After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

In Ice City, three weeks after Duke Oswald's disappearance, the residents finally received their first decree from the Duke of Broad Valley.

Squads of cavalry galloped across the city and villages, searching for idle members of society. Once identified, they were immediately escorted to Kuogu City to work in the mines.

The commoners were all bewildered. When did the Duke go to Kuogu City? Could it be that the demons have attacked again?

The nobles were even more confused. The Duke was not here, so who took away the bribes I had recently given to the Duke's mansion... and those beautifully written letters expressing loyalty?

Moreover, how could we not be called upon for a war?

According to tradition, shouldn't the duke host a banquet, invite all the nobles to attend, and then everyone contributes money and manpower, gathers their respective knights and farmers, and together they form a large army to go to war?

How could the Duke possibly defeat the demons with just his tens of thousands of men? No, absolutely not! We must show our loyalty and share the Duke's burdens!

The astute nobles quickly realized that once the war in the Northern Territory no longer required their involvement, they would have no place in the Northern Territory.

There are no obligations, and no rights.

Without military power, there is nothing.

Large numbers of nobles began to want to leave Ice City and return to their territories, but their carriages were stopped by Red's soldiers before they even reached the city gate.

Red was a bastard, but he was also a loyal bastard, so even though he hid in the military camp and dared not show himself, he gritted his teeth and sent his soldiers out to intercept the nobles.

The exasperated nobles had no choice but to visit the Duke's mansion, only to leave dejectedly under the cold gaze of hundreds of guards.

Ultimately, the highest-ranking among them was a count, someone with some power but not much.

The Duke, the most powerful figure, is not here. Of the three marquises, one had his property confiscated, another had his pastures in the western mountains and it is now unknown where he is grazing his livestock, and the third had his territory in a commercial city in the south. It is said that he has personally gone to the central region of the kingdom to purchase grain in order to make money off the Duke.

Bad news kept coming from that side. In the usually quiet Marquis's mansion, Annie, upon learning that the Duke was not in the city, quickly realized that this was an opportunity to escape.

According to my memories from my previous life, in early April this year, a full 10,000 demon soldiers will march south to attack Starfall City.

At that time, Oswald had just taken power and, in order to establish his prestige in the army, he chose to take the initiative to fight the demon army in the field. As a result, neither side gained any advantage.

According to later intelligence analysis, the 10,000 demon troops were only there to test the defensive strength of the Northern Territory and see Oswald's abilities. They were just going through the motions before withdrawing, but no one expected Oswald to be so brave and reckless.

Oswald needs a major victory to secure his position as duke, but he doesn't have enough elite troops. If he were to offer up his personal guards from his territory to help him wipe out this army of ten thousand demons...

Judging from the current situation, Oswald has most likely gone north to reorganize his troops, leaving Ice City in a state of leaderlessness. On the surface, however, all affairs of the city, large and small, are managed by Reid, the Duke's confidant.

But Annie, who knew the future, was well aware that Red was just a watchdog, and the real second-in-command of the Northern Territory was none other than the Baroness who always dressed as a maid.

Only by gaining her trust would Oswald set aside his prejudices and agree to exchange his military power for his freedom!

A letter was thus delivered to the Duke's mansion.

However, it wasn't until the third day that the gates of the Marquis's mansion were pushed open with great force.

Under the watchful eye of a squad of soldiers, Annie breathed in the fresh air a year earlier than in her previous life.

The city was even more bustling than she could see from her window, with construction workers and patrolling soldiers everywhere.

Occasionally, you'll come across a few new houses steaming, with people carrying wooden buckets in long queues, chatting about everyday life.

That was a hot water room set up by Oswald. Annie had seen it before. It was said that hot water was provided for free, while the other bathing service was very expensive, costing one copper coin.

The residents are thrifty; when they want to take a shower, they usually fill two large buckets with free hot water and run home quickly, since the water will cool down if they are a little slow.

Some wealthy families would carry their toiletries, strut into the bathroom with an air of superiority, and emerge breezy, casually mentioning how comfortable it was inside.

Unexpectedly, the air was warm, and it wasn't cold even when you were naked. The water tank was so big you could swim in it, and so on and so forth.

The items were good, but the thought that they were all made with her own family's money made Annie feel heartbroken.

Sigh, why did I agree to get engaged to this person in the first place?

Upon arriving at the familiar Duke's mansion, the old butler was looking at the jewels being moved out, biting his handkerchief and weeping. Elena, wearing her white mink coat, stood at the door, becoming a ruthless signing machine, letting the Duke's centuries-old fortune be squandered.

"Wait a minute, this is a family heirloom made by the duke two generations ago!"

Upon seeing a soldier bring out an exquisite golden statue of the Virgin Mary, the old butler could no longer resist. He pounced forward like a hungry tiger and snatched the statue from the bewildered soldier's hands.

The scene was in chaos. Elena walked over expressionlessly, looked at the statue of Alan Tam for a while, and then nodded as if she had acknowledged something.

"That's right, this has historical value. Let's not melt it down into gold, let's sell it to the Chamber of Commerce at a high price."

"What!" The old butler's snow-white beard trembled uncontrollably, and a mournful cry escaped his throat.

To be honest, Yani didn't expect to see such a shocking scene as soon as she walked in.

Now no one can say anything to anyone else. Oswald is a ruthless man; he even ransacked his own house.

"Welcome, Miss Annie." After dealing with the sobbing old butler, Eleanor turned to Annie and gave her a polite smile.

"It's cold outside, let's go inside and talk."

Annie nodded and followed Elena into the Duke's mansion...

Then I watched her take off her coat and hand it to the respectful maid beside her, watched her sit in the position symbolizing the pinnacle of power in the Northern Territory, dressed as a maid, and watched her order the servants to bring her hot tea.

Annie's hand, holding the teacup, trembled slightly. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, she still found it unbelievable.

Isn't she a bit too arrogant, being the daughter of a baron? Aren't the people in your ducal household going to do anything about it?

In his previous life, Oswald didn't seem to have relinquished power to this extent!

"I read every word of your letter," Elena said, her fingers meeting to interrupt her reverie. Her gaze suddenly deepened as she got straight to the point.

"But as far as I know, you don't seem to possess the talents of a prophet, do you, Miss Annie?"

Annie paused for a moment, then put down her teacup and put on an elegant and composed smile. She had been prepared for these questions long ago.

"Our Marquis's mansion naturally has its own intelligence sources, so please rest assured. In just a few days, the demon army will surely march south."

Upon hearing this, Elena calmly took out a piece of paper, quickly drew a stroke, and then chuckled softly.

"Ha, if the Marquis really had such a powerful intelligence network, why was he still under house arrest by the Duke?"

"You!" Annie choked back a sigh of frustration, then sat down again, puffing out her cheeks.

Who would have thought that on the very first day of the time reversal, before she could even figure out what was going on, Oswald would send troops!

What a coincidence! Not too early, not too late, it just so happened to coincide with the day Oswald raided his own home.

If she had been given more time to react, Oswald wouldn't have had the chance to seize the opportunity.

Taking a deep breath, Annie regained her composure. "Isn't our inability to detect the Duke's actions a testament to our loyalty? Besides, the truth of the intelligence will be proven in due time, won't you agree, Miss Elene?"

Elena nodded, her slender fingers tapping slowly on the table, and continued, "Alright, let's assume this intelligence is true. But the Duke has a large army, and Count Camaro's troops are stationed in Starfall City, enough to firmly defend the Northern Territory. Is it still necessary to transfer troops from the Marquis's territory?"

To be fair, the private armies in the marquises' territories are a big problem.

If the Marquis's family hadn't been detained, that army wouldn't have dared to act rashly, and might have caused even more trouble.

Oswald did indeed want to dismantle the army, but he was temporarily unable to do so. However, this was different from the Marquis voluntarily relinquishing military power.

Taking the initiative indicates having a purpose. On the surface, it may seem that the marquises were forced into a corner, but in reality, they had no need to worry about their personal safety at all.

The northern territory is indeed ruled by the Duke, but there is also a lively young king in the south.

Oswald could frame the imprisonment of nobles as a personal grudge. But if blood were to be spilled, the king would certainly seize the opportunity to send a large army to hold them accountable.

"Not enough. If the Duke launches a preemptive strike and engages the demon army in open battle, the fighting strength of his troops will be far from sufficient." Annie lifted her chin slightly and said decisively, "The only way to achieve victory is..."

"Who wants to launch an attack? Who wants to engage the demon army in open battle?!" Elinie's expression suddenly changed, and she interrupted Annie sharply.

A pair of cold eyes made Annie feel uneasy, and even her breathing became rapid. She was somewhat bewildered when she heard Elinne's stern reprimand.

"I'm warning you one more time, Miss Annie, even a prophet has no right to presume to discuss matters of state. If you utter any more charlatan-like words, I'll have no choice but to arrange for a clergyman to perform an exorcism for you!"

Annie was truly left speechless, unable to express her bitterness.

Yes, everyone knows that the Northern Territory is temporarily unable to engage in open battle, and everyone knows that what needs to be done at this time is defense rather than counterattack.

But that's exactly what Oswald did in his previous life! You wouldn't believe it, would you? Even Annie wouldn't have expected it. If she didn't have memories of her previous life, she wouldn't have believed that Oswald would be so reckless.

Having calmed herself, Annie knew the conversation was beyond repair, so she rose, bowed, and took her leave. "I hope you can convey my words to the Duke, Miss Elena. I will await the Duke's reply at any time."

"I agree to that. Take care, and don't bother seeing me out."

As the door slammed shut, Elena drew a second stroke on the letter and let out a long sigh.

As soon as she received Alyssa's letter, Eleanor sent messengers to inform Oswald day and night.

Oswald's reply was simple: if Annie was found to have uttered prophetic statements two or more times, martial law should be immediately imposed on Ice City, and the Marquis's family should be kept under close surveillance.

Anyone who attempts to pass a message to the Marquis's mansion, regardless of their status, shall be executed immediately!

"Clang clang clang!"

The resounding bell tower echoed throughout the city. As Annie walked along the road, she suddenly turned around. Not far away, the city gate was slowly closing, creaking and swallowing up the sunlight inch by inch.

With a loud rumble, the street seemed to dim.

Annie probably never dreamed that Oswald, who died long before the time reversal point, also knew the future, even a lifetime earlier than her.

Squads of soldiers rushed past her, and before Annie could figure out what was going on, a warm raindrop fell on her face as she turned the corner to go home.

Hmm? It's raining?

Annie wiped her face, opened her palm, and what she saw was a scarlet red bubbling with blood.

Her once beautiful silver hair, as white as snow, was now covered with red spots, making her look particularly eerie.

"kill!"

A loud shout rang out, and Annie clearly saw her maid and the groom who had recently delivered supplies to her family being slammed to the ground by tall soldiers.

Right at the main entrance of the Marquis's mansion, a row of gleaming swords were drawn and slashed with lightning speed, spurting blood as two heads tumbled and rolled to the ground, lifeless.

"Escort the Marquis's daughter back to rest!"

The soldier on his tall horse didn't even glance at the bewildered Annie, but at the same moment he gave the order, Annie felt her already weak feet leave the ground.

Just a second before she was thrown into the house, she heard the cavalryman's speech with perfect clarity.

"The Secretary-General has ordered that anyone who utters a single word within the Marquis's residence, along with the guards and officers, will be beheaded!"