It seems that the villain is targeting me.

Of course, the premise is that they can win the war.

Xiao Niao leaned against the white pillar and waited quietly, habitually sinking into his own world.

In her opinion, the biggest and most likely reason for the collapse of the world line is the imminent war.

She wanted to do everything possible to avoid factors that would lead to the failure of the war, whether it was the selection of generals or the preparation of logistics and armaments, she wanted to do her best.

The little bird pinched its aching nose bridge wearily and muttered to itself, "...I hope that Grand Duke Tudor is still as skilled in military operations as he was in his youth. Otherwise, there's nothing I can do."

Hongyue stood silently guarding the bird, completely motionless. Since he first came into everyone's sight, the Hongyue Knight had not spoken a word. He looked no different from a gorgeous armor decoration.

After waiting for a while, Gwyneth returned to the corridor again under the guidance of the housekeeper.

She changed into a clean dress, wiped her hair briefly and combed it neatly, and became the dignified and proud eldest daughter of the Duke again.

Gwyneth held Little Bird's coat in both hands and walked slowly towards her. The girl's thick eyelashes flickered gently in the moonlight. She was indeed stunningly beautiful. The lines on the side of her face reminded people of the sculpture of the goddess of beauty, and her skin was as white as a magnolia.

Gwyneth walked up to her and stopped.

"Hmm?" Xiao Niao hummed in confusion.

"...clothes." Gwyneth lowered her eyes, staring at the thick cloak in her hand, and her tone revealed a hint of the girl's unknown shyness.

"Oh," Xiao Niao didn't respond. "Please dress up. The capital is not like your hometown Highgarden. It's very cold at night."

Gwen was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed softly.

"Yes," Gwyneth replied.

But she seemed to feel that this was too abrupt, so she added: "...Thank you."

Xiao Niao nodded and agreed: "Your Highness, you are welcome. Let's go. I have instructed the carriage to wait outside."

They began to walk slowly down the corridor. Gwyneth was very quiet and her walking posture was very graceful. These noble ladies had learned how to walk and how to stand since they were young.

But while walking, those gorgeous purple eyes were observing the person walking beside him with extreme caution and restraint.

She couldn't help but be curious - this was a very thrilling night for Gwyneth. If the person next to her hadn't suddenly burst into the dance, who knows how the farce would have ended.

She was already engaged, and according to etiquette, she shouldn't peek at a strange man who was not her engaged. But she really didn't want to think about her fiancé at this time, or what Prince Charles said in front of everyone.

Gwyneth was tormented in her heart. She felt wronged, but had to maintain her composure. She could only miss her mother in her heart. If her mother had appeared in the banquet hall just now, she would definitely throw herself into her arms and cry bitterly without caring about anything.

Xiao Niao didn't notice Gwyneth's gaze, she was distracted.

The bird asked the system: "Tongzi, is this child taller than me?"

The system... the system is speechless. It wants to pry open the brain of its host to see what is inside.

[No,] the system said dryly, [She was wearing high heels.]

The bird was satisfied, its steps became lighter, and it hummed a song quietly in its throat.

The system kept muttering in its heart: She is only sixteen years old, still growing, and will grow taller like wheat!

Then the system thought, forget it, let’s not attack this stupid bird.

Gwyneth walked patiently and quietly for a while, but finally couldn't stand the bird's random humming anymore and took the initiative to speak: "...Sir, I don't know your name yet."

#?()*sulfur*&^儿≈6-″○*&^凌∠８+)(*^而∝贰∽q#袂*(

Xiao Niao looked at her curiously: I have such a bad reputation.

It's so obvious, how could there be someone who doesn't recognize me?

Then I remembered, oh, by the way, this child is from another place.

"Levi Butcher," Xiao Niao said politely, "I don't come from a very special background. You can just call me Butcher, Your Highness."

Gwen gave a faint smile, "Gwyneth Tudor, from Highgarden."

"I heard that everyone in the capital calls you the Rose from Highgarden," Xiao Niao boasted in a commercial way. "It's true. Your beauty is unforgettable."

"...and you are equally impressive," Gwyneth said softly.

The little bird was a little unsure whether this sentence was a compliment or an insult.

But compared to Xiaoniao's relatively formulaic praise, Gwen's words at this moment were obviously from the heart.

"Thank you for your help, which allowed me to leave with dignity," Gwyneth's voice was soft, but revealed a firmness. "I will never forget this kindness."

The sincerity in the girl's words was so touching that even a shameless guy like Xiao Niao felt a little flushed at this moment.

Xiao Niao coughed and looked around: "Oh, right, I think I forgot something..."

She suddenly stopped.

"Uh," Xiao Niao said, "I did forget something."

Gwyneth looked at her strangely and stopped as well.

Xiao Niao muttered something, then asked Gwen, "Didn't I tell you before that I would deal with that kid?"

Gwyneth didn't react: "Hmm... hm?"

Xiao Niao, however, had already finished the conversation by asking and answering himself: "Yes, yes, I remember I said that, how could I have forgotten it?"

As she spoke, she reached out and grabbed Gwyneth's arm, saying seriously, "No, we have to go back."

Gwyneth: “Huh?”

Xiao Niao pulled her back, shouting as they walked, "I always keep my word. Today I must make that boy apologize to you—let's go."

Gwyneth was confused and helpless, being dragged by the bird, stumbling behind, and didn't even care about the offense of being pulled by a stranger's arm.

She heard the man muttering strangely, "Hit another 500," "Let Lao Yezhu chop him down later," and other incomprehensible words. After a while, he started yelling at the Red Moon Knight to hurry up, disrupting the originally peaceful and tranquil night.

Gwyneth felt like crying but had no tears.

What, what is going on?

But inexplicably, my heart was beating violently.

At first she didn't want to go back and walked very reluctantly, but later she couldn't help but take a step forward to chase the bird in front of her.

She didn't notice that a smile had formed on the corners of her lips.

That happy smile.

The Red Moon Knight, acting as a deterrent with force, trotted along, following closely behind the two men without complaint.

------

"Hey, hey," a man cautiously poked the Earl beside him, "Who is that half-man? He's a bit too arrogant."

He recalled what he had just witnessed and couldn't help but marvel at it. "First, they left the Crown Prince aside and swaggered away with their men. A moment later, they actually returned and forced His Royal Highness Charles and the girl to apologize—and they actually succeeded."

"This is too incredible." The man exclaimed.

"But a half-human actually dared to challenge the heir to the empire directly... Is his father very prominent? Which duke's illegitimate son is that half-human?"

The earl whose ribs he had poked looked at him like a country bumpkin: "You're from out of town, aren't you?"

"Yes," the man rubbed his head sheepishly, "How did you figure that out?"

"That's nonsense! How could anyone in the capital not know Butcher?" the Count said, lowering his voice. "To be honest, if I had known this plague god was coming, I would never have come to this dinner."

The man from out of town was even more confused after hearing this. He cautiously asked the count, "So who is this man?"

The count shuddered unconsciously, as if he had thought of something.

"Actually, it's hard to say... No one knows where Butcher came from."

"Everyone only knows that when His Majesty Lawrence first gained some fame, Butcher was already a close minister to His Majesty. And after all these years, he is still the person His Majesty relies on the most."

"Many of these are due to the king's efforts to eliminate the heroes of the founding period. Even in the history of the Seven Kingdoms, Butcher's situation is extremely rare. As the old saying goes: Wealth and honor are common, but they do not last forever."

"But he has been able to stand for so long, maybe he really has some skills."

"As I've said before, in the capital, there's no one who doesn't know him, and no one who doesn't fear him. The more powerful the nobles, the more they resent his cruel methods. They've tried countless ways to deal with him, but they've never been able to truly bring down this Prime Minister of the Empire."

"Because Butcher was born into a refugee family, many people outside the city call him nicknames like 'Half-Human Prime Minister' and 'Black-Robed Prime Minister'. But in the capital, the most popular nickname is still 'Shrike'."

"It is said that this is because of the way he treats his enemies.

Duan was extremely cruel. He would hang those who opposed him and pierce their hearts with thorns. Anyone who was his enemy would die wailing and bleeding.

"In short, be careful when you go out in the capital, and don't provoke that cruel Butcher-bird!"

Chapter 11: Little Bird: I Feel Like My Life Is Over

There are few pedestrians on the streets of the capital. Since the beginning of the year, the military has been active in various parts of the capital. There is a general curfew in the city at night, and people without tokens are not allowed to walk on the streets after dark.

A two-seater carriage slowly passed by on the brick-paved road. The driver had gray hair, wore a wide-brimmed hat, and was neatly dressed. He was completely different from those tired and sloppy drivers. He looked gentle and dignified, and his driving posture was extremely experienced. The passengers in the seats didn't even feel the bumps.

The driver was driving a strong stallion, which was well-fed and fat. The dark red horse coat was embroidered with a black shrike pattern.

The coachman was a native of the capital and was very familiar with every avenue and path here. He skillfully pulled the reins to slow down the horse, and stopped at the Duke of Tudor's residence with small steps.

The wall here was newly built, and the bricks and stones were filled with a strong smell of earth. A black carved iron gate stood at the entrance. The passage was very wide. Turning left was the main house, and at the end was a tree-lined avenue wide enough for horse racing. Pink and white roses native to Highgarden were planted on both sides of the road.

From the outside, you can see two thick tapestries hanging on the outer wall of the main house, with the symbol of the Tudor family: a rose surrounded by thorns.

The Duke of Tudor's fiefdom is in the warm Highgarden. Unlike the imperial capital in the north, it is said that it is spring all year round there and flowers are abundant. The pink and white rose is the most representative product there.

Therefore, the Duke of Tudor is also known as the Rose Duke. His long light golden hair and violet eyes are the most representative features of the family.

The sturdy horse shook its bridle and snorted softly. The doorman of the Duke's Mansion turned on the light and hurried out from the side door. The metal armor covering his body creaked as he walked.

The doorman held the oil lamp higher so that he could see the visitor's face clearly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the driver with a vigilant look on his face.

The driver took off his hat and smiled serenely. Despite his age, he stood tall and straight, like a courteous old knight. "I'm here to take Miss Gwyneth Tudor home at my master's command. Please let her know."

The doorman had served the Grand Duke Tudor for many years and had received various princes and nobles. When he saw such a respectable coachman, he secretly felt that the visitor must be rich or noble. When he heard the old man say that he was bringing back his young lady, he thought that this was a carriage sent by the court.

He was secretly wondering: Isn't the Hamilton family's emblem a griffin? Why is there a bird embroidered on this horse's coat?

He moved the oil lamp forward again, trying to see the words engraved on the carriage's footstool, but he saw the curtain of the carriage being gently pulled open, revealing Gwyneth's somewhat haggard face.

"Uncle York." Gwyneth called softly, her voice full of weariness.

York sensed something was wrong: this didn't seem like the way he should have acted after having a great time at a dance with his fiancé. Instead, it felt like he was being bullied by some blind person.

He whispered "Miss Gwen," put away the oil lamp in his hand, and said to the groom, "Thank you for your help. Please wait a moment. I will go and inform the master."

York paused for a moment and asked, "Excuse me, who is the head of your family..."

The groom said casually, "Oh, he's following on horseback. He should be here soon."

The doorman York didn't pay much attention. He nodded hurriedly and turned to walk into the house. Halfway there, he realized something was wrong: What was wrong with that gentleman? How could he ride a horse slower than drive a car?

------

The Red Moon Knight and Xiao Bird rode together on a poor horse.

The horse looked a little overwhelmed, with its head drooping all the time and its hooves occasionally raised and bent to rest.

The horse had never carried such a heavy load before - the Red Moon Knight was tall, and the weight of him and his armor was close to one hundred kilograms, and on top of that weight, there was also a small bird.

This was far too heavy a burden for this ordinary packhorse.

Xiao Niao also felt helpless. She and Hongyue had to ride together due to various situations, and the reason was very simple: Xiao Niao was very bad at riding a horse.

Xiao Niao has a wing on her left hand, which means she will not make any great achievements in equestrianism. Years of fighting and racing have forced her to learn how to pull the reins, but she is not very good at it.

And for some reason, these horses always turned their heads and bit her wings while walking.

Later, when she had money, she trained a particularly docile mare that knew how to walk without much pulling of the reins. However, in a hurry, Xiao Niao did not have time to saddle her beloved horse, so she just hurriedly took one from the stable.

When they rushed to the palace, the two of them rode like this and ran there madly.

The coachman also knew about his master's situation, and he asked Xiaoniao if he wanted to just

He decided to get in the carriage and ride with Miss Tudor, but the bird rejected the suggestion in the end.

It would not be a good reputation to get out that you were riding in the same carriage with a strange 'man' late at night without any relatives accompanying you.

Xiao Niao thought: Gwyneth is already very pitiful, I should not add more troubles to her already difficult life.

Because of this, when Hongyue and she arrived at the Duke of Tudor's mansion, the Duke and his eldest son were already waiting outside the iron gate.

Xiao Niao paused slightly. The carriage door had already opened. Gwyneth was standing beside her father and brother, obviously waiting for his arrival.

The Duke of Tudor is a very upright person. Putting other factors aside, Xiao Niao respects him very much.

A solemn expression appeared on her face. She turned slightly and signaled Hongyue behind her with her eyes to dismount.