Imperial Crown.

Chapter 65 Confession
There was no stove or charcoal basin, but the room was still very hot due to the temperature control magic circle.

After the last invasion by Anderson and others, Denise rearranged the entire house.

The floor was originally covered with a bright red firefly velvet carpet. After Nancy entered Eagle Castle on a carpet of the same material, Denise replaced it with a more expensive purple siren velvet.

In the middle of the room is a double bed with neat and simple white sheets; opposite the bed is a dressing table, which is much larger than the usual size. In addition to a bronze mirror for makeup inlaid in the center, there are many documents and receipts on both sides, which obviously also serves as a desk.

At this moment, Denise was sitting in front of the dressing table. She was wearing a slightly loose light green silk nightgown. Her black hair was draped behind her head. Her left hand was resting on her temple, revealing her slender arm. She held a quill in her right hand and made some notes on the parchment. From time to time, she would stop to think for a while, her rosy lips opening and closing as she muttered the numbers on the paper.

dong dong dong.

There was a knock on the door, and Denise opened her mouth slightly: "Who?"

"It's me." Raven's voice rang out.

Denise was obviously startled, her eyes shifted to the side at first, and then a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth: "Wait a moment."

She stood up and put on the shawl on the back of the chair, opened the door, and saw Raven's face and couldn't help but teasing: "Ha, our hardworking Baron actually has time to see me."

"I'm done with my work for now, so I came to take a look." Raven raised his eyebrows: "Why, you don't welcome me?"

"How dare you?" Denise glanced at him and turned back: "Come in."

The door was closed, and Denise sat back at the dressing table and picked up the quill again: "There are Angel Tears over there, if you are thirsty, pour yourself some, I still have some things to deal with."

Raven found the Angel's Tears, poured out two cups, and placed one of them on the dressing table, but did not speak. He glanced at the data Denise was processing and sat on the big bed behind her.

Taking a sip of the wine, the cool liquid went down his throat, making Raven feel much more relaxed and his spirit soothed.

His eyes fell on Denise. Under the light, the dragon blood velvet looked crystal clear and psychedelic, as if clouds were rising from the ground, making those tight and powerful calves look even whiter.

The silk nightgown outlines the curve of the thighs. Although it cannot show the slenderness of the waist, as the body sways, it also highlights the elasticity of the skin underneath the pajamas.

Denise gathered her messy hair with her left hand, revealing her round earlobes. Her pajamas fell naturally, revealing half of her arms.

Raven had a smile on his face, but he didn't move. He just sat there and watched quietly.

"Hmm..." Throwing the quill back into the ink bottle, Denise stretched her waist and let out a relaxed hum.

She took a sip of Angel's Tears, turned around and looked at Raven who was sitting there obediently, and said in surprise: "Oh, it's really strange, the little bee changed its personality and turned into a little stupid bird?"

Raven was suddenly at a loss for words. He stood up and moved closer to Denise: "So I have to return to my original nature?"

As he said this, he was about to move closer.

But Denise turned around and let Raven miss. She walked to the side, picked up the bottle, and came to Raven to fill his glass. "Why did you think of looking for me today? What's the matter?"

"No." Raven took a sip of wine and said with a smile: "I just got a good thing, so I came to show off to you."

As he spoke, he reached for his waist and held a scroll in his hand.

"What? Is it the title deed to a shop in Mon'en City?" Denise asked casually.

"Magic." Raven shook his finger. "And it's second-level magic!"

Denise's eyes lit up: "Second-level magic? How did you find it?"

Everyone knows how precious magic equipment is, and as a merchant in Mon'en City, she certainly knows how precious magic is.

Even the big merchants in Mon'en City that specialize in selling magic items rarely sell magic itself. It's not that they can't afford it, but that they simply can't get it!

"Nancy gave it to you?" Denise immediately thought of the other magician in the castle.

"Smart!" Raven said with a smile.

"That's something worth celebrating." At this point, Denise keenly noticed the logic behind it, and her expression changed: "You have agreed to let her go to Bloody Highlands, right..."

"So, the date for going to Bloody Heights has been set?"

"Yes." Raven did not intend to hide it: "It has been decided. We will leave in half a month."

A trace of worry flashed across her brows. Denise put down the bottle and sat next to Raven. "Although I know I can't persuade you, I still want to ask, do you have to go?"

Raven raised his eyebrows. "Yes, the arrow is on the string and must be shot."

Denise's expression became more and more worried. "The price of food is rising rapidly. The price of 13.77 kilograms of coarse wheat flour has risen to silver coins, which is more than six times that of the same period last year! The Nord Province is about to usher in a great chaos. Why do you have to go to the Bloody Highlands at this time? It will only weaken your strength."

Raven took a sip of wine to moisten his throat. "It is precisely because chaos is about to happen that I must rush to Bloody Heights before that happens."

"Why?" Denise was still confused.

"Because the Eagle Territory is currently too weak." Raven rubbed his wine glass with both hands and sighed: "With the current size of the territory's population, this one hundred-plus standing troops is already the limit. Any more will drag down the overall economic and construction development."

"With grain prices rising so wildly, the chaos that follows will surely be huge. By then, the little power I have will not be enough to accomplish anything."

"So, I must go to the Bloody Highlands and train these new recruits into elite troops who have seen blood!"

Denise's eyes were filled with confusion and a hint of pity: "You launched an expedition just to prepare for the next war, without even giving yourself time to rest. Why are you working so hard?"

Raven was silent and took a sip of wine: "...I want to be in control of my own life."

Denise's pupils shrank and she remained silent because she felt the same way as Raven said.

Born into a poor family, she had to work as a weaver to supplement her family income since she was young. Because she wanted to control her own destiny, she worked hard to learn how to read, keep accounts, and dress herself.

In this way, we can achieve class leap.

Every step is a gamble. If you succeed, you will be reborn, but if you fail, you will be doomed.

Perhaps it was fate that helped her succeed and become a businessman; now, she has become a member of the Griffith family.

But Raven's path is much more difficult than hers.

There are only two ways for nobles to be promoted. The simplest one is to curry favor with the king. They give up their fiefdoms and independence, lick the ditch of royal family members, become a flatterer, and wait like a lapdog for the master to give them two meaty bones. This is the so-called court nobles.

However, if one wants to obtain a real title, one must take another path, pass the test of war, endure the baptism of blood and fire, and thus build glory for the family.

Raven obviously would not choose the first method.

Seeing Denise fall silent, Raven smiled and leaned over to ask softly, "What are you thinking about?"

"I was wondering what kind of funeral I would give you if you died on Bloody Heights." Denise glanced to the side and said unhappily.

"Then you must get a bigger coffin." Raven put his arm around her shoulders, rested his chin on her shoulder and took a deep breath.

Feeling Raven's breath beside her ear, Denise felt shy and itchy, but she couldn't help asking, "Why?"

Raven had a mischievous smile in his eyes: "Save a seat for yourself in advance."

"You..." Denise turned around with a look of anger, and just as she was about to continue speaking, her lips were blocked.

Her mind suddenly went blank.

With a clang, the wine glass fell to the ground, and the bright red wine soaked the carpet.

The room was filled with heavy breathing, the shawl was thrown to the ground, Denise's originally fair skin turned as red as a cooked shrimp, and her eyes were covered with mist, as if they were about to melt.

Her white arms were around Raven's shoulders.

The silk nightgown began to show marks and the sheets began to wrinkle.

Raven's hand fell on the hem of the nightgown, moving up along the straight calf. A layer of goose bumps was exposed to the air as the nightgown was lifted.

Suddenly, Denise tightly grasped Raven's wrist. Her chest was still heaving violently, her face was still flushed, and her watery eyes were full of determination: "No..."

Without forcing to break the bottom line, Raven leaned forward and wanted to continue the deep kiss, but was stopped by Denise's fingers. This really annoyed him: "Why, just because you are my aunt?"

There was a hint of teasing and sarcasm in his words.

"Don't talk to me like that." Denise's tone was a little sharp. She bit her lips lightly, then slowed down her voice: "...I'm a widow."

"Believe it or not, Fedro, my first husband, I have no feelings for him. I am with him only for his property."

"My second husband, Donald, your uncle, is even more so. I can count the number of times we see each other in a year on one hand."

"So?" Raven asked impatiently, "Why are you bringing these two up again? What do you want to say?"

"..."

Denise looked at Raven with a complicated look in her eyes. She opened and closed her lips, and finally mustered up the courage:
"I like you!"

As if he was hit by a bullet, Raven stood there in a daze, feeling quite unbelievable.

Is this considered... a confession?
After the most difficult words came out, Denise's speech became smooth, but her voice was a little trembling: "You are young, handsome, capable, skillful, scheming, and ambitious. You can make a lot of money, so I like you!"

"You're the first man I've ever really fallen in love with."

"But I don't dare to like you too much." She stroked Raven's cheek with her fingers: "Not just because you are Donald's nephew."

"Moreover, I can't see through you, and I can't see the direction of the future."

"The Bloody Heights incident is imminent, and a great chaos will soon sweep across the Nordic provinces."

"What if you die?"

Raven's expression also became complicated. He sighed: "People will die eventually..."

"But that's so unfair to me, isn't it?" Denise's voice was pleading. "You're the only one I've ever liked."

"You want me to experience the most wonderful feeling in the world, and then let me watch you get into danger. Don't you think it's too cruel?"

Hearing this, Raven finally understood Denise's thoughts. He stood up silently: "...You are right, I did not consider your feelings."

As he said this, he stood up and walked towards the door.

But immediately, Denise grabbed his wrist and said, "Cancel the plan for Bloody Heights and stay, okay?"

Raven closed his eyes, took a deep breath, gently pushed her fingers away, and continued walking, but stopped when he reached the door.

"The war will be over soon." Raven said in a low but firm voice: "When the time comes, I will come back for an answer."

There was no response. Raven felt slightly disappointed and took a step forward while closing the door.

Just as the door was about to close, a voice rang out:
"As long as you come back alive."

boom.

The door closed, Raven raised a smile and returned to his room.

Silent all night.

In the next few days, Eagle Castle became increasingly busy, and everyone had their own errands.

With Fiona's assistance, Old Gordon began to prepare and pack the fodder needed for the war horses and pack horses, while the servants, led by the cook Martha, began to prepare marching rations in large quantities.

Needless to say, as for the military camp, even in Eagle Castle one could sometimes hear marching slogans coming from there.

Raven squeezed out some time and began to try to practice the second-level magic called "Burning Embers".

Inside the dungeon, Raven's chanting could be heard.

……

(End of this chapter)