Foreigner Of Time [JENLISA]

35

LISA

Once we had given our respects and had breakfast, I notified the two seniors and Jennie that I would be visiting Jackson today.

I brought two house servants along, and specially brought Jerry to Jackson's small residence together.

The aged house servant recognized me, so he invited me inside the inner courtyard once he had received the list of presents.

"Please help him carry the presents into the storage, and then deliver the food to the kitchen." I said to the two house servants and Jerry who came along.

"Yes young master."

On the way there, the old man said to me with great emotion, "Young master Manoban, you are such a good person. Ever since our young master was kicked out of the estate, all of those past friends of his hid from him. Who knows how much support and benefits they had enjoyed from our young master in the past, but now they pretend that they do not recognize him at all, ai... The world really does get worse by the day. The people are no longer what they were in the old days."

"Don't say that, mister. Jackson and I count as true friends found through adversity; I had also gotten to know him when I was at my poorest state. I am grateful that he did not mind me, and he had taken care of me in many ways. He is now down on his luck, how can I possibly desert him?"

The house servant gave a long sigh, then he said, "Young master Manoban's generosity is as vast as the ocean, you will definitely have great accomplishments in the future."

I rubbed my nose with some embarrassment.

I couldn't have come up with those words myself; even if I could say something along the lines of it, it wouldn't be said so elegantly.

All of that was the result of my Nini's tutoring last night, and sure enough, it was very effective indeed.

Under her methodical and patient guidance, I had learned to be smarter with her words too.

"Mister, did you leave the estate with him?" I asked in a seemingly unintentional way.

"That's right. This old servant was a servant born in House Baratheon. I've already served in the estate for nearly sixty years. The young master has done something muddled, hence, Sir Magistrate kicked him out of the estate in a fury. He was not supposed to have anyone left to serve him, but Madam Baratheon cares for the third young master, hence she sent this old servant out of the estate to serve him."

I had a good idea in my heart now; it seems like Jackson had not been completely abandoned by the Baratheon.

Perhaps this was just done as a temporary measure to pacify the Stark's anger.

Jackson's mother was not a simple woman.

I had heard from Jennie that Sir Magistrate's wife was the Duke's mother's sister.

That woman did not have a low authority in the Baratheon.

I was sure that it was only a matter of time before Jackson returned to their estate.

He already had a title to his name. 

Getting a place on the next imperial exam was probably when he would return grandly and righteously to them.
   
I found that somewhat hard to accept, but Jennie's gentle advice quietly buried that dissatisfaction in the bottom of my heart again.

Although the court in this world was not as restrictive towards merchants, merchants still had an extremely low status.

No matter how eminent the Stark is, they could not compete with aristocratic families that had ties to royalty like Jackson's family.