Lord: I Grind EXP with Warband Panel

Chapter 227: Chapter 9: Intercepting the Carriage

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

There was a series of knocks at the door.

"My lord? Are you awake?" a gentle female voice asked.

"You may enter," Robson said, tumbling out of bed.

Meanwhile, Huang Na was enjoying her second breakfast for the fourth time today. That’s right, ever since arriving in the Royal Capital, Huang Na had been on a veritable rampage.

The resources in the Royal Capital were incomparable to those at Guan Pass. There was an abundance of Magical Beast Meat from the eastern Demon Beast Mountain Range. While the prices weren’t cheap, they weren’t so high that Robson couldn’t afford it.

Most importantly, Robson was currently staying in the North District of the Royal Capital, at the Fengman Clan’s estate. The Fengman Clan had their own exclave near the Demon Beast Mountain Range, so there was no shortage of Magical Beast Meat.

As for whether living together before marriage was a breach of etiquette, the Fengman Clan was an influential family in the kingdom. Naturally, their villa in the Royal Capital had more than just one or two rooms.

Robson was staying in one of the villa’s guest rooms.

Robson’s only worry now was that Huang Na’s growth rate was too fast. He feared it might affect some of her abilities as a phoenix.

After all, for magical beasts, especially High-Tier Magical Beasts, most of their abilities—aside from their innate talents—were gradually mastered over a long period of growth, just like humans.

If Huang Na kept eating like this, she might enter her adolescent phase in just a few days.

The door opened, and a young, blonde woman in a blue maid’s outfit walked in, followed by an elderly woman.

The blonde girl’s name was Anna, a maid temporarily assigned to Robson by Valentino. This world was, after all, a patriarchal society. Even in the fields of combat aura and Magic, the vast majority of practitioners were men.

Valentino didn’t find anything wrong with this. On the contrary, she found it utterly baffling that Robson, who now held the high rank of Viscount, didn’t even have a maid to attend to him.

Even if only for the sake of a noble’s reputation, it was something Valentino felt she had to do. In fact, managing the maids was a task typically handled by the lady of the house in many families.

As for why Valentino wasn’t worried about being cuckolded, the truth was that due to the rigidly stratified class system, very few nobles would make a move on their maids.

Even when it came to sating their sexual desires, most nobles would seek out licentious widows and young ladies.

Many a romantic affair occurred in such circles.

"Lord Viscount, the Count is waiting in the living room. His Majesty has summoned us to the court today." The speaker was the elderly woman, who was the steward of the Fengman Clan, Lady Julian.

This title of Viscount, of course, was an honorary one. Lady Julian was originally loyal to the Edward family. She had accompanied Valentino’s mother as part of her dowry and, after being sent to the Fengman Clan, helped manage some of their affairs.

It was worth mentioning that Lady Julian had always been on good terms with Valentino’s mother, and Valentino regarded her as an elder.

Influenced by his previous life, Robson had expected to face some ridicule for moving into the Fengman Clan’s estate, perhaps even a classic "dragon king son-in-law" scenario. After all, no matter how you looked at it, his current actions were tantamount to marrying into the family.

But while Viscount Julian wasn’t overly warm toward Robson, she always treated him with proper etiquette, helping to see to his daily needs and other routine matters.

This surprised Robson somewhat. He could glean a lot from these minor details, such as the degree of control Valentino had over the Fengman Clan.

"Alright, I’ll be right there." Robson walked to the mirror and held out his arms. Anna came forward with a formal noble’s suit from the Frank Kingdom and helped him dress.

Robson had always viewed this wicked act of servitude with a critical eye.

Of course, attitude was one thing, and action was another. Despite his ten thousand inner protestations, he could only yield to the trends of the era and be forced to enjoy it.

...

One had to admit, the southern nobles were truly well-favored.

There was a joke in the Frank Kingdom: How do you tell if someone is from the south or the north? Just look at their face.

Valentino, needless to say, was a prime example. The Fengman Clan’s genes were excellent to begin with, and the Edward family had always been famous for its beauty. Even Marquis Oscillate had his share of romantic affairs while studying abroad in the Tilia Kingdom back in the day.

Having shed her military attire for a formal gown, Valentino’s beauty and figure were truly on display. This was especially true of the heroic air about her, a unique addition to her features. To call her breathtakingly gorgeous might be an exaggeration, but she was undoubtedly a top-tier beauty.

Robson also came from a southern noble family and wasn’t poorly favored himself. Dressed in formal attire, he looked quite dapper.

"So? How do I look?" Valentino asked with a smile as Robson approached.

After so much time together, their relationship had progressed by leaps and bounds. Valentino had long since shed her initial immaturity and shyness. Now, she even dared to be proactive with Robson.

Robson raised an eyebrow and smoothly wrapped his arm around Valentino’s slender waist.

"Truly beautiful."

Valentino, blushing, pushed him away.

"As... as long as you like it..."

This was just their usual playful banter, and it didn’t last long.

Robson hadn’t forgotten that they had serious business to attend to today. The King had sent a messenger to summon him, and he didn’t believe it was for a simple banquet.

Robson guessed that today, in the Royal Palace, was likely when everyone’s land grants would be decided.

....

The two of them finished getting ready and immediately boarded a carriage to the Royal Palace.

Halfway there, the carriage was suddenly stopped.

Valentino instantly drew a weapon from her Space Ring.

Watching her move, Robson thought to himself, ’Looks like the Royal Capital isn’t so peaceful after all.’

"What’s going on?" Valentino asked the driver.

"My Lady, please wait. A carriage is blocking our way. I’ll go see what’s happening." The speaker was Knight Commander Elon.

Now that Valentino was back in the Royal Capital, the Fengman Knight Order certainly wouldn’t be following Earl Wei Man to guard Thermopylae. The King had summoned them all back as well.

The northeast was still in the hands of the Beastmen, and in the future, retaking it would require more than just the royal family and a few local nobles.

"Is that the carriage of Viscount Robertson and Count Valentino?"

A middle-aged man’s voice called out from the carriage in front.

"It is. And who might you be, sir?" Robson replied.

"I am Sriphine, and I wish to discuss something with you both," the voice from the other carriage responded.

Robson and Valentino exchanged a glance, both of them seeing the confusion in the other’s eyes.

At that moment, a Magic Master traveling with the convoy cast an Invisibility Technique. There weren’t many vehicles on the road from the North District to the Royal Palace, so this would be enough.

"I don’t understand. Is there something we have to discuss?" Robson asked.

As soon as he said this, the other side fell silent, leaving Robson utterly perplexed. ’Did he really wait here just to stop me and chat for a bit? And now that I’ve refused, he’s just going to leave?’

Just as Robson was about to tell the driver to move on, the carriage curtain was opened. It was Knight Commander Elon.

When Knight Commander Elon saw Robson, his expression turned a little awkward. After all, just a month ago, Robson had been a minor figure in need of protection. Who would have thought that a month later, the man would have gone and won over his Count.

"Viscount Robertson, a letter from him." Knight Commander Elon froze for a moment, then snapped out of it and held it out.

"Thank you," Robson said with a nod.

After speaking, Robson opened the letter. As he read the words on the page, a look of utter shock spread across his face.

"What is it? What does it say?" Valentino asked curiously, seeing the look on Robson’s face as if he’d swallowed a fly.

Robson frowned. Though somewhat reluctant, he handed the letter to Valentino after he finished reading.

Valentino took it, but after reading only a couple of lines, she burst out laughing.

"Ha? Huh? Capture you to threaten me? And declare independence? Huh? What is this nonsense?" Looking at the words on the paper, Valentino started to wonder if she had ever learned to read the continental common tongue at all.

The letter mainly detailed a grand plan: how to use the kingdom’s overall situation to make the northern inland faction completely independent from the broader northern faction, becoming a separate political bloc within the kingdom.

Hearing Valentino’s laughter, Robson’s face darkened. He threw open the carriage curtain.

"Sir, did you stop us just to show us a joke?" Robson demanded.

"Not at all. Why don’t you look at the signature on the letter, Viscount..." At this point, Count Sriphine sounded quite helpless.

When Earl Uman had first approached him, he had actually thought the man had some brilliant insights. After all, Earl Uman’s initial analysis had been spot on.

But then, when they got to the specific details, the guy had dropped a massive turd on him.

Thinking back on Earl Uman’s words, Count Sriphine wanted to laugh. He didn’t know how formidable Marquis Oscillate was, but he did know that when Marquis Oscillate discussed such matters with others, he would certainly use a non-disclosure agreement.

To get a better picture, Count Sriphine had even made some inquiries about this Earl Uman.

After learning more, Count Sriphine was even more confused. Back when Earl Uman had been handling his own family’s internal affairs, he had been clearly methodical and organized. How could he be so childish when it came to the kingdom’s politics?

Initially, Count Sriphine had been wavering. But based on the news he’d received these past few days, coupled with the deep impression Robson’s army had left on him, Count Sriphine had made up his mind: he couldn’t keep running with this Uman fellow.