I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 342 Rhodes's Biological Mother
……

……

Stone City, the dungeon.

"Dong dong dong."

Heavy footsteps echoed in the dark corridor.

The sound was slow and rhythmic.

The air in the dungeon was damp and cold, and the walls were covered with moss.

The torchlight cast flickering shadows on the wall.

Deep inside the dungeon, the eldest princess sat on a cold stone bed.

The armor she wore had long been removed, replaced by a linen dress with some stains.

Her long hair was a little messy, but her back remained straight and her eyes were sharp.

Upon hearing footsteps, the eldest princess stood up and quickly walked to the iron railing.

"You don't need to persuade me anymore, I will never submit to Rhodes."

The eldest princess's voice was firm, her face full of stubbornness, "The Rockbreaker royal family has never feared death..."

The conversation suddenly stopped.

At the end of the corridor, a familiar figure appeared in the firelight, followed by a tall white wolf.

"Long time no see, Artie."

A deep voice echoed in the dim light.

"Uncle Aura, you're not..."

The eldest princess stared in disbelief at the figure before her, her voice trembling with shock.

After the initial shock, the conversation suddenly shifted.
"Thank goodness, you're still alive!"

A glimmer of light flashed in the eldest princess's eyes—a glimmer of hope amidst despair.

But the light only lasted for a moment.

The eldest princess suddenly realized something, and her expression froze.

The joy gradually faded from her face.

"you……"

The eldest princess swallowed hard. "You've submitted to Rhodes?"

“I have been living in Rhodes’ territory for a long time.”

Aura did not deny it, and calmly said, "I have done a lot for him, so you could say that I have already submitted to him."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the last hope in the eldest princess's heart.

"why?"

The eldest princess's voice became shrill, and her face turned pale.

She gripped the iron bars tightly, her knuckles already white. "Why are you standing with him?"

The eldest princess's voice was filled with anger, "Shouldn't you be helping the Shattered Rock family?"

"How could you betray us? How could you betray my father?"

Aura looked at the somewhat out-of-control eldest princess with a blank expression and said, "You are just like your father, you like to boss others around."

"I left Riftrock City because I didn't want to get involved in those chaotic things."

Aura asked slowly, "Why can't you let others choose for themselves?"

"Because you are an important member of the Rockbreaker family, it is your natural duty to serve your own family!"

The eldest princess exclaimed excitedly, "This is the mission bestowed upon you by your bloodline! This is an honor! This is a duty!"

“This is not my family, Artrie.”

Aura shook her head expressionlessly. "This used to be your father Agnar's family, now it's your Atreus family."

“After my father and mother passed away, the Rockbreaker family had little to do with me anymore.”

"Then, why don't you think about this empire, about the common people of this empire?"

The eldest princess frowned and questioned, "Aren't you the one who cares most about the common people?"

"Didn't you say that the responsibility of nobles is to protect commoners?"

"Are you just going to hand over our civilians to Rhodes like this?"

“You really have no right to mention commoners in front of Rhodes.”

Aura's voice became unusually serious, "After Rhodes came to power, no one in Blackpine Ridge has ever starved or frozen to death."

“Except for criminals who break the law, even slaves will not die from cold and hunger.”

"How can this be?"

The eldest princess looked at her with suspicion. "Where is there a place where people don't die? Besides, the Northern Wasteland is a cold and barren place. You must have been deceived..."

Olga interrupted the eldest princess with her hand and slowly said:

"Because Rhodes never thought about how much tax to collect; Rhodes thought about how to feed everyone."

"Rhodes never thought about how much gold he had in his warehouses; he thought about what to exchange the gold for to develop his territory."

"Rhodes never hesitated to use food for the common people, and his focus was always on the development of his territory."

"He was not kind, but he did not let down anyone who did things honestly."

Aura said, word by word, "If it is truly for the sake of this empire, then you should submit to Rhodes now and personally place the crown on his head."

"That, that..."

The eldest princess hesitated for a long time before stubbornly speaking again: "This empire should belong to the Shattered Rock family. Rhodes is not qualified!"

“Atri, saying such things only makes you more foolish.”

Aura looked at Atreus, "This empire doesn't belong to anyone. The Rockbreaker Emperor took it from other rulers."

"There's never been such a thing as 'should,' if you really want to talk about qualifications..."

"Then whoever is more powerful should be the ruler."

Aura's words plunged Atreus into complete silence.

The empty dungeon was deathly silent, with only Atreus's panting sounds audible.

Aura knew that deeply ingrained family values ​​made Atreus exceptionally stubborn.

Even knowing that Aura was right, Atreus would not easily give in.

Aura has no obsessions.

He just wanted to try his best and give everyone a chance.

“Atrix, you are willing to sacrifice yourself for the honor of your family.”

Aura said solemnly, "But you can't ask others to sacrifice for this, you can't deny others the opportunity to choose."

“If you forcefully deprive others of the opportunity to choose, then your so-called family honor is nothing but an illusion.”

After saying that, Aura bent down and patted the white wolf, then slowly turned around.
"I will collect your body; consider it the last thing I do for the Shattered Rock family."

Aura didn't linger and walked towards the corridor.

"and many more."

Atreus leaned against the prison bars, a hint of hesitation on her face.

She gritted her teeth. "I will write to them, hoping that you can bury me in the family cemetery."

……

……

On the main road leading to the city of Giant Stone, convoys of cars lined up one after another.

News of the Battle of Stone City quickly spread throughout the Empire.

The bards called it the Battle of Dragon's Descent.

The bards only spread information about what happened in Stonehenge, but many nobles also knew about the Silver Thorn Legion.

The astute nobles realized the change in the situation and, upon receiving the letter from the Duke of Flowers, rushed to the Great Stone City without hesitation.

The tulip family is no exception.

Upon receiving the news, Count Tulip immediately set off with his eldest son, Vincent.

"Father."

Vincent rode his warhorse alongside the carriage and reported, "We are still ninety miles from Boulder City. The sun is about to set, so let's camp here and rest for the night."

Vincent pointed ahead and said, "The scouts say there's a sheltered hillside ahead, suitable for setting up camp."

Earl Tulip, inside the carriage, glanced at the sky and nodded slightly. "Alright."

Vincent waved to the guards beside him.

After understanding, the guard spurred his horse forward and loudly relayed the order.
"Set up camp on the hillside ahead!"

The convoy slowly changed direction and drove down the hillside.

The servants quickly started a fire and sprinkled powder around the area to repel snakes and insects.

The guards then began to set up tents for Count Tulip to rest in.

As for the others, it would be enough to lay animal hides or straw mats on the grass.

Just as the Tulip Family's servants were busy, another convoy stopped not far away.

A short, slightly plump old woman wearing a sun hat and exuding an air of nobility hurried over with two servants.

Vincent noticed the emblem on the carriage and whispered to Count Tulip, "Father, it's the countess from the Rose family."

Count Tulip responded with a soft "hmm," and stood up to greet the old woman.
“Count Rose.” Count Tulip nodded slightly.

Countess Rose nodded in response, "It's been a long time, Count Tulip. You're still as handsome as ever."

"Your beauty is still breathtaking," Count Tulip said without batting an eye.

He casually invited Countess Rose to an open space to the side.

The guards thoughtfully brought over a wooden stool and laid out a leather cushion.

Count Tulip invited Countess Rose to sit down, and then sat down himself.

"Thank you for your compliment, Earl of Tulip."

Countess Rose said with a smile, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes all knitted together.

“But no one can compare to your fourth son, Duke Rhodes.”

"Have you received the news? Duke Rhodes has actually transformed into the legendary dragon... It's truly astonishing."

Countess Rose's face was full of amazement as she asked in a low voice, "Could it be that your family possesses dragon blood?"

"If that's the case, then the tulip family is very lucky."

Count Tulip smiled and shook his head. "But no, there's no record of such a thing in the family."

"Perhaps it has never been revealed before."

After finishing her sentence, Countess Rose asked in a low voice, "And what about Duke Rhodes' mother?"

Count Tulip frowned slightly, his gaze becoming somewhat distant.

Recalling some distant past events.

He knew that when the Countess of the Rose asked about "Rhodes' mother," she was referring to Rhodes' biological mother.

However, the Count of Tulips did not know much about Rhodes's mother.

Those memories have become blurred, as if obscured by the dust of time.

Count Tulip only remembered that it was during an autumn hunt when he got lost deep in the forest and found a courtyard hidden by trees and vines.

The courtyard was filled with flowers, many of which the Earl of Tulips did not recognize.

A young girl stood among the flowers, wearing a simple linen dress and carrying a bucket to water them.

The girl exuded a natural charm, and Count Tulip was immediately captivated by her.

After that, Count Tulip entered the courtyard and became acquainted with him.

The young woman warmly welcomed Count Tulip and prepared various floral delicacies for him.

In gratitude, the Count of Tulips took her back to Tulip Castle and hired her to care for the flowers in the garden.

As they spent more and more time together, they developed feelings for each other, had a relationship, and became pregnant with Rod.

The girl was extremely weak after giving birth to Rod and passed away less than two and a half years later.

After the girl passed away, the feelings he once had gradually faded, and Count Tulip could no longer remember what the girl's background was.

"Count Rose, is there something you need?"

Count Tulip smiled and said softly, "You seem to have suddenly become very interested in the Tulip family."

“It’s my youngest daughter; she greatly admires the Tulip family.”

Countess Rose smiled broadly, then shook her head helplessly. "These past few days, her delirious ramblings have all been about wanting to become Duke Rhodes' wife."

As soon as the Count of Rose spoke, the Count of Tulip realized what he meant.

This is an attempt to arrange a marriage alliance.

Now that Rhodes has captured the Duke of Flowers, the decline of the Flower Family is unstoppable.

The Count of Rose is trying to find a way out for his family.

“My youngest daughter is very beautiful, and she is very good at herbalism, court etiquette, dance, painting, and embroidery…”

"Your youngest daughter must be very outstanding."

Count Tulip interrupted Count Rose softly, saying, "But I can't control Rhodes' marriage."

Count Tulip knew very well that Rhodes didn't have much affection for this family.

Even if they contacted each other a few times, Rhodes would definitely choose profit when faced with the choice.

He would never waste Rhodes's meager feelings for the Tulip family on such a trivial matter.

Moreover, Count Tulip did not think the youngest daughter of the Rose family was qualified to be Rhodes' wife.

"After all, you are his father..."

"I don't want to interfere in Rod's life, thank you for your kindness."

Count Tulip forcibly interrupted Count Rose.

At this moment, the servant brought over the brewed tea, and Count Tulip changed the subject...
"Try these flower teas. They were a gift from Rod. They'll help relieve the fatigue of the day."

"Really?"

Countess Rose's eyes lit up, and she immediately picked up the cup from the wooden tray.

She might not believe what others said, but this was sent by Duke Rhodes, who could transform into a dragon, so it couldn't possibly be fake.

Faced with such novelty, Countess Rose lost all her aristocratic demeanor.

Ignoring the scalding heat of the tea, he blew on it a few times and then gulped it down.

The burning pain made her face contort in agony, but it quickly turned to surprise.

"It's amazing!"

Countess Rose exclaimed, "I feel so much lighter!"

"As long as you like it."

Count Tulip replied with a smile, "I'll send two packets to your carriage in a bit."

In reality, the tea that Count Tulip had his servants brew was simply a mixture he made himself using dried flowers with a little honey.

The one that Rhodes actually gave him, he wouldn't even drink himself, let alone an old woman with whom he had no relation.

Everyone's just flattering each other.

Countess Rose understood the Count of Tulip's dismissal, knowing that staying any longer would only annoy him.

He then stood up to take his leave, and with his servants, he turned and left.

In fact, Countess Rose was not the first person to visit.

Along the way, five nobles have already tried to curry favor with Count Tulip.

Some nobles, like the Countess of the Rose, set their sights on the bloodline of the Tulip family.
Some people hoped that Count Tulip would say something good to Rhodes to save the family's territory.

The Count of Tulips mostly brushed him off without making any promises.

Vincent walked slowly to Earl Tulip's side and asked in a low voice, "Father, would my brother really be so heartless towards us?"

"If we didn't give him enough help when he was in dire straits, then it's best not to become a burden to him when he rises up."

Count Tulip calmly said, "Regardless of how he views the Tulip family, you'd better give him enough respect."

“Alright, Father, I understand.” Vincent nodded solemnly.

Vincent then nodded and bowed, and personally went to arrange the sentry posts.

As night fell, the sky was covered by thick clouds.

The sound of burning branches and soft shouts made the night even quieter.

As the fog began to rise, the guards on night watch at the edge of the camp became extremely alert, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

Suddenly, a dull, short sound came from the mist, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.

The night watchman immediately stood up and whispered, "Who's there!"

His voice immediately startled those around him, and the guards who had been lying down picked up their swords and got up.

Vincent opened his eyes and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"I sense something's wrong, sir." The night watchman's eyes were fixed on the front.

Vincent gazed silently at the fog-shrouded surroundings, his brow furrowed.

"Be careful and alert."

Vincent pointed to the two guards beside him, "You two go and protect the Earl."

Vincent also realized that something was wrong.

It was so quiet around here.

The woods and meadows are never this quiet at the end of summer.

"Yes, my lord."

The guard responded softly and immediately turned to walk toward Count Tulip's tent.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

Just then, dozens of arrows shot out from the mist!

"careful!"

Vincent lunged at the nearest guard, grabbing a wooden shield from the side and holding it in front of him!
"Clang clang clang!"

A series of rapid knocking sounds rang out, and in the blink of an eye, several arrows were stuck into the wooden shield!

The guards rescued by Vincent also picked up wooden shields to parry, and luckily survived!

Another guard, who was slower to react, was shot and fell to the ground, riddled with arrows!
"Enemy attack!"

Vincent yelled and frantically retreated to the side of the tent, holding his wooden shield.
"Protect the Earl!"

(End of this chapter)