However, Inan was also just a tool in the thief’s eyes; she planned to groom him. Once Inan was no longer useful, she would hand him over to Fiona — the Chancellor who wanted to control the nobility — to serve as a political achievement…
Exactly, the pig should be fattened before it is slaughtered!
The three individuals stayed in the study, each harboring their own ulterior motives…
Inan massaged Nancy’s feet until the woman fell into a deep sleep, and only then did he leave the Fujin Territory. By the time he returned to the castle, it was already 7:00 or 8:00 AM. Freya and Aurora had not yet woken up…
Nobles were not exactly diligent lords. If they had nothing to do, they would sleep until after 10:00 AM. They would then find some entertainment, have afternoon tea, and flirt with the maids. In the evening, they would attend various types of parties, where they would begin to form their own social circles…
Meanwhile, Inan finished his meal and took a toolbox from the maids. They had already finished cleaning the props from the previous night. Then, the bastard carried the toolbox into Aurora’s room!
Aurora seemed to be awakened by the sound of Inan pushing open the door. She rubbed her eyes groggily. “Brother Inan?”
With sleepy eyes, she saw the toolbox in Inan’s hand and felt a bit curious. Inan ignored her and took out white lace ribbons from the toolbox, tying them around Aurora’s head to cover her eyes…
Aurora let out a soft whimper. She instinctively reached up to pull the lace ribbon off her head, but Inan gently caught her wrist.
“Good girl… don’t move.”
And so, the industrious Viscount Inan began his day’s work! In short, regardless of anything else, Inan could be considered an industrious lord. There was no doubt about that!
Because of his diligence, Carl had also become very industrious lately. Hearing that the City Lord had returned to the castle early in the morning, Carl prepared to head to the Viscount’s castle to report on his work after finishing breakfast. He had just finished breakfast with a group of slave traders — who should now be called the Heads of the Slave Capture Department. Platters of bloody, raw monster meat were placed before them…
The fat man, Carl, mimicked Inan’s way of dining. He sliced off pieces of raw monster meat and put them into his mouth, forcing himself to endure the discomfort. Ever since Inan had forced him to swallow those glass shards, he had understood one principle: power could crush everything!
So, even though he was uncomfortable now, he was very happy. This was because the expressions on the faces of these slave traders as they watched him eat raw meat were exactly the same as the expression Carl used to have when watching Inan eat!
“What? Is this not to the liking of the Heads of the Slave Capture Department?” Carl boldly stabbed a piece of raw meat and shoved it into his mouth. “Or do you want to eat something else?”
The department heads looked at each other. They wanted to change the menu… but did they dare? Could they? They could only grit their teeth and share the meal with Carl.
This was the taste of power! Carl had finally learned a thing or two from Inan!
After finishing his meal, Carl immediately boarded a carriage and headed for the castle in the Rosen Territory. He waited in the hall for a long time, and it was not until noon that he saw Inan slowly push open the doors.
Inan sat slowly in the main seat, and Carl began to report on his work…
Inan had no interest in listening to the details. It was only when Carl mentioned that the initial investment would be about 100,000 that Inan simply waved his hand and ordered the servants to fetch it from the treasury. Carl felt a bit invigorated. One great thing about his lord was that he never procrastinated and never asked too many questions.
He only cared about the results!
Looking at the excitement in Carl’s eyes, Inan pulled out a dagger from his robes and began to trim his nails. He looked up at the fat man. “I am quite satisfied with your work. I am not an ungrateful person. Tell me… what do you want?”
Hearing Inan’s words, Carl’s eyes lit up instantly, but then he became nervous again.
‘To be honest, Inan is the most mercurial noble I have ever met. When you talk to him, you never know which word might trigger his nerves.’
Therefore, he knelt down directly, his fat shaking as he did not dare to speak.
Seeing the fat man so frightened, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Inan’s mouth. “I told you, I am not an ungrateful person. When I am promoted to an Earl, I promise you that you will definitely be the first noble in the Empire to rise from a slave trader to a Baron!”
Hearing this, Carl’s eyes widened in shock. His trembling body froze instantly, and it took him a long while to react. His voice trembled with excitement. “My Lord! Is… is what you said true?”
His eyes flashed with disbelief, followed by a series of heavy *thuds* as he kowtowed, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull sound…
“I will never forget your great kindness and virtue, My Lord! From now on, I am your dog. If you tell me to go east, I will never dare to go west!”
The smile on Inan’s face widened slightly. He was very satisfied to see Carl like this. “Alright, if there is nothing else, you may leave.”
After Carl walked out of the castle, he still could not suppress his excited expression. He swore that he would be loyal to Inan unto death. Whoever dared to oppose Inan, he would kill them! Only by ensuring Inan’s interests could he have meat to eat!
***
Meanwhile, Aurora struggled to sit up and washed her body with the help of a maid. Her feelings had been very complicated these past few days, and she was somewhat distracted during her etiquette lessons.
Seeing Aurora’s absent-minded state, her teacher, Alice, could not help but frown. “Aurora, what are you thinking about?”
Aurora snapped back to reality and looked at Alice with a complicated gaze. There were even faint traces of tears in her eyes. “Teacher Alice… do you think what Brother Inan does is right?”
“Everyone says that Brother Inan is a demon, a beast, and a man who has bathed several territories in blood, treating human life like grass. But… Aurora thinks Brother Inan is a good person.”
Alice was slightly stunned. Looking at Aurora’s expression full of conflict and confusion, a trace of pity rose in her heart. She took Aurora’s hand and led her to a rose bush in the garden.
Alice placed Aurora’s hand at the base of the stem. “Aurora, try pulling out this rose now…”
Aurora looked at Alice with a puzzled expression, not understanding why she was being asked to pull out the rose, but she did so anyway. She reached out, grasped the stem of the rose, and pulled hard. However, the rose’s roots were buried deep in the soil. She could not pull it out all at once; instead, her finger was cut by a thorn, and a single drop of blood welled up.
“It hurts…” Aurora whispered, immediately withdrawing her hand…
“It hurts for a reason. You blame the thorns on the rose because they hurt you,” Alice said as she cleaned the wound. “However, the green leaves and petals of this plant do not blame the thorns. They protect the leaves and flowers so they can safely draw nutrients from the soil… If even a delicate flower like Aurora does not understand a thorn like Viscount Inan, he would be very sad, wouldn’t he?”
Teacher Alice sighed softly and looked at Aurora with a gentle gaze, her eyes full of expectation. Afterward, the etiquette teacher left the castle. She had given Aurora a lesson titled — Know Your Place!
[Her Majesty Theresa, image 3 is in the author’s note]