Imperial Crown.

Chapter 234 Father
Thanks again to [洋洋得意@] for the 100 starting coins reward

……

Although there was no ready-made divine potion, Raven still accepted Visdon's request.

Visdon has a special identity. As Raven's nominal younger brother, he has many unique roles.

For example, marrying into another family; temporarily taking over the territory as a mascot when Raven is away, just like the last time Raven led his troops to war; or acting as a tacit hostage when necessary.

Over the next few days, preparations for the competition continued, and the number of applicants increased. Raven only went over to take a look at the beginning, gave a few instructions, and then began to enjoy his married life with peace of mind.

The newlyweds finally have some time alone.

After two years of absence, Nancy was very curious about everything Raven had experienced.

Although the Fox family was well-informed and Nancy had heard many things, it was not as reassuring as hearing it from the person involved in the matter.

Raven did not refuse the request.

It was drizzling, and the sky was just the right amount of gloomy; there was no thunder or lightning, and the wind wasn't noisy either.

The windows were open, letting in cool, fresh air, making the people inside feel more peaceful and relaxed.

Sikoret lay on the windowsill, catching the raindrops in the air with his eyes. It was unknown what he was thinking. He was not even aware that his hair was wet by the drizzle.

Drops of water flowed down its beard to the ground.

Xiaobai has grown a lot bigger. He landed on the shelf next to him, combing his hair with his beak and glancing at the bird next to him from time to time.

That was Nancy's magical pet, Finne.

She has fiery red hair all over her body and looks like a parrot. Her physique is similar to Xiaobai's today. She is as aloof as her master and disdains the look Xiaobai gives her.

In the cool air, Nancy was curled up in Raven's arms, her head resting on Raven's chest with a sweet smile on her face.

Raven lay on the bench, his arms around Nancy's waist, his chin resting on her smooth forehead, looking at the fine rain curtain, and telling his experience bit by bit.

In the past two years, Raven has been focusing on the development of his territory and has not had many exciting encounters. Even if there have been, including those involving bone dragons and vampires, they involve many of his own secrets, which are not easy to mention.

So even if he has good eloquence, it is difficult for him to make boring things interesting.

She would occasionally respond once or twice, but as she spoke, Nancy's breathing gradually became steady and her body completely relaxed, and she had obviously fallen asleep.

This quiet wind is indeed very suitable for a good sleep.

Raven lowered his head and saw Nancy sleeping peacefully, her lips slightly pursed with shallow dimples, as quiet as a baby.

Just then, the door opened quietly, and Nancy's personal maid Jenny walked in slowly, holding a tray with the dessert that Nancy had ordered earlier.

She walked closer, and before she could say anything, Raven turned his head to look at her, shook his head slightly, signaling her to be quiet, and then pointed to a blanket not far away.

Jenny nodded, and quietly placed the dinner plate on the table next to her. She pulled the blanket over and slowly spread it out, covering her young lady, now the wife of the Griffith family, and quietly stepped aside.

Nancy's little feet in white stockings shrank back into the blanket and she curled up even tighter.

Raven also yawned silently and slowly closed his eyes.

Jenny saw all of this with envy and relief in her eyes.

As Nancy's personal maid, she is actually only three years older than Nancy. She has watched and served Nancy since she was a child.

The relationship between the two can be described as not like sisters, but better than sisters.

She knew too well how difficult her young lady's life was.

Although Nancy was not deprived of food, clothing, education, etc. since she was a child, she was extremely lacking in care. Sometimes, she might not even be able to speak to Montreal for a whole year.

Nancy's two brothers, Gul'dan and Sanchi, have nothing to do with the word "competent".

Gul'dan is 15 years older than Nancy. He was 18 when Nancy was sensible, but he did not have the mature mentality of an adult at all. Although he would say a few perfunctory words to her when they met, he would become extremely impatient if they spent a little longer together.

Sangqi is even worse. Due to his despair about his future, he doesn't even pretend to be nice to Nancy and is sarcastic and mocking as soon as they meet.

Jenny watched Nancy seek the attention of her family again and again, and then hit the wall again and again, getting a bloody head and crying secretly at night. Only then did she gradually grow into a girl who protected herself with stubbornness and willfulness.

Now, she finally has a home.

In Jenny's eyes, Baron Raven was a perfect spouse.

This does not just refer to objective factors - strength, title, and territory.

Baron Raven also has an irreplaceable quality, which is his integrity.

Everyone knows the nickname "Little Bee", but in fact, since Raven became the baron, he has only had one personal maid, and other than that, no gossip has been leaked.

Moreover, Jenny knew very well how much dowry the Fox family paid this time.

According to the tradition of the Keynesian Empire, the dowry should belong exclusively to the woman, but in fact, after hundreds of years of changes, it is no longer news that the man directly uses this property.

The Fox family gave a fiefdom as a dowry, which was a clear indication that Raven could take it for himself.

Raven didn't do that.

Even though his betrothal gift was also valuable and the cost of the wedding celebrations was enormous, the dowry still remained intact in Nancy's name.

Jenny believes in a saying: to see where a man's heart is, you don't have to listen to what he says, but look at where he spends his money.

From this point of view, Raven is undoubtedly a very good husband.

It wasn't just about the money, Raven was also thoughtful, and Jenny had never seen a noble so gentle to his wife.

With a smile on her face, Jenny slowly closed the door and retreated.

As the afternoon came, the rain gradually stopped, the air was clean and clear, and the sky was dotted with residual clouds.

Nancy twisted her body, moaned comfortably, and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Raven's sleeping face.

Looking at the blanket on herself, a feeling of happiness arose spontaneously. Nancy smiled mischievously, stretched out her snow-white neck, and pecked Raven gently on the lips.

Raven opened his eyes and woke up.

Nancy was like a kitten that was caught stealing fish, and quickly looked away: "Sorry, I didn't fall asleep on purpose..."

"You've worked hard during this period, you deserve a break." Raven smiled and pointed to the plate next to him: "Do you want to eat more, or should I ask the kitchen to make another one?"

"Did Jenny send it?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, who else could it be?" Raven answered casually.

"Speaking of this..." Nancy bit her lip, "She is not young anymore, it's time for her to get married. Do you have a good candidate?"

The voice sounded weak, and Raven found it funny.

According to imperial tradition, after a noble daughter gets married, the maidservants around her have the obligation to "serve the master on behalf of the mistress when she is inconvenient."

And Nancy obviously didn't want Jenny to fulfill this obligation.

However, Raven didn't have any excessive thoughts about Jenny, so he didn't expose Nancy's little thoughts. Instead, he thought seriously and said, "What do you think of Simon?"

Nancy's eyes lit up.

She also knew Simon. This scout captain of Raven was only 20 years old this year. He was simple, principled, and capable. He was indeed a good match for Jenny. And if she married Simon, Jenny would not be separated from Nancy. It was a tradition for the wives of knights to serve as maids and playmates of noble ladies.

"Well, but I also want Jenny to meet Simon and hear her ideas, is that okay?"

"Of course." Raven smiled and said, "At this time, he should still be busy in the orphanage. It just so happens that I haven't been there for a long time. Can I take Jenny with me to go and have a look?"

Nancy was a lively person who loved to move and make noises, so of course she agreed.

The two of them simply washed up and went to the orphanage together without telling Jenny their real purpose.

Everyone in the orphanage knew that Raven didn't like to make a big deal about it, so they didn't inform Simon.

It had just rained, and the playground was a little muddy. The faint smell of earth was aroused, making Raven feel more relaxed and comfortable.

Nancy was full of curiosity about all of this, and at the same time, she was full of pride and honor for Raven.

Her husband was different and truly practiced the principles of aristocracy. She had never seen an orphanage of this size and so well managed anywhere else.

Through the window, you can see many orphans sitting in classrooms in the building. The sound of reading aloud can be heard, echoing in the open space.

"... Baron Raven gave us food, clothes, and education. He is our father and our master. We must always love him..."

Although these were written by Fiona at Raven's request and he reviewed them before using them in the orphanage's education, Raven still felt a little embarrassed when he heard them from other people's mouths.

So before Nancy could hear clearly, Raven coughed, took her hand, and came to a large classroom at the back of the orphanage.

Through the window, one could see about 100 orphans lined up in six rows, swinging their swords continuously, while Simon moved among them, correcting everyone's posture.

After walking around, he returned to the crowd and shouted, "Stop, assemble!"

The orphans immediately put their weapons on the ground and then ran away. In just twenty seconds, they formed a dense square formation.

"Your training performance today was good, but it's still not enough. You all need to learn from Hoyaz!"

When his name was called, Hoyaz blushed, but his chest puffed out even higher, obviously very proud of this.

"Especially you, Lennon." Simon said with a stern face, "You are tall and big, and one point of your strength is equivalent to two points of others, so when you are training, you always think that it is enough to just get about the same!"

"But if you fall short during training, you'll find yourself lagging behind on the battlefield!"

"Lennon stay and practice, everyone else, disband!"

The team dispersed, but did not leave the classroom immediately. Some people began to organize the equipment, some were responsible for cleaning, and some surrounded Simon and asked questions.

In fact, it was all just idle talk.

Simon was not much older than these 15 or 16-year-old orphans. After living together for a long time, although he was strict during training, he was very harmonious with them in daily life.

It can be said that he became the recognized elder brother of this group of orphans.

"Brother Simon, don't just praise Hoyaz. What about me? How am I?" Banks said.

Before Simon could answer, a clear voice rang out: "You, if you fight alone, are no match for Hojaz, but your strengths lie in organization and command. If the two of you each lead a team of 10, the outcome is uncertain."

Hearing this voice, Simon quickly turned around: "Baron! Madam!"

Banks showed an excited and admiring smile on his face, and immediately rushed forward to salute. The orphans, including Hoyaz, were not willing to be left behind and gathered around him:

"Father!"

Although the word "father" was written in the textbook, Raven and the orphanage never required the children to call him that; it was completely spontaneous on their part.

Only Rhino Lennon was left, standing there, not daring to move, feeling so aggrieved that he was about to cry.

Raven smiled and waved, "Okay, we'll practice later, and you come over too!"

The rhino then smiled and came forward: "Father!"

Then he glanced at Nancy and said, "Who is this?"

Raven said, "My wife."

Before Raven could finish, the cleverest Hojaz was the first to say, "Mother!"

Then there was a dense chorus of the same shouting.

Nancy's face turned red when she was called that. She put her hands behind her back but was not angry.

They call Raven father and themselves mother, isn't that right?

A group of people gathered together, with Raven at the center, chatting animatedly about some daily gossip.

Complain about the teachers in the orphanage, yell at Raven about the hardships of training, and talk about some daily gossip about everyone.

Raven just smiled and listened quietly, occasionally interjecting a few words, but without any fatherly sermonizing, and the atmosphere was harmonious, just like that of a family.

"Speaking of which, the most interesting one is the geography teacher." Banks was beaming with joy: "He said that he had traveled across half of the continent with a caravan and had a wide range of knowledge, but the maps he drew were different every time!"

Raven smacked his lips but did not join in the complaints. After all, geography was still a rather obscure subject in that era. It was good enough to have someone to teach it, and the accuracy of the map could not be forced.

The purpose of offering this class is probably to broaden children's horizons, to learn more about the customs and practices of other places, and to stop them from being narrow-minded.

"Map? I have it here." Nancy had been listening and now finally had the chance to interrupt. She immediately flicked her fingers and a huge scroll appeared in her hand.

I don't know what kind of Warcraft leather this scroll is made of, but it is very tough and has a smooth and shiny surface. After spreading it out, it is covered with a huge map of the Cairns continent drawn with various colors of ink!
Even Raven was stunned for a moment.

The accuracy of this map is no less than the one that Annuo had before, and it can be seen that the drawing technique is mature.

Although it may not have been discovered yet, the four-color theorem has been used. Only four colors, red, yellow, blue and green, are used to distinguish the entire map, and provincial divisions are also drawn inside.

As expected of the Fox family, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, its foundation is so profound that Raven cannot compare to it now.

This kind of map is a strategic resource and cannot be bought with money alone.

"I see, the Nord Province is here!"

"Ah, from Mansa County to Xuefeng County, it's less than an inch on the map. It took me two months to walk there!"

"Middles Continent is actually this big!?"

"Xuefeng County is here! Why can't we see our Xiongying County?"

The orphans kept calling out and asking questions left and right, and Nancy patiently answered their questions, obviously enjoying it.

I have forgotten the real purpose of coming here.

However, it was Jenny, not Nancy, who examined Simon. She stood in the corner outside the door, watching him secretly, and it was unknown whether she was satisfied or not.

That night, Raven and Nancy took Jenny back to Eagle Castle. Nancy took the initiative to ask Jenny about her opinion of Simon, and Jenny was somewhat shy.

So Nancy asked Jenny to take the initiative to visit the orphanage more often and interact more with Simon, and Jenny did not object.

After all, it was during the wedding celebrations, and the next day, Raven temporarily broke away from his leisure.

Because the competition has completed its preliminary preparations, it has officially begun!
……

(End of this chapter)