Chapter 579 - 367: Unexpected Visitor
Chapter 579: Chapter 367: Unexpected Visitor
With such a vast distance between them and no message crows that knew the route, exchanging letters was always difficult.
This was especially true now that they were both dukes, swamped with affairs and with almost no time to visit one another.
"By the way, how is Liya doing now?" Levi asked as he opened the letter.
It felt like he had just seen Liya yesterday, but upon closer thought, it had already been nearly a year.
"Duke Liya is taller and even more beautiful than before. She was once praised as the ’Highland Tulip,’ but now she’s earned the title ’Southern Jade.’ They say the line of nobles seeking her hand in marriage is long enough to reach the Holy Sith Kingdom, and even His Highness Prince has expressed his affection for her." Miriel blinked her lovely eyes. She had met Miss Liya before and knew about the rumors between her and Levi, so she couldn’t help but tease him. "Do you have any regrets about not marrying Duke Liya, Levi? Her beauty rivals Tiffany’s and is enough to drive men mad. What’s even rarer is that she’s a powerful and influential duke."
In the past, no one dared to pursue Duke Liya because of the ambiguous relationship between her and the Lion Hunter Knight, as they feared the renowned Dragon Knight. But once news of his marriage spread, countless nobles wept with joy, all feeling that their chance had finally come.
Levi was just reading about this in the letter. Liya had told him about these matters, expressing her distress. She also implicitly stated that her future husband could only be a remarkably handsome Duke Debei. ’And besides Old Gray, the aging duke of the Western Territory, and the Queen’s father, the duke from the Eastern Territory, aren’t I the only remarkably handsome Duke Debei around?’
He sighed, feeling a wave of nostalgia. He remembered when Liya had knighted him, when he had carried her as they fought their way out of Kolon alone, and the difficult journey they shared on the way to Bailiu City.
"I do—" He was about to reply to Miriel when he heard the faint sound of footsteps behind him, accompanied by a sudden chill. Realizing something was wrong just an instant before the words left his mouth, he abruptly changed his tune. "What’s there to regret? My little Tina is a white pearl on the Wilderness. Her beauty makes the moon hide its face in shame."
The Lord said this without his face reddening or his heart skipping a beat, as if he truly believed it deep down.
"Darling~ I’m not as wonderful as you say."
The two turned around to find Tina, who had walked up behind them at some point. She hugged Levi’s arm and spoke in a sweet, endearing voice.
Mier, who had come along with her, was hearing his sister speak in such a tone for the first time. He tried his best to hold back his laughter, but it was so difficult that he quickly excused himself and left.
Miriel was a bit embarrassed, not expecting to be caught red-handed while teasing Levi. Besides, her relationship with Tina wasn’t exactly good. Tina had once told Levi, right in front of Miriel, that she was overly flirtatious and often used her looks to charm the Feder Remnants into selling their goods at lower prices.
She had indeed done such things before, so she couldn’t refute it. Feeling guilty, she bid them farewell and scurried away like a streak of beautiful, fiery-red sunset.
"Hmph. Lucky for her she ran off so fast," Tina huffed.
She didn’t actually have a terrible impression of Miriel; she just couldn’t get over how Miriel had once charmed her Uncle Jos.
But today, she had caught the woman brazenly teasing Levi. No matter how good-tempered she was, she couldn’t tolerate something like that.
"Now that’s the air of a true matriarch," Levi said, rubbing her head while discreetly stowing the letter in his inventory.
"Is something wrong?" he then asked.
At this time of day, Tina should have been teaching Tiffany how to weave, with no time to come looking for him at the warehouse.
As for why a princess like Tiffany was doing such work, it was because she wanted to give her husband a handmade gift. Levi couldn’t talk her out of it, so he just let her be.
"General Mandela has come to High Cliff Castle. He said he needs to see you right away." Tina reached out with her slender fingers to straighten the slightly curled corner of Levi’s collar as she spoke. "There’s someone else with him, someone from the Royal Family, I think. I’ve never seen him before."
"That guy. Why didn’t he send any advance notice?" Levi shook his head.
When nobles visited one another, they were expected to first send a formal notice of their visit. This was a basic show of respect and etiquette, and it also allowed the host to prepare, preventing any embarrassing mishaps.
In the past, High Cliff Castle was just a slapdash operation, and they didn’t have the luxury of worrying about such things that weren’t immediately important. But now that he was a duke and High Cliff Castle was flourishing, he had naturally picked up these indispensable rules. Otherwise, if no one followed the rules, things would only become more troublesome in the future.
"Maybe it’s something important," Tina said, putting in a good word for Mandela. She had a decent impression of the bald giant who had brought five hundred griffins to High Cliff Castle. Her only complaint was that he drank a little too much; last time, he had polished off four or five barrels of wine.
The guest quarters were near the great dining hall, consisting of a few three-story Tudor-style buildings with blue tiles and red walls. As Levi walked over, he saw Mandela standing on a balcony, his bald head gleaming, observing the changes in High Cliff Castle over the past few months. The astonishment on his face was impossible to hide.
He wasn’t amazed by High Cliff Castle’s wealth—after all, there were many places far wealthier—but by its speed of development. It seemed to transform from one day to the next.
"I’m just an accessory today. The main event is inside," Mandela said, leaping down with surprising agility and pointing indoors.
Levi’s gaze went past Mandela, and through the open doors, he saw a short figure standing before a wall covered in broken giant swords, admiring them.
As a proper noble, one might be careless with the decor of one’s own bedroom, but the guest reception room absolutely had to be filled with a unique atmosphere that showcased one’s personal style.
The wall full of discarded old swords were all weapons the Lord had worn out in his time, and these scar-covered giant swords were the best proof of his accomplishments.
"Who is it?" Levi asked in a low voice.
"His Majesty’s Governor," Mandela also said softly.
Though Mandela was called a general, he only commanded the eight hundred Blood Swordsmen. This Governor, however, managed all the King’s armies on His Majesty’s behalf, including Mandela himself. Nominally, even the armies of the other four dukes fell under the Governor’s command when conscripted. He was truly second to one man and above all others.
"Lord Levi’s Power is truly unprecedented and astonishing," a deep voice boomed from the room, loud enough for everyone to hear with perfect clarity.
As he and Mandela entered, the Rabbit People Guards at the door slowly closed it behind them.
"It’s not that exaggerated. At most, none who come after will surpass me. After all, a Titan’s Power is certainly greater than mine," the Lord said with rare humility, though to an outsider, it was hard to tell if he was being humble or just showing off.
The figure stepped out from the corner, and the Lord Governor revealed his true appearance—a powerful build that rivaled Mandela’s, a head of meticulously groomed silver hair, and a weathered but resolute face. His sharp gaze was one that only a Swordsmanship Master could possess.
Levi would bet that this man could take down a strong tiger in a Beast Fighting Cage. But as his gaze shifted downward, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. ’The man’s right sleeve is empty. For a swordsman skilled in Swordsmanship to lose his right hand... it’s a loss no less than Debei losing the Gonda Royal Capital.’
The strong have a mutual appreciation for one another, so Levi could naturally empathize.
"Hello. My name is Bernard, Governor to His Majesty Harland." The powerful, middle-aged man, who had spent half his life on the battlefield, extended his broad left hand to Levi. "I hope you don’t mind that I have no right hand. Not that it matters if you do, since I’m the Governor."
The man offered a slight smile.
’So he’s not a stiff,’ Levi judged inwardly. He reached out and shook the man’s hand. "Hello. I am Levi, Duke Debei and Lord of High Cliff Castle."
’To be honest,’ Levi thought, ’I never expected such an important figure to come to a remote backwater like High Cliff Castle. This also means he’s definitely not here for sightseeing.’