Alicia submitted the revised plan, which was approved.
Leyn gathered all the small and medium merchants in the castle and held a banquet.
Of course, although it was called a banquet, there was hardly any decent food during the Year of Great Disaster.
Once the merchants took their seats, the castle gates slammed shut, the drawbridge at the main entrance was raised, and all the guards in the banquet hall were replaced with elite EDF soldiers.
A chilling, murderous atmosphere filled the room—truly a feast that was no feast.
Alicia did not attend this banquet.
Perhaps due to the weather, her temper, or exhaustion, she was again suffering from Heavenly Bloom Disorder, unable to straighten her back from the pain.
She could only lie at home groaning in agony.
‘Damn it, I underestimated a girl’s body. Dysmenorrhea is something I never wanted to experience—!’
Afterward, the agents reported that the atmosphere at the banquet had been tense at times.
Initially, the merchants tried to bargain, offering symbolic price reductions to placate Leyn, but under his combination of carrot and stick—threats and inducements—they eventually compromised and agreed to sell grain to him at a lower price.
Even so, the food crisis within the territory was only slightly alleviated.
It could barely last until early spring, but from sowing in spring to the autumn harvest, there was still nearly half a year!
The food problem remained severe.
In fact, Leyn had calculated that if he followed the girl’s original plan—brutally and bloodily hunting down those grain speculators—the grain recovered might significantly ease the situation.
But if he did that, would any merchant dare to do business here in the future?
Draining the pond to catch all the fish was not the right path.
He would first solve the immediate crisis, then consider the next steps.
Nevertheless, with grain to relieve the refugees, Leyn’s popularity among the commoners soared.
Refugees from other noble territories even began to flock to him.
Over time, despite the Year of Great Disaster, the population within his territory actually maintained a growth trend.
“With that, after encouraging land reclamation in spring and introducing some farming techniques, we should be able to reverse the years of poor harvests, right? Ouch~”
The girl rubbed her lower abdomen, her face pale, and leaned weakly against the head of the bed.
“So, Lord and Master, do you have any capable retainers for agriculture, economy, and internal affairs? I truly don’t understand farming…”
Leyn watched her, clearly in terrible pain but still forcing herself to think about official matters.
An inexplicable tightness gripped his heart.
“Uh… I came to visit you today, not to assign you tasks,” he said with a soft sigh.
“Relax, just rest well. We’ll talk about these things when you’re better.”
“No…”
Alicia shook her head.
“Given the current situation, how can I possibly relax? Lord and Master, don’t change the subject. Do you have any talents in this area? Especially in agriculture! With the massive influx of people, this spring is the golden period for organizing land reclamation and restoring production! We can’t miss this opportunity!”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, even trying to prop herself up, only to grimace in pain from the effort.
Leyn quickly reached out and gestured for her not to move.
Then he gently brushed the sweat-dampened hair from her forehead, tucking it behind her ear.
“Talents?”
Leyn pondered, his gaze drifting toward the still-overcast sky outside the window, as if recalling something.
“Although I wouldn’t call him a retainer… there is indeed such a genius. He’s quite outstanding in agricultural irrigation, personnel allocation, and city management.”
“Really?!”
Upon hearing this, Alicia momentarily forgot her pain.
She instinctively grabbed Leyn’s sleeve and gently shook it.
“That’s great! Who? Where is he now? Can you invite him to talk with me?”
A bitter expression flickered across Leyn’s face.
“Unfortunately…”
“Unfortunately what?”
Alicia pressed eagerly.
Leyn was silent for a moment, then shook his head regretfully.
“That person is Lemeng.”
The girl was stunned.
Lemeng?
Are you kidding me?
Your younger brother wants to kick you off the position of head of the family!
Watching the look of utter disbelief on Alicia’s face, Leyn could only smile bitterly in self-mockery.
He stood up, as if to end this unpleasant conversation.
“Anyway… I’ll think of other ways. Don’t worry about all this. Just rest well and focus on recovering your health. That’s the most important thing.”
“Wait! Lord and Master!”
Seeing he was about to leave, Alicia, as if gaining a burst of strength, suddenly reached out from under the blanket and grabbed Leyn’s arm.
Her hand was ice-cold and trembling slightly, but her grip was firm.
Alicia took a deep breath.
“I have an idea, but before that, could you tell me exactly what the situation is between you and Lord Lemeng?”
“Why do you want to know that?”
Leyn’s expression showed reluctance.
The girl, Alicia, bit her lower lip and slowly spoke.
“I… want to persuade Lemeng to surrender.”
“What?!”
Leyn was taken aback, almost shouting.
He instinctively tried to pull his arm back, but Alicia held it tightly.
“Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten what happened to Dike Xiaote? No! Absolutely not!”
“That’s why, to assess the feasibility, I need to know what conflict exists between you and Lord Lemeng,” the girl Alicia said, meeting his angry gaze without flinching.
“You’re brothers. You should work together. How did you suddenly turn against each other?”
Leyn pressed his lips tightly, his eyes flickering.
He avoided Alicia’s too-sharp gaze.
Only the faint crackling of the charcoal fire and their slightly rapid breathing filled the room.
“You’d better drop the idea.”
After a long silence, Leyn spoke, his voice hoarse.
“It’s not just a problem between Lemeng and me. Lemeng… he’s not actually a bad person. In some ways, he’s even more benevolent than I am. But…”
He hesitated.
The girl didn’t speak, but just looked at him with probing, persistent eyes.
Leyn’s shoulders slumped.
He let out a long sigh, defeated by the girl’s gaze.
“Alright, alright… In the end, it traces back to Duchess Diana.”
“Duchess Diana?”
Alicia repeated softly.
It was the first time she had heard that name.
Leyn nodded.
“She is our… mother.”
……
At first, Duchess Diana had high hopes for Leyn.
He was the eldest son of the family, the legitimate heir of the Maximilian Family, the future who would carry on the bloodline and glory.
However, fate seemed intent on testing the child.
Since infancy, Leyn had been frail and sickly.
In that era of backward medical conditions, a toddler under one year old who constantly drank herbal decoctions and often hovered between life and death was like a candle flickering in the wind.
Under such circumstances, having a second son was a very practical choice.
Lemeng was born two years after Leyn.
Compared to Leyn, who was still taking medicinal decoctions at age two, Lemeng appeared rosy-cheeked and healthy from birth, with a loud cry full of vitality.
To anyone, he seemed like a more promising heir.
From that moment, the Duchess’s heart gradually began to lean toward her second son, Lemeng.
But Leyn miraculously survived infancy, and as he grew older, his health gradually improved.
He was curious about everything in the world and wanted to try every new thing he encountered.
However, in his parents’ eyes, this enthusiasm made him nothing but a mischievous brat.
Except for selecting a retainer as Leyn’s tutor under the Old Grand Duke’s orders, the Duchess poured almost all her energy and love into her second son, Lemeng.
She personally oversaw Lemeng’s diet and daily life, carefully chose his playmates and primers, and devoted herself wholeheartedly to his early education.
After all, in a mother’s eyes, Lemeng—quiet, steady, obedient, diligent, and studious—was always more suitable to inherit the position of head of the family than Leyn, who was ignorant of etiquette, unrestrained in behavior, and spent all day mingling with lowly commoners.
Thus, while Leyn was catching insects and digging up chicken coops in the fields, the Duchess hired better teachers for Lemeng, exclusively to instruct him.
When Leyn returned covered in filth, scolded by the servants as he was dragged back, Lemeng sat upright in the clean study, copying elegant cursive script.
In Lemeng’s gradually forming understanding, this brother of his, who was hardly ever seen, was nothing but a disgrace to his mother and the family—a good-for-nothing, idle, and worthless scoundrel.
The two brothers’ temperaments and preferences grew in completely opposite directions under their vastly different environments.
Leyn was more interested in martial arts, military studies, and command.
He often pestered the generals to teach him the essentials of marching and fighting, or used a branch he picked up somewhere as a weapon to practice swordsmanship with the Old Grand Duke.
Lemeng, on the other hand, was more interested in spring plowing and autumn harvests, and the art of making money from money.
He could sit at his desk all day, burying himself in his studies—a sight that made the Duchess deeply fond of him.
Day by day, this accumulated.
The Duchess became increasingly convinced that her judgment was correct.
Lemeng was calm, composed, courteous, benevolent, diligent, and eager to learn.
In terms of temperament, ability, and noble demeanor, he perfectly matched the ideal image of a future lord, even a Grand Duke’s heir.
Most importantly—Lemeng was obedient! He almost never defied his mother’s wishes.
He always gently accepted her demands and arrangements, and strove to do his best.
“Sometimes, I really want to know,” Leyn said softly, almost as if talking to himself.
His gaze fixed on some empty point outside the window, he pursed his lips bitterly.
“Did Mother… back then, when she so stubbornly wanted Lemeng to become the head of the family, was it because she truly loved him and thought he was better than me, or because she wanted a head of the family who would act according to her will?”
It seemed he had asked himself this question a thousand times, but had never found an answer—and perhaps never would.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Alicia hesitated, then answered, “Maybe it was both. But as things stand now, even though you brothers have very different temperaments and even some estrangement and misunderstandings, it shouldn’t have escalated to the point of armed conflict.”
Leyn closed his eyes.
“The situation took a sharp turn for the worse after Father passed away.”