Chapter 9

"Master Brandon, you should allow the maids to do that for you; that's what we get paid for," Leah, the cook, voiced shakily as she walked into the kitchen after her break to see Brandon cutting himself a plate of fruit.

A cold shiver ran down her back at the thought of how livid Henry would be if he found out about Brandon serving himself.

"Give it to me; I'll be done in no time," she announced as she moved closer, trying to take up the task from him.

"It's fine; I can do it myself. It's just a plate of fruit," Brandon replied calmly as he continued to peel the apple like he had done thousands of times in the past.

"I heard you will be in charge of the banquet menu; what will be on the menu, if I may ask?" Brandon questioned, trying to make small talk to help her relax and get used to his presence since it would soon become an everyday occurrence in the mansion.

Suddenly getting served when he had been the one doing the serving all his life made him feel awkward and uncomfortable, which is why he decided to do small things for himself every chance he got.

And the only chance is when Henry leaves the mansion to go deal with the empire's business.

Hearing his words, Leah relaxed, and a bright smile appeared on her face as she began telling him about the meals that had been planned for the banquet.

Just a glance at the change in her demeanor, and one could tell she loves her job.

Bringing out the written list of foods, she began to explain, "We'll start with an array of finger foods and hors d'oeuvres," she explained, her eyes lighting up.

"Miniature quiches, smoked salmon canapés, and bacon-wrapped dates, just to name a few. For the main course, we'll be serving a choice of pan-seared sea bass with a lemon butter sauce or an herb-crusted rack of lamb with a red wine reduction." As she listed the dishes, Brandon frowned, having never heard or tasted any of the mentioned dishes.

Despite marrying from a wealthy family, he had never been privileged to attend any of those extravagant banquets because his ex-in-laws never liked him.

As he continued listening, he got lost in Leah's excited chatter, and the mistake was that he sliced up his ring finger with the sharp knife he was holding.

"Oh my goodness!" Leah exclaimed as she hurriedly ran towards the other side of the kitchen to bring the first aid kit.

Brandon pursed his lips and raised an amused brow at her overreaction.

"It was just a minor cut, and there is no need to get all worked up about it," he muttered as he took the bloodied finger to the table to wash away the blood stains.

Before he could wash the blood away, it came into contact with the bronze ring on his finger, and a blue panel appeared in front of him.

Startled, Brandon jumped back in fear but soon realized that the panel had jumped with him.

Before he could utter a word, the mechanical voice of the system rang out in his head.

"Dragon system awakening complete."

"The dragon system is bound to the host. ' Bradley Cooper: A descendant of Greg Cooper"

"All information processed."

"Profile created"

'Name: Brandon Arni's (real name: Bradley Cooper)

Age: 25

Height: 5ft9

Weight: 163 pounds

Personal Wealth: Poor

Title: Unknown Heir to the Dragon Empire.

Skills: a skilled server and a novice engineer.

Mental health status: confused and frightened, the voice read out further, leaving Brandon in a state of shock and confusion.

Hearing the voice, he remembered he had once heard something similar when he was about to pass out at the club after getting beaten up by Dean and his guards.

With furrowed brows, he lifted his hands, trying to feel the panel, only for his hands to pass through to the other side.

'The system panel cannot be touched as it is an entity that does not exist in the immediate world around you. If you need to give the system a command, all you need to do is think of it,' the mechanical voice rang out in his head again.

Leah soon returned with the first aid box; she set it on the table to see her boss staring at the space in a dazed manner, "Is everything alright?" She asked worriedly, afraid that the cut had truly affected the man.

"Did you see this?" Brandon asked as he pointed to the system panel floating in front of him. Leah, with a confused expression, looked around for what he was pointing at but found nothing.

"There is nothing there, Master Brandon," she replied, just in time for the system to speak again.

'Only you can see or hear me,' hearing the system's words, Brandon's frown deepened as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Brandon washed away the blood stains on his hands as he informed the floating blue screen in front of him. Thinking all the events and stress that had happened in the past few days had started causing him to hallucinate, he picked up the blood-stained fruits and discarded them while carrying the fresh ones up to his room to munch on before going to sleep.

As he ate, his eyes remained on the unchanging blue screen before him. Both of them have not said anything to one another for the longest period of time.

Once he was done eating the fruit, Brandon picked up his phone and sent a simple message to Henry, and he got a reply almost immediately.

Brandon: Is the empire working on any advanced artificial intelligence projects at the moment?

Henry: No. Is there a reason for your question?

Brandon read Henry's reply five times, each time he'll look from the reply to the panel and then back to the reply.

As a headache began to form, he placed his phone on the bedside table and laid down with his eyes closed.

"I'm starting to see things because I am stressed. It will leave once I've gotten enough rest."