Chapter 84: Gates of Gold
The car slowed to a stop, the tires crunching softly against the gravel.
Outside the window, there was nothing but stone walls, tall trees, and then, gates.
Massive black iron gates, tall enough to make the academy entrance look like a toy... okay nope, too much glaze on the gate, I was definitely joking... Vines crawling up the sides, and two stone lions sitting on either side, like they were judging anyone who dared to approach.
Lynx stared, his mouth half open, and he didn’t even realize it.
You couldn’t blame him, he hadn’t expected this, not at all. In his head, he’d thought her supposed profession was a high class Blessed prostitute, before he found out her mother owned the Brothel, and she was not a loose whore.
She literally owned every single thing her mother had. This wasn’t just rich, this was a different kind of rich. She was richer than Isabel, for sure.
Amira reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny white remote, one Lynx had no idea she’d even had. I mean, he’d been there when she got dressed, he didn’t see her slip a remote in there, and it looked like something for a TV, not a fortress.
She pressed one button.
Groooooan!
The gates split open with a sound so low, Lynx felt it vibrate in his chest. Beyond them stretched a long driveway lined with white lamps, and at the end of it, was a house.
No, not a house. This was a mansion.
Lynx’s mouth was still open. He didn’t close it.
Amira glanced at him from the driver’s seat and smirked, "Close your jaw Lynx, you’ll catch flies. Not that there are any here by the way, but you’ll just attract female flies with that pretty mouth of yours."
He shut it immediately, then opened it again a second later, "You... you live here?"
"Technically," Amira said, pulling the automobile forward, her voice casual, like she was talking about a small apartment, "My mom did. She owns the place. Now I do."
They drove past gardens, past a fountain that wasn’t on, and finally into a parking lot.
And that’s when Lynx saw them.
Three automobiles. She had a total of four badass cars, fuck the automobile word, he’s still an Earthling.
[Careful there boy, you’re not an Earthling, you’re not connected to Earth anymore]
He heard his system voice in his head and ignored it. The feeling of ignoring it’s annoying voice was refreshing.
But after seeing the house, he’d expected a whole collection, a garage full of shiny sleek automobiles, but no, only three automobiles. Another surprising thing about her after the big house.
The first one was long, black, and so shiny he could see his own shocked face reflected in it. The second was red, low to the ground, with wheels that looked illegal in at least three empires.
The third... was normal. Silver, four doors, nothing flashy, nothing that screamed money.
Amira killed the engine and got out, stretching, "Pick your favorite. You fuck like a machine, you’ve earned it."
Yep, she’s still shameless. More shameless than Eira.
Lynx followed her, still looking around like he’d been dropped on another planet, "You have three really cool automobiles?"
"Had three," she corrected, walking ahead of him, "I don’t drive much anymore, except this one." The pointed at the car she just parked.
She saw him looking at the silver ’normal’ automobile for too long. "That’s the less flashy one. I use it when I go to rural areas."
"Why?"
"Because if I roll up in the black one, the people within 10 miles would think I’m there to take something from them, the King and his entourage doesn’t really care about those guys." She said dryly.
"The silver one makes me look poor. It’s camouflage."
Lynx snorted. "You’re terrible at being poor."
"And you’re terrible at hiding how impressed you are. But hey don’t mind what I said. The King is great, jobs are everywhere. Maybe they are just lazy to work. C’mon let’s go."
Lynx doesn’t care about them too, he hasn’t seen them before. But he just nodded... still taking everything in, the lamps, the trimmed hedges, the sheer size of it... all and followed her in.
They walked to the front door. It was dark wood, with gold trimming that caught the early afternoon light. Amira pressed a tiny blue button at the side of the door, and a panel slid out from the wall with a soft mechanical sound.
Then she leaned in, a red light scanned her eyes.
Beep!
Green light.
Click.
The door unlocked.
Inside was worse. Or better. Depending on how you looked at it.
The entry hall was massive, marble floors so clean, Lynx could see his reflection staring back at him, a chandelier that probably cost more than a village hung above them, stairs curved up to the second floor like the spine of some sleeping beast, paintings on the walls, actual armor on display, not for show, but real.
Lynx stood there, frozen.
Amira kicked off her boots right there, "Shoes off. House rule."
He obeyed, setting his boots down carefully.
Amira caught the look on his face, "What?"
"Nothing," Lynx said quickly, "It’s just... my aunt Isabel’s house was nice. Maids, rich designs. But this..."
"This is showing off," Amira finished for him, walking toward the kitchen, "Yeah. My mom had fancy taste. And money. Lots of it."
Lynx walked a few steps in, then stopped. A small, quiet smile tugged at his lips.
"What are you smiling about?" Amira called over her shoulder, already opening the fridge.
"Nothing, just some old memories."
"Care to spill it," she said, tossing him a bottle of water without looking.
He caught it, the cold biting against his palm, and sighed, "First time we had sex. I actually thought about giving you money after we finished... normally. You know, I thought you were just some high class Blessed prostitute."
Amira froze mid step, then turned, hands on her hips, "You were gonna pay me? I don’t recall."
"Yes."
"And how much?"
Lynx looked away, ears burning, "I don’t remember. 400 H-Crystals?"
Amira stared at him for two seconds. Then she threw her head back and laughed, so hard she had to lean on the counter, "Gods, Lynx! You’re an idiot! A cute idiot, but still an idiot!"
He scowled, "Don’t laugh."
"I can’t help it!" she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still grinning, "it’s not your fault, I took 600 H-Crystals or more from the men I slept with, and it’s not about the money. More about the sex. As you can tell I love sex."
"Ohh."
"Yeah, and my pussy is worth more than just 400 H-Crystals, don’t you think?" She winked.
"Yeah, yeah, sure."
Amira laughed. "Come on, handsome guy. Your tour time."
✦ ✦ ✦
The sitting room had couches bigger than beds, soft, white, and way too comfortable.
The dining room had a table that could seat twenty people easily. The balcony overlooked the entire garden, and the pool at the back of the house was heated, with blue lights glowing under the water like it was magic.
And there were no maids.
Lynx noticed it halfway through the tour, "Where’s your staff?"
Amira shrugged, running a hand along the banister as they walked upstairs, "Don’t have any living here."
"You live in this alone?"
"My mom didn’t like people in the house," Amira said simply, her voice quieter now,
"Said it felt crowded. So we never had maids, or cooks, or anyone. I grew up cleaning my own room, making my own food. Even after she passed, I just... kept it that way. Although we have people who comes to take care of the house every day, they don’t live here. They just come here to tidy up the house, clean every inch. Get paid monthly."
Lynx watched her. Her voice was light, but there was something under it, something heavy. "When did she pass?"
"Recently," Amira said, "A few months ago. She was Blessed too. She was more of a business woman than a Blessed fighting monsters or protecting Aether Empire or doing what Blessed do. I don’t know why the goddess Blessed her instead of someone worthy."
She looked up at Lynx. Who was staring at her with a concern gaze. She felt touched, her cheeks got red a little before she continued.
"After she got the funds from the empire when she registered, a long time ago, after she graduated she invested it, she got richer.
Last year she got sick. Went to the Vampire continent, not for fighting, more like a ’business thing.’ That’s what she told me. She came back sick. Really sick."
She glanced at him again, and for a second her eyes weren’t teasing, they were just tired.
"For some people, having a Blessed kid is a blessing on it’s own, you know. Not because of the good and bad things that comes along with it. But mostly because of the money you get from it."
Lynx smiled at that.
"My mother wished I wasn’t a Blessed like her, every non Blessed is looking at you like a god, even Blessed are expecting for you to impact on the Empire. Too much expectations and work. But I guess the goddess likes us." Then she shrugged.
"Most parents doesn’t care about what happens to their Blessed Children, or their forever changed life after they becomes Blessed, or how they protect this Empire or Human continent from supernatural forces. They just want to receive their huge weekly wages from the empire."
Lynx nodded slowly, "Yeah. I figured."
’On Earth the poor parents would be worst, not that he can relate.’ He thought.