Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 169 Two Letters Regarding the Arranged Marriage
When we returned to Red Tide Territory, it was already evening.

Outside the city gate, Bradley and his men had been waiting for some time.

The old butler, dressed in full uniform, stepped forward as Louis approached from afar, saying, "My lord, welcome back."

“Hmm.” Louis dismounted, his gaze sweeping over the specially made beehive transport vehicle behind him.

The three boxes of blue-striped bees were securely fixed inside the carriage.

"Is there anything wrong with the bee colony?" he asked casually.

"There were two minor disturbances along the way, but the atomized spray worked effectively, and everything is stable now," the beekeeper reported concisely.

Louis nodded and looked at another carriage behind him. It was a wounded soldier's carriage, and Lyshill was lying inside, his forehead wrapped in a white cloth, his face pale, but he still managed to keep his eyes open and smile at him.

He waved his hand, and several medical personnel accompanying the team immediately stepped forward, carefully lifted Leahy off the ship, and took him to the infirmary inside the main castle.

As for the bee colony, it was placed in an open area south of the Red Tide Territory.

The area is sunny, has convenient water sources, and is far from populated areas, making it a special cultivation zone designated by the Red Tide Territory.

After everything was settled, Louis breathed a long sigh of relief, as if he had finally escaped from a silent battle.

He took off his gloves, glanced at the Red Tide Territory gradually returning to tranquility in the twilight, then turned and followed Bradley toward his office deep inside the main castle.

I had assumed that after being away for many days, my work would be piling up, but when I pushed open the door, the desk was surprisingly tidy.

Apart from a few urgent documents awaiting approval, Bradley had handled most of the matters quite well.

“You’ve done a great job,” Louis said softly, sitting down and looking at the neatly organized filing cabinet.

"I don't deserve such praise." Bradley bowed slightly, his expression as humble and composed as ever. "It's just my duty."

As he spoke, he took out two tightly sealed letters from his pocket and presented them with both hands.

"These two letters were delivered urgently by messengers early this morning. One is from the master, and the other is from Duke Edmund."

A hint of surprise flashed in Louis's eyes, but he didn't say much when he took the letter.

The contents of these two letters are most likely about "marriage alliance".

Louis first opened his father's envelope, and the familiar family seal and handwriting came into view.

The words on the letter confirmed his premonition—the marriage arrangement had been finalized.

The wedding will be held on July 12th. To avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion, all ceremonies will be kept simple, and no noble guests will be invited in a grand manner.

Both the Calvin and Edmund families will keep a low profile and will not invite many guests, just familiar relatives.

The letter also mentioned that due to the turbulent situation in the empire, the father, Duke Calvin, would not be attending the wedding in person.

Louis's third brother, the third son of the Calvin family, will attend on his behalf to fulfill the family's ceremonial responsibilities at the wedding.

When the letter mentioned that "Third Brother" would be attending the wedding on behalf of their father, Louis paused for a moment.

To be honest, his impression of this older brother was... almost nonexistent.

From as far back as I can remember, that "third brother" was never in the Calvin family mansion.

It is said that they were sent to a distant place to receive special training.

But almost no one in the family knew where to go.

He hadn't expected the family to send someone like this to represent them at the wedding.

But that wasn't important, and Louis didn't think about it anymore.

“July 12th, the wedding…” Louis repeated softly, a smile unconsciously curving his lips.

He folded the letter from his father again and put it in the drawer next to his desk.

Having come this far in this harsh northern land, he understands better than anyone what a stable alliance means.

And this was Emily Edmund, the young woman who was about to become his wife.

She is not only the governor's daughter, but also a symbol of his deep connection with the forces of the North.

More importantly, she's beautiful!
He took out a clean sheet of paper, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

The first few lines are nothing more than pleasantries and confirmations, with a restrained and appropriate tone.

He told his father that he already knew the wedding date and would do his best to arrange it so that the wedding would not go wrong.

He expressed his understanding that his father could not attend and promised to meet with his third brother properly.

The words didn't reveal much emotion, but the writing conveyed a sense of composure and confidence.

At the end, he routinely gave a brief mention of the current state of the territory and thanked his father for his help.

After finishing the letter, Louis gently blew on the ink to make sure it was completely dry before neatly folding the letter and placing it in the envelope. He lightly pressed his finger against the sealing wax box, and the Red Tide insignia was immediately branded onto the seal.

"You can arrange for someone to send this letter back to the family later." He handed the letter to Bradley, his tone calm.

"Understood." Bradley accepted it respectfully.

Louis's gaze lingered on the corner of the table, where an unopened letter was sealed with a deep blue wax seal bearing the coat of arms of the Edmund family of the North.

Louis opened it and started reading as well.

The letter was not long, but every word was carefully chosen, its style calm and composed, bearing the typical austere chill of the North:
As he expected, the letter confirmed the marriage arrangement.

The Duke of Edmund acknowledged his past military achievements in concise language, especially the night raid on Qingyu Ridge, calling it "a decisive action that amazed the North."

The letter then expressed satisfaction with the formalization of the engagement, stating that "this is not only an alliance between families, but also an important step for the future of the North."

The tone of the letter then softened slightly.

Emily, though my daughter, is not weak or ignorant. She has been taught horsemanship and politics from a young age, and possesses both gentleness and rationality. I hope that in the future you will treat her not only as an ally, but also as a husband.

She is not a bargaining chip, but a companion on your journey through wind and snow.

These words touched Louis slightly.

The letter concluded with a list of wedding arrangements:
The wedding will be held in the Red Tide Territory, and the event will be kept simple, with no dignitaries from distant lands invited, in order to avoid attracting excessive attention from the royal family.

Only a few trusted relatives and nobles will witness the ceremony.

The wedding supplies and ceremonial regalia will be delivered by a special envoy from the Edmund family.

After reading the letter, Louis gently stroked the letter paper, which was sealed with the Ice Wolf emblem, as if savoring the unexpected words of advice and praise.

"This doesn't sound like something the legendary cold-blooded duke would write," he murmured, a slight smile playing on his lips.

It's as if you can see a father's restrained tenderness towards his daughter between the lines.

Louis pulled out a clean sheet of paper and replied.

The letter to the Duke of Edmund was short, but well-chosen.

This expresses gratitude for the other party's approval and also solemnly demonstrates the importance of cherishing the engagement.

At the end of the letter, he wrote: "Please rest assured, sir, she will not be my vassal, but a partner on my life's journey."

After writing, he blew the letter dry, folded it, sealed it, pressed the red tide territory's sealing wax seal on it, and then handed it to Bradley, who was standing to the side.

"Deliver this letter to Edmund's house."

"Yes, my lord."

Louis turned his gaze away from the window and said casually, "By the way, you should know about this."

He paused, then looked at the experienced and prudent old butler: "I will be engaged to Emily, the daughter of the Duke of Edmund."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Bradley's eyes widened slightly, and he trembled slightly, as if even his breathing slowed down.

He wasn't unaware that Louis would eventually marry into the family.

But he never expected that the object of his affections would be the daughter of the Lord of the North.

The ducal family, which represents the military might and traditional glory of the empire's frontier, has now formed a marriage alliance with Louis, the head of the Calvin family.

"Is it confirmed?" he asked in a low voice.

“Yes, Father and Duke Edmund have already discussed it, and the wedding will be held on July 12th,” Louis replied calmly.

Bradley paused for a moment, then bowed deeply, his expression unusually warm and joyful: "Congratulations, my lord! This marriage is of great significance!"

Louis smiled and nodded slightly.

“You can start preparing for the wedding in advance. Keep everything simple and avoid extravagance,” he said. “But it shouldn’t be too frugal either.”

Bradley understood, his expression turning serious: "Understood. I will choose a proper procedure that is both dignified and befitting of a lord."

He left the room with a pace several seconds faster than usual.

The door closed gently, leaving the room quiet.

Louis leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling.

This marriage was extremely important to him.

It was a meticulously crafted key gear that put his entire Northern Territory plan into operation.

First, there was a rise in status.

Duke Edmund, that is the highest symbol of power in the North.

His son-in-law status was not merely a kinship title, but a direct endorsement of the Northern orthodoxy.

Although he had already secured the position of prefect of Xuefeng County, he still lacked a formal title in order to truly subdue local forces and unite the people's hearts, but now he had one.

Presumably, no one will be so blind and reckless as to act recklessly in the future.

Secondly, there's Calvin's change in role.

As the Calvin family's "representative in the North," he has obtained Level 2 authority, which means he can mobilize a portion of the resources within the entire Southeast system, including supplies, knights, civil servants, and so on.

Now, this marriage has made him the intersection of the interests of the two families, and no one can question his necessity anymore.

The most powerful swords of the North and the most prosperous wings of the Southeast converged in him.

The North has minerals, but lacks external markets and supplies.

Calvin controlled the ports and trade routes in the south. With him in charge of the coordination, the North could continuously send minerals, ice beast materials, and rare medicinal herbs to the south in exchange for food, salt, iron, and luxury goods.

The north and south are no longer separated by ice and snow versus by warm climate, but rather by a channel where interests intertwine.

And he is the key figure in this passage.

Moreover, when he and Emily have a child, that child will be the joint heir of the Calvin and Edmund families.

Not only will they naturally inherit the authority of both places in terms of bloodline, but they will also become key figures in the empire's political landscape for the next twenty years.

Of course, this is just my own speculation. Politics is not that simple and naive; we'll have to see how things unfold in the future.

　I'm not feeling well; I have a bit of a headache. I'll start with 5,000 words today, and continue with 10,000 tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)