In the council hall, the core of the Duval Territory’s power was seated around a long, heavy oak table.
Seven years had carved deep marks upon the Forr Lady Baron. At sixty, she was considered old for this era, but her graying hair was still impeccably styled.
Murphy sat to her right, his expression calm.
He didn’t know what the real Sylvan would have done, but the Sylvan that Murphy portrayed had, over the years, gradually ceded power to the Forr Lady Baron.
Firstly, Murphy didn’t want to get his energy tangled up in power struggles, nor did he want busy official duties to take up his ti.
Secondly, he wanted to do so good for the territory, such as cutting taxes, which inevitably required making necessary compromises.
Cutting taxes seed simple, but in reality, it affected the entire territory’s balance of interests.
One of the biggest problems was: where would the money co from?
Every ti a tax was cut, it ant stepping on soone’s toes.
In the early days, Murphy could still implent his policies by leveraging the opponents who were dissatisfied with the Forr Lady Baron.
But over ti, even those opponents couldn’t stand Murphy’s policies, which often felt like hurting themselves just to hurt the enemy.
The tax cuts were bound to be unsustainable in the long run.
Therefore, Murphy cleverly used the process of the power transition to gradually eliminate the most stubborn opponents, even sending them to et Oriane when necessary.
The Forr Lady Baron, intoxicated by the taste of power yet still holding a mother’s love for her son, ultimately acquiesced to these "small requests."
And once a policy was established and gained inertia, changing it again would be another long process.
Murphy didn’t know how long it would last, but the lives of the peasants in the territory were, after all, much better than when he was still a farr’s son, raising horses.
Ironically, perhaps because she saw Murphy’s willingness to compromise, or perhaps considering that the future Lord, Aurora, and Murphy were siblings with an excellent relationship, things had stabilized, and the Forr Lady Baron had recently begun to involve Murphy in important political affairs again.
Aurora sat quietly by Murphy’s side, her long golden hair tied up in an elegant bun.
Though only twelve, she had already blossod into a great beauty. Her delicate features seed to have been ticulously carved by a Divine Spirit, and her azure eyes were like the purest of gems.
"The matter of Green Shade Manor, what are your thoughts?" The Forr Lady Baron’s voice was hoarse, no longer holding the clarity of her youth.
Murphy mused, "With a mass death of livestock, the first thing to consider is disease. To prevent it from spreading, I suggest we lock down the manor imdiately, prohibiting any person or animal from entering or leaving. At the sa ti, we should dispatch reliable people to investigate."
The Forr Lady Baron nodded slightly. "Who do you think would be suitable to send?"
"Arthur and Luca, along with so veterinarians," Murphy had already considered it. "They are both experienced followers. Arthur is steady and Luca is ticulous; they’ll complent each other well."
The reason for sending a Knight’s Attendant along was not that the veterinarians were incapable, but to ensure that the orders would be carried out smoothly, as only a Knight’s Attendant held enough authority.
"Do as you say," the Forr Lady Baron agreed with a nod.
After discussing a few more territorial matters, the Forr Lady Baron suddenly changed the subject. "Aurora’s marriage should also be put on the agenda."
Aurora, who had been listening quietly, had a flash of displeasure in her azure eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
"I have selected a few suitable candidates," the Forr Lady Baron gestured for Bernard, who was standing by, to bring over a list. "They are all promising sons of Knights within the territory. The second son of the Lawrence Family, fourteen years old, outstanding in Swordsmanship; the only son of the Beckett family, twelve years old, proficient in accounts..."
She introduced them one by one, having deliberately chosen young n from families that weren’t overly distinguished.
After all, Aurora was the future Lord; they absolutely could not find her a husband from a family with too much power.
"No," Aurora refused flatly.
The Forr Lady Baron patiently persuaded her, "You can et them first. If you don’t like them, we can just find another."
"No."
"It doesn’t matter even if you get married," the Forr Lady Baron lowered her voice. "You can keep lovers. If you get tired of one, just get a new one. It’s a perfectly normal thing to do."
"No," Aurora’s reply was still firm as iron.
The Forr Lady Baron’s expression gradually darkened. "Then what is it that you want?"
Aurora turned to look at Murphy, her voice ringing clearly throughout the council hall. "I want to marry my brother!"
The council hall fell into a brief silence.
The Forr Lady Baron wore a helpless expression. She had hoped for her children to be harmonious, but she never expected things to develop to this point.
"Don’t be ridiculous," she said, rubbing her temples and looking at Murphy. "You talk so sense into her."
Murphy shook his head with a wry smile. "Mother, she’s still young. Let’s talk about this in a few years."
The Forr Lady Baron sighed, then brought up another matter. "Also, word has co from Viscount Hans. Their people are coming again, after seven years."
Murphy imdiately understood that this so-called "after seven years" referred to Cecilia.
Over the years, envoys from Viscount Hans had co before, but the little girl who had been so curious about the Foucault Pendulum in the garden had indeed not been seen for seven years.
"I understand," Murphy responded calmly.
The Forr Lady Baron snorted coldly, her tone turning sharp. "This ti, you must put that bastard in her place. Don’t let her have an easy ti in our territory."
Murphy remained noncommittal, while Aurora nodded obediently, indicating she understood.
After that, the Forr Lady Baron gestured for Bernard to relay the orders to Arthur and Luca, then rose and left the council hall.
The mont her mother left, Aurora imdiately took Murphy’s arm and said smugly, "Brother, you spoke up for just now."
"I only spoke the truth," Murphy said, gently pulling his arm free. "But you really should start considering marriage."
"I don’t want to consider it," Aurora pouted. "Having you is enough, Brother."
Gazing at Aurora’s stubborn expression, Murphy felt a flicker of complicated emotions.
...
In a courtyard within the Hans Viscount Domain, an ornate carriage stood ready.
"It is ti to depart, Miss Cecilia."
Terence said to the young woman who was hesitating by the carriage.
The years had added more weathering to his face, but as a formal Knight, his posture was still ramrod straight.
Thirteen-year-old Cecilia stood in the morning light, having blossod into a graceful young woman.
She wore a long, lavender silk dress, its collar and cuffs adorned with delicate silver-thread embroidery. Her golden hair was woven into an intricate bun, with a few loose strands falling by her ears, making her fair skin seem all the more translucent.
Her azure eyes were deeper than they were seven years ago, and now, as she gazed into the distance, they revealed a sorrow unique to her age.
"Yes, Lord Terence."
She responded softly, taking one last look in the direction of the Duval Baron’s Domain before lifting her skirt and boarding the carriage with the help of her Maid.
The wheels began to turn. Terence looked at the silent girl opposite him, assuming she was anxious about her impending marriage. "Are you worried about the wedding?"
Cecilia did not answer imdiately, her gaze still fixed on the scenery rushing past the window.
After a long mont, she gave a soft "Mm."
Terence tried to console her. "Don’t be troubled by their age. Although most of them are ten or even twenty years your senior, they are all powerful nobles within the Viscount’s Domain. With their support, it will be of great benefit to you when you govern the Baron’s Domain in the future."
The words "Baron’s Domain" made Cecilia’s eyes flicker slightly.
She couldn’t help but recall that afternoon seven years ago, and the man who had been intently studying the Foucault Pendulum in the courtyard.
"I don’t care about the age issue," she said softly, her tone carrying a barely perceptible trace of lancholy.
Terence simply took this as a young girl’s worries and continued his counsel. "Besides, after you’re married, you can gain your husband’s support to better continue your research and beco a true scholar. That’s much better than the current situation, where the mass death of livestock at the manor is being blad on your research bringing disaster."
Ever since returning from the Duval Baron’s Domain seven years ago, it was as if so talent had been awakened in Cecilia, and she had developed a keen interest in the mysteries of Nature.
At first, the people of the Hans Viscount Domain were quite surprised by this, but they soon discovered it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. A Lord engrossed in scholarship would obviously be easier to control.
Of course, they also had to place so limits on her passion for research, lest she lose interest in fighting for the Baron’s Domain.
"I really don’t care about age," Cecilia emphasized again, her voice soft but exceptionally firm. "As long as a man has enough charm, nothing else matters."
Terence still thought she wasn’t being sincere. He gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, "After you’re married, it wouldn’t be impossible to find a lover your own age. In noble circles... it’s very common."
He paused slightly before adding, "For example, the Finance Officer’s wife’s lover is her Captain of the Guard, and the Viscount’s wife’s lover is that traveling minstrel. It’s an unspoken understanding; no one cares about these things. The Church Court has always turned a blind eye. Even if you’re discovered, at worst you just have to donate so more Gold Coins to the parish. We all know how these rules work."
Cecilia looked at Terence’s concerned yet helpless expression and knew that further explanation was futile.
She sighed softly. "Alright."
The carriage rolled smoothly along the main road, but Cecilia’s heart was far from being as steady as its wheels.
Hesitation, trepidation, and unease—all sorts of emotions intertwined in her heart.
As she thought about the impending arranged marriage, one idea grew ever clearer.
’At least before I return to the Viscount’s Domain to be married, I have to see that man from the courtyard one more ti. I don’t want to have any regrets.’
This was the first ti in her thirteen years that she had ever so desperately wanted to make a decision for herself.
"We can talk about it the next ti you see ."
That’s what he had said that dusk, seven years ago.
’Next ti... is this it?’
’Is he still there?’
’Does he still rember the little girl who was so curious about the Foucault Pendulum?’
Cecilia turned her gaze out the window. In the early sumr fields, Snowball Flowers were blooming under the sun, just like in that courtyard on that afternoon seven years ago.
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