CHAPTER 9: DON’T GIVE A DAMN

Elara sighed, wiping her hands clean with a cloth as the sound of muffled thuds, crashes, and... what could only be described as laughter echoed from the training room.

For the past several hours, the young master had shut himself away after breakfast, declaring that he would be doing "physical training."

At first, Elara believed him.

She thought he’d push his body back into shape after years of coma-induced atrophy, perhaps do light exercises or stretches.

Yet as the hours passed, the noises grew stranger.

Some sounded like stones colliding, others like the rush of wind, and occasionally, she heard Lucius shout things followed by a heavy crash.

Elara frowned as she finished laying the last dish on the serving tray.

"Young master... don’t overwork yourself," she murmured softly. "You’ve only just woken from three years in a coma. If you push yourself too hard, how will you have the strength for the Awakening test tomorrow?"

Despite her worries, she carefully arranged the lunch.

Today she’d prepared roasted silverfin trout glazed with honey-citrus sauce, a side of fluffy rye bread rolls, and crisped potatoes tossed with herbs only nobles could afford.

To finish, she placed a bowl of pale-blue starfruit jelly, the kind that shimmered faintly when touched by sunlight.

It was a luxurious lunch, but Lucius deserved it especially now.

Balancing the tray, Elara walked to the training room.

The sounds had quieted a little, but a few strange vibrations lingered in the air, like the hum of something unseen.

She hesitated at the door, then knocked softly.

"Come in," Lucius’s voice rang out, steady and confident.

Elara pushed the door open — and froze.

The tray wobbled in her hands as her eyes widened.

Her young master was shirtless, and the sight made her cheeks flush crimson.

His body should have withered from years of coma, but instead, it bore the lean, sculpted lines of someone who had lived their days in constant training.

The muscles of his shoulders flexed as he shifted casually in midair.

Yes.

Midair.

Midair?!

"Am I... seeing things?" Elara whispered, blinking rapidly. "Why am I seeing young master upside down?"

Lucius smirked, his hair spilling downward like strands of sunlight as he floated upside-down in the training chamber.

"Thanks for the food," he said casually.

He waved his hand, and before Elara could even react, the tray lifted itself from her grasp.

Plates, cutlery, and even the bowl of jelly hovered serenely in the air as if carried by invisible hands.

Elara’s lips parted in shock as Lucius twisted himself upright, still floating, and seated himself cross-legged in the air as though gravity no longer applied.

The tray drifted smoothly in front of him, and he began feasting midair like this was the most natural thing in the world.

Her eyes glinted with curiosity. "Is this... wind magic? No, it can’t be. I don’t sense the shift of air, no pressure changes at all..."

"Smart girl," Lucius said between bites of trout. "It’s not wind."

She stepped closer, her heart hammering. "Then, master, what element have you awakened?"

Lucius paused only long enough to grin. "Space. And wood."

"E-Eh???" Elara’s voice cracked as she nearly dropped her composure along with her jaw. Her mind whirled. "Space... and wood? T-That’s impossible! The last known Space Awakener was the founder of House Dragnaveyn himself, and the last Wood Awakener was the first head of your own House Hohenberg! Those elements haven’t been seen in centuries — no, nearly a millennium! For one person to hold both is...!"

"Unheard of?" Lucius finished, sipping straight from the goblet that hovered obediently by his hand. "Guess I’m just built different."

Elara’s head spun.

She stared at him in awe, at the boy everyone mocked online, now eating lunch in the air with powers that could shake the world.

Lucius polished off the meal quickly, and when he set the utensils down, he caught Elara still staring.

"What?" he asked. "Want to try it too?"

Her heart jumped. "T-Try it?"

Lucius’s grin widened. "Yeah. Floating."

Elara tried to keep her composure, but her lips betrayed a tiny smile.

"I... wouldn’t mind," she admitted shyly, the tone betraying the childish joy she tried to conceal.

Lucius chuckled. He stretched his hand out, his eyes faintly glowing.

The world around them dimmed, colors bleeding into shades of grey, leaving only streams of radiant blue particles.

He manipulated them with a thought, and they swirled gently around Elara.

Her body lifted from the ground.

"Wha—!" She gasped, arms flailing instinctively.

She rose smoothly into the air, her maid’s skirt swaying as she hovered several feet above the floor.

Elara’s eyes sparkled as she twisted experimentally. "Ah! I-I like this!"

She spun clumsily at first, then raised her arms and twirled in the air, laughter spilling out despite herself. "So this is what it feels like to fly... it’s wonderful!"

Lucius couldn’t help but laugh with her.

He drifted closer, manipulating space particles to steady her as she rotated midair. "Careful, you’ll make yourself dizzy."

"I don’t care," Elara giggled, cheeks flushed. "This is the best thing I’ve ever felt."

He reached forward and gently caught her arms to steady her.

Their eyes met briefly, and Elara’s heartbeat thundered in her chest.

"Young master..." she whispered.

"Hm?"

"I’m... happy."

Lucius tilted his head. "Happy why?"

Her voice softened, brimming with warmth

"Because... you won’t be looked down on anymore." Her grip tightened on his arms. "The people who mocked you, the ones who scorned you for being useless... they won’t dare anymore. Not when you’re like this."

Lucius stared at her quietly for a moment, then chuckled. "You make it sound like I care what they think."

"You don’t?"

"Why would I?" Lucius asked, "The opinion of people who are not you don’t matter so don’t let other people dictate the choices you take,"

They both descended to the ground and Lucius handed bsck the tray to her.

"They can talk all they want, I’ll still be the prideful confident Lucius von Hohenberg," He spoke with such resolve that Elara couldn’t help but feel motivated as well.

"Now get me water,"

"Yes master~"