"Welcome to the Norton Family's territory, Your Majesty." Laurist bowed to the second prince as a Lesser Lord.
Just as Earl Gomez had said, Laurist was in a very awkward situation. Although the Andinak Kingdom did not recognize the Norton Family as a noble family, this was done by Queen Kerry and had nothing to do with the second prince. If the second prince died, or if he wrote the banishment letter himself, then Laurist would truly be without a superior lord.
Just like the founding emperor of the Chrison Kingdom hundreds of years ago, he was exiled to the north and stripped of his noble title. The enraged Earl Chrison immediately used all his wealth to recruit soldiers and declare war on his superior lord. His army started in the north and started in the Winston Province. Then, he swept through everything and established the Chrison Empire.
Now, Laurist was in a difficult situation. He knew the second prince's goal, but he could not refuse. As the Norton Family's superior feudal lord, Lollister had to stand up for his superior feudal lord after his position was taken away by someone else, regardless of whether it was in terms of morality or the traditions of the nobles. In other words, even if he didn't have the strength, he couldn't reject the request of a superior feudal lord. At the very least, he had to provide his best to help the superior feudal lord. This was the traditional morality of the aristocrats in the Galinthea Continent for thousands of years.
He could not refuse! Laurist met the second prince at Maple Grove Manor. Thanks to his cousin Christie, Fatty Shi originally wanted to limit their activities to North Sea City when he received the news that the second prince and his party had come to the north. However, Christie insisted on returning to Maple Grove Manor. She was a member of the Norton Family, and Fatty Shi could not stop her. Thus, they set off from North Sea City, passed through Huyang Town, and arrived at Maple Grove Manor. In the five days that Laurist had not returned, the second prince and his party toured the seven towns of Fengle Plains. They even went to Nicole Academy. If not for the guards sent by the Camorra, the second prince might have even visited Steel Stove Castle and a few other strictly confidential production bases in Blade Peak Mountain.
The prosperity of the Norton Family in the north surprised the second prince, and his eyes lit up. Christie, on the other hand, was purely showing off the power of the Norton family. On top of that, Elina, who had been living in Maple Forest Manor, was very respectful to the lord of the Norton Family. She told him everything she knew or heard from others, and she even sent someone to guide them to Nicole Academy and Fengle Plain, allowing the second prince to have a better understanding of the power of the Norton Family.
"Who would have thought that the Norton family would be able to bring so much prosperity to the Northern Lands? This is truly astonishing. Wherever I went these past few days, I almost didn't dare to believe my eyes. The seven towns of Fengle Plain were unexpectedly so lively and densely populated. It had the same feeling as when I went out to play when I was a child and saw the surrounding areas of the Imperial Capital. Earl Roland is really talented, to be able to govern the Northern Lands so well, comparable to the famous ministers of the former Empire! "
As the second prince expressed his thoughts on the Norton Family's territory, he walked up and patted Lollister's arm affectionately, as if they were talking arm in arm. This showed how much he valued Lollister and how close he was to him, as if he didn't feel the estrangement between them back in the Imperial Capital.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. The Norton Family only remembered the promise of our ancestors to protect the Northern Lands for the Empire, and didn't want to get involved in the internal affairs of the Empire. That's why the Norton Family's territory is still peaceful in this chaotic world. We've taken in a large number of refugees who lost their homes due to the flames of war, and finally made the Norton Family's territory look a little better." Lollister could only lie through his teeth.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have disobeyed your advice." The second prince smiled bitterly and simply let go of Lollister's arm. He then bowed to Lollister. Lollister was shocked, and hurriedly supported the second prince. "Your Majesty, what are you doing? I can't take it. "
The second prince held Lollister's hand and said sincerely, "Loke, I sincerely apologize to you. I was wrong. I've been regretting it ever since the defeat in Fedeli. If I had listened to your advice back then and not been so anxious to unify the former Empire, and instead paid attention to the people's livelihood, I wouldn't have ended up like this. It's hard to return to a home, and hard to go to a country! "
Well, you asked for it. Lollister cursed in his heart. However, the second prince was telling the truth when he said that it was hard to return to a home, and hard to go to a country. Other than the Norton Family's territory in the Northern Lands, no matter where he appeared, he would be sent to the current Queen of the Andinac Kingdom. Given that the first prince had died of a sudden illness in the middle of the night, whether it was to avenge his father or for her own throne, Queen Kerry would definitely give the second prince the same ending.
"Two years ago, I heard that His Majesty's army had been defeated in Fedeli Kingdom, and his whereabouts were unknown. At that time, I wanted to lead my army to Fedeli Kingdom to find His Majesty, and I sent messengers to the capital to request for reinforcements. However, I was scolded, and the Norton Family was asked to know their place. They even transferred the 3rd Royal Guard Regiment from the Madras Duchy's frontline to the Port of Qilin to monitor us, forcing me to withdraw my troops … "
Lollister took the document from Schwald and passed it to the second prince. "Your Majesty, look. This is the reply from the two capitals that I requested for reinforcements. They rejected my request, and I had no choice but to stop my search for His Majesty. It's all thanks to the protection of the God of War that His Majesty can appear in front of me. Nothing is more important than His Majesty's safety. "
Alright, Lollister could only play the role of a loyal servant in front of the second prince. Even if he wished that the second prince would never appear in this world, the second prince was already standing in front of him. He had no choice but to play the role of a loyal servant. At the very least, he had to put on an act in front of everyone.
The second prince's expression changed. He let go of Lollister's hand and clenched it into a fist. "Those traitors, usurpers, and traitors. They ceded the former king's territory to those merchants for their own personal gain. I will not let them off. Brother Locke, to be honest, I'm here to ask for your help. I want the Norton Family to send troops to wipe out those traitors and restore order to the kingdom … "
Lollister sighed. The second prince had finally made his request. As the head of the Norton Family, he had to give the second prince an official reply.
"Your Majesty, I would like to ask, if the Norton Family sends troops, what will they get in return?"
The aristocratic tradition of the Galinthea Continent was that a lower lord had an obligation to a higher lord. This was a fact. But at the same time, a higher lord had to agree to let a lower lord receive the benefits he deserved. If there were no benefits, no lower lord would be willing to work hard for a higher lord for nothing. Lollister could only use this point to fight for himself. Otherwise, giving His Royal Highness a sum of money and a few hundred armors would be considered as fulfilling his obligations as a Lesser Lord, and it would also make people speechless.
"Locke, His Majesty has agreed. As long as our family sends troops, he will make you the Duke of the North. All the territories you conquer in the north will be considered our family's territory. " It was Christie who said this. She looked very happy, as if the Norton Family had taken advantage of her.
Lollister looked at her with disdain. "Christie, do you understand the current situation in the north?"
The silly girl shook her head as expected.
"If that's the case, I refuse to send troops. In reality, the title of Duke of the North is useless to the Norton Family. Your Majesty, there are currently only four noble families in the north. Other than the Norton Family, there is Earl Kenneth who occupies the eastern part of the north, and Baron Shahin and Baron Filim who occupy the southern part. All three of them are allies of the Norton Family. The Norton Family will not break the contract and fight against our allies. The title of Grand Duke of the Northern Lands doesn't really matter to me, "Laurist said confidently.
Ugh … Not only was the second prince speechless, even Christie was dumbfounded. They did not expect that there were only four families left in the north, and they were allies at that. Not only did the title of Duke of the North that the second prince had promised to Locke mean nothing, but it also meant to sow discord and stir up conflict. No wonder Lollister could reject the second prince's request so confidently.
"I'm very sorry, Brother Locke. I did not mean it. I just did not expect it to turn out like this …" the second prince hurriedly explained.
"It's alright, Your Majesty. You are new here and do not understand the situation here. The banquet has been set up. Please take a seat and taste the specialties of the north. Your Majesty, please rest well in the north for a while. We also need to study how to support Your Majesty and help Your Majesty return to the kingdom. "
Lollister was a little angry. Christie had a carefree personality, so it was understandable that she did not know the situation in the north. However, it was nonsense for the second prince not to know the situation in the north. Although the north was remote, the alliance of the four families had dominated the north for several years. The Norton Family's territory was strictly controlled, but the situation in the other three families' territories was like a sieve. It would be a lie to say that the second prince did not know about it. The second prince was already homeless and had lost his throne. Why was he still scheming? He was asking for help on one side, but the other side was making things difficult for him. Lollister did not believe that the second prince did it on purpose.
During the banquet, the second prince tried to bring the topic back to the matter of asking the Norton Family to send troops to help him restore the kingdom, but Lollister either changed the topic or said that he needed to discuss it with the family knights.
Depressed, the Second Prince got drunk and was sent to rest. Finally, Laurist got away and went to the main building. With Elina's help, he took a bath while thinking about what kind of reply he should give to the Second Prince.
Just as he was about to pull Elina into the big bathtub to relax, he heard a guard yell from downstairs, "Who is it!"
"It's me, Christie."
"Oh, Miss, why are you here so late?"
"I want to see Lollister."
"Sorry, Miss, I don't know if His Excellency is asleep. It's already so late, so I shouldn't disturb him. Can't you talk about it tomorrow? "It was Ell's voice.
"Go away! I'm looking for Locke. I'm his sister. Are you afraid that I'll assassinate him? "
"Assassinate? Hehe, Miss, it's not that I look down on you, but you're no match for His Excellency even if there were ten of you. But I have to report to His Excellency. If His Excellency is asleep, you can talk about it tomorrow. "
"No, I have to see Locke now …"
Lollister exhaled and got out of the bathtub. He wiped his body carelessly and put on a nightgown. He walked to the window and leaned half of his body out. "Ell, let her come up."
Christie quickly went upstairs, and Laurist raised the glass of Max that Elina brought to him. "Come, have a glass of Max. Why are you looking for me so late at night?"
Christie sat down on the chair angrily. "Your guard is too rude. Locke, he actually stopped me."
"It's his duty, and he did the right thing. He didn't look up to you just because you're my cousin. Because you're a royal knight of the Andinac Kingdom, not a knight of the Norton Family, even if you're from the Norton Family. "
Christie was speechless. Lollister was right. This was one of the traditions that all noble families followed.
After a long while, Christie came back to her senses. "Locke, I realized that you've changed too much. I don't see the shadow of that crybaby anymore."
Lollister laughed. "I can't help it. If I was still that crybaby, the Norton Family would no longer exist. Everything forced me to change. Christie, do you know how a sixteen or seventeen-year-old kid feels when he loses contact with his family and becomes a mercenary just to survive? To fill his stomach, he fights with magical beasts. To learn, he risks his life. After six or seven years, he only found out that his family was gone when someone from his family came to find him.
When he returned to his family's territory, he found out that the situation was terrible. The Duke of the Northern Region harbored ill intentions towards his family, and the second prince was eyeing the family covetously. He finally broke through and defeated the Duke and the second prince. He focused his energy on the development of his family's territory and finally made his family prosperous. But now, there's another problem. His superior wants him to help him regain his throne, and there's nothing in it for him. Do you think he should agree? "
Lollister blocked the way first, which made Christie feel very uncomfortable. After a long while, she stammered, "Locke, isn't this a good opportunity for the Norton Family? As long as you help His Majesty regain his throne, your name will be recorded in the history books. The Norton Family's name will be praised by future generations. "
Lollister laughed. He was overjoyed. "My cousin, are you stupid? Why should the Norton Family's soldiers bleed and die for His Majesty? If this gets out, I'm afraid that the other nobles will treat the Norton Family like fools. If His Majesty doesn't pay a corresponding price, the Norton Family will not send troops. But we will give His Majesty a large sum of money and military equipment to fulfill our obligations and responsibilities as the next lord. "
Christie was unwilling to give up. "Locke, what do you need in order to help His Majesty regain his throne?"
"Well, I'll have to think about it. But my cousin, can you first tell me how you escaped from Felicia King's City? I'm very interested in this, because no one can find any trace of you. Also, how much power does His Majesty have? I heard that when you disappeared from Felicia, His Majesty's guards also disappeared. There were five thousand of them. How did you hide from the enemies who were searching for you? "
Christie's expression darkened. "When His Majesty attacked Felicia, he found a secret passage that led outside the city. This could be the route that the eldest prince used to escape. When Felicia was surrounded, His Majesty brought us out through this secret passage. At that time, there were six thousand of us, but now there are less than two thousand of us. This is because we met the missing eldest prince … "
"What did you say? The eldest prince? "Lollister was shocked.
"Yes, we didn't expect this either." Christie cried.
…
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