Chapter 105: Young Master Morin Has Changed

“Good morning, Young Master Morin.”

The maids quickly curtsied.

“Good morning. Is there anything to eat?”

Morin rubbed his still-empty stomach—he hadn’t quite eaten enough last night.

“Well…”

A maid answered hesitantly:

“Young Master, usually at this time, the Madam has not yet woken up, and breakfast preparations are done later…”

She glanced at Morin and added: “And you have never woken up this early before.”

The implication was that the kitchen had not anticipated that he would want to eat at this hour.

Afraid that Morin might blame them, she and the other maids immediately assured him.

“We will make sure to prepare breakfast in advance from now on. Please do not hold it against us.”

“It’s fine.”

Morin waved his hand. He wasn’t some unreasonable tyrant, and besides, he could easily handle breakfast himself.

He walked into the manor’s kitchen out of curiosity.

The kitchen was large, and all the cooking utensils were readily available and polished brightly.

Morin expertly opened the food storage icebox—an item only invented last year and also a product of arcane technology.

He took out some leftover cold cuts, cheese, and a few slices of bread from the night before and made himself a simple sandwich.

Normally, these leftovers would be eaten by the servants of the manor.

The maids who had followed him were all astonished to see the young nobleman making his own meal.

In their perception, a young nobleman like Morin shouldn’t even know which way the kitchen door opened.

However, one of the more quick-witted maids reacted fast.

She immediately rushed to the stove and quickly prepared a cup of hot cocoa for Morin, then carefully brought it over.

“Young Master, please enjoy.”

“Thank you.”

Morin naturally accepted it and took a sip.

The warm, sweet liquid sliding down his throat made him feel much better.

However, his simple ‘thank you’ caused the maids to collectively freeze in place.

Having worked for Cecilia for so long, this was the first time they had ever heard Morin say ‘thank you’ to them…

The maids didn’t dare to stay any longer. They cautiously left the kitchen and hid in an empty hallway.

“My God, did I mishear just now? Young Master Morin actually said ‘thank you’…”

“Wait, being thanked by the Young Master might not be a good thing, right?”

Memories of Morin’s past frivolous behavior flashed through the maids’ minds.

“What should we do then?” one of the maids panicked slightly.

“Don’t worry, Madam is here. The Young Master probably won’t dare to cause trouble.”

“But if it were Young Master Morin, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad…”

“?”

“Maretina, you’re being weird…”

Morin quickly finished his breakfast.

After eating, he inquired of the maid and learned that Cecilia usually woke up around nine or ten o’clock.

He thought for a moment and decided to take advantage of the time to do something he should have done long ago.

To return Captain Hauser’s belongings to his family.

Morin had previously obtained Captain Hauser’s information from the Battalion Headquarters. The Captain’s home was located right here in Zwickau.

Morin returned to his room and retrieved the wristwatch belonging to Captain Hauser and the pocket watch the Captain had lent him, both from his luggage.

He then asked the maid for a clean velvet cloth and carefully wrapped the two watches.

After doing all this, he walked to the manor’s entrance, preparing to leave.

Then, he stopped dead in his tracks.

He suddenly realized a very practical problem.

There was no ride-hailing service on demand here, nor was there a network of buses or subways.

A small town like Zwickau didn’t even have a streetcar.

In this era, people relied ninety percent on their feet, bicycles, or… their family carriage for transportation, other than the slow and uncomfortable postal stagecoaches.

And the manor was located in a secluded suburban area, a considerable distance from the urban area where Captain Hauser’s home was located.

Just as Morin stood at the entrance, contemplating whether to simply walk and treat it as his morning training run.

A groom waiting by the door, quickly noticing the situation, walked up to him.

“Young Master, are you going out?”

“Yes,” Morin nodded.

“Shall I prepare the carriage for you?”

Hearing this, Morin didn’t stand on ceremony.

He gave the coachman Captain Hauser’s address and asked him to take him there.

The coachman immediately went to prepare the carriage. Soon, a small, lightweight two-wheeled carriage stopped in front of Morin.

Morin got into the carriage and headed toward the town center of Zwickau.

The carriage slowed down once it entered the urban area of Zwickau.

The streets were lined with typical Saxon-style buildings. On the cobblestone roads, pedestrians and bicycles came and went. Occasionally, one or two early automobiles, fueled by brilliant crystal, drove by with a “putt-putt-putt,” leaving a trail of black smoke.

Morin looked at the scene outside the window and suddenly thought of a problem.

Would it be rude for me to show up empty-handed?

Although he was going to return a relic, bringing something, even just a bouquet of flowers, would be a gesture of sincerity.

However, as that thought surfaced, another more practical problem also came to mind.

He was seemingly… broke.

As an officer, his salary had not yet been disbursed.

And in the luggage he brought back from the camp, besides a few changes of clothes and some personal items, there wasn’t even a single Pfennig.

The original owner’s pocket money all came from Cecilia, and he had no habit of saving.

This was quite awkward.

Morin checked what he had with him. Besides the Captain’s belongings, he only had the bread and cheese he had ‘borrowed’ from the kitchen earlier, just in case.

The coachman seemed to notice his dilemma and kindly suggested: “Young Master, there is a flower stall up ahead. You could exchange food with them for some flowers…”

Morin looked in the direction the coachman pointed and saw a flower stall not far away, though it seemed to have few varieties.

Morin got out of the carriage and pondered for a moment, then steeling himself, he walked up to the stall.

The owner was a very kind-looking middle-aged woman.

Morin used the only white bread and cheese he had in his pocket, coupled with his service uniform that represented the honor of an Imperial officer, and the general goodwill of Saxon civilians toward soldiers…

He successfully exchanged them with the woman for a few wrapped bouquets of ‘Christmas Roses.’

This flower, also called the ‘hellebore,’ was one of the few plants that bloomed in the wild during the winter in Saxony.

When the woman heard he was visiting the family of a fallen comrade, she not only refused to take his food but even gifted him an extra bouquet and wished him well on his way.

“No, ma’am, I cannot take your things for free. It’s not easy for you to set up a stall in this cold winter.”

Morin insisted, gently forcing the bread and cheese into the vendor’s hand.

“Although this food is not worth much, it is a token of my sincerity.”

Seeing Morin’s insistence, the vendor reluctantly accepted.

She eventually took the food, then carefully selected another bouquet of Christmas Roses for Morin, wrapping them carefully in clean paper.

“Officer, I hope everything goes smoothly for you,” she said sincerely, handing the flowers to Morin.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Morin took the flowers and thanked her again.

Meanwhile, at the manor.

Cecilia slowly woke up, attended by her maid.

She leaned languidly against the headboard, taking small sips of the warm milk brought by the maid, and casually asked: “Where is Fritz? Is he awake?”

“Madam, Young Master Morin woke up before dawn.”

The maid answered respectfully.

“Oh?”

Cecilia instantly became alert, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“He prepared his own breakfast in the kitchen and then left.”

“Left?” Cecilia was even more surprised. “Where did he go? Did he say when he would return?”

“No, Madam. He only asked the coachman to drive him to an address in the city.”

Cecilia pondered for a moment, then a complex smile spread across her face.

“That child… he has truly changed.”

She murmured to herself.

If it were the old him, he would have rushed to her room immediately upon waking up.

He would have wheedled and cajoled, trying every way possible to get some money from her…

Today, he had left without saying a word, vanished into thin air.

This brought a slight sense of relief to Cecilia, but also an inexplicable pang of loss in the depths of her heart.

The carriage finally stopped in front of a quiet street.

This was the residential area for ordinary citizens in Zwickau. The houses were small, two- or three-story townhouses that looked somewhat old.

Morin followed the address and found Captain Hauser’s house.

He straightened his uniform, held the flowers, walked up, and gently knocked on the door.

The door was opened by a woman in her thirties.

She wore a plain black dress, her hair simply tied back. Her face showed undisguised weariness and sorrow.

Upon seeing Morin’s officer’s service uniform, her body visibly stiffened.

“You are…?”

“Good morning, Madam Hauser?” Morin asked softly. “I am Friedrich Morin, Captain Hauser’s subordinate.”

Hearing the title “Captain Hauser,” the woman’s tears instantly welled up.

But she forced herself to hold them back, stepped aside, and let Morin into the house.

“Please come in.”

The interior of the house was simple but immaculately clean.

Morin placed the flowers on the table by the door, then presented the velvet-wrapped wristwatch and pocket watch to Madam Hauser.

“These are the Captain’s belongings. It was his final wish that these items be given to his wife, so I have come to return them.”

Madam Hauser took the two watches with trembling hands.

The moment her fingertips touched the cold metal, the tears she had been suppressing finally broke through.

She tightly clutched her husband’s belongings, squatting on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Morin stood by, saying nothing, quietly waiting for her to compose herself.

After a long while, Madam Hauser slowly stopped crying.

She wiped her tears, stood up, and managed a faint smile toward Morin.

“I apologize. Please forgive my behavior.”

(End of this Chapter)