impressive. After all, she’s the daughter of a Count. Perhaps she thinks she owes no favors to a baroness.”
“Even though she interfered with Luke-sama’s engagement and swiped him away… things aren’t going as smoothly as they thought…”
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