After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

"The saintess arrived and then left that same day?"

"Yes, elder brother, but I have no idea what she and Lady Elene talked about in the middle of it. Elder brother, shall we ask Lady Elene?"

"Family affairs, national affairs, world affairs." Oswald put down the political report that Eleanor had written for him, paused, shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Who can know everything?"

"A leader needs to understand the thoughts of his subordinates. Elena is a meticulous person. If she doesn't want me to know, there must be a reason. If I pry into her mind, wouldn't I be wasting her good intentions?"

Luna nodded and respectfully replied, "I understand."

Oswald walked to the window, opened it, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "Well, tell me, what's the logic behind this?"

Luna pondered for a moment, then swayed her long ponytail as she answered, "There are some things that are very troublesome for you to deal with right now, but knowing about them means you can't ignore them, so not knowing is the best outcome."

"Smart, you've grown a lot recently." Oswald smiled with satisfaction, then beckoned her to sit down at his desk.

Luna obediently complied, and couldn't help but fantasize about the day she would replace Elene.

"I told you to write it. The first letter should be to Elena. Tell her that the so-called blessing ceremony should just be a formality and that the nobles should pay for it. The most important things in the country are war and sacrifice. If they don't pay, they can forget about getting God's blessing."

"The second letter was written to the Vatican, expressing my regret and apology that I, Oswald, could not personally receive the saint. The military in the north is in decline, and I am temporarily unable to leave. I emphasized that we will definitely hold a good prayer meeting, and finally wished the Archbishop good health. Also, this letter should be sent with the gift. I heard that your guards have acquired a bear? Then send the bearskin over, so that the old man can have some warm clothes."

"The third letter is to Sister Jane, inviting her to Harbin to preside over the prayer meeting. Remember, the sister has lived in poverty since childhood and is physically frail, so send a better carriage when delivering the letter, and do not neglect her duties."

Luna finished writing the letters one by one, noting down important notes, and then looked up to ask, "Brother, is there anything else you need to tell me?"

Oswald rubbed his eyes and began to reminisce about the convenience of modern society. How convenient cell phones are! You can contact anyone you want to talk to.

No wonder people say that people in ancient times had good memories. How could they not? They had a ton of things on their heads every day.

"There are two more things. One is to tell Red that, taking advantage of the prayer ceremony, the martial law in Ice City should be lifted, but the imprisonment of the Marquis's mansion must not be relaxed in the slightest."

"The other thing is..." Oswald, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, pointed to a large wooden crate crammed with various papers against the wall. "Take those documents to Eleanor for me."

Panting, Luna walked out of the military camp with a crab-like gait, all the excitement of her first time as a messenger gone. She slammed the large wooden crate to the ground with a bang, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The female soldier rushed to take it, but even with all her might, she could barely lift the wooden box.

The two men looked at their horses at the same time and remained silent for a moment.

It's definitely not stable to put this thing on a horse's back. Even if you tie the wooden box to someone's body, there's still a great risk. It's okay if it falls on the road, but what if it falls into a ditch...

"Let's find a carriage." Not daring to bear the consequences of losing the documents, Luna sighed, recalling the strange expression on Elene's face when she learned that she was going to ride a horse to Kuogu City.

It can only be said that people can't teach you everything, but you can learn it in one go through experience.

In Luna's mind, messengers are so dashing, traveling 800 li in an urgent manner, galloping all the way.

But she didn't know that those were special cases. Generally, messengers traveled by carriage. Documents and materials exchanged between Oswald and Eleanor were fine, as it was necessary for their work.

Some minor nobles would often fill a cart with local specialties and then send a messenger with a message containing only two sentences.

Something like: Your Grace, the apples here are ripe. They're especially delicious this year. Would you like to try some? Shall I bring them over to you?

Holding the letter and staring at the hundreds of pounds of apples on the carriage, Oswald would often fall into deep thought.

Are they trying to guess what I'm thinking and curry favor with me?

Or are they just that stupid?

It was the third day by the time Luna returned to Ice City in her carriage.

Entering the Duke's mansion, Luna searched for a long time but couldn't find any trace of Elene. The servants were nowhere to be seen, leaving only the blank-looking guards at the gate who seemed clueless.

She took small, quick steps, moving from the house to the courtyard, where she heard voices talking. Peeking through the bushes, Luna crept over and eavesdropped.

Last time, she caught Wang, a woman in her forties, having an affair with a young gardener in the kitchen. She even heard Wang say coyly, "I'm old and know how to take care of people. You're so lucky, you should just enjoy it."

She was so excited about eating that watermelon that she couldn't sleep all night.

When it comes to gossip and drama, nothing beats the Duke's Mansion. All the love affairs at the Central Academy, with their pretending to be head over heels in love, are nothing compared to this kind of illicit love.

"They say life is unpredictable. Darling, do you know that Miss Elena was the top student in our year?"

A woman's shrill voice rang out. Luna blinked, unsure, as if she didn't recognize the person.

"Back then, we were just young ladies from baronial families, both at the very bottom of the academy. But now? You'd probably have to call me Countess, Miss Elena."

"Yes, congratulations."

The indifferent voice that reached my ears was Elinie's voice.

Earl? Is an earl some kind of powerful being? Luna tilted her head in confusion, peeking out with a keen eye, wanting to see which earl dared to put on airs in the Duke's house.

"Don't say that, darling. No job is inherently superior or inferior; being a maid is a job too..."

While the well-dressed man was still talking, Elena, who was holding a teacup, suddenly changed her demeanor and gave Luna a sharp look.

Damn it, we've been found out!

Luna immediately made a graceful turn, retreating backwards with her hands and feet moving in unison, muttering guiltily, "Busy, everyone's busy, it's good to be busy."

Just as she was praying that Eleanor would let her go, a voice drifted leisurely from behind her.

"Come here right now."

"OK."

……

"What high-ranking person would eavesdrop on the private conversations of their subordinates? Do you think you're so good at hiding it? Actually, every time you sneak out at night, the guards report to me."

"You're young, so it's understandable that you're childish. You might think that what you overhear is the truth, but what if someone discovers you're eavesdropping and deliberately tells you lies?"

"The wise man taught that we should walk the right path, which actually tells us that we cannot deviate from the right path. Because when others discover that you prefer unorthodox methods, they will lose respect for you, and your words and actions will no longer be convincing."

"The Duke was also aware of the insults the nobles had inflicted on him behind his back, but he did not blame them for it. However, if any noble violated the laws of the Northern Territory, he would deal with them severely. This is why he had prestige among the people."

"That's the difference between taking the right path and not taking the right path. You might hear an interesting story today, laugh it off, and forget about it. Tomorrow, you might hear about a major defamation case. What will you do then?"

Luna, who was obediently standing as punishment, was ashamed. Elini must have been influenced by her brother; she could spout grand theories about anything.

Seeing that Elene was about to put down her teacup, Luna quickly interjected, "Teacher, have some tea, have some tea. You still have guests here."

At this moment, the extravagantly dressed young man smiled and spoke, adopting an air of nobility: "May I ask who this gentleman is?"

Elena then took a leisurely sip of her black tea and said calmly, "Miss Luna, the Duke's sister."

With a snap, the social mask on the man's face seemed to shatter.

Another glamorous woman, dressed in elaborate attire, paused for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "How dare you, a mere maid, lecture the young lady like this?"

Luna was stunned for a moment, then moved; finally, someone was speaking up for her.

But how could she not give Elene face at this moment? She quickly said, "Lady Elene is my brother's confidante and has outstanding talent. My brother taught me to learn from Lady Elene, to respect her, and to serve her at all times."

Well, now the tables have turned, and the maid is the one being respected by the young lady...

Elena glanced at her, sipped her tea, and didn't say anything more.

"Are you two nobles from my Northern Territory?" Luna quickly snapped out of her student mode and smiled elegantly at the two of them, befitting a young lady.

"No, we are nobles from the Eastern Territory," the man replied respectfully, wiping his sweat.

He dared not be disrespectful, knowing that Duke Oswald currently had neither children nor women by his side. Therefore, the man before him was the rightful heir to the Northern Territory, and even one with military power.

Luna nodded. All she wanted to do was leave this place as soon as possible, so she invited the two of them, saying, "Since you two are friends of Lady Elene, why don't you join us at the party later? It would be good to meet the nobles of our Northern Territory."

The man nodded vigorously, readily accepting the invitation. Of course, how could someone of his status refuse an invitation from the eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion?

However, when he learned that he had attended a closed-door meeting instead of a banquet, he was filled with regret.

The young lady had long since disappeared; the only person sitting in the highest seat in the reception room was Elena, dressed as a maid.

Nobles arrived one after another, seemingly accustomed to the person in the lead. They each took their seats, whispered among themselves, and waited for the meeting to begin.

"Alphard? What are you doing here?"

A portly old count from the north exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the man.

"I don't know either, I just came because Miss invited me." The man smiled wryly, then looked at his fiancée, who was still staring at Elena with complicated emotions, and sighed helplessly.

"You..." The old count shook his head and kindly reminded him, "After you pay the money, leave the Northern Territory as soon as possible."

Pay up?

Alpha was puzzled, but the old count had already swayed his obese body to the front seat without offering any further explanation.

Once everyone had finally arrived, Elena sat sideways in her chair, not looking at the crowd below, and spoke in a serious tone.

Everyone held their breath; the maid seemed to be in a bad mood today.

"You should all have heard about the Holy Maiden's visit to our Northern Territory a few days ago."

"The saintess intends to hold a blessing ceremony for the goddess throughout the entire kingdom."

"The Duke said that you are all blessed and grateful, and you will surely make active contributions to pray for the goddess's blessings."

"Since this is a prayer ceremony belonging to the Northern Territory, the money should not be paid by one family or one clan."

Elena clapped her hands, and a squad of well-armed soldiers burst through the gate, each carrying a large bag.

Those with greater blessings should contribute more, and those with less blessings should contribute less; neither should be forced.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire arena fell silent, save for the creaking of armor. Starting with the nearest nobleman, the soldiers silently opened their pockets, revealing wooden plaques engraved with different numbers.

Five means five gold coins, and ten means ten gold coins. Just like Elena said, she doesn't care how much each person takes, as long as the bag is empty when it comes to her.

No way, no way, could someone really want the Duke to pay for this too?

The nobleman closest to Elena felt an overwhelming pressure; his fingers trembled slightly as he pulled out a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his neck. He knew perfectly well that even if the bag was full, he would take it all in one go!

Of course, he couldn't suffer in silence. He took the wooden plaque back, and everyone would be held accountable for whoever was responsible for how much.

Fortunately, even if everyone was unhappy, at least they took a few wooden signs with them.

When he arrived in front of the Alphard, he twitched his lips, resignedly took a wooden plaque with the number five on it, and he and his fiancée each took one, and he couldn't help but sigh.

The Northern Territory is truly a magical place...

After going around the room once, the room remained silent. Elena tossed the empty bag onto the conference table, didn't glance at any of the people, and left with an air of composure under the watchful eyes of all the nobles.

As for that glamorous woman, she had no desire to boast to her old classmate, and she was well aware of Elena's true status. After paying the money, she hurriedly dragged her fiancé's arm and fled the Ice City as if escaping.