The next day, André woke up early to do his daily exercise routine.
After breakfast, standing in front of the mirror, he couldn't help but praise himself:
"Very handsome," he said with a touch of narcissism.
André was wearing a black three-piece suit from the 20th century (jacket, trousers, and vest). He had only managed to make it with Rose's help, since he didn't have much manpower available.
Walking down the stairs toward the first-floor hall, he found Amanda and Rose dressed very elegantly.
Amanda wore a beautiful emerald-green dress, while Rose wore the maid uniform carefully designed by André: a black skirt that reached her knees and white lace straps that were barely visible, giving her an elegant and slightly seductive charm.
Amanda looked both nervous and happy. André couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha, what's wrong, Mom? So nervous?"
"Son, are you okay? Aren't you nervous? Come here, let Mom take a look at you."
André walked over and hugged her tightly.
"I'm fine, Mom. From now on, you'll be the great lady of the entire viscounty."
"Mmm," she nodded, much calmer.
Half an hour later, a luxurious four-horse carriage arrived, surrounded by a dozen guards.
The carriage stopped in front of the house, and a woman in her fifties stepped down.
"That's the housekeeper of the Solomon family," Amanda whispered into André's ear. He nodded silently.
Walking forward, Rose made a slight bow, and the housekeeper knelt before André with great courtesy as she spoke:
"It is an honor to serve you, Master André. My name is Beth." She knelt and said solemnly, "I swear in the name of my ancestors that I will serve you until the day of my death."
In this world there were no gods, but there was great respect for ancestors; that was why oaths were made this way.
"It's fine, you may rise."
"Yes," she said as she stood up and ordered the servants to load the luggage onto the carriage.
"Let's go, Mom." André took Amanda's hand as he climbed into the carriage, followed by Rose.
Solomon City, named that way eleven years ago with the arrival of the new lords of the viscounty, barely resembled a real city. It had around 150,000 inhabitants. The streets were paved with cut stones, which didn't look bad.
But it was a pain in the ass for André, who suffered the entire way. He would never forget that ordeal and swore in his mind that the first thing he would do upon taking power was build his own carriage with hydraulic shock absorbers.
The castle of the viscounty was large enough to be seen from outside the city. It was located on a small hill next to a large lake that, according to Beth, flowed into the sea.
Entering the main hall of the castle, all the members of the Solomon family were present, along with the barons and knight vassals. The landowners and tax collectors of the viscounty were also there.
Today was the official transfer of the viscount's power to André. In the center of the hall sat an elderly woman.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Grandmother Lucrecia." He didn't need anyone to tell him who she was—he already knew. André made a slight bow appropriate for noble etiquette.
The old woman smiled happily when she saw André's behavior.
"André, my grandson, it's good to see that you've grown up so well. You look a lot like your father when he was your age," the old woman said with a hint of tears in her eyes.
"Thank you for your concern, Grandmother."
"Everyone, this is my grandson Andrews Solomon, and from today the Solomon Viscounty will be delivered to him. He will be the new Viscount of the Solomon Viscounty."
"Congratulations, Lord André!"
"Long live Lord André!"
"Eternal glory to Lord André!"
A crowd of people greeted him with big smiles and congratulations. André smiled at them courteously.
"Everyone!" Raising his voice, André managed to capture everyone's attention and began his speech upon taking power. "I hope, with everyone's help, to lead the Solomon Viscounty into an era full of prosperity and glory."
"Long live the Viscount!"
"Long live! Long live! Long live!"
The celebration lasted until almost midnight, when everyone finally left.
---
"What do you think of the Viscount?" In a dark room, a few people whose faces could not be distinguished had gathered.
"He's just a child. He'll definitely be easy to manipulate, hehehe."
"I hope so. If not, hehehe, he'll end up just like his cousin, hehehe," said a gloomy voice while smiling grotesquely.
"Let's give him some time to see how he behaves," said another, more educated voice.
A younger voice suddenly spoke:
"I think it would be better if he followed in his cousin's footsteps as soon as possible. That way everything would be easier."
An old voice refuted:
"That would be too dangerous."
"We must not expose ourselves. It's better to take each step carefully."
"It's decided. Let's first see how he behaves."
With that, the room fell silent once more.
---