After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

That evening, after the celebrations ended, Oswald, feeling dizzy and unsteady, returned to the Duke's mansion.

He initially only intended to drink a little, as a way to give himself a day off, but he didn't expect those old men to be such heavy drinkers, and they even insisted that he pay for their meals.

"Ugh."

Oswald leaned against the doorframe, suppressing his discomfort, pressed his throbbing forehead, and sighed quietly.

"The Duke?"

A voice came from behind him. Oswald turned around and saw Elene in a nightgown, holding an oil lamp.

Oh no, my subordinates found out I was drunk...

Oswald felt a pang of panic. He thought that by giving all the members of the Duke's mansion a holiday, no one would be able to see them, but he forgot that Elene's home in Ice City was the Duke's mansion.

Oh well, so be it. I'll just have to accept the embarrassment.

"It's so late, why aren't you resting yet?" Oswald asked, feigning nonchalance.

"Because the Duke hasn't returned yet." Elena approached step by step, and after smelling the alcohol on him, she abruptly asked, "How much did the Duke drink?"

"I've been drinking all day..." Oswald's face flushed slightly, whether from drunkenness or embarrassment, it was hard to tell. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Go and rest, it's getting late."

Having said that, he grabbed the doorknob, pushed the door open, and then collapsed to the ground with a thud...

He brought over hot water, personally washed Oswald's face, and then carefully applied ointment to the bruises on Oswald's face.

Her movements were very light, and her fingertips were so cold that Oswald felt his face was hotter than a coal stove.

When she got close, Oswald felt as if he could smell a natural breeze.

The two looked away, their faces expressionless. Elena took a few steps back before sighing and asking, "Is there anywhere else that hurts?"

However, she knew that asking would be pointless. This was the most troublesome thing about drunk people; even if they were injured, they couldn't feel the pain.

"It was just a fall."

Oswald slowly walked to the bedside and sat down, bowing his head as he said, "Am I a troublesome person, always making you do so many things for me...?"

Elena, with her back turned, quietly lit the candlestick and replied, "Duke, don't forget, being a personal maid is also my job."

The room brightened rapidly, the flickering firelight illuminating Oswald's ever-changing face.

"You've all been very considerate of me, but I really want to find an opportunity to apologize to you. I don't really know what I want..."

He clutched his head, breathing rapidly, clenching his teeth to hold back his tears.

"I am nothing, yet you've all followed me without even knowing what was going on..."

Just as Oswald was becoming increasingly incoherent and his emotions were beginning to break down, a cool hand covered his lips.

A gentle voice whispered in his ear, "You're just drunk, Duke. You'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

After putting Oswald to sleep, Elena took a lamp and went out of the room, where she met Jenny, who was standing by the window looking at the stars.

"I'm sorry I overheard your conversation."

Jenny was a very principled person. She felt that since she had overheard it, she shouldn't secretly leave and pretend not to know anything.

"It's alright, the soundproofing in the rooms of the Duke's mansion has always been very poor."

Elena didn't need to guess why Jenny had come. After the Duke's fall, if there hadn't been no servants in the manor today, even the old butler would probably have trembled and rushed over with his sword to protect him.

As for Luna, who has an extremely high quality of sleep, she'll probably just turn over and continue sleeping.

"Your Grace, so you're actually... a sensitive person?"

Jenny asked with difficulty, carefully considering her words, only to find that nothing she said was appropriate. Was she really going to use "sentimental" to describe the supreme power of the Northern Territory?

Outside, however, Oswald was always the epitome of iron-fisted politics. How many nobles could fight against elite demon armies on the city walls for an entire day?

However, it is indeed rare to find a lord who would take the initiative to apologize to his subordinates.

In response to Jenny's question, Eleanor simply tilted her head, her long, radiant hair cascading down, and asked in return, "Sister, how do you feel when you receive praise?"

Jenny, puzzled, replied, "She'd probably be happy, feeling recognized by others."

"Yes, we all feel that way. But the Duke's first reaction to being praised is always one of unease, followed by intense suspicion of the other person's motives, until the so-called 'lie' is exposed."

"Why?" Jenny was shocked. It was the first time she had ever realized that human emotions could be so distorted.

A faint sadness appeared in Elena's eyes as she gazed at the dark night sky and whispered, "Yes, why..."

When Oswald woke up the next day, he felt something was off. He stood by the window and looked out, only to find that the sky was still just as blue and the city was still just as orderly.

After washing up and eating, and with Eleanor's help, Oswald put on his armor, preparing to head to the camp in Kuogu City, couldn't help but ask, "Eleanor, is there something wrong with me today?"

"The Duke fell once when he returned last night," Elena replied calmly, sheathing her longsword at Oswald's waist.

Um, that explains why some parts of my body hurt so much; I thought it was a hangover.

No, although it's embarrassing, that's not what I felt.

Based on his experience from his previous life, Oswald's intuition was always excessively accurate. The system said this was normal because he came from another world and knew the whole story, so he subconsciously sensed unknown dangers.

Oswald: He said a lot, but I didn't understand anything at all.

System: Omniscience is, in a sense, omnipotence. Just treat it as a perk for transmigrators. Why bother knowing so much?

Oh right, I still have a system! Oswald slapped his forehead and quickly called out to a certain role-playing system in his mind, whether he was just slacking off or really trying to figure out the storyline.

(Hello, are you?)

[I'm fan ,thank you ,and you?]

As the familiar mechanical voice rang out, Oswald felt a surge of joy. "Excellent, our understanding is still there," he thought, and continued to ask.

(How are you feeling today?)

[I'm fine, thank you. How about you?]

(I'm practicing English-Chinese conversation with a mentally challenged system.)

[......]

[Sorry, host, the current storyline is unclear, and this system cannot assist you in identifying danger. What we can speculate at present is that the goddess's blessing and curse are likely to erupt in the current storyline.]

[Please investigate the rest yourself, host. Goodbye.]

And you... a blessing or a curse?

Oswald immediately thought of the world's background setting.

The goddess created four races: humans, elves, demons, and dwarves. Before the goddess departed the world, each race requested a blessing from her, and was subsequently cursed by her.

The blessing bestowed upon elves is immortality, and so is the curse of immortality.

The demons love invasion and war, hoping the goddess would make them stronger. It was later proven that their curse made newborns weaker, resulting in a high mortality rate among young demons.

Dwarves love to explore for treasure underground and in caves, but the dangerous environment leaves most of them crippled. The proverb "Seven out of ten dwarves are lame, and the other two are dug from the ground" originates from this place.

So the goddess bestowed upon them an endless supply of a kind of soil, a miraculous soil that could instantly revive flesh and blood, and even regenerate severed limbs.

Then, the dwarf received a curse that was perhaps not a curse at all...

The upper class of the dwarves began to treat the lower-class dwarves even more cruelly, forcing them to continuously mine and plunder their wealth, thus creating the "Dwarf Kingdom" that is still a slave society today.

It has truly achieved its goal: as long as you're not killed, fight to the death!

Meanwhile, the cunning humans wept and begged the goddess not to leave them.

As expected, the squeaky wheel gets the grease; humanity obtained five wishing stars that could be used to make wishes to the goddess.

So, Gul'dan, what will be the price...?

Good question, because even Oswald doesn't know the answer.

According to the setting, humans should indeed suffer from the curse related to the Wishing Star, but neither the game of Oswald's previous life nor the system's supplement to the story mentions the issue of the human curse.

Moreover, the Wishing Star of this world has been passed down for many generations, and countless wishes have been made, yet humanity has not encountered any backlash.

Human: Yes, I am not only the eldest son, but also the goddess's favorite child.

Oswald's silence suggests that the so-called curse might not have erupted earlier or later, but rather in our time.

Damn it, why do I have this feeling of certainty as soon as this thought pops into my head?

"Ellie... no, summon Luna to see me," Oswald commanded with a grim expression.

Elena's eyes trembled slightly; this was the first time the Duke had not spoken to her after falling into deep thought.

Ten minutes later, in the Duke's private office, Luna met Oswald, who was standing alone by the window.

Perhaps it was the oppressive feeling of the other party's full armor, or perhaps it was because she had never been formally summoned alone before, but as soon as Luna entered the room, she hurriedly knelt down on the ground.

Regardless of the reason for the summons, just kneel down first.

"Luna, have you cultivated any trusted confidants?"

Oswald's first question left Luna speechless, but she also knew that being honest with her brother was the best, or rather, the only, option.

"I wonder which kind of trusted confidante you're referring to, brother? Does it include the noble ladies who joined me in criticizing the hero?"

Her simple answer left Oswald speechless. He turned his head and met her clear eyes, feeling troubled.

After pondering for a moment, he continued, "The ancients said there's a proper way to advance and retreat. Do you know why retreating is just as important as advancing?"

Luna immediately replied, "I think it's just like swordsmanship. A sword must be able to thrust out and then be able to retract. The retracted sword can be used for defense or to build up power for the next attack."

"Yes, this is the way of battle, but not the way of politics." Oswald was always willing to teach his younger sister, who was also his heir, the most essential knowledge.

He nodded, acknowledging Luna's understanding, and then instructed, "War is a continuation of politics, sometimes a thunderous attack like a flood bursting its banks, sometimes a relentless crashing of waves against the shore, lasting from a few days to a hundred years."

"From a historical perspective, wars always have their moments of respite, but compared to war, politics is far more dangerous. Because from the moment it is born, politics is a huge, never-ending whirlpool in the ocean."

"When you're caught in this whirlpool, you can't just look at those who wield power and influence; you also have to see the many who perish at sea. If you plunge in headfirst, what will become of you?"

Luna understood that this was a blatant test.

She pondered for a long time, and combined this with the information her brother had given her to his trusted confidant the first time, and gradually came to the answer.

So she raised her head, looked at her brother whose eyes were full of encouragement, and answered with her chest out.

"Brother means that we should find a stone that can resist the force of the whirlpool, tie ourselves to the stone with a rope, and then we can move freely in and out of the whirlpool, right? And that stone is our confidant!"

……

Oswald felt a lump in his throat. He suddenly understood why the Ming Dynasty's Tianqi Emperor had told his successor, Chongzhen Emperor: "My brother should be like Yao and Shun."

These guys, like Yao and Shun, can even interpret the same principle in reverse.

With a sigh of disappointment, Oswald stroked his chin and pointed sharply, "Is it possible that you are the stone?"

Oh… Luna suddenly understood, her eyes brightening. So, knowing when to advance and retreat means letting others advance and retreat while remaining unmoved. I get it, I get it.

"Luna!" Seeing that she understood the reasoning, Oswald was about to truly entrust her with tasks. This was Luna's first real participation in political work.

"Yes." Luna replied seriously, mimicking Elene's manner, giving a concise and forceful answer.

"After you arrive in the capital, I need you to secretly cultivate a trusted confidant and sponsor him to obtain a job at the Central Library within one or two years. This matter must be kept secret from everyone except you and me!"

"yes!"