After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

After leaving the royal city, Luna didn't plan to return by water. She hadn't ridden a horse in a long time and was eager to ride it at full gallop.

But this was tough on Duke Morpheus; while Luna ran around freely ahead, he had to suffer the bumpy ride behind her.

However, not long after leaving the city, a heavy rain began to fall, and the group had to find a nearby village to rest and wait for the rain to stop before continuing their journey.

Upon arriving at the small tavern, Luna hadn't even stepped through the door when she kicked something soft and nearly fell to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a homeless man.

"Get off me, don't lie here, you're interfering with my business!" The tavern owner was a middle-aged woman. As soon as she saw Luna's clothes, she knew that a distinguished guest had arrived, and she hurriedly tried to shoo the homeless woman away.

"Look down on people like that..." The homeless man got up, shrank back, put his hands in his pockets, and limped outside with a disdainful look on his face.

"Ha, if this kind of person were in our Northern Territory, they would all be forced to work in the mines."

Luna made a comment, not caring about the little incident, but to her surprise, the homeless man immediately stopped and turned around, staring straight at her.

Luna had seen the sharpness in his eyes before; it was the pride unique to scholars, especially those who were arrogant in their talent yet utterly destitute.

"Young Miss".

Sensing the threat, the two guards drew their blades with a clang and stood in front of Luna, ready to tear the man to pieces at her command.

"It's alright, sir. May I ask what brings you here?"

"I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat, miss?" The man bowed respectfully. If it weren't for his tattered clothes, he would really look like a scholar.

However, after performing the salute, he collapsed with a thud.

……

Looking at the young man sitting opposite her, gulping down bread like a starving ghost, Luna showed no disgust. Instead, she giggled as if she had discovered something amusing.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to tell the tavern owner to pour him a large glass of water, lest he choke to death there.

"Sir, would you like some meat?" Luna ordered a plate of minced beef and handed it to the young man.

"want!"

The young man took the plate, no longer caring about etiquette, and stuffed the food into his mouth. After finishing, he even let out a satisfied burp.

"I will never forget the young lady's life-saving grace."

Luna laughed. She had heard of repaying kindness, but never of remembering it.

"I see you're a scholar, sir, so why..." Luna pointed to his tattered clothes, "Why have you gotten yourself into this state?"

"Ah, it's a long story." The young man brushed his messy hair aside and tidied his appearance, though it wasn't necessary, and slowly began to speak.

"I had been diligently cultivating my knowledge in the Southern Territory and considered myself to have achieved some success, but my reputation was not well-known. Upon hearing of the king's wedding, I used the pretext of being a talented person from the Southern Territory to sneak into the World Tree Academy in the royal city, hoping to be able to meet the king and showcase my talents."

"Unexpectedly, there was a magician in the group who coveted the queen's beauty, which caused turmoil. Afterwards, the king was very angry and ordered all academies to conduct a strict investigation... That's how I was exposed."

Upon hearing this, Luna immediately understood what had happened to him. He must have been severely beaten by the academy after his true identity was exposed, and then thrown out of the royal city.

Wow, that's impressive. Luna has seen plenty of people who cheat others out of food and drink, but this one is truly unique in managing to fool the king.

Luna applauded his remarkable adventure, then asked with a smile, "Why don't you go back to the Southern Territory, sir? That's the direction to the Northern Territory."

The young man, with an arrogant expression, began to pontificate, "The nobles of the Southern Territory are all shallow-minded people who only value commerce and not military strength. They love money and have no ambition to make progress abroad."

"The Duke of the Eastern Territory is lustful and cowardly, and his extravagance has squandered the treasury. Although the territory is wealthy, the population is large and the arable land is insufficient. Once there is a food shortage, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"The Duke of the Western Territory is old and ailing. Although he has many children and grandchildren, none of them are capable of shouldering the responsibility. Moreover, the Duke's family has been away from the territory for many days and has ignored the people's plight. Disaster is sure to follow in the future."

Hearing his seemingly logical explanation, Luna, though unable to discern the truth from falsehood, still wanted to know his opinion on the Northern Territory.

"Sir, what is the situation in the Northern Territory?"

Seeing that the other person was successfully attracted to him, the young man tried to put on airs, but not daring to go too far, so he asked timidly, "Do you have any wine?"

"Boss lady, bring the wine!" Luna waved her hand, thinking that since it wouldn't cost much, she might as well just listen to a story.

The proprietress hurriedly served wine, personally pouring it for the young man. Her respectful manner earned her a roll of her eyes from him.

After taking a big gulp of wine, the young man looked satisfied and answered Luna's question directly.

"The northern lords are strong and their ministers are weak. Although Duke Oswald is exceptionally brave and dares to capture a python alone, he has not left his residence for many days. He must have been seriously injured in the fierce battle."

Upon hearing this, Luna frowned. There was no mention of her brother's injury in Eline's letter.

The young man drank one glass of wine after another, and his speech became faster and faster.

"The Duke has no one to rely on, and the few key ministers he has cannot be easily moved, hence this injury. Admittedly, the Duke is both a man of letters and a warrior, but the northern territory directly faces the demons, yet there are no great generals to guard the passes and camps. Although he has granted marquisates' lands to the people, there are no capable ministers to assist in governing the territory. What can be done?"

"Moreover, the Northern Territory has yet to recover its strength. If the Duke can seize the Marquis's wealth today, what will he do tomorrow? The Duke may wish to be a wise ruler, but he is confined to the North, unable to expand the territory and achieve national prosperity and strength. What will he do then?"

A muffled clap of thunder sounded in the sky, and the guards at the gate stared at the rain, all remaining silent.

Yes, the Northern Territory is too poor. Most of its annual fiscal expenditure is spent on resisting the demons. In the long run, it will surely drag down the entire territory.

To change this predicament, the only option is to expand territory outwards, but that is easier said than done. The king and the dukes of other regions are not fools; they restrict the Northern Territory precisely to prevent it from becoming independent.

Don't be fooled by Frank's current friendliness towards Luna. If the Northern Territory ever becomes truly prosperous, Frank will surely join forces with the other three dukes to launch a military campaign against it.

"I've learned a lot." Luna nodded. The young man's ability to perceive the situation in the northern territory from a thousand miles away was enough to show his skill.

The young man cupped his hands in greeting, "You're too kind. Since Miss is going to the Northern Territory, why don't you take me with you?"

"You know the truth, so why did you still go?" Luna found herself unable to understand the man before her. With his talent, he would have secured a place in the palace sooner or later, so why...?

The young man stood up, grabbed the last glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp. "Because I'm short of money, I've heard that the people in the northern territory are more generous."

Never having heard such an amusing answer before, Luna burst into laughter, "Hahaha, alright, I'll take you with me then. What's your name?"

"I am Jacob."

"Good name. I'll reward you with ten silver coins. Go and get yourself some new clothes."

"Thank you, Miss Charles."

After the rain stopped, the group set off again. Luna, accompanied by three hundred guards, galloped away on horseback and quickly disappeared into the vast wilderness.

Mofi was frantic. He quickly leaned out of the carriage and urged the new coachman, "Hurry, speed up, catch up with the young lady."

Jacob took a leisurely sip of his drink and continued to drive slowly.

"My lord, there's no need to be so anxious. The young lady will be back in no time."

Mofi... you don't have to be so brave. If anything happens to Miss Luna, none of us will be able to save our lives.

Alas, this young man from out of town probably doesn't understand how terrifying Duke Oswald is. Oswald is not some useless nobleman in the royal city who indulges in debauchery. If he stomps his foot, the entire Northern Territory will shake.

Mofi sighed. After all, he was an honest man. "Anyway, hurry up and try to catch up with the young lady."

"No need." Jacob heard the noise and pointed ahead with a smile. "Look, they're back."

Before she finished speaking, Luna rode up to the carriage, carrying a wild rabbit, and boasted to the old count, "Look, I hit it! I hit it with one arrow!"

"Young lady, you're really amazing." The old count praised her as usual, then glanced at Jacob, who was still drinking, without making a sound.

I couldn't help but think of Elene, who knew the Duke inside and out and could perfectly carry out his orders.

Young lady, it's time to start cultivating trusted confidants...

The journey was tedious for Mofi; he was no longer young and had seen too much scenery along the way, so it was naturally hard for him to be interested in these things anymore.

He now prefers to stay at home and spend his days leisurely in a rocking chair.

Luna led the cavalry on hunting trips the whole way, sometimes not returning until the next day, complaining to him about things like letting a bear escape.

After entering the Northern Territory, Jacob stopped being drunk all the time. He began to frequently get off the carriage, chatting amiably with various people along the way, and would also stand in the fields, quietly observing the surrounding natural environment.

As time passed, they finally met Eleanor, who was standing at the city gate to greet them.

Luna tried to sneak away, but was stopped by a look from Elene.

"I already know about your involvement in the brawl with soldiers at the academy and your threat to Duke Dale by drawing your sword in the main hall of the palace," Elena said calmly. "Go and rest first; the Duke wants to see you later."

"My brother is home!?" Luna trembled with fear. It was over; there was no way to escape now.

After temporarily releasing Luna, Elene turned to the soldiers again, her order concise: "The guards are to be given three days' leave and return to their camps to rest."

"Yes, sir."

The guards obeyed the order in unison, dismounted, entered the city, and marched in an orderly fashion toward the camp.

The city gates quickly became empty, and Eleanor was clearly more friendly towards the two people who had not made any mistakes on this trip.

"Please come with me, Earls."

"Yes, sir." Mofi and Pete dared not overstep their bounds in the slightest. To be honest, when Elena said "please," it sounded more like she was about to punish them.

Jacob watched the scene with great interest; such a young maid could so easily handle both nobles and soldiers… impressive, truly impressive.

However, as the people around him left one by one, Jacob suddenly realized what was happening.

Wait, I think I've been left behind!