A gold clock, shaped like a miniature Big Ben, showed exactly seven in the morning. The doors beneath the clock face swung open, and a small toy figure dressed in a black suit emerged. Clutched in his right hand was a small bell. The figure's hand began to move up and down, and the bell began to ring softly.
A little boy in white pajamas lay on a huge double bed with a scarlet canopy. The pillowcases and sheets were gold. The duvet cover on the enormous blanket was gold and smooth on the inside, and scarlet and velvet on the outside.
The sound of the bell made the boy stir in his bed. He struggled to lift himself slightly and then collapsed back onto the pillow. His blond hair was disheveled and scattered. He buried his head under the pillows and covered himself with them.
The toy man drove back into the clock, and another one, identical to the one with a horn, drove out. The bravura sounds of the horn rang out quite loudly.
The enormous double oak doors, varnished brown, swung open. A butler appeared in the doorway-a man in his forties, with chestnut-colored hair combed perfectly to the side. He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, a white shirt, and a black tie. His posture was so perfect, it looked as if he'd swallowed a crowbar.
Electric lamps in the shape of golden candlesticks hung on the walls near the front door. To the right was a rack of various balls, and to the left was a huge chest of drawers filled with toys to suit every taste and color. In a recessed niche next to the balls stood a full suit of medieval knight's steel armor.
The vast room was finished with brown wooden wall panels up to a height of two meters at the bottom. The upper wall was painted a sandy color over textured plaster.
The butler passed the toys and armor and walked past the door that led to the bathroom.
Further on, the room widened. To the right was a huge fireplace, above which hung a life-size portrait of a blond, blue-eyed seven-year-old boy, depicted as a medieval prince in a luxurious green doublet (the same boy now lying on the bed). A gold-colored chair stood near the fireplace. The floors were tiled in burgundy with a gold pattern in the center.
The butler reached the boy's bed and said:
- Rise! Time to get to work, Mr. Richie, don't be lazy! You've got a busy day ahead of you.
The butler reached the window and pulled open the burgundy curtains. Bright sunlight flooded the spacious bedroom.
"Oh, what a wonderful morning!" the butler said in an exaggeratedly cheerful tone. "Get up, sir. Don't keep your coach waiting."
The boy pulled his head out from under the pillows, yawned widely, and suddenly opened his eyes wide. They seemed to be about to pop out of their sockets; he was incredibly astonished, as if he were seeing the butler and his place of residence for the first time.
"Who are you? Where am I?" the child exclaimed.
The butler chuckled meaningfully and grinned.
"Mr. Richie, stop your tricks," he said. "Get up, wash up, and go downstairs."
The child, with an even more surprised look, sat up abruptly and began to examine his hands as if he was seeing them for the first time.
"I'm a child?!" he said in amazement. "Oh my God! I'M A CHILD!"
The boy put his right hand into his pajama pants and then breathed a sigh of relief.
- Phew! At least it's a guy!
"Mr. Richie, this isn't a funny joke," the butler said with a note of displeasure in his voice. "Feigning amnesia is useless-it won't excuse you from your studies."
"Uh-uh..." the boy drawled. "Are you my father?"
"No, sir," the butler shook his head from side to side. "I am John, your valet. Get up."
- Okay, I'm getting up.
The boy stood up and began to examine the room with the genuine interest of a pioneer. His face showed delight.
"My God, I'm rich!" he said.
"Yes, sir," the butler confirmed. "But as your father says, 'Even if you were born with a long silver spoon in your mouth, you shouldn't eat with it forever.'"
The butler pulled back one of the wall panels, revealing a huge wardrobe with an incredible selection of clothes and shoes. John picked up a pair of black shorts, white sneakers, a T-shirt, and socks, then handed them to the boy.
- Put it on, sir. Don't forget to use the bathroom. The trainer is waiting for you in the gym.
A note on punctuation: In this translation, em dashes (—) are used to introduce direct speech, following the convention of the original text. Quotation marks (" ") are reserved for indirect speech and citations, as used by the author. This distinction is intentional and has been preserved throughout.