Edward rubbed his tired brow once more and turned his gaze to the advisor standing beside him, speaking wearily.
"What do you think of Bill No. 6?"
The advisor thought for a mont and replied, seemingly evasively.
"Your Majesty, I do not wish to comnt on where this bill will lead our duchy, but I believe Princess Erin is indeed sowhat inappropriate; she seems to regard the sword at her waist as a crown."
Edward let out a snort of laughter.
"That's quite a harsh criticism."
"But I don't intend to take it back," the advisor nodded slightly, withstanding the sharp gaze of the monarch, "Your Majesty, if you were a dimwitted king, I would say nothing. But since it's you, you must know Richard hasn't told you the truth. The citizens of Thunder City cheer for the Campbell family na, but the person they are truly praising is your sister, the one who truly inherited the Light of Praise—"
"Enough! I understand."
Seeing the suddenly angry duke, the advisor was montarily startled, then bowed his head.
"...Perhaps marrying her off is a good choice, so she should, according to the law, return the sword to you."
With those final words, the advisor respectfully nodded and took his leave, gently closing the study door, leaving the revered monarch alone at the desk, his face heavy with thought.
The room was left with only himself.
Edward felt his mood settle sowhat, yet the complexity in his eyes did not fade.
To this day, he still didn't understand why his father chose to do what he did on his deathbed.
He was not afraid of sacrifice.
To die for glory was the ongoing mission of the Campbell family, as well as the destiny of every duke.
If one day he needed to wield that Legendary Sword, he would unhesitatingly fulfill his sacred duty, and like lightning, illuminate his remaining life, then, as his father once did, pass the duchy to his children.
If his father had handed that sword to him, all the problems he faced today wouldn't be so troubleso!
And it wasn't just about him—
It was about Erin!
If she hadn't inherited the Light of Praise, she wouldn't need to force herself to beco strong, nor bear burdens that weren't hers. She could live a carefree life like her peers, fall in love with soone she likes, and start a family, and those ill-intentioned flies wouldn't set their eyes on her...
And while bearing both the sword and the crown, he would lead the Campbell Duchy to beco an unimaginably powerful nation.
Hell would no longer be a threat to them!
Edward's fist involuntarily clenched, a shadow erging in his complex gaze.
Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the study, followed by a knock at the door.
"Your Majesty! A letter from Twilight Province! It's from the Provincial Governor!"
The sudden voice interrupted Edward's thoughts, and he imdiately looked up and said.
"Co in!"
The door quickly opened, and an attendant hurried to his desk, presenting a letter sealed with fire wax.
It bore the emblem of Baron Aelaric Valerius.
Though the gentleman's title was rely a baron, the position of Provincial Governor lent him power and status on par with an average duke.
Edward was not unfamiliar with Governor Ailarike.
On one hand, his father had a good personal friendship with this person; on the other hand, the vast expanse of Twilight Province was Campbell Duchy's primary "neighboring country," and its stability directly affected the duchy's geopolitical environnt.
After dismissing the attendant, Edward nonchalantly opened the letter and began to read it from the top.
[...Honorable Duke Campbell, it's been two years since our last eting. How have you been lately? I'm sorry for missing your banquet last ti; you might have heard, the days in Twilight Forest are becoming increasingly dreadful...]
At the beginning of the letter, Aelaric first extended his condolences to him shortly after inheriting his position, then candidly expressed the dire situation in Twilight Province with earnest wording.
Escalating famine, a rebel army rising, pressure from Brass Pass supplies... In short, all old and familiar issues that Edward was already aware of.
Though Aelaric attributed all the problems to Chaos, Edward sneered at this.
The issues in Twilight Province weren't that complex. Simply put, King Theo sitting in the Royal Palace couldn't manage so many directly governed territories.
And so, that greedy old man could only entrust a vast expanse of land to a titular governor to manage on his behalf, and collect so taxes as a token to prove he indeed ruled over a vast territory.
Interestingly, this vast land wasn't entirely owned by the King; there were still nurous nobles and their castles, acting as royal vassals, occasionally clashing over territorial disputes.
Ryan Kingdom, after all, was a Land of Knights, where castles were as common as windmills, and those power-holding nobles hardly regarded the King, let alone a baron.
As for why not appoint soone with a higher title as governor?
That's obviously because they're afraid the governor might, in the course of their duties, integrate the royal lands into their own title or outright transform it into another "Dusk Duchy."
In a way, the chaos there was intentional on the part of those in power.
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