Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio What Lollister did not expect was that after the news of his decision to marry Princess Sylvia in November spread, he received letters from countless civil officials and knights from various armies. All the letters expressed the same thing: they strongly opposed Princess Sylvia becoming the matriarch of the Norton Family.
Compared to the civil officials who tried to convince Lollister to change his mind, the letters from the knights were more straightforward. Their reasons were very strong, and that was, the Fisablund Family had been defeated by Lollister, and their daughter was not qualified to become the matriarch of the Norton Family.
Fatso Shi's guess was very accurate. The Norton Family was overwhelmingly opposed to Lollister's decision. Among the civil officials, Governor Hansk of the Sirovas Island was the main one. Most of the middle management agreed with his opinion. The Fisablund Family was the enemy of the Norton Family. How could Lollister marry the daughter of an enemy family? Even though they had supported the marriage between the Norton Family and the Fisablund Family two years ago.
The one who objected the most vehemently was the family's treasurer, Baron Spear. His reason for objecting was different from the others. He had no objections to Princess Sylvia being married to Lollister, but he objected to Lollister's idea of a lavish wedding. He felt that it was unnecessary and wasteful to hold a grand wedding. In his letter, he said that if Lollister were to marry the princess of another country, a grand and extravagant wedding would be unavoidable, because it would increase the Norton Family's prestige and reputation. However, if he were to marry Princess Sylvia, it would be better to hold a small wedding quietly and without anyone knowing. There was no need to waste the family's gold coins.
Lollister was angered by Spear's letter. Then, he received a letter from Bodfinger using a messenger eagle. The reasons in the letter were similar to what Fatso Shi had said. Firstly, he was worried that the morale of the army would plummet. Secondly, he agreed with the other family knights that Princess Sylvia was a member of the Fisablund Family and was not qualified to become a duchess.
What made Lollister happy was that out of the 16 Golden Knights in the family, only six of them publicly opposed the marriage. They were Josk and Yuri of the Hunter Corps. They were very hostile towards the Fisablund Family because of the defeat of the Hunter Corps in Mukono Province. It was understandable that they objected to Lollister's marriage. Next were the two commanders of the Flying Tiger Corps, Roth the Tiger and Dorais. Roth the Tiger was the representative of the family knights who believed that Princess Sylvia was not qualified to marry Lollister after the defeat of the Fisablund Family.
Dorais was another case. However, considering that he and Yuri, the deputy commander of the Hunter Corps, were very close friends, it was expected that he would agree with Yuri's letter to express his opposition. This was not surprising. The other letter was from the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard Corps, Berunik. He was a family knight from the Maple Grove Manor. He probably had no choice but to write the letter due to the favor he owed. The last one was Bodfinger, who had just sent the letter. His reasons were the two points stated in the letter.
Apart from Sunbarwood, the other 10 Golden Knights did not express their opinions. Fatso Shi knew Lollister's determination and could not be bothered to meddle after persuading him once. Terman's attitude was that this was the family head's private matter. As a family knight, he should only obey orders and should not go against Lollister's wishes. Born as a mountain bandit, Ovis respected Lollister the most. He would not risk angering Lollister. Freya and Pacico remained silent. No matter who asked them, they would not say a word.
Jedes, the commander of the Imperial Guard Corps, and Mason, who served in the Monolith Corps, were both slave gladiators. They said that they had only served the Norton Family for a short time and did not understand the situation, so they did not express their opinions. Malek, on the other hand, had an argument with Bodfinger. He felt that Bodfinger should not have written a letter against Lollister, but he did not express his support either. The last one was Aire. He only smiled when he heard the news. As the commander of the Imperial Guard Corps, he was most familiar with the relationship between Lollister and Princess Silvia. He also understood Lollister's personality, so he did not take the opposing opinions seriously.
Only the commander of the Marine Corps, the Golden Knight Sunbarwood, wrote a congratulatory letter to Lollister. He expressed his happiness that Lollister and Princess Silvia had become a good couple, and so on … This was the first congratulatory letter from the Norton Family. Lollister smiled when he saw the letter and said, "What a slippery fellow." Although they all belonged to the Norton Family, Sunbarwood's Marine Corps was independent, so he did not need to consider what the other family knights would think.
The Norton Family had two other great swordsmen. One was Erik, who was in charge of the Monolith Castle. Although this old man had become a level 1 swordmaster, he was afraid of Lollister like a mouse seeing a cat. He did not dare to criticize Lollister at all. As for the other first-level swordsman, Seuss, he was currently in Seaview Manor, preparing to become a second-level swordsman. He did not have the time or interest to persuade Laurist to change his mind. In the end, Governor Hansk paid a visit to ask Seuss to sign the letter with him. However, he was rejected.
Lollister was very angry, and decided to teach these ungrateful fellows a lesson. He called for a meeting in the Monolith Castle, and gathered all the civil officials and family knights who opposed the marriage between him and Princess Silvia. During the meeting, Lollister flew into a rage, and scolded the fellows who attended the meeting for forgetting their status as superiors and subordinates. They made irresponsible remarks about the family head's matters, and opened a dye shop just because they showed some respect. When the cursing reached its climax, Lollister grabbed a clay vase beside him, smashed it on the ground, and left …
All the civil officials and family knights who attended the meeting never thought that Lollister would react so fiercely. The sound of the vase shattering on the ground and Lollister's furious figure as he left made them feel uneasy. Some of the more timid ones were already drenched in cold sweat, while others began to reflect on whether their reasons for opposing the marriage between Lollister and Princess Silvia were appropriate …
Just as everyone was panicking, Fatty Shi stepped onto the stage. He comforted his colleagues while reminding everyone that the Norton Family had only achieved its current glory after the Grand Duke became the head of the family. Although the Grand Duke usually treated his subordinates kindly and respected everyone's suggestions, vigorously promoting those who could solve problems, those were all official matters. As the Grand Duke of the Northern Lands, the head of the most powerful Norton Family, if he wanted to marry a wife, he would be criticized by his subordinates.
But don't worry, everyone. The Grand Duke had always dealt with matters, not people. This time, everyone had angered the Grand Duke because they had interfered with the Grand Duke's family matters. In the future, if you performed well in official matters, the Grand Duke would still praise you without any hesitation. What needed to be said was that the marriage between the Grand Duke and Princess Silvia had already been set in stone. No matter what, it would not affect the Grand Duke's determination. Therefore, everyone should not waste their energy on this matter. Working hard to do your own work was the true contribution to the family. Of course, if anyone was unwilling to leave because of the Grand Duke's stubbornness, the family would allow them to do so.
No one would leave. Now that the Norton Family was in such a good position, anyone who left would be a fool. Regardless of whether it was a civil official or a family knight, they were able to achieve their current status because of Laurist's guidance. Many of them did so because their colleagues had written letters against them, and if they did not do so, they would appear to be standing out. Thus, they followed the crowd and followed the crowd. Laurist's outburst just now had already made them break out in cold sweat, and they were filled with regret. Now that Fatty Shi had given them a ladder, there was no reason not to step down …
"Think about it, our Grand Duke brought us to the Northern Lands and turned this barren land into a paradise on earth. Which of his decisions have been wrong? If we understand his orders, we have to follow them. If we don't, we have to try our best to understand and follow them. Only by standing high can one see further. The Grand Duke is in a high position, so he naturally has more foresight than us. Therefore, his decisions are not something we can criticize. Only time will prove this point … "
Fatty Shi announced the end of the meeting after finishing his speech. Then, he eagerly went to report the results of his pacification to Laurist.
Laurist was writing a letter to Governor Hansk. Apart from explanations, there was also a hint of reprimand in the letter, reminding him that he had overstepped his duty as a retainer and shouldn't meddle in his family's affairs. At the same time, he expressed his admiration for his loyalty and ability. Under his management, Syrovas Island had developed rapidly and had become an island with prosperous commerce and fishing. He had made great contributions to the family, and so on …
The letter to Spear was very simple. Laurist gave Spear two choices. One was to obediently shut up, obey orders, and continue being the Norton Family's chief financial officer. The other was to continue being a miser. If she liked gold so much, then she should be in charge of digging for gold in the Golden Mountains …
It was said that Spear was so angry that she couldn't eat after receiving this letter. In the end, she had to be enlightened by Master Sid. Master Sid had made it very clear that Spear was an old member of Maple Forest Manor. Then, how much wealth did Maple Forest Manor have when Laurist inherited the family's territory and title? How much wealth did the Norton Family's territory have now? It would be obvious after a comparison. To be honest, Laurist had earned all the money, and he could only spend it if he earned it. Spear was only responsible for recording the process, amount, and purpose of spending the money for Laurist to understand. She had no right to instruct Laurist on how to spend it.
Spear was originally very wronged. She thought that she was loyal and devoted. As the chief financial officer of the family, she had always been honest and upright. She had always been thinking for the family. She didn't expect to be reprimanded by Laurist for no reason. After listening to Grandmaster Sid's words, he suddenly came to a realization and closed his mouth.
Laurist's third letter was to Ross the Ferocious Tiger. There was no explanation or reprimand in the letter. He only wrote that he was grateful to the soldiers for snatching Princess Silvia from the Fisablen Family. At the same time, he also wrote that he was going to use gold to forge a batch of wife-snatching commemorative badges and distribute them to the soldiers of the various families who participated in the Iberian Kingdom's invasion. He also asked Ross the Ferocious Tiger if he had any good suggestions and opinions …
Laurist understood Ross the Ferocious Tiger very well. This guy was a war maniac. As long as there was a war, he wouldn't care if it was snatching his wife or fighting for supremacy. He wrote the letter to object because he looked down on the defeated Fisablen Family. It wasn't because he had any bad opinions about Laurist and Princess Silvia's marriage. As expected, Ross the Ferocious Tiger was very happy when he received the letter. To him, the idea of snatching Laurist's wife was the most attractive. He quickly replied that the entire Flying Tiger Army was looking forward to the wife-snatching commemorative badge and automatically forgot to write the letter to object to the marriage …
The last letter was to Boddfinger. In the letter, Laurist cursed Boddfinger for being out of his mind. He cursed for two whole pages and then ordered the letter to be sent to Boddfinger via messenger eagle.
Fatty Shi laughed when he saw Laurist's letter of reprimand. He knew that Laurist's letter to Governor Hansk was polite but distant. In his heart, Laurist didn't really trust Governor Hansk. The letter to Spear showed that although Laurist trusted her, he was already a little impatient with the family's chief financial officer. From the letter to Ross the Ferocious Tiger, it could be seen that Laurist not only admired this valiant general of his family, but also understood Ross the Ferocious Tiger's personality and character. This letter was the right medicine for the problem. As for Boddfinger, there was no need to mention it. In the family, Laurist trusted this Gold Knight the most. Otherwise, he wouldn't have scolded him so harshly.
"Your Highness, don't forget about Josk and Yuri," Fatty Shi reminded.
Laurist didn't plan to write any more letters. He nodded, "I understand. But I'm going to personally go to the Hunter Corps' encampment to explain to them that they suffered a great loss at the hands of Fisablen's armed forces. That's why they're so hostile. I will tell them that even if I marry Sylvia, the Fisablon family will still be our enemy, and that will not change because of this. I believe they'll understand. As for Dorus and Beruniac, they have no choice. I don't need to write to them. It'll save them some embarrassment. "
Laurist breathed a sigh of relief after settling the objections in his family. Before he could continue spending a few days with Princess Silvia, Freia and Beruniac rushed to Monolith Castle to report to Laurist. The two barons were summoned to take charge of the reorganization and expansion of the imperial guard corps. After handing over the duties to Fatty Shi, the two former captains of the imperial guard corps were summoned by Laurist for a meeting.
"This time, the imperial guard corps will be divided into four. I plan to have the First and Third guard corps take charge of the defense of the entire north. The Second and Fourth guard corps will be stationed in Delemark and Winston provinces respectively. Both of you will be the captains of the imperial guard corps. Which corps do you want to be assigned to? "Laurist asked.
"Your Highness, I'll go to the Fourth Guard Corps. The Fourth Guard Corps will be stationed in Winston province. There's a high chance that Pitro City and the southern provinces will be attacked in the coming days. I'm already familiar with the situation in Winston province, so I'll go." Freia was the first to express his opinion.
Beruniac spread his hands and grumbled, "Freia, this isn't fair. You're taking away the territory that's going to be at war again. Your Highness, which guard corps will be stationed at Fort Golden Ridge? "
"The First Guard Corps," Laurist replied, "The First Guard Corps will be responsible for the defense of the territory in the north, including Monolith Castle. Once the construction of Fort Golden Ridge is complete, it will be under their control."
"Alright, then I'll go to the First Guard Corps. If the mountain barbarians attack, I'll be able to enjoy myself," Beruniac said.
"Then do you have any recommendations for the captains of the Second and Third Guard Corps?" Laurist asked.
"Your Highness, Knight Jades of Syrovas Island is a good candidate to be the captain," Freia said.
"Your Highness, Ovis has been with you for so long and is still the commander of a battalion. You should give him a promotion." Beruniac also recommended a candidate he thought highly of.
"Then what about Syrovas Island? We need a family's Gold Knight to hold the fort there, "Laurist asked again.
Freia thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, let Paciko hold the fort at Syrovas Island for a few years. He once said that his family and children really like the scenery there. Also, he said that his aptitude is limited and that it'll be difficult for him to advance to Gold rank again. It'll be dangerous for him to charge at the front lines of the Flying Tiger Corps … "
Yes, that's true. Laurist recalled the two times the Flying Tiger Corps had charged at the front lines. Roth the Ferocious Tiger was completely unharmed, while Paciko, who led the charge as well, was slightly injured. Compared to Roth, Paciko's skills were far inferior.
"Alright, let Paciko hold the fort at Syrovas Island," Laurist decided.
… …
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
