It seems that the villain is targeting me.

The smile on Gwyneth's face deepened, as if a calm and peaceful force surrounded her, making her feel safe.

"Listen to your big brother," she shouted to her younger brother, "and don't be lazy, Luca!"

.

-----

.

After a morning exercise that could be described as hell, the Tudor family gathered around the dining table, ready to enjoy breakfast.

The head of the Tudor family of this generation has a total of four children, two boys and two girls. In order of age, they are the eldest son Eric, the eldest daughter Gwyneth, the youngest son Lucas and the youngest daughter who is still learning to speak.

The Duke of Tudor had a very good relationship with his wife, and his four children were all born to the same mother, so the relationship between the brothers and sisters was quite deep.

On this long journey to the capital, except for the youngest daughter who was too young to be brought out, the rest of the children followed their father to the capital.

Only stay

His mother and little sister stayed in the territory, maintaining order on behalf of the Duke of Tudor.

So now, there are only four people sitting at the dining table.

The food on the table was quite rich, including freshly baked bread and sour cream sprinkled with plenty of chives, stacks of ham and crispy fried bacon, and dark beer produced in the capital, served in wooden cups with handles.

Gwyneth, clearly hungry, sat down at the table, tore open the still-hot bread roll, and dipped half of it into the sweet plum jam.

The faint aroma of new wheat lingered in her nose. Gwen brought the food to her mouth and took the first bite with great pleasure.

At this time, Lucas, who was sitting next to her, had already eaten three pieces of bread with beer and bacon.

Lucas had just worked out hard, consuming a lot of energy. He was at the age where "youngsters can eat me to death", so his appetite was really scary.

Even the Duke of Tudor, who was sitting at the head of the table, couldn't help but scold his youngest son: "Eat slowly, what a mess!"

Lucas reluctantly withdrew his hand from the fourth loaf of bread and slowly hooked the handle of the beer glass.

When breakfast was over, servants came to clear the table and remove the leftovers, but the Duke of Tudor remained seated, waiting for the table to be cleared.

The three children understood that their father had something to say, and they all sat up straight.

After the servants had left, Grand Duke Tudor spoke in a deep voice, "I'm going to be very busy with official duties lately, and I might not be home for a few days. There are some things I need to explain to you first—Eric."

"Yes, father." The Duke's eldest son Eric responded immediately.

"Come with me to the military camp these days to discuss combat plans with the generals of each legion," Duke Tudor instructed him. "The Jialan people have been harassing the border more and more frequently recently. Don't let your guard down."

"Yes, Father," Eric replied.

"What about me? What about me?" The youngest son Lucas pointed at his nose, his face full of anticipation. "I want to go to the military camp too—"

Duke Tudor glared at him with a scowl. "You will follow my official to the Prime Minister's residence to discuss military supplies and logistics with him."

"what……"

The disappointment on Lucas's face was beyond words: he also wanted to review the army and command the majestic Hussar Corps like his elder brother.

Instead of rummaging through the account books in the rear and being the transport captain.

"What?" Duke Tudor lectured his youngest son. "The allocation of military supplies is of great importance. Sometimes it can even determine the outcome of a war. It's not a trivial matter."

"Prime Minister Butcher is diligent, knowledgeable, and decisive. You can learn a lot from working under him."

Duke Tudor gave an order with a fierce face: "No complaints, just go there honestly."

"Oh..." Lucas closed his mouth reluctantly.

After giving the important instructions, the Duke of Tudor finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His eyes fell on his eldest daughter, Gwyneth.

The Duke of Tudor, who was always decisive and resolute on the battlefield, hesitated in a rare way.

He hesitated for a moment, stood up from the chair, and sighed before speaking: "Oh, Gwen - come, come here, let's go to the study and talk."

Gwyneth stood up from the table, quietly waved to Eric under the table, and then quickly followed her father's pace, leaving the two brothers looking at each other at the table.

After a while, Lucas realized: "Why did my sister just wave at you?"

Eric: "..."

Lucas: "Did you say bad things about me to my sister? Did you?!"

Eric: "..."

Eric: I want a new, sweet, obedient little brother who only likes his older brother.

Eric: My sister is fine too.

Chapter 19: Big Brother: I feel like I’m the only one who picked up this beauty.

In the study, Banuel Tudor sat down on a chair with wide armrests and a deep chair. Such a high-backed chair was very comfortable to sit on, allowing tall people to lean back and read comfortably.

Without his instruction, Gwyneth had already walked up to him on her own initiative.

Unlike Eric and Lucas, Gwens wasn't particularly afraid of her father.

The girl showed her intelligence and alertness since she was a child. She was more mature and sensible than her two brothers. She almost never caused her parents any worries, and was therefore quite loved by her parents.

Many times, Banur would talk to his eldest daughter formally as if she were an adult, because of her intelligence, she had unconsciously gotten used to being sincere to Gwyneth instead of coaxing her like a child.

This is really a rare thing in this day and age.

The father and daughter had a tacit understanding of covering up for each other: if Gwyneth secretly took the horse to the racetrack to run wildly without telling her mother, or if she fell down from the attic directly to save a few steps, Banur would certainly scold her severely, but he would never tell the truth to his wife and the nanny afterwards.

And if Gwen saw her father secretly drinking whiskey despite his promise to her mother, or heard that he excitedly spent a lot of money to buy a sword made by a famous craftsman, she would never be like her brother Lucas, pretending to be well-behaved and innocent on the surface, but actually turning around and complaining to her mother.

In my heart, Banur likes this the most.

A daughter's.

His eldest son, Eric, is resolute and steady. He treats his father with great respect, but lacks the intimacy that should exist between parents and children.

As for the youngest son, Lucas, he was as naughty as a monkey. The Duke had to punish him three times a day to suppress his arrogance. It was really laborious and tiring.

Thinking about it this way, Gwyneth was loved by her father not only because she was well-behaved and sensible, but also because of the support from her younger brother.

The bright sunshine filtered through the curtains into the Duke of Tudor's study. In the soft light of the early morning, Gwyneth looked into the eyes of the Grand Duke Banur, which were exactly the same as her own.

She felt her father looking at her with concern, his eyes filled with pity and helpless distress.

"A message arrived this morning from the palace stating that His Majesty has ascertained the truth and has ordered the eldest prince to be punished and confined to the palace," Duke Bart said. "Later, His Majesty will publicly announce this matter and restore your reputation."

Gwyneth nodded gently.

"And, Your Majesty means that the marriage contract between our two families will remain unchanged."

The middle-aged man had a cautious and tentative look on his face, as if he was afraid of hurting his child's feelings.

"I already know about the First Prince's wicked deeds... My dear girl, tell Dad honestly: do you still want this engagement to continue?"

Gwyneth quietly clenched her palms, and a sharp pain pierced her heart, as if being bitten by the sharp teeth of an animal. A few days had passed since the incident, and the humiliation that was about to fade away once again climbed up her spine.

Gwen wanted to tell her father regardless and willfully that she didn't want to, that she would rather go home and live out her life alone than marry Prince Charles.

But she knew that she could not be willful. Her father loved her and was even willing to sacrifice the family's future for her happiness. However, Gwyneth did not want to embarrass her father, and was even attacked by thieves.

In the two months since arriving in the capital, her father had been leaving home early and returning late every day, busy with military affairs. He hadn't even had time to shave, and he had lost a lot of weight - Gwyneth had seen all of this.

What's more, she is not an innocent little girl anymore.

From the beginning, Gwyneth had no expectations for this political marriage, which was intended to strengthen the ties between the two families.

"It's okay, Dad," Gwyneth forced herself to smile happily. "Since His Majesty has already found out the truth and will restore my reputation, it's just a misunderstanding. I will get along well with His Royal Highness Charles from now on."

"Don't lie to Dad," Grand Duke Banur easily saw through his daughter's disguise. "Tell me the truth, do you like Charles?"

Gwyneth said, "It's not so bad."

"Don't try to persuade me, Dad," she continued, "I've thought it through clearly. This is my responsibility and obligation as a family member. You know I won't shirk my obligations."

Grand Duke Banur understood that Gwyneth did this for himself. He felt sorry for his daughter's understanding, but he didn't know how to comfort her.

After a long pause, he slowly said, "I probably won't be returning to Highgarden in this lifetime."

Bart hunched over slightly and spoke to Gwyneth in a heart-to-heart talk that he had never shared with his eldest son.

He said, "His Majesty has decided to keep me in the capital. Once the war with King Galan is won, he will officially promote me to the position of Legion Governor and Grand General of the Empire. By then, I will no longer be able to return to Highgarden."

"After the war, I will arrange for Eric to marry, have him return to inherit my territory, and bring your mother and little sister over."

Duke Banur's kind eyes revealed a tenderness: "Let's all stay and accompany you in the capital, okay?"

"Father……"

Gwyneth's voice trembled a little, and she blinked hard to prevent the tears from gathering in her eyes.

"Okay, don't cry here," Banur pinched her cheeks, "I want my daughter to be happy. As long as Daddy is here, I will never let you suffer any injustice."

Gwyneth was pinched by her father and laughed. She smelled the scent of bourbon whiskey coming from her father, mixed with a faint mint aroma - Grand Duke Banur had secretly drunk alcohol again early in the morning. People in Highgarden were used to drinking spirits with mint leaves and sugar. If Gwen looked carefully, she might even find sugar crumbs on the table in the study.

All this familiarity made Gwyneth feel at ease.

She had no doubt about the oath her father had made, knowing that her father would protect her unconditionally no matter what the circumstances, which was her strongest barrier.

"By the way, Dad," Gwyneth suddenly thought of something, "there is one more thing."

Banur asked, "Well, what is it?"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... is under house arrest," Gwyneth said softly. "I think I won't have to go to the palace so often until the house arrest is lifted."

Grand Duke Banur thought his daughter was still sad and didn't want to see the eldest prince at this time.

He said tolerantly, "It's okay. You can stay at home for a few days. I will go and explain to His Majesty."

"I think," Gwyneth said tentatively, "I think I might be able to go with Luca to the Prime Minister's Office and handle military logistics."

“This will also

"Father, you can share the burden. I'm very familiar with all military affairs." As if to strengthen her words, Gwyneth added seriously, "Lucas is still young after all. I'm worried that he might make mistakes."

After hearing this, Duke Banur also felt that this was reasonable. It seemed that there was nothing wrong with his smart and capable eldest daughter taking the initiative to bring it up.

He was still very confident in Gwyneth's meticulousness and carefulness in doing things.

However, the wise and brave Duke Tudor always felt that his beloved daughter's eyes were a little evasive when she said these words.

It must be an illusion, Banur thought.

Chapter 20: I, the little bird, am both a cat and a dog

Gwyneth finished talking to her father and watched him and her older brother Eric go to the military camp. Less than a quarter of an hour later, it was time to go out.

Although Lucas was reluctant, he understood that this was an official task assigned by his father. No matter how much of a role he could play in this matter, at least he had to show a serious attitude.

Otherwise, he will just have to wait to be chopped off by his father.

Grand Duke Banur was not worried that his youngest son would mess things up, so he sent his best affairs officer to accompany him. Even if Lucas made any mistakes, the experienced affairs officer would make up for it in time.

However, the officer was also a little surprised: he didn't expect that his eldest daughter would also go with them.

But thinking back on the master's careful teaching of Gwyneth and his indulgent and loving attitude, it didn't seem strange at all.

Lucas was particularly happy. His favorite person in the family was his sister. He would ignore his elder brother's repeated warnings and instructions, but he would definitely remember what his sister said.

In comparison, poor Eric looked like a child picked up from under some bridge.

At this time, he had already dressed himself up and was standing at the gate of the yard in high spirits, waiting to go out.

At this moment, York, the gatekeeper, suddenly walked in and announced to Lucas and the official, "There's someone outside who claims to be an envoy from Prime Minister Butcher. Should we let her in?"

The official didn't expect the Prime Minister to send someone to pick them up, so he quickly said, "Of course, please invite the people from the Prime Minister's Office in."

But the doorman York looked hesitant: "This... that messenger is a little..."

The official was also puzzled: "What happened to the messenger?"

The doorman, York, didn't know how to explain it for a moment. He scratched his head and said, "I can't explain it clearly. How about I bring her here..."

When the so-called 'envoy sent by Prime Minister Butcher' was led into the courtyard, the official finally understood why the doorman was hesitant when speaking.

The 'messenger' was not tall, estimated to be no more than 1.5 meters, and was very skinny - the kind of skinny that comes from malnutrition and developmental delay in childhood.

The most eye-catching thing is the pair of broken triangular cat ears on her head.

The official had already prepared himself for the possibility that the envoy might be half-human, but at this moment he still widened his eyes in surprise, muttering, "This... this... ah, this..."

Lucas, who was innocent at the side, even shouted out loudly: "—Isn't this just a child!"