Returning to his mansion, Duke Lars downed an entire bottle of wine before his hands stopped shaking.
Just as he calmed down, a loud commotion erupted outside the estate.
“Peace, not war!”
“Peace, not war!”
A group of students from the Royal Capital was marching outside the Lars estate, holding up the magical scroll that Caudic presented at the round table discussion.
Some enraged students even threw trash towards Duke Lars’s mansion, loudly cursing and demanding that the Northern Border compromise with the Demon Clan for the sake of commoners.
When Duke Lars returned to the mansion, the meeting had just concluded, and remarkably, students from the Royal Academy had swiftly obtained the magical scroll and organized a march. Lena knew something was wrong as soon as she arrived.
“My Lord, should we drive them away?”
The butler kindly stepped forward to inquire, but Duke Lars merely waved his hand: “No need, that would only be counterproductive.”
At that moment, Duke Lars somewhat resented his extraordinary hearing as a high-level professional.
Could it be that he was truly in the wrong? The Northern Border did indeed need time to recuperate, but compromising with the Demon Clan was absolutely unacceptable!
Duke Lars felt somewhat helpless regarding the treaty; the Northern Border was no longer able to withstand the Demon Clan’s attacks and had retreated to the Snowy Break, which was merely a more conservative retreat plan than originally proposed.
The annual silver leaf coins were not something the Lars Family could not pay.
If the heir war could go without complications in these two years, and if a successor for the Lars Family could be swiftly chosen to stabilize the people’s hearts, perhaps the lost lands could be reclaimed.
Although the nominal heirs would compete based on their comprehensive strength and military achievements, Duke Lars privately had his own preferences.
Sean Lars, Lena’s brother, was the best candidate in Duke Lars’s eyes. Although young, he had inherited his father’s steadiness and decisiveness.
His territory was also the most fertile river valley in the Northern Border, boasting the largest slave market as well as countless capable subordinates, making him a top contender in this heir war.
However, compared to Sean and his two uncles who were in league with the Demon Clan and the royal family, his opulent younger brother, and a young sister, it seemed he was rather anthropomorphized.
As for Lena, Duke Lars felt some guilt in his heart; he had not just treated her as a pawn for marriage but also failed to save her during his covert struggles with the royal family. It was only because the Church’s saintess did not continue her pursuit that he managed to extract Lena safely, marrying her to an obscure small noble.
Thinking of this, Duke Lars took out the letter Lena had written to him from his drawer. This letter provided a scarce comfort to him. Whenever he read letters from his beloved granddaughter, Duke Lars would forget his troubles and feel as happy as an old man.
The letter, aside from simple greetings, described some interesting developments in the Graywhite Territory, such as a small noble named Lind inventing a peculiar device called a bicycle, which could be propelled forward simply by pedaling.
Duke Lars found this somewhat absurd; according to the plans Lena drew, how could such a device not fall over?
Additionally, the bicycle required a smooth surface, which was unsuitable for the rough and rugged terrain. But as a small toy, it was indeed interesting.
Besides the bicycle, there was also the water-powered hammer invented by Lena, but by the time this letter was sent, the water-powered hammer had not yet been completed, so only a rough sketch was provided in the letter.
Duke Lars examined it closely but paid it little mind. After all, this water-powered hammer could indeed improve equipment quality, but he still believed that the actual deciding factor in battle was how many professionals each side possessed; the water-powered hammer was merely a large toy.
Duke Lars originally aimed for Lena to live a worry-free life. Seeing his granddaughter’s husband making toys for her daily did not make him think poorly of the man; instead, he appreciated Lind’s efforts. As long as he could make Lena happy, that was more important than anything else.
Although reports from spies around Lena indicated that the small noble named Lind almost held all the power in the territory, overseeing all matters of the estate, even the head maid Lila had betrayed them.
However, seeing that Lind would pull Lena into the tent every night to explain what had happened in the territory that day and the policies being executed, Duke Lars felt reassured.
From the reports, his granddaughter, who still thought of returning to the royal capital and seeking justice from the royal family, would definitely be no match for that small noble named Lind. But regardless of the situation, that small noble maintained respect for Lena and was able to make her happy; that was sufficient and even exceeded Duke Lars’s expectations.
Duke Lars was not afraid of Lind completely taking control of the territory. Instead, he feared that this son-in-law’s abilities were too weak, and that Lena would end up making some irrational decisions.
If he truly wanted Lena to manage the territory, Duke Lars would have made that clear in the marriage agreement.
As for the management and policies of the Graywhite Territory, Duke Lars was indifferent; it was just a small place. Lind could handle it freely, and the Lars Family could support that territory for a lifetime.
Upon reading the end of the letter where Lena requested that he send more craftsmen and magic apprentices to create toys, even suggesting sending less luxury goods in exchange, Duke Lars gently tapped on his desk with his finger.
It was clear that this was something that small noble named Lind had prompted Lena to write. The territory had just started, and indeed, it needed craftsmen and magic apprentices more.
But Duke Lars had originally envisioned the Graywhite Territory as a paradise for Lena. Did it really need that many craftsmen and magic apprentices?
Nevertheless, seeing Lena boast about the toys Lind made for her in the letter made Duke Lars smile with relief. At least his granddaughter truly wished for more craftsmen and magic apprentices, and that was enough.
“Select a batch of idle craftsmen apprentices, then recruit some unwanted magic apprentices from the royal capital and send them to the Graywhite Territory.”
After Duke Lars spoke, the butler standing by immediately left.
This was not because Duke Lars was stingy or unwilling to support the Graywhite Territory, but rather because making toys did not require highly skilled craftsmen and magic apprentices. It was also a form of discipline for the son-in-law who liked to play clever tricks, warning him not to think he could make demands of the Lars Family just because he could make Lena happy.
At least that was how Duke Lars thought at present.
