Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 84 Huh? I'm getting married?
The Duke of Calvin sat at his desk, putting down his pen, with a freshly written letter in front of him.

He eventually made his decision and agreed to the marriage.

Without holding a family meeting or convening other family members to discuss the matter, he could make the decision on his own.

If a lord of a family has to consult with others on even such a small matter, what kind of duke is he?
As for the parties involved, Emily, the third daughter of Louis and Edmund, their wishes were completely irrelevant.

In this ancient empire, in this aristocratic society that values ​​bloodlines and honor.

The marriages of children have always been bargaining chips used by families for transactions and strategic planning.

Love? That's a story made up by poets.

For nobles, marriage was first and foremost a responsibility, an obligation, a union, an exchange of benefits, and a way to consolidate their status.

Those who enjoy the resources and prestige that come with their status must naturally pay the price.

Of course, even if you accept, it doesn't mean you'll get married immediately.

There are still many follow-up matters to discuss; no matter how simple, a nobleman's marriage is ever straightforward.

What he needs to do now is to respond.

This indicates a "preliminary intention" to accept the marriage proposal.

The letter also stated that the emperor must be consulted before the engagement, so that he could be informed in advance.

The reason the Duke of Edmund was sent to speak was because he was one of the noble families among the eight that had a better relationship with the emperor.

Duke Calvin carefully examined the contents of the letter.

There was no excessive emotion, no excessive promises, just an expression of "initial acceptance," which both saved face for the other party and left room for maneuver.

He nodded, indicating his satisfaction.

“Send it here.” Calvin folded the letter and sealed it in an envelope with the red family crest.

"Understood," the butler replied.

After the letter was sent, Duke Calvin did not get up immediately.

He tapped the table, his eyes darkening.

"That kid Louis... looks like he's really settled down in the North."

He thought of his many children, but in reality, very few of them were capable of standing on their own.

Now suddenly another Louis has appeared.

Originally, they only regarded him as a qualified young man who could stand on his own, but they never expected that in such a short time, he would be favored by the Duke of the North and betrothed to his daughter.

“We can give him a boost,” Duke Calvin muttered to himself, picking up his pen and writing down several orders.

Select a group of loyal civil servants and stewards from the family and send them to Red Tide Territory to assist Louis in managing the new territory.

A batch of supplies was allocated to support the northern border, with priority given to food, cotton clothing, and cold-weather medicine to prepare for the winter.

He dispatched ten elite knights, thirty regular knights, and one hundred apprentice knights to supplement Louis's military force.

Within the family, Louis was promoted from "Level 5" to "Level 2", significantly increasing his access to resources.

Louis was officially appointed as the Calvin family's representative in the North, giving him the authority to represent the Calvin family there.

After he finished writing, he handed it to the butler: "Make arrangements for these as well."

"Ok."

…………

Louis woke up in his bed in the tent, sunlight streaming through the tent's gaps onto his face, and he rubbed his eyes.

After the banquet a few days ago, he did not stay in Frostspear City for long.

He attended the post-war banquet, received the reward, and performed all the expected courtesies.

It's time to return to Red Tide Territory and deal with a host of new problems.

Of course, the first thing Louis did upon waking up was to open the daily intelligence system.

The system's pale blue screen appeared before his eyes. He glanced at it and almost sat bolt upright in bed the next second.

[1: The Duke of Calvin agrees to the Duke of Edmund's proposal for a marriage between Louis Calvin and Emily Edmund]

“…Huh?” He stared at the intelligence report for a full three seconds.

Me? Getting married?

Although he had long known that as a nobleman's son, he would one day be involved in a political marriage for the benefit of his family, he did not expect that day to come so soon.

But thinking about it carefully, he was almost twenty and still not married, which was a bit late. He thought Duke Calvin had already forgotten about it.

Unexpectedly, he was to marry the daughter of the Duke of Edmund.

No wonder the duke's eyes were so strange at the banquet.

So that wasn't the look he gave the general; he was sizing up his son-in-law!
Louis's lips twitched at the thought of that burly man with two scars on his face and a rather intimidating smile.

"Hopefully his daughter doesn't look like him..."

Fortunately, this world does not emphasize monogamy, so you can have a harem!

Then he looked at the second piece of information.

[2: The Duke of Calvin's fourteenth son will be born in seven days.]

"..." Louis was silent for two seconds, then sighed helplessly.

"They really have a lot of babies..."

He couldn't help but rub his forehead and wonder, how many children is this?

Twenty-odd? Or thirty-odd? He suddenly couldn't count them anymore.

"If they keep having babies like this, they could easily form a 'Calvin's Royal Guard'."

No, even a legion could...

Louis thought of his brothers, whom he had never met and whose names he could not even remember.

I couldn't help but imagine the scene of a future family meeting, with more and more young masters and princesses of Calvin sitting on both sides of the long table, and the meeting hall would have to be expanded if there weren't enough seats.

Perhaps one day we will see a scene of ninety-nine people vying for the throne.

But that has little to do with him anymore.

Now that he has established his own power base in the North, it is impossible for him to compete for the almost hopeless ducal title, and his other brothers cannot take away his fiefdom.

The only person she still keeps in touch with is her half-sister Rachel.

Louis would occasionally send her updates to let her know he was alright.

She married a viscount in the southeast a few years ago, who was also a vassal of the Duke of Calvin.

Before Louis came to the North, Rachel had secretly sent him a lot of money and supplies.

Louis will always remember this kindness and will repay it in full someday.

After making a few sarcastic remarks, Louis continued to examine the third piece of intelligence.

[3: Several Frostmane Tundra Rabbits appeared foraging about 5,000 meters northwest of the camp.]

He was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened suddenly, and he sprang up from the bed.

The Frostmane Tundra Rabbit is one of the most elusive magical beasts in the Northern Wastes.

It is not large in size, but its movements are as nimble as the wind and as silent as a sound.

Most importantly, three clusters of rare "ice moss fruits" will grow on their backs.

That's an extremely rare combat supplement; cooking it and eating it can directly boost a knight's fighting spirit.

For Louis, who is now only one step away from becoming an elite knight, this is like sending charcoal in snowy weather!

Without hesitation, he donned his cloak and summoned several knights: "Let's go hunting."

Going hunting so early in the morning? The knights were completely baffled.

However, these knights now obey Louis's orders unconditionally.

So he immediately rode off on horseback and followed Louis northwest.

(End of this chapter)