Five days had passed, and Finn was still struggling to fully grasp the reality of being a baron's son. Each morning he woke up expecting his phone alarm, the dull ceiling of his old room, or the sound of traffic outside. Instead, he was greeted by stone walls, servants bowing too deeply, and a knight who followed him everywhere like a shadow.
With Sir Raymond constantly at his side, Finn never would have imagined he would end up in a world like this. Back then, after high school, college had been next. It was a simple plan, a boring plan, but it was his. Destiny, however, clearly had other ideas for a nobody like him.
Back in school, Finn had lived on the edges of everything. He ate alone, studied alone, and walked to school alone. Crowds made him uncomfortable, laughter not directed at him felt suspicious, and friendships felt like traps waiting to snap shut.
His first attempt at making a friend had been all the way back in kindergarten. He still remembered it vividly. He had clutched a small clay figure in his hands, heart pounding, and walked up to another boy to ask if they could play together. Before he could even finish the sentence, a much bigger kid, far too old to still be in kindergarten, had tripped him.
Finn hit the ground hard and the clay figure shattered on the floor.
The other boy named Mason cried. The teacher shouted. And from that day on, Mason decided Finn was his enemy. The bullying never stopped. It followed him through grades, hallways, and years, until Finn finally shut the door on friendships entirely.
Now, in this new life, standing in the shoes of a noble, Finn had decided to try again.
He would make a friend, and that friend would be Sir Raymond. But there was just one problem.
Sir Raymond hadn't said a single word since the oath talking dar the dinning table.
The man walked when Finn walked, stopped when Finn stopped, and watched everything with sharp, unblinking eyes. It was as if he had taken a vow of silence alongside his oath of loyalty.
Today, Finn's father instructed him to go into town to collect taxes from the farmers and merchants. As usual, Sir Raymond accompanied him, armor gleaming faintly under the sun. A clerk followed closely behind, clutching a thick ledger to his chest like a lifeline.
As Finn watched the clerk gather coins from weary hands, a strange thought crossed his mind.
'Wow… I can't believe I've become the government that collects taxes now. I used to cuss at the when my mom has to pay tax every month, wow.'
The realization felt surreal. It was boring, no painfully boring.
Some farmers pleaded with trembling voices, asking for their fees to be reduced. Others swore they had no money at all, their barns empty and their crops barely surviving the season. The merchants were no better. They complained loudly that business had slowed, that people could no longer afford their goods, that the roads were unsafe and customers scarce.
Finn listened to it all, nodding when expected, saying nothing when unsure.
But the baron had no choice.
His father was simply following the duke's orders.
And from what Finn could see, those orders had affected the baron himself as well. The manor was quieter than it should have been. Servants whispered. Repairs were delayed. In short, the household was broke, and a heavy shadow of debt loomed just around the corner.
Night eventually came, and the tax collecting was finally done. The streets grew quieter as lanterns were lit one by one.
Finn turned to the clerk. "You can go home."
The man bowed deeply, relief evident on his face, and hurried off into the darkness.
This was it.Finn slowed his steps, allowing the silence to stretch between himself and the knight beside him.
This is my moment, he thought. Time to get to know him, and make him my friend.
"So," Finn said casually, bumping Raymond's shoulder lightly, "what do you do for fun, Raymond?"
Raymond did not respond, he did not even turn his head.
"Oh," Finn muttered. "The silent treatment, huh?"
They continued walking.
'What if I use authority on him? Finn wondered. Will he talk then? But I don't want obedience. I want a friend, not someone I control.'
He inhaled slowly and straightened his back.
"I command you to speak to me, Sir Raymond," Finn said, forcing his voice to sound firm. "You are to obey me and answer my questions, or you will be considered a traitor. Do you understand?"
The words felt ridiculous the moment they left his mouth. They reminded him of a middle school play he had once been in, the only time he had ever truly mingled with his classmates.
Raymond stopped walking.He turned and nodded once. Relief washed over Finn's face so suddenly that he laughed under his breath.
"Good," Finn said, smiling. "Now tell me, what do you do for fun?"
"I am not allowed to have fun, my lord," Raymond replied. His voice was deep, steady, and completely serious. "I am only allowed to protect you from any attack or danger."
Finn blinked.
"…Okay then," he said after a moment. "As long as you're protecting me, we're going to have fun and become friends."
Raymond raised an eyebrow, clearly struggling to understand why the baron's son was acting this way.
"So, friend," Finn continued, grinning, "take me to a place for people like me."
Raymond hesitated only briefly before changing direction.
Later, Finn found himself standing in a place he never would have imagined setting foot in. Nobles filled the room, but none of them acted nobly in the slightest. Some were tucked into shadowed corners, drinking and laughing while women sat on their laps, kissing and groping them openly. Others crowded around gambling tables, coins clinking as half-naked women danced nearby. Performers moved through the space, their laughter blending with music and drunken cheers.
The entire place reeked of alcohol. The air was thick, heavy, and filled with moans and whispered promises clinging to nearly every noble present.
Finn swallowed.
"Hmm, Sir Raymond," he said slowly, his eyes darting everywhere at once, "are you sure this is the kind of place people like me are supposed to hang around?"
He had heard of places like this. Rumors, jokes, exaggerated stories whispered among students and reading books.
But he had never imagined being in one.
Yet here he was.
"Oh my god…" Finn muttered, freezing mid-step. "Is that woman really giving that man a blowjob? Here? In public?"
A naked woman knelt before a half-naked, middle-aged man, completely unconcerned with the dozens of eyes around them.
Finn stared longer than he should have. Heat rushed to his face, his body reacting before his mind could catch up.
"Holy shit," Finn moaned as a naked blonde woman appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his balls.
The sudden touch jolted him.
She smiled, her hands roaming freely, confident and unashamed.
"Oh shit… this isn't right," Finn whispered, barely audible over the noise.
"Do you want me to stop my lord?" the woman asked softly, her breath warm against his ear.
"No," Finn replied after a second. "I just mean… not right in front of everyone. This is supposed to be a private thing."
The woman burst out laughing.
Before Finn could react, she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the crowd, weaving between bodies and laughter toward a quieter corridor.
As they moved, Finn glanced back.
For just a second, he spotted Raymond.
The knight wasn't watching him.
His attention was fixed on a young man sitting among other nobles, all of them laughing, drinking, and making out with women like nothing else in the world mattered.
Finn turned away as the door to the private room closed behind him.