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The Uman Clan’s castle situated in the northwest section of Fallen Eagle City, occupies a large area of land.

Unlike the usual aristocratic castles, there’s no exquisite gardens or uniquely structured buildings in this one, but instead, crops and fruit trees are grown all over the land around the castle.

The castle was built with sturdy but slightly rustic grey stone, designed simply without any unnecessary decorations, utilizing space to its utmost extent.

Within the nobles who generally sought elegance and luxury, the frugal and practical Uman Clan was considered an anomaly.

It was said that these customs were introduced by a civilian warrior who married the countess into the Uman Clan, but have been seamlessly passed down to this day.

The current Count Uman particularly aligns with this tradition, not considering it shameful, but has instead once proudly claimed

“When you have higher spiritual pursuits, material enjoyment becomes insignificant.”

However, it seems that Count Uman doesn’t have any achievements in the field of art, so it’s unclear what he meant by spiritual pursuit.

At dusk, a convoy slowly entered the castle.

The guards of the Uman Clan did not block them, nor did they come to welcome them.

Because they knew, that it was the return of the Count’s illegitimate son  Knight Walra.

Knight Walra seemed to have gotten used to the indifferent attitude of the guards. After entering the castle, he helped Kaitlin down from the horse-drawn carriage.

After bringing Kaitlin back to her room, Walra then headed towards the restaurant.

He knew that at this time, most likely his father would be having dinner.

The Uman Clan’s tradition is to finish dinner before sunset, as this could save a candlestick

Indeed, in the restaurant Walra saw Count Uman, and the Count’s lover  Ms. Penny.

Both of them were sitting at a long table enjoying dinner. In the past, whenever Walra saw such a scene, there was invariably a trace of warmth that rose from his heart, and he felt his father truly cherished his mother, even willing to let a civilian woman sit at the same table with him.

But now, all Walra could feel was anger, deep in his bones.

The story that Colin told about the cuckoo usurping the oriole’s nest came to Walra’s mind once more, almost causing him to lose his temper.

“Father, Mother!” Barely suppressing the anger in his heart, Walra greeted them as solemnly as usual.

At this time, Count Uman had already finished his meal, and the attendant immediately stepped forward to remove the cutlery from the table.

“Was your trip to Ice Rock City smooth?” Count Uman wiped his mouth with a napkin, inquired.

“All went well! Viscount Angler hosted us warmly.”

“Hmm, what’s the current situation in Ice Rock City?”

“The troops are excellent and supplies are ample!”

Count Uman chewed on the brief evaluation given by Walra, his brow slightly furrowed.

“So, have you clearly understood Viscount Angler’s inclinations?”

“Yes.” Walra replied with an assured look on his face, “I am certain that if a rebellion erupts in the North Territory, Viscount Angler will definitely stand with us.”

“Oh? And why are you so sure?” Count Uman’s eyebrows raised.

“Originally, Viscount Angler was very upset about Duke St. Hilde’s decision to get Miss Vera married to Prince Topaz, and in Silver Moon City, he discovered that the Duke was actually plotting to assassinate Vera, using Vera’s death as an excuse for the military intervention of the North Territory into the Half-Elf Kingdom.

This situation caused the deeply infatuated Viscount Angler to become even more disappointed, even resentful, towards Duke St. Hilde.”

When Walra mentioned that Colin thought it was the Duke who tried to assassinate Vera, a brief flicker appeared in Count Uman’s eyes, but he quickly returned to his usual calm and asked:

“So, is it because of her resentment towards Duke St. Hilde that Vera chose to stay in Silver Moon City instead of returning to the North Territory?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.” Count Uman nodded, seemingly approving of Knight Walra’s judgment.

Then, he remembered something and asked, “By the way, have you had dinner yet?”

“No, Kaitlin is waiting for me in the room. I’m going to have dinner with her later.”

“Alright, go ahead then, remember to finish your meal before it gets dark.”

“Yes.”

Walra once again saluted Count Uman and Penny, and then left.

Until Walra’s figure disappeared outside the hall, his “birth mother,” Miss Penny, hadn’t taken the initiative to speak a word to him.

“Do you think Viscount Angler can be persuaded?” Penny put down the knife and fork in her hand, finally breaking her silence.

Count Uman slowly shook his head. “Since the failed assassination a year ago, the Angler family has not been on the same side as us.”

“Do you think he knows that the assassin was sent by us?”

“He should have guessed.” Count Uman’s eyes were deep. “Judging from a series of events in Silver Moon City, this Colin Angler is a very smart person with many skills. He must have guessed that it was us who moved against him.”

Penny snorted lightly and complained.

“You shouldn’t have overstepped your bounds in the first place, coveting the nobility of the Angler family! You’ve already been very good to Walra, this illegitimate son, first allowing him to receive baptism to become a knight, and then helping him marry a noble lady. There’s no need to go out of your way to compensate him.”

A flash of guilt passed through Count Uman’s eyes, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he asked, “Since the Angler family is hard to persuade, how is your brother planning to deal with them?”

Penny hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t know, my brother hasn’t told me.”

Count Uman appeared calm, but he was seething with unspoken anger.

He knew he was no longer trusted.

The chaos in the North Territory a year ago, his indecisive behavior, had aroused the vigilance of the St. Sean family. This time, the other party was clearly on guard against him.

Seeing her silent husband, Penny chuckled and said in a soothing tone, “Don’t worry. Spring is coming soon, and my brother’s layout in the North Territory has taken shape. This time, the St. Hilde family is bound for destruction!”

“Where is your brother now?”

“He’s in Dragon City.”

Count Uman furrowed his brows, but didn’t question what Penny’s brother was doing in the capital of the Glorious Empire.

Because he knew that even if he asked, Penny probably wouldn’t tell the truth.

In that case, it wasn’t necessary for him to make a fool of himself.

In fact, Count Uman was a bit uncertain about this rebellion.

Many of the St. Sean family’s plans were starting to be kept from him, and this inability to see the full picture made Count Uman rather irritable.

Moreover, he knew very well his sovereign Duke St. Hilde, who had been in charge of the North Territory for over thirty years, was not someone to be easily dealt with.

What’s even more, this Duke had hidden strengths.

A Holy Knight, was powerful enough to suppress a region!

Although the St. Sean family had invited the Holy Warriors of the Troll Empire, who had seriously injured Duke St. Hilde, no one knew how severe the Duke’s injury was.

Penny seemed to see the man’s worry and laughed, “The repair work on the walls of Fallen Eagle City has been completed. I’m thinking, since there’s a surplus of building materials, we may as well repair and strengthen some of the older buildings in the city too.”

“Hmm, you arrange that,” Count Uman replied casually, then stood up, “I will go to the study.”

“Okay.” Penny gave a faint smile and stood up as well, tilting her head back as though waiting for the man’s kiss.

But Count Uman seemed not to notice his lover’s hint at all and walked straight out.