Chapter 5: The Forgotten Estate
The carriage had long since disappeared down the winding road, leaving Blackwood Manor behind beneath the low afternoon sun. Silence settled over the estate again, but it was not the comfortable quiet of a well-kept noble residence. It was the stillness of a place that had been left behind for so long that even the wind seemed to move carefully through it.
Dead leaves scraped across the courtyard. Ivy wrapped itself around cracked marble columns, and the remains of dragon statues leaned at uneven angles along the old approach. A fountain stood dry at the center of the grounds, its basin filled with leaves and rainwater stains instead of clear water. Somewhere higher up, a loose shutter knocked softly against stone whenever the breeze shifted.
Kael stood in the middle of the courtyard and took it all in.
He did not complain.
He did not start giving orders.
He simply looked.
Edwin Ashcombe remained several paces behind him with his hands folded behind his back. Lily stood near the manor entrance, while Bram leaned lightly against the handle of his shovel as though waiting to see what kind of prince had actually been delivered to Blackwood.
Kael eventually broke the silence.
How long has the estate been like this?
Edwin answered without hesitation.
Forty-three years, Your Highness. Not completely abandoned, but close enough that most people stopped making the distinction
Kael glanced back toward him.
Forty-three years?
Yes
That number bothered him immediately.
Augustus had said Blackwood had once belonged to him. If that were true, then the estate had not simply been forgotten by accident.
Kael looked toward the manor.
And nobody tried to restore it?
A few did. Merchants wanted pieces of the surrounding land, and certain Houses petitioned for temporary use of some of the roads and fields. His Majesty refused them
Kael’s expression sharpened.
Father protected it
Edwin inclined his head.
He preserved it
That was different.
Kael let his gaze return to the old stone walls. Augustus had not maintained Blackwood, but he had not allowed anyone else to take it either.
That meant something.
The System appeared quietly within Kael’s vision.
[Observation recommended]
[Current information insufficient for meaningful reconstruction plan]
Kael almost smiled.
I was already doing that
The window faded.
Edwin stepped closer.
Your Highness, there is something you should know about me before we continue. I did not simply remain here because the Crown ordered it
Kael turned.
Edwin’s posture changed slightly. The formal butler remained, but there was something more personal beneath the words now.
I served His Majesty before he became Emperor. Before Aurelia knew his name the way it does now, I was steward of Blackwood Manor
Kael studied him.
You served Father here?
For years
Edwin looked toward the manor as though he could still see a different version of it beneath the decay.
This was where His Majesty gathered some of his earliest retainers. Officers trained in those courtyards. Merchants argued over supply contracts in rooms that barely had furniture. The first soldiers who eventually followed him into larger campaigns slept in buildings that no longer exist
Kael looked back toward the manor.
So this really was Father’s first House
It was
A small smile appeared on Kael’s face.
He gave me his beginning
Edwin’s remaining eye stayed on him for several seconds.
Then, for the first time since Kael arrived, the old man’s expression softened into something more than professional courtesy.
You understood faster than most
Lily approached them carefully.
She was young, perhaps sixteen, with brown hair tied back in a simple braid. Her dress was clean but heavily repaired, the fabric carrying enough patches that Kael doubted even Lily knew what color it had originally been.
She bowed.
My name is Lily, Your Highness. I help Edwin with the manor
Kael looked toward the enormous building behind her.
By yourself?
Mostly
How many rooms are actually inside?
Lily hesitated.
Four hundred and twelve, if we count the sealed wings
Kael blinked.
Four hundred and twelve?
Lily nodded.
I don’t clean all of them
Good. I was about to question your survival instincts
A nervous laugh escaped her.
Some rooms haven’t been opened in years, and a few are unsafe. I keep the main hall, kitchen, occupied quarters, library entrance, and whatever else Edwin says is needed
Kael looked up at the manor again.
Four hundred rooms and three people
Bram finally spoke.
Two and a half, most days
Kael turned toward him.
Bram’s expression barely changed.
My knees don’t cooperate enough for me to count as a full worker anymore
Lily tried to hide a smile.
Kael laughed.
Not politely.
Not because a prince was supposed to encourage servants.
He actually found it funny.
Edwin gave Bram a look that suggested this was not the first time the old gardener had tested the boundaries of formality.
Kael shook his head.
This place is incredible
Lily looked around at the broken fountain and cracked walls.
Incredible?
It survived forty-three years of neglect without collapsing completely. That’s better than some fortresses I’ve seen
Edwin raised an eyebrow.
That is a generous interpretation
Maybe. Still true
Kael turned toward Bram.
And you?
Bram straightened slightly.
Bram, Your Highness. I look after the grounds, what remains of them
Kael glanced toward the overgrown gardens.
You’re losing
Bram scratched the side of his jaw.
Badly
That earned another laugh from Kael.
Then he noticed Bram’s hands.
The scars were old, but not all of them came from farm tools. Thickened knuckles, small cuts along the fingers, a faded line across one wrist, and the posture of someone who knew how to distribute his weight even while standing casually.
Kael did not need the System to tell him Bram had once fought.
Still, a small notice appeared.
[Bram]
[Prior combat experience detected]
[Current combat capacity: concealed]
Kael dismissed it without reacting.
There would be time for questions later.
Not every useful thing had to be uncovered immediately.
He looked toward Edwin.
Show me everything that matters
Edwin nodded.
The manor?
The estate. Buildings, water, food stores, roads, walls, fields, whatever’s still standing. I want to know what works before we start talking about what doesn’t
Edwin’s expression changed slightly at that.
As you wish
The tour lasted most of the day.
Blackwood was far larger than Kael had expected.
The manor itself contained old ceremonial halls, private living quarters, servant corridors, storage rooms, guest wings, kitchens, armories, and training spaces buried beneath decades of dust. Some rooms were beyond immediate use. Others looked terrible but remained structurally sound.
Kael found an old training hall with deep marks carved into the floor from years of weapons practice. Several racks remained against the walls, though most of the weapons had been removed long ago.
He walked through a library where one section of shelving had collapsed beneath neglected books. Dust covered nearly everything, but many of the volumes were still intact.
An indoor garden occupied part of the eastern wing. Sections of its glass ceiling had shattered, allowing rain and sunlight to feed plants that had long since escaped whatever orderly arrangement they once possessed.
Farther inside stood a small chapel, plain compared with the grand temples Kael had seen in Aurelia. Edwin explained that Augustus had rarely used it.
That did not surprise Kael.
The more he saw, the clearer Blackwood became.
This was not merely a noble manor.
It had been built to survive trouble.
Walls were thicker than they needed to be for decoration. Several corridors narrowed in ways that could easily be defended. Old watch positions overlooked the valley, and hidden storage rooms had been constructed beneath sections of the manor.
One sealed stairway led underground.
Kael stopped beside it.
Where does this go?
Edwin looked toward the old door.
Storage, escape routes, and older tunnels. Some have not been inspected in years
Some?
We know at least two still connect to the outer grounds. The rest would need to be cleared before I could say more safely
Kael nodded.
Leave them sealed for now. I don’t need our first day ending with the roof collapsing underground instead of above us
Lily smiled.
Edwin almost did.
As evening approached, Kael climbed the manor’s highest surviving tower.
The view changed everything.
From the courtyard, Blackwood had looked like one ruined estate.
From above, it looked like a neglected region.
Rolling hills stretched beyond the manor. A river cut through the valley, wide enough to matter and calm enough in places that Kael could immediately imagine mills, irrigation channels, and bridges. Farther out sat cultivated fields broken by patches of unused land.
A village stood in the distance.
Then another.
Smoke rose from chimneys.
Small roads connected scattered homes, fields, barns, and clusters of buildings that looked old even from this distance.
Kael leaned against the stone railing.
How many people live under Blackwood’s administration?
Edwin joined him.
Across the surrounding villages and farms? A little under three thousand, depending on the season
Kael looked at him sharply.
Three thousand?
Approximately
That was very different from the System’s earlier population count.
Kael understood the distinction immediately. Three permanent residents at the manor itself. Thousands within the surrounding territory.
He looked back across the valley.
Then his expression changed.
Several fields lay empty despite being close to water.
A road near the nearest village had almost disappeared beneath mud and grass.
One house had part of its roof covered with patched cloth instead of proper shingles.
A group of children walked toward a distant well carrying buckets.
Kael’s earlier excitement faded.
This isn’t just neglect
Edwin said nothing.
Kael continued watching.
This is poverty
The System appeared again.
[Territorial Assessment Updated]
[Estimated Population: 2,900]
[Agricultural Output: Below sustainable potential]
[Road Network: Poor]
[Water Infrastructure: Inadequate]
[Tax Burden: High relative to local income]
[Bandit Activity: Moderate]
[Public Satisfaction: Low]
[Development Potential: Exceptional]
Kael’s attention stopped on one line.
Tax burden
He looked toward Edwin.
Who collects taxes here?
Edwin’s face tightened slightly.
The villages have remained under a ministry-appointed collector because Blackwood had no active lord administering the region directly
And where does that money go?
Edwin did not answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
Kael turned back toward the valley.
Not here
No, Your Highness
Kael watched a farmer below guide a thin horse along the edge of a damaged field. The animal moved slowly, ribs visible even at a distance.
How long?
Edwin understood the question.
Years
And nobody fixed the wells?
Several requests were filed
Roads?
The same
Storage?
Limited repairs during bad harvests, nothing lasting
Kael’s jaw tightened.
This was the first moment since arriving at Blackwood that the place stopped feeling like an interesting challenge.
Ruined stone could be rebuilt.
A broken roof could be replaced.
People living under bad administration were different.
Every delayed repair had consequences.
Every missing bridge made trade harder.
Every failed well meant someone walked farther.
Every corrupt tax collector took food or coin from someone who could not easily replace it.
Kael straightened.
This is where we start
Edwin studied him.
The manor?
The people
Kael looked over.
If the roof survives another month, good. If a village doesn’t have clean water, that matters more
Something shifted in Edwin’s expression.
Not surprise exactly.
Recognition, perhaps.
Kael looked back across the valley.
Tomorrow, I want the estate records. Taxes, harvest yields, road conditions, wells, livestock, village names, who actually governs each settlement, who owns what land, and every complaint filed in the last five years
Edwin nodded.
I can provide most of that
Most?
Some records were never sent back to Blackwood
Then we’ll find out why
As the light faded, two figures watched Blackwood from a wooded rise several miles away.
Neither wore noble colors.
One held an enchanted lens against his eye while the other kept his attention on the road below.
The first man lowered the lens.
He hasn’t summoned mercenaries
No
No builders either
Not yet
He spent most of the day walking through ruins
The second man shrugged.
Then maybe the stories were exaggerated
The older observer looked back through the lens.
He inspected the grounds himself. Spoke with the servants. Went through the manor, then climbed the western tower and stayed there long enough to study the villages
So?
So I’ve watched enough young nobles arrive at new estates to recognize the difference
The younger man frowned.
Between what?
Someone looking at what he owns and someone looking at what he has to fix
The younger observer remained quiet.
After a moment, he smiled.
You’re making him sound dangerous
I’m saying we don’t know yet
He lowered the lens.
That should concern anyone who sent us
The two men packed their equipment and disappeared into the trees before darkness fully settled.
Far across the valley, Kael remained on the tower.
He had not seen their faces.
He had, however, noticed the faint glimmer of reflected light on the distant hill earlier that evening.
The System confirmed the rest.
[Two unidentified observers withdrawing from Blackwood perimeter]
[Affiliation: Unknown]
[Likely purpose: surveillance]
Kael rested one arm against the railing.
Nobles?
[Insufficient evidence]
At least you’re learning to say you don’t know
[The System has always acknowledged insufficient data]
Kael smiled.
Of course
He looked toward the dark tree line where the observers had disappeared.
He could have sent someone after them.
There was no one to send.
Even if there had been, chasing them would accomplish little.
Let them report what they had seen.
A seventeen-year-old prince walking through a broken estate with three caretakers and no army.
No construction.
No soldiers.
No apparent threat.
That image could be useful.
Kael turned away from the tower’s edge.
They can keep watching
Edwin glanced toward him.
Your Highness?
Nothing important yet
Kael started toward the stairs.
Tomorrow we find out how badly Blackwood has actually been governed
The manor settled into darkness around him.
For forty-three years, people had looked at Blackwood and seen something already finished.
A failed estate.
A forgotten House.
Land without value.
Kael had been there less than a day.
He was already beginning to see the opposite.