PS: Many thanks to my book friends "Romanian Feti", "Lucian2333", "Benjamin WBJ", and "Corner Sanskrit" for their generous rewards.
It was now early December, and the Winter Veil Festival had arrived.
Laing had thought that this year's Winter Veil Festival would have a lot of people around him, and that after becoming an earl, he would be able to enjoy a reunion dinner.
But the truth was that Laing had been overthinking things. It was only early December, and not only had Suria returned to Helenhilde early, but even Teresa and Veronica had been ordered to return to the Garland Council.
This time, it wasn't because of the Garland Council's internal strife or anything else. It was because Veronica and Teresa had an important reason to return to the Garland Council. Every five years, the Garland Council would hold a large gathering to elect and nominate new members to the Council of Elders. Teresa had already told Veronica about this. Because of Laing's rapid rise in power, Garland Council President Teresa had put Veronica's participation in the Council of Elders on the agenda. Veronica and Teresa both had to return to the Garland Council to participate in the Great Witch Gathering, which was expected to take three months.
Before the sorceress left, Morgiana left her with a mountain of "Winter Veil Festival homework." The homework included three essays that were no less than twelve inches long, a self-introduction in High Gothic, and three epics written in High Gothic about the Brittany Knights of the Holy Grail written in High Gothic. Each of the epics required at least two pages of parchment annotations in High Gothic.
Teresa looked at the mountain of parchment and thick books that were no wider than a thumb, and her face turned green. But Morgiana's orders were absolute, so she could only take the pile of homework and leave.
Before the Winter Veil Festival, Laing held an annual meeting to affirm the year's harvest and reward the knights who had made contributions. After the meeting, the earl found himself alone. Most of his knights already had families, and even the few who didn't have families would stay at home to pray or celebrate the festival with their lovers.
Laing himself didn't have much of a sense of identity with the Winter Veil Festival, so his attitude towards the festival was a simple holiday, a day to rest.
It was the middle of December, the first day of the Winter Veil Festival. The weather was extremely cold, and the wind whistled through Earl Glamorgan's territory. The sky was gloomy, and the serfs and freedmen in the territory were celebrating the rare good time of the year. They were decorated with lanterns and decorations to celebrate the arrival of the Winter Veil Festival.
The winery near the Earl's castle was also very lively. The person in charge of the winery, Durand, was settling the wages of the wine workers, except for a few people who were responsible for the maintenance of the vines during the winter. Most of the workers were given enough time off.
As the person in charge of the Earl's winery, Durand was a middle-aged man in his thirties. He wore a round hat, a black gentleman's suit, and a brown bearskin coat. Although his thirties weren't considered old, the corners of his eyes were already covered with frost. He was born in a fallen knight family, and his family couldn't afford to buy him any knight equipment. He had no choice but to come to Marquis Ascot's winery as a steward and was responsible for the operation of the winery.
When Baron Laing Macado came, Marquis Ascot didn't hesitate to hand over Durand's ownership to Laing.
Durand, who was in his thirties, truly experienced the feeling of drifting from place to place. Laing was the Lady's Chosen One champion, so Durand was looking forward to his arrival, but also a little afraid.
Fortunately, Laing attached great importance to this winery. Although he didn't live here much due to his busy schedule, he had always attached great importance to the renovation of the winery and the castle. New canals and high walls were repaired in just over a year, and the vineyards in the winery were expanded. The master winemakers from the Winford Palace brought the best grapes and cutting techniques without asking for anything in return. Durand finally got a chance to show off his skills.
Later on, Durand found out that the Winford Palace didn't do it for free. They were just paving the way for their young lady.
And now, Durand was still in a morbid state of excitement. He knew the reason behind it.
Two shining figures in full plate armor walked towards him. They were wearing cross helmets and gorgeous gowns. The family coat of arms on their bodies explained their family's history and glory. The longswords at their waists emitted a dazzling light in the winter air. On the top of their helmets, the family coat of arms, and the pattern on their plate armor, the golden Holy Grail pattern showed their identity.
They were the glorious Holy Grail Knights.
That's right. Since spring this year, twenty Holy Grail Knights had been stationed in the winery. This made the residents of the Earl's territory feel proud. Many Holy Grail Pilgrims came to the winery and the Fairy Tower in the Lake to make a pilgrimage, forming a unique tourism economy.
After spending a long time with them, Durand realized that the Holy Grail Knights were not so unapproachable. Their lives were relatively simple. They only did a few things in the day: eating, sleeping, praying, and patrolling. The life of the Holy Grail Knights was not the ascetic life that people imagined. They ate good wine and meat. Occasionally, they would find young women to satisfy their needs. Some of the Holy Grail Knights had a relatively stable relationship with the priests of the Goddess of Mercy and the Goddess of the Lake stationed in the hospital. However, few of them were married. The Goddess of the Lake did not forbid the Holy Grail Knights from marrying, but all of the Holy Grail Knights prioritized the mission of the Goddess of Mercy and the Goddess of the Lake.
"Good morning, Mr. Durand." A Holy Grail Knight naturally raised his hand to greet Durand. "In the name of the Lady, happy Winter Veil."
"Happy Winter Veil! Mr. Alex, Mr. Jules. " Durand recognized the two Holy Grail Knights. He quickly bowed and greeted the Holy Grail Knights. "Praise the Lady."
"Mr. Durand, why are you still working during the festival?" The Winter Veil was also a legal holiday set by the Goddess of the Lake. There was no need to pray today. The two Holy Grail Knights came back after patrolling the winery in the morning. When they saw Durand here, they came to ask him about it.
Since the Holy Grail Knights appeared in the winery, Durand did not have to worry about his safety at all. More importantly, the appearance of the Holy Grail Knights had a very strong deterrent effect on the local public security. These living saints would sometimes attend the trials organized by the elders or the knights. The Holy Grail Knights would not allow the law to be arbitrarily used. Even the lowest serf would listen to them when they asked for help. The living saints would not jump to conclusions easily. Instead, they would investigate the matter and understand the process of the incident. If the serf dared to deceive them, they would be severely punished (usually, they would be hanged together). However, if the serf encountered injustice, the Holy Grail Knights would not mind making a fair judgment to protect the serf's interests.
The nobles did not like the fairness of the Holy Grail Knights, but there was no doubt that as long as the Holy Grail Knights attended the trials, justice would be served.
"The Earl said he would be moving to the Winecastle during the Winter Veil holiday. I'm going to check all the inventory and see if there are any hidden dangers in the Winecastle," Durand said humbly. He was trying his best to keep a low profile.
The two Holy Grail Knights did not say anything else. They nodded. The winery was divided into the main hall and the other halls. The Holy Grail Knights were all stationed in the other halls.
Seeing the two Knights of the Holy Grail leaving, Durand felt a sense of pride and self-satisfaction. He tried his best to adjust his state of mind and put on an expression of 'I'm still standing at my post even though it's a festival', hoping that the count would see it.
Not long after, a carriage came from afar. The carriage did not slow down. The rolling wheels and the workhorse directly entered the winery and the entrance of the winery.
Durand knew that the Count was here. The person in charge of the winery quickly trotted to the front of the carriage. "My Count!"
"Good morning, Durand. I'll have to trouble you for this period of time." Laing, who was wearing a red Count costume, stepped down from the carriage. His face was gentle, and the Holy Grail Knight badge on his chest was fluttering in the cold air. "Is the place ready?"
"It's ready, my Count." Durand quickly bowed. "Everything is ready. According to your instructions, the fresh ingredients are frozen in the cold storage. The wine cellar has been sealed. You can use it as you wish."
"Very good. Go do your thing. Happy Winter Veil, Durand." Laing took out a box of cake. "Take it to your family and have a taste!"
"Thank you!" Durand took the box of cake and left happily. He also had a family, and he was going back to celebrate the festival.
Laing nodded. The person in charge of the winery, Durand, was not a particularly good manager. However, he often made up for his shortcomings with diligence. The winery was not prosperous under his management, but everything was in order.
Durand's overtime was not to be underestimated. This was not the Celestial Empire in his previous life. The humans in this world were quite resistant to overtime. The serfs were also quite lazy due to the lack of food and clothing, and the nobles were even more so. The courtiers worked very hard when they were on duty, and they would report their vacation time in detail to the Count. Once the Count approved, the vacation time would become the courtiers' private time. They would refuse to return to their posts unless there was an emergency.
For example, Laing's tax officers, Gasparton and Katzenberg, had both returned home for their vacation.
The thick curtain of the carriage was pulled open, and Laing reached out his hand. A jade-like hand was placed on his rough hand. "Your Highness Morgiana? Please slow down. "
"Your Highness Morgiana, please be careful." The little maid, Emilia, was wearing a thick winter coat and cotton socks. She helped Morgiana down from the carriage. Laing's personal maid, Olica, also came down from the carriage and stood beside Laing. "Master, are we celebrating the Winter Veil Festival here this year?"
"Yes, we are celebrating the Winter Veil Festival here this year." Laing nodded.
Morgiana, who was wearing a white fox fur coat and a silk chiffon dress, shakily held Laing's hand and walked down from the carriage with Emilia's help. The Lake Goddess Witch was still very weak after half a year of recuperation. She could barely walk two steps with her hands on the wall.
The cold weather made Morgiana feel a little uncomfortable. She took a deep breath and said, "This is … your winery. I've been here before."
"Yes, this is my winery. I've renovated it." Laing helped Morgiana up. "The castle is not a suitable place for the winter. The winery is more suitable for the winter. When Marquis Ascot was in charge, he always came here for the winter."
Mogianna nodded silently. After recuperating for more than half a year, she could finally change her living environment. The Lake Goddess Witch's mood was much better. Thinking that they could spend the Winter Veil Festival together, she couldn't help but look forward to it.
The interior of the winery had been completely renovated. The quaint colors and luxurious decorations remained unchanged. The empty winery was once again filled with high-quality cherry wood furniture. The huge magic lamp and the high-quality ceramic bathtub showed Laing's extraordinary wealth.
Now, only his two maids and the Lake Goddess Witch were left with him, so he simply brought Emilia, Olica and Morgiana to the winery to spend the Winter Veil Festival together. Olica was fine, but Emilia was very excited. The girl had just graduated from Winford College this year and completed her course as a court lady. Her beautiful little face was full of blush. The fiery red carpet and the wooden room were filled with her bouncing figure.
"Let's just have something to eat for lunch. Let's cook a big turkey dinner tonight." Laing smiled and nodded. He reached out and rubbed Emilia's blond hair. "Emilia, congratulations on graduating from Winford College."
"Thank you!" Emilia looked at Morgiana and then at Olica. She said happily, "From now on, I can focus on serving you, Laing."
"Go, Emilia. Pick a room for yourself. There are five rooms in the main hall. Pick one." Laing nodded. "Olica and I will share a room. Your Highness Morgiana, Olica will take you to choose a room."
"I'll just stay next to you." Morgiana frowned slightly. She thought that Laing would arrange for the two of them to stay together.
"That's fine." While Amelia was looking for a room, Leon sat down and said, "Your Highness, there's no need to worry. Before the second month of next year, Kasvann will not attempt to fight against the Empire. In this kind of weather, before Kasvann's army can cross the Gray Mountain Range, they might lose 30% of their men."
"I understand." Morgiana nodded. The gods belonged to the gods, and the mortals belonged to the mortals. As the representative of the Lake Fairy in the mortal world, she could not interfere with the civil war of the humans. Thus, she chose to remain silent.
Outside the winery was a beautiful snowy scene. They ate some bread and stew for lunch. Then, Olica and Emilia went to prepare a big turkey dinner.
Because of the previous agreement, there would be some distinguished wood elves visiting this winery in the evening.
Laing grabbed Morgiana's hand. "Your Highness, do you want to take a bath together?"
"… Okay."
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