Luoling didn’t dare disturb Enan any further. She stepped out of the study.
Once she closed the door, she couldn’t hold back anymore—the rims of her eyes turned red…
And that was exactly what Enan wanted to see.
If you want someone to never leave you, then make them invest as much of their heart in you as possible…
Tonight, Enan lay down in his room without summoning Luoling.
He began to consider the war ahead.
In the original owner’s memories, there had never been any war at all.
This gave Enan a headache…
That idiot hadn’t even considered that his beloved woman might destroy his own territory!
Now, all he could do was pin his hopes on the mysterious one-hundred-percent reward from Luoling…
Hurry up and obey me… Absolute obedience!
Luoling, too, sat in her own room, lost in deep sorrow.
She didn’t know why her Lord had suddenly become so cold toward her…
The next morning, Enan stood before the mirror, tidying his appearance.
Luoling could only watch silently from the side as the bastard Lord completely ignored her existence.
Enan’s drastic change in personality aroused her intense curiosity.
He even began focusing on developing and building the territory, laying out plans for the war that could come at any moment.
There were so many mysteries about him that it was her duty as a Retainer Maid to solve, yet Enan’s sudden coldness made her keep wondering what mistake she had made.
The next day, Enan once again took out four hundred Gold Coins, preparing to recruit soldiers and form a small, temporary army…
Enan’s actions also attracted the suspicion of the neighboring Storm Territory…
Serena sat in a luxurious living room, holding a glass of red wine, her brows furrowed as she listened to the Retainer’s report.
“Miss, Enan of Silver Lake Territory has been making frequent moves lately. Not only has he lowered taxes and begun recruiting soldiers, but he’s also urging the people to catch large quantities of Silver Fish from Silver Lake. It seems he’s making thorough preparations for war.”
The Retainer reported respectfully.
Serena took a sip of red wine, anger flashing in her eyes.
“This Enan—he used to obey my every word like a lapdog. Didn’t he say he was going to sell the warhorses?! Why is he suddenly recruiting soldiers again!?”
This bastard even wrote a letter to trick me out of my money!
Thinking of that letter, Serena slammed her wine glass onto the floor, the sound of shattering glass especially piercing in the silent room!
“Miss, please calm your anger!”
The Retainer quickly lowered their head, not daring to meet Serena’s furious gaze.
At that moment, she realized she might have been played by Enan…
She wanted to confront Enan face to face, but still holding onto a shred of hope, she decided to continue playing her role…
A Noble Lady, locked away by her father, unable to be with her beloved…
She wrote a letter, determined to test that bastard’s intentions.
Enan… Are you abandoning me? Is our love really so easily discarded by you?
But when Enan received the questioning letter, a cold smile appeared on his face.
He quickly penned a reply, soothing this devious woman…
The content was nothing more than saying he had intended to sell the territory’s warhorses, but that damned Military Commander refused!
So he had no choice but to overfish Silver Fish, sell them, and gather the Dowry, all while building up a new army to deal with the potentially rebellious Commander!
He even wrote in the letter that he hoped Serena could persuade her father to send troops and join forces with him to suppress the rebellion from within and without!
As for whether Serena believed it?
That didn’t matter at all.
The goal was just to delay for as long as possible!
The large-scale fishing of Silver Fish would definitely destroy Silver Lake’s ecological balance, but there was no choice—Enan was ready for war at any time!
Selling Silver Fish every day also brought in around 75 Gold Coins, much faster than squeezing taxes…
But the original owner, that idiot, always treated Silver Lake as his foundation, thinking that as long as he managed it well, he could ensure a life of luxury!
As for the lives of the people? Nobles never cared!
At this moment, Enan was only thinking about how to quickly raise Luoling’s obedience and unlock the first reward of the golden finger!
And when Serena of Storm Territory received the reply, she hesitated again…
One had to admit, this idiot’s excuse was actually quite reasonable.
And… did he really want to invite wolves into his own house?
Letting another noble come to his territory to help him “restore order”?
That was exactly the kind of idea that idiot would come up with!
“Is this Enan… still the same lapdog as before?”
Serena muttered to herself, tapping her fingers on the table as she pondered her next move.
She looked at the letter, with every word calling her “sweetheart” and “darling,” and her hair stood on end…
Forcing herself to endure the discomfort, Serena read the letter several more times, trying to find Enan’s true intentions between the lines.
In the end, with no choice left, she had to seek out her father, who had long been plotting to swallow up Silver Lake Territory…
If they succeeded, their family might even have a chance to rise in status, becoming Viscounts with a bit more effort from those above.
Serena herself could then become a Noble Lady of a Viscount household, rising from the lowest ranks of the Empire’s nobility.
Serena hurried to her father’s study, finding him seated behind a large desk, poring over the territory’s account books.
“Father, Enan of Silver Lake Territory has been acting very suspiciously lately.”
Serena abandoned all etiquette, getting straight to the point.
Loren set aside the account book and looked up at his daughter, his eyes steady and shrewd.
“Oh? Tell me more.”
Serena recounted all of Enan’s recent actions to her father.
“So you’re saying…”
Loren tapped his desk, immediately catching the key point.
“He gave us a reason to attack!?”
Loren couldn’t believe it. Was someone really inviting others to attack their own territory!?
Serena also frowned, her face full of confusion and caution.
“That’s right… But this idiot really might do something like that…”
Loren fell silent, slowly standing and pacing the study.
Is this Enan… truly an idiot? Or has he just been pretending all along?
“Father…”
Seeing Loren’s hesitation, Serena could only remind him.
“Based on his previous behavior, I can tell he really likes me.”
Loren stopped and looked at Serena, his eyes scrutinizing.
“Serena, you must remember… Emotions are often worthless in the face of interests…”
Yes…
But if he’s asking Storm Territory to send troops against his own land, what interest does he gain?
Does he really think he can win!? That’s impossible!
“Could it be…”
Serena considered another possibility.
“Did he receive some mysterious advice recently?”
But there was no so-called “expert” in Silver Lake Territory!
The father and daughter fell into a brainstorming session right there in the study…
When an idiot really handed them the cake, they were too afraid to eat it!
It was something they had never imagined…
Meanwhile, Enan was once again scheming how to create a sense of contrast for Luoling, making her gradually center her world on him amidst this push-and-pull attitude…