I'm not a lord

Chapter 242 The Cat's Shock
Chloris's letter went through quite a few twists and turns before reaching Lynn from Amber Harbor.

This letter needed to be delivered to Sanhe City by merchant ship via waterway.

Although the Duke of the Swamp did not completely block the Tranquil River waterway, as the order of the Crown Territory gradually collapsed, there were naturally more pirates robbing merchant ships on the waterway.

These river bandits included not only ragtag groups formed on a whim, but also a considerable number of 'regular troops,' namely the armed forces of nobles from various regions who masquerade as bandits.

Originally, the King, Amber Harbor, and the coastal municipalities were supposed to work together to maintain the Tranquil River waterway, but now two of the three powers are preoccupied with their own problems.

The situation in the autonomous city was no better; not only did they have to maintain local security, but they also had to constantly pay tribute to the Duke of the Marsh.

With their limited resources, they could hardly protect the long waterway.

The nobles of the North have never been honest or civilized; they would never let go of an opportunity to rob someone.

In order to combat river pirates and protect goods, these cities had to form a joint escort fleet and concentrate on escorting them.

The merchant ship carrying the message stopped in a municipality for three days to gather enough other ships to continue its westward journey.

Only after entering the territory of Sanhe City would the ship and the letter be completely safe.

Sanhe City maintained 'order', and the armed merchant ships within the city did not suffer significant damage, thus possessing the ability to protect the nearby waterways.

Once inside the city, the messenger had to first report to the city council and undergo review by relevant personnel before the letter could be delivered to River Marsh County by intelligence officers and finally handed over to Lynn.

Lynn leaned against the soft velvet pillows and, by the light of the bright oil lamp, finished reading Princess Chloris's letter, quickly summarizing two key pieces of information:

"Otto's army is heading towards Amber Harbor? The former king's youngest princess is fleeing to White River Territory?"

Leah was sitting next to Lynn, engrossed in reading a history book written by a priest from the South.

Upon hearing Lynn's words, she immediately straightened up, put down the heavy parchment book, and leaned closer to see the contents of the letter.

"Just you wait and see."

Lynn didn't try to avoid suspicion and handed the letter directly to Leah.

With more and more domestic and foreign affairs to handle, he needed some confidants with whom he could discuss private matters. Leah had insightful views on these political matters and could occasionally offer him some brilliant suggestions.

Leah snuggled into Lynn's arms. Her first glance wasn't at the contents of the letter, but at the date it was sent, noted in the lower left corner.

Then she frowned slightly: "According to the time in the letter, Otto's fleet has already arrived at Amber Harbor. By now, he, the Duke of the Swamp, and the Bastard King should have already decided the final victor."

Due to geographical factors, the letters and intelligence that Lynn received were always delayed in time.

The letter would have taken at least half a month to travel from the princess to him.

Judging by the timeline, Otto must have already led his army to land at Amber Harbor, and he might already be preparing for his coronation.

Lynn put his arm around Leah's still slender shoulders and analyzed:

"The two sides in Amber Harbor have been locked in a fierce battle for months. Regardless of who wins, they will likely find it difficult to withstand Otto's new forces. Moreover, according to the letter, the Amber Harbor City Council is very likely to side with Otto. Judging from the situation, Otto is most likely to be the ultimate winner."

At the time this letter was sent, the Duke of the Swamp had just begun his fierce offensive against Amber Harbor, a situation Chloris described in the letter.

Lynn tried to put himself in the Duke of the Swamp's shoes, sending out elite court cavalry to launch a fierce attack. After suffering countless casualties, they barely managed to break through the city walls, only to see a large number of warships gradually emerging on the sea.

Just thinking about it is enough to understand what despair is.

If the battle at Amber Harbor really unfolded this way, Lynn felt a little sorry for the Duke of the Marsh.

Despite the efforts of three generations of warriors and a year of fighting, this is the result he has received, and his stronghold is now under attack from both sides.

It's a case of losing both the watermelon and the sesame seeds, ultimately gaining nothing.

As Lia carefully read the letter, she asked, "If Otto really becomes the ultimate winner, what kind of situation will the Northern Kingdom face? And how will you, my lord, deal with it?"

"Who knows what the future of the North will look like? But one thing is certain: it will be even more chaotic than it is now. I don't think the Duke of the Swamp will be completely wiped out. He already has a certain foundation in the Crown Territory, so he can probably cause some more trouble for a while."

As he spoke, Lynn's large hand touched Leah's soft nape, stroking it gently as if petting a cat.

By this time, Leah had read the second half of the letter. She shook her head contentedly, but the doubt in her eyes grew even stronger:
"What is Princess Chloris thinking? Amber Harbor is about to fall, yet she wants to flee to White River Territory? I remember her mother is from the Southern Territory, isn't she? Even if the situation gets worse, she can always go back to her hometown with her mother!"

In the letter, Chloris claimed that she would seize the opportunity to leave the capital and seek refuge with Lynn, who was far away in the White River Territory.

Leah was shocked after seeing it.

No, why would a princess of a nation choose a remote earldom as her first refuge?
The lord of this earldom wasn't even a nobleman of proper birth, but a bandit who seized power by force!
Are you out of your mind? Or did you hit your head and lose your senses? Should you dip your head into the cauldron of hot oil on the city wall? Maybe that will bring back some of your sanity.
Leah couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation for this. She couldn't very well say that the princess was after Lynn's position as his wife, could she? What normal person would make such a choice?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
"I haven't figured this out yet. I haven't corresponded with her much, and we've never met. The only connection we have is with the three housekeepers who are teachers in Canglu County." Lynn was also very puzzled by this, and even slowed down his hand from petting the cat.

The primary schools in Canglu County are doing well, having already enrolled more than 300 students from various places, generating considerable revenue for the lord's treasury.

Previously, Chloris had sent three trusted butlers to the White River Territory, ostensibly as liaison officers from the royal family to the new royal executive officer, responsible for liaison and communication between the two sides.

Lynn dismissed the royal family's arrangements and simply packed the three of them up and threw them into an early childhood education school to manage the naughty preschool children.

These three are actually doing a pretty good job. Managing a manor as a butler and disciplining a bunch of kids is a piece of cake for them.
Of course, the three of them would write to Amber Harbor from time to time and entrust merchant ships to deliver the letters.

Lynn turned a blind eye to this.

There weren't many secrets in his territory; even the allegiance of the Wilderness tribes and the existence of Wilderness archers were widely known to the outside world.

Lynn even hoped that someone would widely disseminate his 'techniques,' 'ideas,' and 'thoughts' for governing his territory.

This will encourage more people who agree with his ideas to vote for him.

Lynn needs real followers.

In the future, his conquest of the North will not rely solely on the army, but also on more advanced systems and ideas.

When Chloris was mentioned, Lynn suddenly recalled a past event:
“I recall something. According to the three stewards, it was Princess Chloris who strongly recommended me at the court meeting, which forced the illegitimate son Maurice to appoint me as Earl of White River and Royal Executive.”

Perhaps she felt she had done me a favor, and I should repay her by offering her political asylum.

By the end, Lynn almost laughed.

This princess is far too naive. Is he a proper lord? How dare she come to him for refuge, especially since he has never made any promises to her?

Upon hearing this, a sudden alarm bell rang in Lia's mind.

Could it be that this princess is really aiming for the position of the principal wife?

It's really possible!
The man stroking her neck had grown into a shining new star in the North; marrying him would lead to a bright future.

If the eldest daughter of the Duke of the Valley has her eye on this position, it's no surprise that the princess has her eye on it too!

In terms of nobility, the two women were not that different, and the Duke of the Valley was even willing to provide a large dowry and a grand declaration.

Princess Chloris is about to become a princess of the former dynasty, and in a sense, she is not even as good as the eldest daughter of the duke.

Leah suddenly asked, "So how do you plan to receive her?"

Lynn scoffed, "Reception? If she really arrives in Baihe Territory, then put her under house arrest first. No matter what she thinks, she won't be able to leave my territory anytime soon."

The Urenius dynasty in the North has largely perished.

No matter how powerful the bastard King Maurice may be, he would not be able to withstand the encirclement from both sides by the Duke of the Marsh and Otto III.

Besides, Maurice had no real power except for the title of king. The fall of his kingdom was inevitable, and he was lucky to escape with his life.

This is where Chloris's claims come into play.

Whoever marries her as his principal wife will gain the rightful claim to the entire Northern Kingdom.

She was the legitimate daughter of the former king, a princess who was officially granted a title, so no one could find fault with her in terms of legal legitimacy.

As for marrying a princess, Lynn hasn't thought about that yet.

The North will only become more and more chaotic, and the value of this thing will only decrease.

In chaotic times, as long as you have the power, you can claim that something is not important and that it will come to you on its own. If all else fails, you can even forge a claim.

However, Lynn did not want the princess to fall into the hands of other forces.

He can choose not to use these claims, but he also cannot allow others to possess them.

After a moment's thought, Lynn resumed stroking the 'cat' at a normal frequency.

He could sense Leah's wariness through touch alone, and while his hands continued moving, he also spoke words of reassurance:
"Don't overthink it. I think this princess is just using Baihe Territory as a backup option. She may not actually come, and it's still uncertain whether she can escape from the capital and come to Baihe Territory. There are definitely many ambitious people watching her."

After saying that, Lynn bent down and blew out the oil lamp beside him: "I'm a little sleepy today, time for bed."

(End of this chapter)