Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

Well, Aaron realized he had been overthinking things. He might not be the same person he used to be, but Freya was still Freya.

"Would you believe me if I said I had a relationship with her?" Aaron said.

"Hmph, of course I don't believe it!" Freya said fiercely. "How could an angel like Her Majesty Claire fall for an ordinary person? But who knows what men are thinking? You men are just toads trying to eat swan meat, and I've already been eaten by you."

Aaron: "..."

When Freya realized that she couldn't persuade Aaron by being coquettish or fierce, she turned to Simon for help: "Brother, can you talk to him for me too?"

"Hmm? Become a judge? I support it. A man should have a bit of an adventurous spirit."

Simon leaned back on the sofa, surprisingly standing on Aaron's side. As he flipped through the newspaper, he said, "However, I heard that the Church of Judgment hasn't recruited any new people for a long time because they are not satisfied with those who ultimately pass the test. Therefore, what Freya just said is actually wrong. It's not one in ten thousand, but one in a hundred thousand for a superhuman to become a judge, because even if you pass the test, you may still be screened out in the final interview. So, Aaron, good luck."

After saying that, Simon grabbed his orange juice, stood up, walked over to Aaron, patted him on the shoulder, and left with a carefree air. Aaron watched Simon's retreating figure, thinking to himself, "Were you encouraging me or just trying to discourage me?" But he didn't get a reply; Simon had already gone back to his room on the second floor.

Freya was still babbling on and on. Aaron sighed helplessly, rubbing his head. He knew he had to calm Freya down first, or his ears would be in for a lot of trouble...

Having barely escaped the dinner table alive, Aaron felt he couldn't remain passive and should try to gather some information about MI7. So he turned his gaze to the butler in the room, Mr. Conrad Carden.

Carden is the personal butler of the Earl of Iron. He can handle all the affairs of the Earl of Iron's household. Although he is just a butler, he is an important figure that many people can only look up to, and he must have a lot of information. Asking him for information is the best choice.

The butler was ironing clothes when Aaron approached him and subtly made his request.

"Information from MI7?" Carden asked while ironing clothes. "Young Master Aaron, have you heard about the Earl Welter disappearance case from last month?"

"I heard about it; it caused quite a stir. Have they found the person now?"

Earl Welter was a minor nobleman in the area, and he was somewhat well-known. Even Aaron had heard of him, but what really made him famous was his mysterious disappearance from his home last month, which became a hot topic of discussion in Birmingham.

No, he's dead.

Carden said calmly, “MI7 can take a suspect away for interrogation without prior notice. This is a power granted to them by the King and Parliament. Earl Welter disappeared from his home in this way. We don’t know why he was arrested, but when people found him, he was already dead. All they saw was his body.”

Kaden looked up and met Aaron's eyes: "Young Master Aaron, it's best to avoid getting involved with MI7 under any circumstances. Whatever you get involved with will become extremely, extremely troublesome."

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, Carden took the ironed clothes and left, leaving Aaron alone in the wind, bewildered. He thought to himself that it would have been better not to ask at all; he hadn't gotten much information, but his fear had only intensified.

The next morning, Aaron woke up with a headache.

Aaron woke up today feeling quite tired, perhaps because he had been paranoid these past few days. He was usually in good health and rarely felt unwell. Aaron thought it might be due to overworking himself these past few days.

"Is he sick?"

He forced himself out of bed and went to the lobby on the first floor, intending to ask the housekeeper for some medicine. An angry voice came from the study: "Have you finished asking? I need to rest!"

"What's going on?"

Aaron turned his head and saw Simon storm out of the study, his face pale and bruised as he passed by him. He slammed the door and left under Aaron's gaze, as if he had been provoked.

Aaron was somewhat surprised. In the eyes of others, Simon had always been the kind of person who was capable of planning and handling things with ease, as if everything was under his control. But today, he was unusually out of control, even though he was only at home.

Chapter 155 What kind of person are you?

Who made him lose his composure like this?

Aaron looked toward the study and saw that the door was wide open, and sunlight was streaming in.

The butler came to the door and bowed apologetically to the person in the study: "I'm sorry, Mr. Stewart."

"It's alright, that's how young people are." A faint voice came from inside the room.

“Butler.” Aaron also came to the butler’s side.

"Good morning, Master Aaron. Is there anything I can do for you?" the butler said.

"I have a headache, I think I have a cold. Could you give me some cold medicine?"

"Is this medicine for headaches and colds? Please wait a moment, I'll prepare it for you right away." The butler withdrew, and Aaron turned to look at the person sitting in the room.

Sitting inside was an elderly man with gray hair, wearing a white shirt and tie, his suit jacket casually draped over the chair, and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, like a capable doctor or lawyer. However, his deep-set eyes and weathered demeanor set him apart from ordinary people. He sat in the Iron Earl's usual spot, resting his chin on his hand, as if this room were his office.

Is this the person who made Simon angry?

As Aaron was trying to figure out who this person was, the other person happened to see him too. They exchanged glances, and Aaron nodded politely to the other person. But to his surprise, the other person, without even a greeting, said, "You must be Aaron Brando, right?"

Aaron blinked, pointed to himself, and said, "Are you talking about me?"

"Is there another person here named Aaron Brando?" The old man smiled and pointed to the empty chair in front of him. "Please sit down."

Aaron was a little confused, but he still sat down in the chair, which was still warm, obviously because Simon had just sat there.

"Why did Simon act like that just now?" Aaron asked, referring to why he ran away so angrily.

"Please allow me to introduce myself first," the old man said. "My name is Stuart Enlighten, and I am a political advisor invited by Falk. Since Simon is going to marry into the royal family, he will inevitably encounter various difficulties and attacks in the future. So his father invited me to come and desensitize and train him in advance, but the young master seems to be unable to take it."

“I see.” Aaron nodded, feeling he understood, but just as he stood up, Stuart said, “Mr. Aaron, why don’t you sit down and talk to me?”

Chatting with you doesn't seem like a pleasant experience, so I'd better leave... Aaron thought to himself, deciding to pretend he hadn't heard.

“Mr. Falk pays me one gold flower an hour, other nobles have even offered me five gold flowers an hour to try and poach me, and many more nobles can’t hire me even if they pay,” the old man said behind him. “Are you sure you don’t want to give it a try?”

Five gold coins an hour? Aaron gasped. The old man's hourly wage was equivalent to Aaron's monthly salary.

"Your medicine won't be here so soon. While you wait, why not try the services of the wealthy?" The old man tapped the table lightly with his fingers, leaning back in his chair, seemingly tempting Aaron.

But the service provided by the wealthy doesn't seem very comfortable... Aaron sat down and sighed.

"Your current position is the office manager, right?" As soon as Aaron sat down, Stewart immediately closed the distance between himself and Aaron, and the two sat facing each other.

"Should we start by learning about this place?" Aaron was still somewhat doubtful.

"It seems you still don't understand my job. Let me explain."

The old man clasped his hands together on the table: “You know, the lives of nobles are far from as glamorous as they appear. Promiscuity, illicit affairs, adultery, and abuse are not uncommon among nobles. But I can tell you that Earl Iron is one of the few clean ones among them. He neither attends parties nor plays around with women outside. It seems that power is his only interest.”

Aaron agreed with this point; power seemed to be the only thing the Iron Earl was interested in.

"Not everyone lives a clean, religious life like the Earl of Iron. Including his sons. That's where I come in. Here, my role is more like that of a lawyer. It's not about changing their bad habits, but about examining their lives, telling them what might ruin their lives, what evidence would lower the judge's opinion of them, and then devising strategies to cover for them. But the prerequisite for me to devise strategies for them is that I first understand them thoroughly, and having one's life scrutinized is unpleasant for anyone."

So that's why Simon was angry, Aaron thought. In his eyes, Simon was also the kind of person who lived a clean life, seemingly quite different from other nobles. But looking at his angry appearance, he didn't seem so invincible after all.

"The temptations that the sons of noble families encounter in life are sometimes beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Since Simon is a nobleman, he is naturally no exception."

"As for Mr. Aaron, I have always believed that it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. It is very difficult to change what a person is really like. Even if they try their best to pretend, they will always inadvertently reveal their true nature. A lion is a lion, and a mouse is a mouse."

"And now it's your turn, Mr. Aaron, tell me about your life."

“Okay.” Aaron thought it wouldn’t be bad to examine his life from other people’s perspectives. He could examine himself from a completely new angle. Most importantly, MI7 was also investigating and analyzing him, so he could take this opportunity to see himself from MI7’s point of view. It was a win-win situation.

Half an hour later.

"..."

After asking the last question, Stewart seemed somewhat silent.

"So? Did you figure anything out?" Aaron asked, sounding rather excited.

“How should I describe it… In all my years of practice, I’ve rarely met someone as special as you…” Stuart seemed to hesitate.

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked.

Stuart said, "I think you and Falk are quite similar in my opinion..."

"Does that mean my resume is flawless?" Aaron was a little pleased, as he considered being called the Earl of Iron a very high compliment.

“No, what I mean is that it’s clear that Miss Freya is very strict…” Stuart looked sad. “This is the first time I’ve heard of men having to report drinking. Mr. Aaron, you’ve really broadened my horizons.”

Aaron: "..."

"Mr. Aaron, I'll ask you one more time, are you sure you've never visited Crystal Palace?"

The Crystal Palace that Stewart mentioned wasn't a real palace, but a local hotel, Birmingham's most famous hotel, a nightlife hotspot, and a gathering place for Birmingham's wealthy young men. Zane had the nickname "Prince of the Crystal Palace," which others might have thought was a refined title, but in Aaron's eyes, it simply meant he was a nightclub prince.

"No." This question made Aaron a little embarrassed. "You know my salary level. That place is not something I can afford."

"You know so many nobles, hasn't anyone ever invited you? Not even a casual remark?" Stuart seemed to be reacting strongly, and Aaron didn't know if he was surprised or disappointed.

“Really not…” Aaron was speechless, thinking to himself, “Can’t you talk about something less bourgeois? He really is just an ordinary civil servant in Birmingham.”

Others might assume that he's climbed the social ladder by marrying into a noble family and would naturally frequent noble circles, but upon closer inspection, it's understandable. The person he's most adept at having fun with is young master Zane, after all, he's the "Prince of the Crystal Palace" and a VIP at all the hotels in Birmingham. But even if he's a master of socializing, he wouldn't invite him to join him, because Freya would really tear him apart the next day.

"Never been to a tavern? Never even held a girl's hand?!" Stewart rubbed his head, seemingly even more speechless than him.

Aaron was a bit confused. Was it more embarrassing to say that he had been there, or that he hadn't?

In the end, Aaron told the truth: he had been there before.

He wasn't lying. When Dorn had free time, he would take his employees to the pub for drinks. It was considered an event at the government building. The pub had those flamboyant red-haired girls who were responsible for pouring drinks and occasionally earning tips. Of course, customers couldn't force them, and the manager didn't interfere.

"You must know the going rates and prices, right? For example, you can spend 30 copper coins for a beer and have a girl sit on your lap for a while. If you spend 2 silver snakes, you can have a girl kiss your cheek while you drink your beer. If you add a gold flower, you can go upstairs and spend some time alone with the girl." Stuart stared into Aaron's eyes and continued to coax him.

"Judging from this, your salary is about the same as the girl's," Aaron raised an eyebrow.

“No, I’m more expensive than them,” Stewart retorted.

"But seriously, I do know all of this."

Aaron wasn't lying; there were always lively moments at the tavern, especially when Dorne announced he was treating. The red-haired girls in the tavern would take the opportunity to use their charms, and some colleagues would excitedly hand over their wages.

"Then why didn't you... give it a try?"

"No……"

Okay, everyone has moments of impulsive spending, but firstly, he doesn't have the money. He's been carrying student loans since graduating from university and hasn't finished paying them off yet, so he can't afford such a luxury. Secondly, his affair with Freya is common knowledge in the government building, and due to Freya's pressure, his colleagues are unwilling to take him out, which means that even when Aaron goes to the tavern, he just drinks.

Thinking about it this way, it seems that he has always lived in Freya's shadow. Although his situation is similar to that of a single person, he has not enjoyed any of the benefits of being single, but has suffered a lot from being married.

Thinking about it this way, even he felt that his life was somewhat sad... No wonder Stuart looked at him with a playful look.

“I’ve been in this business for so many years, and I thought the Earl of Iron was already a rare find. I never expected there to be another one.” Even Stuart raised an eyebrow at this question, but Aaron couldn’t quite tell if he was praising him or insulting him.

"Alright, let's change the subject. Where is your wife, Freya?"

“She’s not my wife,” Aaron clarified, but Stuart shrugged, looking completely unconcerned. “So? Is she a womanizer? Or does she have any unusual tastes?”

"What do you mean by 'playing with flowers'?"

"Flying leaves, promiscuity, abuse?" Stuart said bluntly.

"No, Count Iron is very strict, and she doesn't like to play with these people."

"You don't even have an ex-boyfriend?"

"Yes, we do have that."