Imperial Crown.

Chapter 60 Fiona (Part )
It was the first time that Raven saw Old Gordon so troubled. He was quite curious and said gently, "Don't be nervous. Tell me slowly. What's the matter?"

"It's like this, sir." Old Gordon pushed his monocle and said, "I have a granddaughter named Fiona, who was recently called back to Eagle Castle by me. I hope you can agree to let her stay and help me deal with some chores."

"Of course, no problem." Raven said, "I'll temporarily be your assistant. How about a salary of five gold coins per year?"

"Baron, I will always remember your generosity." Old Gordon looked slightly moved.

As a butler, he has the power to recruit his own assistants, but in return, he has to pay for their salaries himself.

But now Raven offered Fiona an annual salary of five gold coins and appointed her as a formal employee of Eagle Castle.

Raven had never even met Fiona, so his decision was certainly not based on her knowledge, ability or appearance, but out of trust and care for this old retainer.

"Fiona, come in and meet the Baron." Old Gordon turned around and greeted.

After a few seconds, the door opened slightly, and a slender bony arm held the door frame and slowly pushed the door open.

Fiona just walked in.

The light silver hair inherited from old Gordon was scattered behind his head. The hair in front of his forehead was quite thick, but it had a dry feeling like straw.

The skin on her delicate oval face was tight, and she was wearing large round-framed glasses on her small nose, with lenses as thick as the bottoms of two wine bottles.

The fox-like slender light gray eyes were nervous yet a little smart, and the thin lips were slightly pursed.

She lowered her head and hunched her chest. She was wearing a very neat and bookish robe. Her hands were crossed and hung at her waist. Her fingers were as slender as chopsticks.

The feeling that this person gave to Raven was...

thin.

As thin as a bolt of lightning.

Just by being looked at by Raven, he shrank behind old Gordon like a frightened puppy and grabbed the corner of his clothes.

This made the latter feel very embarrassed. He frowned, raised his hand to his mouth and coughed hard twice.

That means - speak up!

But Fiona still didn't make any sound, she just used more force with her hands, pulling old Gordon's clothes until they were almost deformed.

"My Lord Baron, Fiona is just too nervous. She has absolutely no intention of disrespecting you!" Old Gordon was angry, anxious and helpless, so he had to bite the bullet and explain: "Although she is shy, she graduated from the Nord National Academy of Arts. She has some attainments in rhetoric, law and economics, and she is very efficient in doing things."

Raven was not one to argue with a little girl. After thinking for a while, he suddenly said, "Nord National Academy of Arts. That's the only university in the Nord Province besides the church college, right?"

"I heard the tuition there is not cheap, no wonder you always live in a tight situation."

Although he is not as good as Eric, the first-level extraordinary person, Old Gordon, as the butler of Eagle Castle, has an annual salary of thirty gold coins, but his life is very simple. Apart from two sets of well-maintained butler robes, he seldom buys clothes.

In this era, boys are generally valued over girls. The fact that old Gordon was able to support Fiona until she completed her college education shows how much he loves and values ​​his granddaughter. Recalling her back to Eagle Castle further demonstrates his confidence in the future of the Griffith family.

"After all, I only have this one granddaughter." Old Gordon showed a slightly embarrassed smile: "Sir, if you don't have any instructions, I'll take my leave first!"

Raven nodded: "Okay, go ahead, and remember to sort out the accounts I need."

"Yes, sir!" Old Gordon took the order and turned to leave. Fiona followed him like a puppy and didn't dare to look at Raven until the end.

Raven followed her gaze until they were blocked by the door, then he turned his gaze back.

Although it was just a quick glimpse, Raven still observed a lot of information.

For example, her fingers were white and slender, and it was obvious that she had never done heavy work. However, there was a thin layer of calluses on the first joint of her right index finger, near the thumb, which were the marks caused by holding a quill pen for a long time when writing.

This shows that she is indeed good at copywriting, at least she writes enough words.

She hunched her chest and lowered her head, an instinctive self-protection action, and judging from the curvature of her spine, she was already used to doing this.

This shows that Fiona is not having a good time in the academy, and may even be ostracized because of her family background and appearance, which is why she developed this habit.

The lenses, as thick as the bottom of a bottle, not only indicate that she has poor reading habits, but also mean that she has read a lot of books. Perhaps this is why Fiona, who is not good at socializing, was able to graduate from Nord National Academy of Arts.

Her thin figure and slightly dry hair indicated that her nutritional intake was problematic. Old Gordon would not skimp on her food, which meant that she had a pathological aversion to the activity of "eating".

In this way, Fiona's image in Raven's mind became clear: an introverted, taciturn, food-hating, and extremely socially anxious academic master.

"Tsk, if this continues, I'm going to suffer from anorexia!" Raven muttered and rubbed his stomach.

During this period, his schedule became increasingly full, even too full, with almost no time for leisure. Moreover, since Simon had not returned for a long time, he was always angry and his appetite was getting worse and worse.

But in this era, especially in winter, even nobles found it difficult to eat fresh vegetables. All they had every day was meat and bread, which was so greasy that it was outrageous.

"Forget it, I won't read it anymore!" Raven stood up and threw the book on the table: "Let's get something to eat!" On the other side, old Gordon took Fiona back to his office.

As soon as he closed the door, his face darkened:

"Fiona, you really disappoint me!"

"Before we went in, we agreed to show off in front of the Baron, but you didn't say a word! You've completely embarrassed me!"

"Didn't you greet Patty and exchange three sentences when you came here? Even though the total number of words you spoke was less than ten, you still showed your courtesy!"

"Why do you act like that at the critical moment, huh?"

Fiona lowered her head and said nothing.

The more he saw her like this, the angrier Old Gordon became. He said angrily, "Fiona, my good granddaughter, you are already 19 years old. Stop treating yourself like a child, okay?"

He wanted to continue scolding, but when he saw Fiona's twisted hands, Old Gordon softened his heart and sighed, "Alas, I sent you to Hovi City because Baron Donald's ability to govern the territory was really... Hey, you should understand what I mean."

"Baron Raven is now in charge of Eagle Territory. He is ambitious, courageous, and capable. Under his leadership, the Griffith family will surely rise!"

At this point, Old Gordon showed a trace of fatigue and sadness on his face: "Grandpa, I am already over 60 years old. Even if I am in good health, how long can I live? Three years, five years, or eight years?"

"Only now, while I am still alive, will he look at you more for my sake, and you can take this opportunity to occupy a place in the Griffith family."

"This way, even if I die, you will have someone to rely on!"

Fiona finally responded. She raised her head with fear in her eyes: "...afraid."

"Afraid? What's the point of being afraid?" Old Gordon shook his head and said, "No matter how scared I am, I will die anyway. I have to go see the Lord of Light."

"Horrible..." Fiona shook her head: "Baron Raven... is terrifying!"

"Terrible? What nonsense are you talking about?" Old Gordon glared and scolded, "Baron Raven has a conscience and knows how to care for his subordinates. He is rare among the nobles. How dare you say he is terrifying?"

"His soul, and his eyes." Fiona bit her lip, her voice as low as a mosquito's, but trembling with fear: "It's as if he can see through all my secrets, and there is a kind of energy around him that makes people tremble with fear!"

"This..." Old Gordon was stunned.

He suddenly remembered that Fiona had said similar mysterious and incomprehensible words before her parents died in danger.

Old Gordon sent Fiona to Hovey City because he didn't want Donald, who was obsessed with "magic research", to notice his granddaughter.

"Don't tell these words to anyone, understand?" Old Gordon instructed very seriously.

"Well, I'll only tell grandpa." Fiona nodded.

"Eh..." Old Gordon sighed, "My dear girl, Grandpa doesn't know what you saw, but there is one thing I will not be wrong about."

"The Baron is a leader worth following and someone who is good at breaking the rules."

"I know that you have always wanted to use your talents and make a career, but you are just a woman of commoner origin. Looking across the entire continent, apart from the Baron, there is no other noble who can help you realize your own value!"

He slowed down his voice and said earnestly: "So, whether for grandpa or for yourself, you must work hard to face the Baron and show your talents. Can you promise grandpa?"

“Hmm…” Fiona bit her lips, her breathing gradually quickened, then slowly slowed down, as if she had a fierce psychological struggle. Finally, she raised her head, looked into old Gordon’s eyes, and nodded vigorously: “I understand, Grandpa, I will definitely not let you down!”

"Grandpa believes in you." Old Gordon showed a kind smile: "You must be tired after coming all the way here. The room should be almost cleaned up. You can go back and rest first."

"Didn't the Baron give you a task before?" Fiona asked, "Let me help you with it."

"If you can be so natural when talking to others, you will really help me." Old Gordon laughed and pushed his monocle: "Go quickly, you are thin to begin with, don't get tired!"

"Yeah!" Fiona nodded: "Grandpa, you should also pay attention to rest!"

Patty was already waiting at the door. When she saw Fiona come out, she took her to the tidied room.

The room is located on the west edge of the second floor, not far from old Gordon's office. It is not very large, but it is big enough to accommodate a large bed, a dressing table, a wardrobe and a desk without appearing crowded.

Click.

The door was gently closed and Fiona's eyes fell on the bed.

Her originally uneasy look suddenly softened.

……

(End of this chapter)