Having a powerful lord as a father figure, what's wrong with just wanting to draw cards?

"Argyle, Edward, Domi, listen up."

"This time, I will divide the entire family's support, along with the resources behind that support, equally among you and Rosa, into four parts!"

"Whoever you want to support, go there and tell that prince or princess that you will support them on behalf of your family, and your family will do so unconditionally."

"I will announce this decision next spring, so you'd better be prepared!"

Chapter 166, page 165: The Divinely Granted Day Belonging Only to the Two of Them

Carlos's sudden decision left the three of them completely baffled. They had thought that even something as important as choosing sides in the struggle for the throne was not something they needed to worry about; if the sky were to fall, the taller ones would hold it up, and Carlos would make the decision on behalf of the family.

But now this power has been divided into four parts and handed over to them.

Domi really wanted to ask Carlos, what insights could a few twelve-year-old kids possibly have about this mess?

Besides, even if the Bloomfield family is large, the resources they can use to support the candidates for the throne are always limited. If they are divided into four, even if they win the gamble in the end, what benefits can the other party bring to them?

The initial practice of casting a wide net to catch more fish may be dug up and used as leverage or a breakthrough.

Domi immediately voiced his concerns.

However, Carlos did not change his mind; instead, he said with a strange confidence:

"Just know that no matter who the next emperor is, he will not be able to shake the family's position. Go ahead and do it."

The three brothers left the room looking completely bewildered. They went to an open-air balcony, leaned on the railing, and stared blankly into the distance, their expressions remarkably identical.

Even the most carefree Edward knew that one decision he made could very well cause a huge amount of the family's resources to go to waste.

If it were someone else's money, he would gladly accept it and become a strategist, actively offering advice and suggestions. But now that it's his own money, it would be a lie to say he doesn't feel the pinch...

"What should we do?" Edward asked after a moment of silence.

“I don’t know,” Argyle shook his head. “Rather than choosing a prince now, I think it’s more important to understand Father’s intentions.”

Domi immediately replied, "Father probably wants us to infiltrate each faction. That way, even if we don't gain much advantage in the final battle for the throne, we will still be invincible."

"Thinking about it more deeply, my father's ultimate goal was probably to help us grow up faster, which is why he gave us this opportunity to take action."

"That makes sense..."

Argyle nodded slightly in agreement: "Let's proceed according to this plan for now. We'll try not to choose the same person repeatedly, and we'll split them up."

Looking at Domi and Argyle, who were making wild guesses and full of conspiracy theories, Edward felt so out of place.

What's more fun than scheming and backstabbing?

"I don't know who to choose. Why don't you two, Big Brother and Domi, help me pick one? You know I'm not very good at this kind of thing."

Upon hearing this, Argyle immediately began offering suggestions to Edward, but Domi spoke up before he could:

"In this way... once this message gets out, those princes and princesses will come to us on their own. At that time, you can see who is the most enthusiastic and who offers the most benefits, and support that person."

Edward's eyes lit up: "Since we're going to support someone anyway, why not make the most of their value and grab some benefits as soon as possible?"

"Yes, that makes sense!"

"Domi, you're a genius!"

-

After this incident, Domi and his two resentful older brothers stayed at home almost the entire winter. Perhaps because they had been out and about for too long, they became even more homesick.

In this day and age, there are almost no entertainment options when staying at home, but everything changed after Hearthstone came along.

While Argyle was studying the policies of the Central Plains states, when Domi got tired of reading, he would play a passionate and exciting game of Hearthstone with Edward, who was always lounging by the fireplace doing nothing!

During that time, they also visited Aiwei's family in the neighboring Greenville Territory, brought a gift, caught up with Aiwei, and met her sister, Eileen.

Like Aiwei, Eileen inherited her parents' good looks and was equally stunning. She was five years older than Aiwei, had already graduated, and had returned home to learn how to manage the family business from Mitchell.

Time flew by after we returned from Greenville, and before we knew it, the entire continent was celebrating Christmas.

In this world, it is called 'Divine Day', a traditional festival originating from the Glorious Cult. Legend has it that on this day, the God of Glory was born, and the Glorious Cult emerged.

The calendar was also written at that moment, with the Divine Day as the last day of each year, signifying that after the birth of the glorious God, all things would usher in a new beginning and a new year.

It shares a similar theme with Christmas in my previous life.

In short, on this day, whether they are wanderers or migrant workers, they will all return to their hometowns to reunite with their families.

Even robbers on the road sometimes refrain from stealing too much valuables because of the holiday; after all, everyone needs to make a living during the New Year.

Domi has also spent more than ten Divine Days at the Bloomfield's house. It's pretty much the whole family sitting around the big fireplace in the living room, keeping vigil, chatting, and doing some entertainment.

Chef Michelin will prepare a large pie before leaving, which can be heated up and eaten later.

That day, almost all the maids and servants went back to their hometowns, and the huge mountaintop castle was very deserted. If you didn't gather around the fireplace with everyone, it would be quite lonely.

Beside the warm fireplace where sparks occasionally flickered, Carlos and Greta sat together on the sofa, while Edward and Argyle simply sat on the soft white carpet. The lights were off, and all that could be seen was the pure glow of the fire.

A map of the main continent was spread out between the four people, and Edward was telling them about his adventures.

Novel stories always touch the heartstrings, making one forget the passage of time as they listen.

At this moment, Domi walked on the historic stone-paved road, glanced at the clock tower not far away, and realized it was already 11:59 p.m., just one minute before the New Year.

As the ancient bells toll and the new year arrives, the annual reward of 310 million villain points from the Chronicles will be credited to your account.

The arrival of a large sum of money is indeed a joyous occasion, and the system's limited-time prize pool is about to be refreshed, which means I'll have the money to gamble!

I was quite happy, but not completely happy.

Because he knew that today was not only the day of divine favor for the entire continent, but also Shea's fourteenth birthday.

Being born on a divinely ordained day might be a fortunate thing for a normal family, but it's a different story for royal children.

The royal family doesn't care about gatherings on divinely ordained days; they can easily make up an excuse.

Shea didn't want to go back to the palace, didn't want to see her brothers and sisters. That place, full of deceit and treachery, made it hard to even breathe.

Similarly, the people in the palace didn't like Shia, the youngest princess who was practically worthless, and had to pretend to put on a show. If it weren't necessary, who would want to waste their breath on her?

As a result, Shia stayed at the academy on her birthday, in her dormitory room.

Her only good friend had already celebrated her birthday with her before returning to her dorm before curfew.

She was left alone in the small room again, on this day of family joy and reunion.

The room was dark except for the open window, letting in the pale moonlight mixed with wisps of snowflakes. It was cold, but was her heart as cold as it was…?

Then she saw a letter placed in the most conspicuous position on her desk. It was from Domi, and the envelope was bulging, as if there were other things stuffed inside.

Today is her birthday, and she knew it would eventually turn out this way, but Domi's letter warmed her heart, so she wanted to save that warmth for when she was at her deepest hour and when her heart was coldest.

Sitting in the chair, I picked up the slightly heavy envelope, carefully opened it, and looked inside...

Inside the deep yellow envelope lay a letter, several photos, and a flat, exquisite little gift box.

Instead of looking at the letter, she looked at the photos and the gift box first, trying to guess what was written inside and see if she could figure out what Domi was thinking.

Several photos document the scenery that Domi, Edward, and Argyle took outside, with Tori, Forty-Seven, and Aphrodite also appearing in one of them.

Shea looked through the photos one by one, paying particular attention to Domi's pictures, as if afraid of missing a single detail. Then she smiled, as if the smile in the pictures could infect her.

"That's wonderful, I haven't been to the North or the Holy Land yet..."

I tidied up the photos and put them aside for a moment, then picked up the exquisite little gift box.

As expected, this should be Domi's birthday present to herself, and it's impossible not to be excited.

With excitement and anticipation, Shia slowly opened the gift box.

As the comfortable damping sensation gradually disappeared, the lid of the gift box opened, revealing a uniquely charming crystal bracelet whose moonlight reflected in her surprised eyes.

With her solid knowledge of ancient times, Shia knew at a glance that this bracelet was something special and not a creation of this era.

After all, it was a gift of money from Iris, so it had to be special.

"I guess... the letter probably wished me a happy birthday and said it was a pity I couldn't come. But it's okay, I'm already very happy to receive these."

Finally, she smiled and gently unfolded the folded letter.

The letter was small, and only a few words were written on it; Domi wasn't good at writing long essays.

"I wanted to tell you everything that happened this year and share it with you, but in the end I still couldn't bring myself to write it down, so I decided..."

The words written in black ink abruptly ended there, with no further text.

Shea frowned, glanced at the back of the letter, but there was nothing there. She even dabbed it with a common revealing potion, but the hidden text still didn't appear.

She gently bit her lip, her eyes filled with confusion: "What exactly have you decided?"

Just then, outside the four-story dormitory room, the roof tiles suddenly rattled.

Just as I looked up, a dark shadow fell rapidly out of the window.

She immediately stood up, leaned out the window to look down, trying to see what had fallen. If it was her neighbor's clothes on top of her, that would be a real headache for them.

Before she could even see the ground, the face she had been dreaming of suddenly appeared out of her dream and became reality.

At that moment, the boy gripped the windowsill, doing pull-ups while looking up, while the girl leaned against the windowsill, her rose-colored hair cascading down like a waterfall, as if filtered through a fairy tale.

The two locked eyes, the moonlight serving as a mere backdrop.

Domi smiled and said, "Continuing from where we left off, I've decided to come see you directly! To celebrate your birthday and the Divine Blessing Day with you, and then... and then tell you what I want to tell you in person."

At that moment, Shia felt a surprise and warmth she had never experienced before in her life, and large tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

She thought Domi would give her a gentle breeze, but instead, she received the whole spring.

She tilted her head slightly, offering her gentlest smile to the person she most wanted to give it to, and playfully scolded:

"Honestly, you could have just said it in the letter."

Domi then easily climbed into her room, and the two sat on the edge of the bed, chatting until dawn the next day, as if they had endless topics to discuss.

Just before collapsing from exhaustion, Shia revealed her birthday wish for the year:

"Domi, I want you to put it on for me yourself..."

Before she could get an answer, she lay down on Domi's lap and fell into a deep sleep.

Looking at her sleeping face, Domi gave a wry smile, but still obediently put the crystal bracelet on her white lotus root-like left wrist.