"Yes, very young. I once had the pleasure of meeting the Count," Delphine said indifferently: "But to say he has a talent for governance might be an exaggeration. That Count has control over Tonyger’s silver mine and recently discovered a crystal mine. Everything now is just an illusion built on wealth."
"I think so too, it’s just a third-rate competition. But at least it’s lively." The young knight sitting behind Laurena yawned, looking disinterestedly at the scene before him. Nevertheless, he forced himself to be alert: "But it seems our luck isn’t too bad, bumping into the festivities of these country folk. Maybe the local Lord will have the sense to host us for a grand banquet. Since leaving Ambeser, my palate’s almost become acquainted with weeds."
"Weeds? Those are just wild vegetables." Laurena gave him a sideways glance, not in the best mood.
If it were other knights in the troop, they would dare not act so brazenly before her, the Knight Commander. But this man was none other than the Emperor’s brother, Prince Balano’s legitimate heir and her fiancé.
Originally, this expedition didn’t include him, but he followed along under the pretext of protecting her. By Martha, she knew perfectly well she didn’t need his protection. As a formal Knight Commander of the Dome Blue Army, she could take him down twice over.
Yet, Laurena sighed in the end. As a political marriage, she didn’t have much affection for him, but neither did she bear much aversion. Though this guy had a deplorable nature, compared to some of the Royal Capital’s noble scions, he was at least barely presentable.
The young knight shrugged: "Alright, you’re the boss." He glanced around and added: "I wonder if there will be the legendary bonfire party tonight. Just think, maybe one of those fiery mountain maidens will take a fancy to me."
"Something to look forward to," he turned around, raising his voice: "What do you think, Laurena?"
The female knight coldly replied, "Enough, Philas, don’t cause trouble. Nobody cares who you’ll inherit here. You’d better know who the local lord is."
Her tone was not pleasant. This guy had undoubtedly caused her quite a bit of trouble along the way. But Laurena also knew her words might not hold much sway over him, luckily they were indeed in Erune and not within Cruz. In this small kingdom, at most the local lord might only verbally express discontent.
"Of course I know. That Count has made a name for himself in Ambeser, causing us quite the loss. Both Duke Huaye and Duke Noshk noted how we Cruz people haven’t suffered such disgrace in nearly a hundred years. Cruz people will surely remember such a ’great favor’..."
Philas was speaking recklessly when he suddenly noticed Laurena glaring icy at him, making him shiver: "Alright, alright, I understand... Out of respect for Lord Veronica, I won’t seek trouble with him. Besides, I promised that young Faina girl... fine, fine, I get it. I’ll listen to you, dear Laurena."
"Philas, were it not for your father’s sake, I truly wouldn’t want to marry you," the female knight coldly retorted.
"I know, I know! I’ll stop, isn’t that okay?" The young knight hastily placated his fiancée’s anger. At least he knew marrying this Royal Capital talent and duke’s daughter was his fortune.
The female knight thought the source of trouble in the troop finally quieted down for a moment. She turned back intending to find the local lord. But before she could even take a breath, she heard the long whistle behind her.
"Laurena, look over there!" Philas whistled, suddenly shouting excitedly.
Usually, when this young master was thrilled, nothing good would happen. Sure enough, when Laurena turned back, she saw
Laurena barely turned around, not yet relaxed, when Philas blew a long whistle. A large group was gathering around a young girl walking down the avenue.
However, she had to admire her fiancé’s eye because that was indeed an unmatched beauty. The girl seemed only sixteen or seventeen, like many country girls she tied her hair up for convenience, exposing a smooth as jade forehead. But she wore a thick merchant’s leather outfit common in the Southern regions of Erune, making her stand out in the crowd and striking people with her uniqueness.
"Philas, don’t go bothering others." Laurena knew her fiancé cared about her, yet his mischievous nature led him to flirt, but only verbally.
This guy once suffered at some noble lady’s hands but showed no sign of learning his lesson.
Her words obviously had no effect, as Philas had become entirely spirited. He blew his whistle loudly, having traveled through many areas since leaving the Empire. He had never seen such an impressive girl — aside from his fiancée and the kelp-forbidden Imperial Chancellor’s daughter.
Our young prince from the Cruz Empire naturally set eyes on Roman, the Merchant Lady, who after rescuing some roast meat from the kitchen didn’t find Brand’s shadow, so she continued hawking ale along the street alone.
Because she often appeared publicly, nearly all of Lengshan’s subjects knew this very approachable Lord’s fiancée. No one dared to take advantage of her; rather, they happily bought her ale — it’s a privilege to drink ale personally sold by the Lady herself.
Yet, Roman carried an empty basin in one hand, holding a flag of the Silver Elf Princess, which she somehow acquired, in the other. Gleefully talking to those around her, she clearly hadn’t noticed the Cruz knights nearby.
Of course, you couldn’t blame her. In these bustling times, festival-attired riders and honor guards were everywhere. For ordinary subjects, it was challenging to distinguish between Cruz armor and Erune’s standard armor anyway.
For our Merchant Lady, of course, it was even harder to discern.
After all, they all looked like tin cans and none had pointed elf ears, so they all appeared the same, right? Moreover, who would have thought Cruz knights would turn up in this remote place?
Until a shadow covered her, as if blocking the sun, Roman paused and looked up to see the imposing figure of a Cruz knight before her.
Philas rode his horse to Roman, holding the reins tightly, turning the horse expertly. This performance was so skillful that nearby knights from other regions cheered. Philas himself was very satisfied, thinking it utterly sufficient to impress a few Erune country bumpkins.
"Beautiful lady, may I have the honor of knowing your name?"
He raised his head, expecting the look of admiration. Playing such tricks in Alfalfa Field and throughout his journey, he was used to this game, successfully earning cheers and attention each time. But this time, Philas realized he was bound to be disappointed.
He squinted and found the Erune bumpkins weren’t admiring — but looking at him scornfully, as if he was a fool.
The look seemed to say — where did this country bumpkin pop out from? (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)