I am the heroine's godfather!

"Loran, Loran, look at this hat!"

With nothing to do, Loran took Charlotte for a stroll. Charlotte pointed to a hat at a small stall, looking quite pleased with it.

It was a cowboy hat, which was very rare in the southern kingdom of Antaya, so it was normal that Charlotte had never seen one before.

"Like it?"

Loran pulled Charlotte into the stall, picked up a hat, and put it over Charlotte's head. Some of the large hats completely covered Charlotte's face, and she felt a momentary dizziness. She quickly pulled the hat off, crying out, "Loran!"

Lorraine, standing to the side, was already grinning from ear to ear.

Finally, I picked out a small hat for Charlotte, ten copper coins each, which was quite cheap. Wearing the hat, Charlotte struck a cowboy pose she'd picked up from somewhere: "Does it look good?"

"Oh my god, it's Cowboy Lord! We're doomed!"

"There should be hope, right?"

Charlotte puffed out her cheeks, then Lorraine poked them, and she deflated like a pufferfish that had lost its air.

As a city in the northern part of the empire, this border town seemed to be quite famous for its mutton. Charlotte had never eaten such a thing before, so she was naturally very curious. Loran and Charlotte found a small shop and ordered some hand-pulled mutton. When the mutton was cooked and served, Loran and Charlotte's faces twitched slightly—a strong, gamey smell assaulted their nostrils!

Suppressing the strong smell, Charlotte, with immense willpower, grabbed a piece, her face resolute, closed her eyes, shrank her neck, and ate it.

Then, thankfully, he didn't vomit.

In the end, Lorraine and Charlotte hurriedly paid the bill, shamefully wasting food—but then again, with this kind of cooking and this kind of meat, the sheep had died in vain.

Stepping out of the store, Loran understood why this place had hardly any customers—a luxuriously decorated and crowded restaurant might not necessarily be delicious, but trying food from a poorly decorated and deserted restaurant was definitely a huge gamble!

In the end, the two found a decent restaurant and filled their stomachs.

"If I have the chance, I'll take you to the Kingdom of Yahra, and we'll eat the most authentic hand-pulled mutton."

"Forehead......"

Having just been so disgusted by the terrible food that she almost cried, Miss Charlotte was understandably hesitant about hand-pulled mutton, and thus somewhat skeptical of Loran's promise. Loran, somewhat amused and exasperated, explained, "The meat in the Kingdom of Yahra is famously delicious. It's a land of warriors, with a huge demand for meat. Besides, the people there are very volatile; bad restaurants get vandalized. So, you can find an excellent restaurant anywhere along the roadside."

After a pause, Loran continued, "I tried their hand-pulled lamb when I went there with some friends before. It was very tender and delicious even without any seasoning."

"Gudu..."

Miss Charlotte swallowed hard, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and pretended to be nonchalant: "Well, then I'll trust you one more time."

After spending the night there, Lorraine and Charlotte boarded a ship bound for Enshia the next day.

"When you talk about Enshi Yacheng, you may only know that the scenery there is beautiful and that it is also known as the water city, with delicious seafood."

On the ship, a well-dressed gentleman was boasting: "But I have to tell you about a hidden taboo in Enshiya that must never be violated!"

The taboos of Enshiya? That sounds rather intimidating.

Charlotte looked at Lorraine, as if asking if he knew about this. Lorraine shook his head. Although he hadn't lived in Enshia for long, he considered himself well-informed and had never heard of any taboos.

His sister never told him either.

Loran's curiosity was piqued, and he wanted to hear what taboos the gentleman might reveal.

The gentleman lowered his voice: "There is a noble family in Enshiya that is extremely powerful, practically the local tyrants of Enshiya, and this family has a vengeful ghost!"

"A vengeful ghost?"

The ladies listened nervously as the gentleman continued, "It is said that this family was framed and fell into ruin. But who knew that more than ten years later, the family members, including the child who was confirmed dead, returned and massacred their enemies, their heads even being placed on the city gate of Enshiya!"

"ah!"

Several people screamed, and Loran fell into deep thought: This sounds familiar...

"Even when His Majesty the Emperor sent people, they were unable to get rid of this vengeful ghost and could only swallow their anger."

"I don't usually talk about this lightly, but you'd better be careful. In Enshiya, if you see a carriage with a golden griffin crest, you must give way, because..."

On the deck, the gentleman spoke quietly: "That's the carriage of the vengeful family, the Earl of Morganflore!"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Lorraine nearly choked to death on a mouthful of water, and Charlotte gave him a strange look.

If she remembered correctly, Lorraine's last name was... Morgan Fleur?

"Slander! He's slandering me!"

Loran said in a low voice, "He would not admit to such a thing. He did not slaughter the entire family. He only killed the mastermind's family and replaced them with members from a collateral branch!"

He really isn't a murderous monster seeking revenge!

Charlotte ultimately did not believe the gentleman's words. In her opinion, although Lorraine was very strong, he was definitely not the kind of person who was very bad. How could he be a vengeful ghost who killed without hesitation?

There must be some mistake somewhere.

Seeing that Charlotte didn't believe him, Lorraine breathed a sigh of relief, then glared fiercely at the gentleman.

The gentleman felt a chill run down his spine and quickly looked around, but found nothing and could only assume it was his imagination.

In short, after traveling south by boat for a few days, we arrived at a city situated on the water.

Charlotte stood on the deck and exclaimed, "How beautiful!"

After a journey of several months, Loran and Charlotte arrived in Enshonia, the Water City.

Chapter 31 Loran and Charlotte returned to their most loyal Earldom

Stepping onto his own territory, Loran took a deep breath; the abundant magic in the air made him feel very comfortable. As the third largest city in the empire, Enshia had a very good level of magic, and as the largest noble family in Enshia, the Morganfle family's territory was naturally no less impressive.

You ask why, in a city that is the third largest, the highest-ranking nobleman is only an earl?

Well, there used to be a duke, but he's not here anymore.

As for why it's gone...

Loran doesn't know.

Charlotte looked around with curiosity. The Morganflore family's territory contained a large village with about a thousand households, which was quite sizable. Because Lorraine and her sister didn't rely on farmers' taxes for their livelihood, agricultural taxes were low, and there were no other exorbitant levies. Compared to other nobles who acted as local tyrants within their territories, the Lorraine family could be considered extremely philanthropic.

Yes, children, the moral standards of normal people are already considered very virtuous compared to those of nobles.

It was noon, and the farmers, having finished their morning work, were sitting in the fields eating lunch brought to them by their families.

A gentle breeze blows, and the wheat fields ripple like waves.

The clatter of hooves sounded, and the farmer looked up to see an elegant and aloof orange-haired woman riding a white horse, inspecting the fields.

Loran looked up and greeted her. The elegant woman was stunned for a moment, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. After confirming that it was Loran, she burst into tears within ten seconds, and her aloof demeanor vanished completely.

Lorraine was stunned. What was going on? Charlotte was also bewildered. Why did this girl start crying as soon as she saw Lorraine? Surely Lorraine hadn't done something to offend her.

"Waaaaah!!! Young Master... Master, you're back!!!"

The woman immediately dismounted, sniffling and crying as she approached. Just as she was about to wipe her snot on Loran, Loran quickly reached out and pressed her hand against the man's forehead: "Don't come any closer!"

“Well, sir, a sad barrier has already separated us.”

The woman was crying and sobbing, but Loran didn't care at all that she was being silly. He pointed at her and introduced her to Charlotte: "Mia, my silly maid."

"Master, you're the stupid one!"

"Find a fight."

Loran pinched Mia's slightly chubby cheek and asked curiously, "Why is it you who's here to inspect? Where's Caroline?"

"Sister Caroline and Miss Serena are preparing for the Goddess of Light Festival!"

"Oh, the time is almost here."

Although it is a city of water, the most revered deity in Enshia is the Goddess of Light—or rather, in the Isnar Empire, the worship of the Goddess of Light is mainstream. Although not as grand as the royal capital, Enshia's Goddess of Light Festival is still very large, attracting believers from all over the continent every year.

"Who is this......"

Mia also noticed little Charlotte on the side, and wondered: Could it be that her master has also learned to pick up children?

The reason I say "also" is because Loran's sister, Miss Serena, also takes in children. She, Caroline, and several other maids were all taken in by Miss Serena. Although they were maids, Miss Serena treated them like her own children.

It's a real worry that Miss Serena still has no plans to get married...

Mia sighed. None of Serena's close friends from back then were still unmarried, and one of them had even been divorced twice! As for their Serena, although her beauty was still more dazzling than the stars in the night, and she had no shortage of suitors even with her ominous black hair and red eyes, she still had no plans to get married.

This caused the maids a great deal of trouble.

Speaking of which, my husband, Loran, is also unmarried!

These two are truly siblings; they must have planned it together—neither of them will get married.

Lorraine, oblivious to the maid's melancholy, introduced her, "This is Charlotte, well, you should call her 'Miss' from now on."

"...!"

Mia's expression shifted from confusion to bewilderment to shock. After a long while, a girl's scream rang out, startling the birds in the wheat field into scattering: "Master has a child!!!"

"..."

Lorraine couldn't hold back and slapped the guy on the head with a chop: "My friend's child, I am now her guardian."

"Hmm... It's because Master didn't finish his sentence, Master has a bad heart!"

"Find a fight."

Another slash.

After a playful exchange, Mia respectfully bowed to Charlotte: "Hello, Miss Charlotte, I am Mia, a maid of the Morganfleur family."

"Hello, I am Charlotte Bernard."

After the introductions were completed, Loran clapped his hands and said, "Let's go home!"

After Mia used a magical item to send a message to the manor, the group set off on their journey home.

Following the winding path through the woods, Charlotte found herself in front of a magnificent manor. The tall manor gate was adorned with ornate carvings, and peeking through the cracks, she saw a sword-wielding statue standing in the center of the road, flanked by gardens.

The magnificent mansion sits at the end of the road, with a golden griffin crest hanging above the main gate.

This was the most luxurious manor Charlotte had ever seen. Even the royal palace of the Kingdom of Antaya, though large, was far less exquisite than the manor before her. As for her own family's manor, it paled in comparison.

"Welcome to Morganflore Manor, Miss Charlotte."

The maids opened the door, and Mia welcomed Charlotte, then looked at Loran: "Welcome home, sir."

"Let's go, Charlotte."

Lorraine grabbed Charlotte's hand, who was still in shock: "Go see what your future parents will be like."

Charlotte paused for a moment, then broke into a bright smile: "Yes!"

Chapter 32 Loran's Older Sister

"Loran!"

She had only taken a few steps when she saw a woman in a black dress, with black hair and red eyes, walking quickly towards her and embracing her.

Charlotte blinked, feeling a tremendous shock at what she was seeing.

Is this Lorraine's wife?

No, no, Loran isn't married!

Could it be Loran's sister?

Yes, the siblings have a really good relationship.

Charlotte's little mind seemed unable to comprehend the current situation.

Buried within the immense evil, Loran struggled slightly, at which point the newcomer released her. Her crimson eyes overflowed with tenderness as she reached out a delicate hand to gently stroke Loran's cheek: "Tired? Come in. Honestly, why didn't you tell me when you'd be arriving..."

"Sister, I'm not a child anymore."

Loran always felt a little awkward about his older sister's doting on him, especially since their relationship couldn't be considered a simple sibling one.

Yes, this is Loran's sister, Serena.

Although she is called the older sister, she is actually the daughter of the stepmother whom Loran's father found for him.

Lorraine's birth mother died of illness when he was three years old. When he was six, Lorraine's father remarried. However, what people at the time could not understand was that Lorraine's father, a dignified count, remarried a widow with a daughter, who was naturally Serena.

Although it might seem like a story about a wicked stepmother, Loran's stepmother was actually a very gentle woman, and his sister Serena was also a kind person, so there weren't any truly unpleasant events. If nothing unexpected had happened, Loran should have grown up as a pampered noble young master. As for why he later joined the army, became an adventurer, and why his parents died, well, that's a question for a certain Duke who is now in heaven.

There was no time to dwell on the past; Serena had already noticed Charlotte. She crouched down, keeping her eye level with Charlotte's: "This must be little Charlotte."

"Oh, hello, I'm Charlotte Bernette."

“Hello Charlotte, I am Serena Morganfleur, you can call me Aunt Serena.”