Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

“Lord Julio Snowfield…” Tipalotura hesitated for a moment, then said to Melanie, “It’s alright, as long as you stay here with me, no one will make things difficult for you.”

“But I still want to rush back to Sochi. Liuxia is still locked in a stalemate with Prince Clovis’s army. The more dangerous the situation, the more dangerous it becomes. No one can guarantee that Prince Clovis won’t be driven to desperation and launch a full-scale attack before His Majesty the Emperor issues his decree.”

Melanie shook her head, declining Tipalottura's offer, but Gerberi, standing behind Tipalottura, frowned:

"Your magic was depleted when you arrived. Even I, a knight, could tell. You won't be able to leave without recovering for a few days. You should stay here with His Highness for now."

Tipalotura also laughed and said, "That's right, I'd also like to hear you talk about Ryukyu."

Seeing the amused smile in Tipalotura's eyes, Melanie was momentarily speechless. To this princess, although Ryūsha was nominally on her side, she was in reality a destabilizing factor who had kidnapped Hetia. While their relationship was currently one of mutual exploitation, it didn't mean it would last.

In Tipalottura's presence, Melanie felt her position was even more awkward. The Snowfield family had chosen to support Clovis, and she herself had served the Third Prince's faction after graduating from the Imperial Military Academy. But now, she was neither a member of Clovis's faction nor Tipalottura's; her current allegiance to the Linhu Territory was entirely due to Ryūsha…

Therefore, Melanie was naturally aware of her awkward situation, but she was the only one who could fly quickly and deliver the crystal ball containing the images safely to the capital.

Faced with Tipalotura's 'goodwill,' the great ice mage was truly at a loss for words. Should he pledge his loyalty to her, or stand by Ryūka's side and speak with the princess as a 'free agent'?

Melanie didn't answer immediately, but instead sighed softly:

“My grandfather is still standing outside the hall, saying that he won’t go back unless I’m taken back.”

Tipalotura smiled and instructed Gerberi behind her, "Go and move a table, chairs and a parasol for Lord Giulio. Don't let this old man get tired of standing in the dead of winter."

Gerberi bowed slightly: "Yes, Your Highness. But... all the tables, chairs and utensils here are women's."

"It doesn't matter. We can't neglect our guests. Lord Giulio will understand."

Tipalotura smiled easily, making Melanie's lips twitch. Melanie could already imagine her grandfather's expression when he saw the set of tables and chairs adorned with various flower petals and lace. For the Snowfield family, who were skilled in ice and snow magic, standing outside in the dead of winter was nothing. It was just that her stubborn grandfather wanted to use this method to provoke her and Tipalotura. After all, a noble patriarch being blocked from entering a princess's palace would inevitably spread throughout the noble circles, bringing all sorts of gossip.

But Tipalotura's meaning was clear: if you want to wait, then wait here; I've thoughtfully provided you with a set of resting facilities so you can wait comfortably. But the door wouldn't be opened, and no one would be given to you.

As for the opinions among nobles, I don't care; please do as you please.

"What a formidable princess," Melanie thought to herself. Even among the upper nobility, few knew of the thirteenth princess. She rarely appeared at banquets, and aside from court meetings, she was seldom seen in public. Even when she did appear, Tipalotura always concealed her face, and her strength and abilities were largely unknown.

Furthermore, although she could speak with various factions and forge temporary cooperation, her own power base was not significant, and she showed little desire for territory, wealth, or power. Nevertheless, this princess played a crucial role in some of the empire's open and covert power struggles, which only added to her mystique.

Even someone as aloof as Melanie couldn't help but feel a little pressured when Tipalotura asked her to 'talk about Ryusha'.

Chapter 17 Deception and Conspiracy

"I was incredibly excited, I couldn't explain why my heart was beating so fast, just her standing there made me speechless. But at the same time, I also felt a vague sense of fear, the image of Village Chief Jack kept flashing through my mind. I know Uncle Jack, for Miss Adela to be so afraid of him, she must be no ordinary person..."

Mark stood in front of Ryusha, blankly recounting the story of that day.

"It's so long... How long are we supposed to listen to him talk about?"

Melanie, standing behind Ryuga, couldn't help but frown and mutter a complaint. Ryuga remained silent, glancing at the small village behind Mark. The villagers, hiding inside, occasionally peeked at the village entrance; several seemed to be sneaking off, perhaps trying to slip away through the back of the village. Ryuga released his magic, enveloping the entire village, and after detecting no threat, gave Melanie a look.

"Good good."

Melanie leaped lightly from her horse, chanting as she waved her staff. The snow beneath her feet immediately stirred, forming a massive storm that enveloped the entire village. Towering ice blocks all entrances and exits to Mata Village. After doing all this, she landed back beside Ryūka. Ryūka had already cast a magical barrier, enveloping Melanie and Mark within it, isolating them from external sight and sound.

Adela, the woman Mark described, piqued Ryusha's interest. Why would someone like her visit a village like Marta? What was she after? What was the purpose of that magical crystal? And with the Sochi region in turmoil, for whom was Adela working?

The only clues to this can be found in Mark and the locals. Ryuka felt that the appearance of an abnormal woman at such an abnormal time of year must be part of some kind of conspiracy.

After Liuxia finished arranging everything, Mark continued, "The village chief was right. He warned me with his eyes not to go near that woman, but I foolishly walked into her trap... At first, she just wanted me to walk and chat with her, like a friend. That process made me incredibly happy, and I began to trust her, forgetting all about the village chief..."

"Your story is truly regrettable. It's such a pity that a strong and honest person like you has to live such a life, while those noble lords live carefree lives."

On the forest path, Adela sighed and looked at Mark beside her, captivating the blushing young man with her beautiful blue eyes, before asking:

"Haven't you thought about revenge?"

"Revenge?" Mark's lips trembled slightly. The other party was a lord, a knight, who could kill a hundred of him with a sword. How could he possibly take revenge?

But perhaps not wanting to appear spineless in front of this beautiful young lady, Mark stubbornly insisted on saying:

"Of course I've thought about it. The Linhu Territory in the east has already reached Sochi City, and they'll be here soon! When that happens, I'll join their army and then I can finally fight that lord!"

Adela let out a silvery laugh, her golden hair swaying wildly as she laughed, which infuriated Mark. He glared at her and asked, "Miss Adela, do you find this funny?"

"No, no, please forgive me..."

Adela gracefully patted her chest, exhaling a puff of white breath from her rosy lips, and a captivating smile bloomed on her slightly flushed face in the cold air.

“Mr. Mark, I admire your courage, but have you considered that Viscount Tartu of Linhu Territory is also a nobleman? With a different lord, your fate could be different. Is that what you think?”

“This…” Mark was momentarily speechless, but then he remembered the rumors he had heard and immediately retorted, “I heard that the lord of Linhu Territory is very kind to people, and that Governor Liuxia shows no mercy to rebellious nobles…”

"You yourself said they are rebellious nobles," Adela interrupted Mark. "Do you know the truth about the fighting among these nobles in the Sochi territory? They are all supporting different princes and princesses. The Linhu territory attacked Sochi City only to prevent the Third Prince Clovis from taking over the city. Otherwise, as the thirteenth princess's faction, they would have no future."

Even if they treated the people well in the past, it was just a trick to win their hearts and minds. None of these rulers are good people. Just watch, after they occupy this place, they'll definitely use money and provisions to buy people's hearts, and then they'll conscript soldiers, so they'll have the strength to fight against the Third Prince.

Adela's words displeased Mark slightly. He had always heard that the common people in Linhu Territory were doing well, but Adela's confident demeanor made him think there might be some truth to it. However, Mark still insisted on adding:

"I'm just a nobody, I don't care about all that. But if Linhu Territory wants to attack our lord, then I'd like to help!"

“What if the lord surrenders?” Adela smiled slyly, her question putting Mark firmly in her grasp.

"Surrender?"

“That’s right. In order to have enough power to fight against others, they will definitely use both carrot and stick tactics to win over as many forces as possible who are willing to serve them. And haven’t they already won over quite a few minor lords in the south? Even though those people have done a lot of evil in the past, as long as they can serve them now, that kid named Ryūka will let them go, won’t he?”

Adèle's words completely swayed Mark. He was just a country bumpkin who didn't understand many things. And what Adèle said made a lot of sense, so he could only believe her and continue to think along those lines.

"So, what will you do if the lord surrenders? You might even be assigned to a unit and given command. And even if he doesn't surrender, all you can do is watch him be killed by the high-ranking official of Linhu Territory. That's hardly revenge. After all, they are knights and mages, nobles, while you are just an ordinary person."

Adela's words tormented Mark. Although his previous words were merely a spur-of-the-moment decision, and the desire for revenge had long been worn down by the daily grind of hunger and cold, Adela's description brought back a vivid sense of desperate helplessness. Yes, after all, he was just an ordinary person, a poor boy who would die on the street and no one would care.

"And what about you!" Mark looked at the beautiful Adela and couldn't help but raise his voice, shouting at her in a tone he hadn't dared to use before, "Judging from your appearance, you're either a noblewoman or a wealthy young lady! Are you saying things like that to look down on us ordinary people!"

Mark's sudden increase in voice seemed to startle Adela. She trembled, took a half-step back, and looked at Mark with pitiful and frightened eyes. This vulnerable demeanor instantly snapped Mark back to reality. For such a beautiful lady to even glance at him and chat with him like a friend was already a tremendous favor. He couldn't help but apologize, feeling somewhat annoyed.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Adela, I..."

"It's okay, I understand."

Adela cut him off, pursed her lips, looked remorseful, and twirled in front of Mark with her arms outstretched, like a fairy dancing in the snow.

"It's all because of this outfit..."

"What?" Mark listened to Adela's murmured words, and her light and lovely appearance made him feel even more guilty for his shout just now.

"I mean, it's this outfit that makes you think I'm someone of high status, like the village chief, so you're terrified of me."

Adela's eyes seemed lost in thought, as if she were secretly saddened, before she said to Mark, "Actually, I'm just an ordinary person, like Mr. Mark. Have you heard of a small town in the western part of the Empire called Schwarz?"

"Sorry, no..."

“Schwarz, near the Diperos Fortress, one year a magical crystal the size of a house was unearthed from one of our mines! It was even transported to the capital for exhibition! Haven’t you heard about that?”

Mark's heart raced as he watched Adela gesturing with her arms outstretched in a cute pose. She was nothing like the unapproachable woman he'd first met; she was like a girl next door showing off her hometown, just like Sarah, only much, much prettier.

"It seems that's true. I heard that a nobleman bought it and even had the magic stone carved into a statue..."

"It's not some nobleman, it's the dean of the Imperial Military Academy's Magic Academy."

Adela puffed out her cheeks and looked at Mark with some dissatisfaction. Mark immediately scratched his head and said, "Yes, that's right, Schwarz, I remember now, I've heard of it."

Upon hearing Mark mention that he had heard of her hometown, Adela smiled happily, then walked ahead on her own, continuing to speak to Mark:

“My father was a small merchant, and my mother was from the village. Perhaps my childhood was better than yours, Mr. Mark. But I am not a nobleman, nor do I possess magic or martial arts. Like you, I am just an ordinary person through and through.”

These words warmed Mark's heart, and he unconsciously quickened his pace, forgetting even the cold and hunger. He caught up with Adela and asked:

"So who are you now? What are you doing in Mata Village? What did you talk about with the village chief? Why is he so afraid of you?"

"You're asking too many questions, Mr. Mark!"

Adela smiled, then fell silent. The two had reached a small riverbank. She squatted down, tossed pebbles onto the ice, and then silently shook her head.

"This is none of your business. It was a pleasure chatting with you. After hearing your story, I feel that I can be stronger."

These words, sounding like farewells, made Mark anxious. He unconsciously took half a step closer to Adela and asked:

"But you mentioned at the village chief's house that if someone else could help you, do you need any help?"

Adela winked at Mark, then gave him a sly smile:

"What? Mr. Mark, do you want to help me?"

“I…” Mark was about to agree immediately; for the girl in front of him, he would be willing to go through fire and water. But the image of the village chief flashed through his mind, making him hesitate.

Just then, a slight tremor came from the dry bushes nearby, and a gray figure darted out. Adela turned pale with fright and collapsed beside Mark, grabbing his tattered cotton coat with her flawless white hands and letting out a scream.

"It's alright, it's just a rabbit, a rabbit..."

A plump rabbit, if caught and used to make soup, could make my sister happy for days. But at this moment, Mark, smelling the aroma around him, was frozen stiff and unable to move an inch.

"I'm so sorry, I tore your clothes..."

Adela breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and looked at the loose patch on Mark's clothes, revealing a strand of yellowed cotton, and seemed a little at a loss.

"It's alright, I can just sew it up when I get back..." Mark stammered, the little incident making him forget his initial wariness. Adela, however, seemed to have forgotten where she was; she stood up, dusted herself off, smiled shyly, and looked ready to leave.

At this point, Mark finally couldn't hold back any longer. If she really had something on her mind, why was she so unenthusiastic? This girl was so lovely; she didn't seem scary at all. Even if she was dressed up elaborately, there must be a reason. At heart, she was clearly a good girl!

Then, Mark's nervous words rang out again.

"What...what is it that you need help with? If I can help..."

"Ugh~ This sounds like a complete trap."

At the entrance of Marta Village, Melanie was already sitting on an ice chair formed by magic, resting her chin on her hands and saying something with a gossipy expression.

"It was a trap; we completely gained his trust, but he doesn't seem to think so."

Ryuka nodded. A beautiful woman talking to you, looking so charming, how could she not have some ulterior motive?

But for Mark, who had spent his entire life in Marta village, it seemed to be the luckiest day of his life. A smile unconsciously crept onto his face as he recounted the experience.

"So who exactly is this Adela, and what did she make you do?"

Hearing Ryuka's question, Mark told her everything: "You Yongmei, you are in your empty space, you Lin are here, are you not here...?"

“Miss Adela is a merchant. She came to Mata Village because she had signed many contracts with the lord, including trade agency rights for a large territory including Mata Village and some land and forest resources. But now there is a war, and the village chief is worried that the war will affect the future, so he is unwilling to have much contact with her. But she has already invested a lot in these contracts. If you occupy this land and do not recognize her contracts with the previous lord, she may go bankrupt.”

"So, she visited the village chief, hoping he would continue to secretly fulfill the contract after you occupied Mata Village, but he refused. Later, she suggested some other private trade to cover her losses and prevent her from going bankrupt. Of course, she would offer a very fair price! But the village chief still refused, so she asked me to negotiate with everyone in the village..."

"Small business? What small business?" Ryusha became wary, recalling the contracts Hayden had previously swindled from the nobles. If this was the case, he deduced that this woman named Adela had probably done this not only in Matah Village, but in other territories as well.

"In reality, they're just some insignificant little businesses..."

Chapter 18 The Solution

"We poor people don't even have enough food and furs for ourselves, but Miss Adela's business is completely different. She's willing to divide her land into small plots and sell them to the villagers at low prices. Goddess above, I've never heard of such a good deal in my life. I really don't understand why the village chief refused her."

Mark's words made Ryūka frown, and he immediately asked:

"You mean, she sold her land to you for a pittance?"

Mark nodded: "That's right. She said these lands should rightfully belong to us. We live here, but everything belongs to the lord! The mountains and forests, the fields, even the water from the river has to be taxed every year! She said that once you take over, you won't acknowledge her deal with the previous lord, so she might as well sell it to us, that way you'll have no reason to seize it. And she'll help cover everything up; the records kept by the lord will show that all of this originally belonged to the Marta villagers."

Liu Xia was speechless for a moment, but he still felt something was wrong, so he quickly asked Mark, "According to you, you can't even afford to eat, so even if it's a fire sale, where did you get the money to buy her land?"

"Well..." Mark started to stammer, but under Ryūka's control, he still honestly confessed:

"It's your money."

"My money?!" Ryuka's eyes widened.

“That’s right.” Mark nodded. “Miss Adela said that you’re expanding too fast, and the wealth and grain reserves of the various lords will flow to Sochi like a river. But you have very few people to begin with, and these transportation tasks will be handed over to the laborers and militias conscripted from each village.”

She had arranged everything for us, instructing us to wait regularly for passing transport convoys, all of whom were people she had bribed. If we just turned a blind eye, we could easily move a portion of the goods under the cover of night…

Afterwards, she sent people to transport the money and grain from the village to be used as payment for our purchase of her land. Of course, she would leave us a portion. At first, everyone resisted, but Miss Adela said that it should have been ours anyway, and if she truly treated her people as kindly as rumored, then we should take this portion. Initially, only a few families were willing to participate, but later, others, seeing the opportunity, gradually joined in. In the end, even our team leader, the one brought by Lin Hu, accepted the benefits and turned a blind eye…”

Ryuka's facial muscles were twitching; she was taking advantage of his lack of manpower and was desperately trying to undermine him from behind!

This is betrayal! This is corruption!

He finally understood why Village Chief Jack had rejected Adela. He wouldn't have dared to do such a thing even if he had ten lives, but he couldn't stop his fellow villagers from taking the risk. After all, these were his fellow villagers. If he didn't do it, fine, but if he reported them, he'd be ruined.

Most importantly, there's Adela herself... According to Mark's description, she's an extremely deceptive woman. She probably targets inexperienced and naive young men, using her striking looks and charm to ensnare them, gradually drawing them onto her trap.

The Chamber of Commerce has joined forces! Ryuga gritted his teeth in anger. He immediately thought of Hayden. He thought he had successfully slowed down their pace by discussing the magic workshop with him, but these people had turned around and given him a huge problem.

No, even if I confront Hayden, he can simply deny it. For example, he could claim that they sold those land deeds and contracts to someone else long ago, and that they don't even know Adela.

All of this is taking advantage of my unstable foothold in Sochi, frantically sucking my blood from behind! Perhaps they are betting that I will be focused on dealing with Clovis and will have no time to care about the affairs of my territory.

"What about this one? Have you seen this before?"

Ryūka took out the used magic crystal and asked Mark.