After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

The Royal Library, located in a quiet spot near the royal palace in the city center, is said to house most of the books in human history.

However, despite its large size and claim to be open to all citizens, the library has very few visitors.

The nobles regarded this place more as a secluded meeting place than a place for reading.

The weather was perfect. Dressed in gorgeous and expensive clothes, Nicole stepped off the carriage, her pale pink ponytail fluttering in the wind.

As the team's main offensive force, she is tall and slender with long, well-proportioned, and powerful legs, making her look heroic and dashing.

Nicole looked up at the library, pondered for a moment, and then went inside alone.

Nicole didn't pay much attention to the mystical things Saint Maria had said. Aren't all clergy like that? Always talking about reincarnation, God's will, destiny...

What truly made her decide to come to the capital was a letter from Princess Diana.

In the princess's letter, she mentioned that their enemy from their previous life, Duke Oswald, had begun a massacre of nobles under the influence of the wicked maid Elene, who had stolen his Wishing Star.

At first, Nicole didn't believe it. Why would a duke kill the nobles in his own territory? Wouldn't that weaken his own power?

Without the support of his noble subordinates, who would he rely on to manage his territory, and who would provide him with money and provisions to resist the demons?

When the news reached the Southern Territory that the nobles of the Northern Territory had been largely wiped out, Nicole panicked.

It turned out that all of this was real; they were indeed facing a massive catastrophe. Especially after realizing that Duke Oswald was fond of massacring commercial nobles, Nicole felt a panic so intense she could hardly breathe.

It was as if an invisible rope was around her neck.

Looking back at what Maria said now, everything unfortunately came true. Even if it wasn't some kind of time reversal, she must have been a great prophet!

Nicole was flustered and anxious, and the recent rumors circulating in the royal city made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.

With the help of Lady Luna, the King successfully reconciled with Duke Oswald. The Northern Territory will continue to be loyal to the King, and the two sides will soon exchange envoys to demonstrate their friendship.

This is no longer an ordinary enemy; they must unite!

Stepping into the elegantly decorated library, if it weren't for the rows of neat bookshelves in the center, Nicole would have thought she had entered an art collection room as she stood on the waxed mahogany floorboards and looked at the display cases on the walls.

The interior was quiet, and although sunlight streamed through the glass windows, the air was cool.

Nicole walked up the spiral staircase to the third floor and saw Maria, with long blonde hair, sitting at a long table by the window.

Hearing footsteps, Maria closed her book, turned around and smiled at Nicole.

"Just you alone? Where are Her Highness the Princess and so-and-so?"

"Her Highness is still under house arrest. It's already quite an achievement that she was able to send you a message. Lilith and Thorne have gone on training. As for Annie, she may need some time to herself."

Nicole nodded, and sighed as she sat down. "It seems that none of you are doing very well."

Maria frowned slightly as she pinched her fingers together, then slowly shook her head and sighed, "The main problem is that Thorne has no memories. In his previous life, he had enough time to grow and set his goals. But this time, the situation has changed."

"The Duke of Oswald in the Northern Territory is an ambitious and powerful figure, and now he has Elene providing him with intelligence..."

Based on her own experiences and what the spies had seen and heard, Maria's worst fears had come true.

Oswald's trust in Elene exceeded everyone's expectations. Now, everyone in the Northern Territory knows that when the Duke is away, Lady Elene manages everything in the territory, and even Miss Luna has no say in it.

Seeing the enemy growing more united and powerful, the hero on their side still didn't realize his duty, and Lilith was spoiling him too much; the two of them did *that* day and night, regardless of the occasion…

"I don't think we need a hero for now, anyway, he needs time to grow." Nicole, having no memories, was more open-minded.

"The princess has political power, you, as a saintess, have religious power, and that Sisi is the daughter of the Royal Knights, who has military power. Add to that the land rights of that marquis's daughter and the wealth of my family, and we can completely form our own power and resist the Northern Territory."

Maria blinked, somewhat embarrassed, and said to Nicole, "Sorry, I don't understand what you're thinking."

"We need a territory to develop ourselves." Nicole quickly stood up, took down a kingdom map from the wall, spread it on the table, and said to Maria, "That marquis's daughter can legally become a lord. As long as the princess manages things properly, and I spend money to buy another piece of territory, we can use this territory to develop and strengthen our own power in the future."

Nicole's eyes sparkled. She had long wanted to do something big. How did those nobles come to be? They were recruited and fought their way out of the chaos in the country!

Don't think that you can't manage your territory now because you don't have a noble status. In the past, who cared about your status? Might makes right.

Brushing aside her bangs, Maria looked intently at the map. Not only Nicole, but Lilith had also said the same thing after returning to the royal city.

However, Lilith's plan seems more like gaining the favor of the Duke of the Western Territory, thereby becoming a nobleman under the Duke with territory.

Where do you think we should put our territory?

Maria's heart leans towards the West, and her godfather, Sioux, is the Grand Master of the Knights of the Western Territory. It would be easier for them to do anything after they went there.

However, Nicole pressed her finger heavily on the south side.

Meeting Maria's puzzled gaze, Nicole chuckled softly, "Haven't any of you considered why the King keeps trying to win over Duke Oswald?"

Maria shook her head, puzzled. "Why?"

"Because His Majesty the King will definitely take action against the Southern Territory! He is courting Oswald not only because the Northern Territory bears the heavy responsibility of resisting the demons, but also because even if the Northern Territory only stands in a neutral position, His Majesty can free up his hands and boldly eliminate the political enemies of the Southern Territory!"

Chaos is the ladder to progress, and if they handle this situation well, they will reap countless rewards.

Maria was enlightened by these words. Yes, they could cultivate their own power before Thorne became a hero.

The southern territory is indeed their best option at present.

It seems there are capable people in the team. Maria's eyes showed admiration. "Okay, I'll go contact everyone now. When we work together, we will definitely be able to make up for the regrets of the previous life."

……

According to Paul himself, in order to better perform his guard duties, he had to fully understand the young lady's lifestyle and cultivate a tacit understanding between the two of them so as not to be at a loss in case of emergencies.

Oswald clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Listen to this! This is what you call professional! No wonder you're the kind of person who can protect the archbishop's safety on his travels!"

As a result, Luna has been in a particularly bad mood lately. Even though Paul's body hasn't fully recovered, he's running faster than she did in her prime.

Unable to shake off her tagalong, Luna walked obediently. Seeing her stern face, the residents of Ice City were amused and teased her.

"Young Miss, would you like some of our new honey cake?"

Luna grunted. "Eating, all you ever think about is eating! You sugar-addicted fools, didn't you hear what your brother said? A regular, healthy diet is important. Too much sugar and oil is bad for your health!"

The residents laughed heartily. Although the Duke had indeed said those words, Miss Luna was always a common sight at the entrance of the pastry shop.

Sure enough, Luna's next words were, "Give me one, let me check if it's really honey on it."

Sitting at a small table by the shop entrance, eating sweets, Luna felt much better. It would have been even better if no one had spoken to her.

"When the young lady goes to the capital, even if she encounters food she likes, she shouldn't eat it right away. She must give it to us first..."

Paul paused, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, and lowered his head, unsure how to continue.

Luna stopped eating, looked at him suspiciously for a moment, then called the waiter over, sliced ​​the honey cake into layers, and handed it to Paul on a new plate.

"You take life too seriously, Paladin. My brother is such a serious person, but he sometimes gets drunk. I heard he even cried in Lady Elene's arms."

Paul took the plate, somewhat incredulous, unable to reconcile the words "duke" and "crying."

To be honest, the Duke of Oswald was the most dignified lord he had ever met. He was decisive and incredibly brave... Are you sure he didn't make others cry?

The children of nobles probably wouldn't even be able to cry if they heard the name of the Duke now.

"Eat quickly, and I'll take you to do some fun things after you finish eating."

Paul quickly took a bite. It was sweet and cloying. He didn't particularly like sweets, but after eating it, his mood did improve considerably.

In her free time when she doesn't have to study or train, Miss Luna always seems to have endless things to do.

She was busy eating, busy running, busy arguing with the residents... In the sweltering heat of July, Miss Luna took Paul out of the city and came to a stream in the woods.

The stream was shallow, barely reaching knee-deep at its deepest point, and the crystal-clear water flowed down to large patches of fine sand and pebbles.

Luna placed her shoes and socks on the grass, rolled up her sleeves, and whispered a warning to Paul: "There are soldiers patrolling the river, specifically to catch those who go into the river without permission. Remember, don't shout, or we're doomed if we're discovered."

Paul remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "So, what brings you here...?"

"Catching crabs! The crabs here are small, but they're delicious when deep-fried." As she spoke, Luna had already stepped into the stream. As if suddenly remembering something, she turned back to look at Paul and said, "I see your coat is quite sturdy. Hurry up and take it off to catch the crabs."

Barefoot, Paul stepped into the stream, a cool breeze blowing through the woods. As he watched Luna busily turning over stones to find crabs, his eyes were filled with memories of his own childhood.

When did that child, who could have fun playing by himself, leave us?

When did I start placing my own happiness on the joys and sorrows of others?