As for Sylvia, Ryan's feelings toward her were actually rather complicated.
On one hand, this maid of Suria's had never been on good terms with Laing. She often went against him and criticized him for doing things that did not conform to the etiquette of nobles, which gave Laing a headache.
On the other hand, Sylvia's actions were not unreasonable. Laing's actions did not conform to the etiquette of nobles, and Sylvia's criticism of him was reasonable. She also did not hold on to the power. When Laing returned, she did indeed hand over all her power very quickly.
So, this girl was just throwing a tantrum with him! That was Laing's impression. She was not going against him maliciously, but was only expressing her dissatisfaction through this method.
Then, what was the core of Sylvia's dissatisfaction?
Laing felt that this maid was dissatisfied because he had too many female courtiers and maids.
"What's wrong, Sylvia? What's wrong with you?" Laing felt that there was clearly something wrong with Sylvia, but she was unwilling to talk about it. The duke approached the maid and squatted down. "What's wrong?"
"Don't — Don't come here …" Sylvia's face was red. She seemed to be holding back something. When she saw Laing approaching, she could not help but panic. She wanted to move, but she felt that her whole body was powerless. She could only stop him. "Don't come here!"
"What's going on?" Laing was even more worried. He approached quickly and grabbed Sylvia's wrist rather domineeringly. He extended a hand and placed it on her forehead. "Your face is so red, but you don't have a fever."
"Ugh!" Sylvia struggled hard. The maid tried to push Leon away with her hands, but Leon's body was as sturdy as a city wall reinforced by dwarves. She could not push him away at all. "You … Let go of me! Don't do this!"
"Then tell me, what's going on? Are you not feeling well? " Laing found that Sylvia did not have a fever, nor was she unconscious or corrupted. Her face was just very red. He pulled the maid up, only to find that Sylvia was still somewhat unsteady. "What happened? Should I ask the Prophet of the Lake or the doctors in Shalia Hospital to take a look at you? "
"No, I'm really fine." Sylvia's face was even redder. She shook her head hard. "I'm just a little tired."
"You're not telling me?" Laing smiled a little maliciously. He grabbed the maid's wrist. "If you don't tell me, I'm going to …"
The maid was wearing a standard black-and-white maid uniform with a knight's sword. However, unlike the dark elves, who always looked rather flirtatious in their maid uniforms, Sylvia still looked very heroic and solemn in her maid uniform. Even her beautiful legs were wearing thick white velvet stockings paired with standard black leather shoes. Her face was red, and her purple eyes were filled with helplessness and anger. "My duke, please have some self-respect!"
"Self-respect?" Laing knew how stubborn this maid of Suria's could be. He thought for a moment and felt that forcing her too much might backfire, so he let go of her. "You're Suria's maid, Sylvia. You're asking me to have self-respect?"
"Ugh …" Sylvia also felt that there was something wrong with her words. As Suria's dowry, she should be Laing's. Asking him to have self-respect was wrong no matter how one looked at it.
But thinking of this, the maid's anger rose again. She snorted coldly and bit her lips. She then hung her hands in front of her and stood up with difficulty. "Alright, we've wasted a lot of time … I …"
Before she could finish, Sylvia squatted down again. "Ugh …"
Laing sighed and clapped his hands. "Men!"
"Yes, my duke!" "What orders do you have for me, my duke?" A maid quickly walked up from the castle. This maid was only 15 or 16 years old. Seeing that Laing had taken the initiative to give her orders, she was overjoyed. "Please give me your orders."
"Go tell Count Dulin and Count Rarotte that I have something to do tonight, and the meeting will be changed to tomorrow night," Laing said calmly. "Go now."
"Wait!" Sylvia hurriedly said. "I'm fine. The meeting tonight is important. Don't delay it because of me."
"This …" The maid was a little hesitant. When Laing wasn't around, Suria was pregnant, so everything in the castle was managed by Sylvia. She didn't know what to do now that the duke and the maid had different orders.
But Laing's prestige was still unmatched. In the end, the maid bowed to Laing to express her understanding and quickly left. No matter how much Sylvia shouted, it was useless.
"Okay, now can you tell me what's going on?" Laing walked up to Sylvia and squatted down again. The duke smiled and said, "Because of you, the meeting tonight has been canceled. My dear Sylvia, do you still want tomorrow's meeting to be canceled because of your resistance?"
"… This is not the same thing!" The maid glared at Laing with resentment.
"Now, this is the same thing. Sylvia, my maid, your refusal to cooperate is very troubling, really." Laing smiled. "If the maids are as uncooperative as you are, how can I carry out my work as a duke?"
"No, not here." Sylvia's face turned green and white. She finally gave in. The maid said in a low voice, "Let's go somewhere else."
"Okay." Laing picked Sylvia up by the waist.
A few minutes later, in a guest room on the third floor of the castle.
Laing placed Sylvia on the sofa, and then the duke sat across from her. He smiled and said, "Now, can you tell me?"
"It's … It's your personal dark elf maid!" Sylvia leaned weakly on the sofa and tried to sit up straight. The maid's face was red as she said hatefully, "She did something to me!"
"Why? Olica promised me that she wouldn't do anything. Did you provoke her? Sylvia, I need you to tell me the truth. " Laing still felt that it was a little strange after hearing this. He immediately asked, "Otherwise, I can't help you."
The maid's face turned even redder as if she remembered something unbearable. She gritted her teeth and said, "I only entered her place."
"You entered the Ashen Courtyard?!" Laing immediately understood. The duke immediately asked, "Isn't that the place where Olica makes potions and conducts magic experiments, so no one is allowed to enter without an invitation?"
"So what? This is a critical moment. How can I allow a restricted area to exist in the castle where safety cannot be guaranteed? " Sylvia twisted her body in discomfort. She struggled to continue speaking. "Two days ago, I finally found a chance to enter, but that dark elf had already discovered my intentions …"
Sylvia slowly told Laing what had happened.
Sylvia had been discovered by Olica as soon as she entered the Ashen Courtyard. The dark elf was naturally displeased that someone had disregarded the rules and trespassed into her territory. Laing's personal maid and the head maid immediately had a duel in the Ashen Courtyard.
"You lost?" Laing was a little amused. As the master of the dark elf, he knew best how strong she was.
"I was no match for her … She defeated me and tied me to a rack." Sylvia was very embarrassed to talk about that shameful incident, but she still finished. "She said … she said that if anyone else trespassed into her courtyard, she would definitely cut off their limbs and use them as a guinea pig. But she couldn't do that to me, so she … she took out a pink potion and smeared it on … some parts of my body. Then she cursed me and let me go. I … became like this."
"Alright, I understand. I'll tell Olica about this. But Sylvia, you have to be careful. Olica established the Ashen Courtyard with my permission. You can't be so self-righteous next time." Laing frowned slightly. He thought that both sides were in the wrong. Sylvia shouldn't have trespassed into the Ashen Courtyard without Olica's permission, but Olica shouldn't have punished her. "But what are you going to do now? Should I ask Olica to make an antidote for you? "
"No … That dark elf said that there's only one way to cure this poison." The head maid's face flushed red.
"You want to do that?" Laing frowned. What was that supposed to mean?
"No, it's not what you think. You only need to …" The head maid shook her head vigorously. Then, she told him the dark elf's trick and how to temporarily cure the poison and Olica's curse.
It was indeed a vicious trick. Laing knew what the dark elf was thinking after hearing it.
Indeed, Ryan was the only one who could help.
"Alright then."
… I'm the dividing line of this vicious trick …
Twenty minutes later, in the Lady's Garden in the castle.
Laing strolled in the garden with his hands behind his back. Sylvia's face was flushed, and her footsteps were unsteady as she followed behind him. She thought about what had happened from time to time, and every time she thought about it, she felt that her brain was smoking and that she could faint at any time.
"Are you feeling better? Sylvia? " Laing looked at the midsummer night sky and listened to the cicadas in the garden. The duke's expression was somewhat pained.
It was truly a special way to cure the poison and break the curse. He really didn't know whether to praise the dark elf's ingenuity or criticize her for her recklessness.
"Much better. Thank you, Mr. Laing." Sylvia blushed. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble. I even delayed the meeting tonight."
"It's nothing. By the way, can I call you Sylvia? Like how Suria calls you? "Laing's facial muscles twitched slightly as he spoke casually.
The duke felt that it was time for him to clarify the problem.
"If you insist." Sylvia lowered her head. After what had just happened, she felt that she was too ashamed to look at Laing.
"I keep feeling that … you seem to hate me, Sylvia." Laing smiled bitterly. He and Sylvia had known each other for many years. It had been almost ten years since he came to the Kingdom of the Knight King. Sylvia had also grown from a fifteen-year-old girl to a twenty-five-year-old woman. However, the only thing that hadn't changed was her attitude. "It's been like this for so many years."
"… I've never hated you, Mr. Laing. You are the embodiment of the virtues of a knight. Your strength, glory, and wisdom have saved this country from danger many times. You have proven your strength again and again. You are flawless. I only have respect and admiration for you." Sylvia immediately rejected Laing's point. She hurriedly added, "I swear to the Lady!"
"Then you think that I'm not worthy of your lady?" Laing knew that Sylvia wouldn't lie, so he continued to ask.
"Is there a better marriage partner than you in this kingdom?" Sylvia rejected Laing's point again. The head maid quickly shook her head. "I won't lie to myself. Your marriage with my lady is successful and happy. Even I can't find any fault with it. My lady is the future queen. You are indeed very good to her. I have no objections."
"Uh … Then you think that I have many other women apart from Suria? So you don't like me? " Laing was a bit embarrassed. He had indeed wronged Suria, so he had promised Suria before the marriage that he wouldn't add any more women. The female knight had also agreed.
"… Duke François has twice as many female court officials as you. As a duke, you only have two female court officials, Lady Teresa and Lady Veronica. That's the least of all the dukes. Of course, I feel for my lady, but I also know that there's no other way. I've never hated you because of this." Sylvia still denied it. "As for the maids, it's even worse. The only ones you've had sex with from the beginning were Lady Emilia and that dark elf, right?"
So why don't you like me?! Laing cursed in his heart. He had to clarify the matter today and resolve the misunderstanding. Everything would prosper if the family lived in peace.
The hot summer night breeze blew through the garden, swaying back and forth in the sea of purple-gold flowers. Normally, the flowering season of the irises was May, and it had long since passed. But both the Lake Fairy and Sulia loved irises, so under the goddess's divine power, the flowering period of the irises in the garden of the duke's castle lasted for months.
Magnificence, light, and freedom. At the same time, it also symbolized love. Laing smelled the faint fragrance of the flowers. He thought for a moment and asked, "Then, is it because of my policies? You don't like the fact that I established the old guards, promoted serfs, and introduced dwarven technology? "
"That's not it. I agree with Sir Laing's point of view. I also think that this country needs to change." Sylvia still denied it.
"???" Laing was really confused now. He thought for a long time and couldn't think of any other reason.
Laing's status was no longer the same as before. As the most powerful man in Brittany, it would be demeaning and frivolous for him to keep asking questions. The Lady of the Lake's champion thought that she should think about it more before asking.
The garden fell into silence.
"…" Seeing that Laing had stopped asking, the head maid showed an unhappy expression. She thought for a moment and gritted her teeth. "I've never been dissatisfied with you before, Sir Laing. If there's anything, it started three years ago."
Three years ago? Laing thought to himself. Wasn't that when he married Suria?
However, Sylvia also said that she didn't think that Suria wasn't good enough for him, nor did she think that he had let Suria down because he had too many women.
So, the question was back. Why was Sylvia dissatisfied with him three years ago?
Laing thought for a long time but couldn't figure out the reason.
"I didn't expect that His Excellency Ryan Macado, who has always been famous in the Old World for his iron will, excellent internal affairs, superb commanding ability, and outstanding personal bravery, would actually not understand such a trivial matter." Sylvia's tone became cold again. She turned to leave. "Alright, I should go back."
"Wait!" Laing thought that he had to figure out the problem today. "Sylvia, don't be in a hurry to go back. This is a rare opportunity. Come out with me! We can go to the Salute of the Holy Grail bar in the center of Gene Town for a drink. "
"… Is this an official invitation? Or an order? "The head maid's tone was stiff." Can I refuse? "
"This is my sincere invitation. I've realized that we really don't have much time to be alone," Laing said sincerely. "I think it's necessary for us to communicate."
"… I'll go back and change." The head maid finally relented.
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
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