After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

The sunset added a touch of blood to the sky, and the broken clouds crept into the shadows, casting a patch of cold, mottled sunset.

Spring came again, and the Northern Territory's dream of prosperity was shattered. The once bustling streets were deserted, and the chill of the Ice City had not yet dissipated. Amidst the vibrant life, the silent city was quietly gathering a storm.

The plan did not go as expected. In fact, when Luna returned to the deserted Ice City and saw Red with a bruised and swollen face...

She then learned the identity of the ruler at that time.

Paul, standing guard at the gate of the Duke's mansion, looked up at the sky and said nothing, yet it seemed as if he had said everything.

Amidst the well-wishing gazes of the crowd, Luna, with nowhere left to retreat, reluctantly returned home...

On the balcony, Elena's profile was calmer than I had imagined.

"I have more experience and knowledge than you can imagine, Luna." She raised her chin and gazed into the distance, her black gemstone earrings swaying gently. The wind ruffled her hair, bringing a faint smile to her face.

"Was this idea suggested by Janice?"

Luna glanced at the deformed iron railing, her heart pounding. She had no idea what Elene was angry about.

Even after spending so much time together, Luna never truly understood Eline's heart.

"Yes, we were just afraid you'd be sad..." Luna stammered, then decisively betrayed her teammates. "I'm sorry, Lady Jenny."

However, to Luna's surprise, Elene still did not show the slightest emotion.

She seemed to be pondering, or perhaps lost in memories, before speaking softly after a long while.

"Do as she says, but Red will remain with you. I will personally manage Broad Valley and the northern region."

After saying that, Elena loosened her grip on the railing, picked up the suitcase she had prepared, and turned to go downstairs, leaving Luna in a shocked gaze.

She then realized that Eleanor wasn't wearing her favorite house maid outfit.

She chased after her downstairs, where servants stood respectfully on either side, silently bidding farewell to Jenny. All the unspoken words in Luna's heart ultimately turned into a distant sigh.

This is her home too...

With her elder brother gone, the remaining two leaders guarded the north and south respectively, leaving Luna alone in the empty ducal mansion, staring blankly at the two chubby babies.

The girl with gray hair was named Serafina by her brother. It was a beautiful and elegant name. In her brother's words, a name is for a lifetime, so it must be proper.

As for the boy, the older brother didn't seem to care much.

The maids, while tending to the child, spoke softly. "Young lady, please understand Lady Elene; staying here will only make her more miserable."

"The adult, she would always sit for a while, and then tears would well up in her eyes."

Luna fell silent, then looked up to see the old count, sweating profusely, rushing in anxiously. A short while later, Jacob, Leia, and the others also entered, all silently watching her.

As darkness fell, there was no time to mourn the Duke's disappearance; Acting Lord Luna officially went online.

The group arrived at the office. Luna gently put away her personal stool and then sat down in the large main chair. She shifted uncomfortably and waved to the maids to light the oil lamps. At the same time, she brought over a long table and chairs for everyone.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

Jacob cleared his throat and stood up to report: "According to the specific arrangements made by Lady Elene before she left, our wartime system must form a unified command in order to complete the subsequent expansion of the army and preparations for war."

"Lady Elene is in charge of expanding the army in the north, and her main task is to defend against the invasion of the demons. Therefore, the work of you all and me is to quickly build a temporary command post centered on Ice City and Iron Lake City, and to make full preparations for the war against the Central District."

"Currently, the troops we can mobilize include the Second Division, the Knights, the former Fourth Regiment of the Fourth Division, the veterans who marched south from Kuogu City, and a militia of about six thousand men. In addition, there are the young lady's more than one thousand personal guards, totaling about thirty-seven thousand men."

"Lady Elene's instructions are for us to speed up the expansion of the Knights and the Fourth Regiment as soon as possible, establish three field divisions, and strive to launch a counterattack against the Central District by the end of this year. To this end, Lady Elene will transfer five thousand cavalry and five thousand infantry from the military camp in Kuogu City to the south to replenish our forces."

After the report was finished, Jacob bowed to Luna and sat down. He was, after all, the consul, primarily acting as a mouthpiece; the specifics of expanding the army would depend on the opinions of the generals.

Luna nodded, then glanced at him sideways and asked, "Where is Earl Rondo?"

Commander Kate replied in a deep voice, "The Earl will not arrive in Ice City for at least half a month."

"Then let's give all the cavalry to Red and let him expand a knightly order."

On the surface, Luna appeared calm and collected, but in reality, her heart was bleeding when she said those words. The cavalry trained at the military camp in Kuogu City were the most prized possessions of the Northern Territory.

My elder brother has always wanted to build an independent cavalry force to realize his ambition of conquering the world, but now all his hard work has been handed over to Red by some twist of fate.

There's no other way; to win a large-scale war when the forces are unequal, heavy cavalry, as a weapon of war, is indispensable, and it's best to use them in concentrated numbers.

Upon hearing this, Red calmly stood up and bowed.

"Your subordinate will certainly not let you down, young lady, and will strive to make the cavalry division the sharpest blade in your hands."

After expressing his loyalty, as Reid sat down, facing the heavy atmosphere in the office, he clenched his thigh muscles, forcibly suppressing the smile that was tentatively rising and falling at the corners of his mouth.

However, the cold gazes of the other generals quickly swept over him, instantly washing away all the joy in his heart.

Kate glanced at it briefly before resuming her poker face, making her thoughts impossible to discern. Paul hesitated, already wondering if he had somehow offended Eleanor.

The least experienced adjutant looked puzzled: Isn't Commander Red a civil official disguised as a military general? How could he possibly understand tens of thousands of knights?

Red could probably guess most of what they were thinking, so what was there to be jealous of? Red was indeed not a good fighter, and the young lady knew that too. She probably had other plans for his cavalry division.

Sure enough, Luna's next words were...

"The Knight Division is stationed at the Ironlake City military camp and is directly under the command of Commander-in-Chief Janet."

Reid wasn't surprised by this, after all, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

He may not be good at commanding troops, but he's excellent at training them. Besides, if he stays in the rear, he can assist the commander-in-chief and the young lady with some political work, right?

To put it bluntly, despite his previous animosity towards Elene, when it comes to factions, he and Elene are actually the true members of the Duke's Party, with their seniority firmly in their grasp.

When the old duke died in battle, the northern territory was in chaos. It was he and Eleanor who stood firmly on the duke's side and went through countless hardships to get to where they are today, and that's how the others present here came to be.

If the Duke really doesn't come back, what's the point of him staying in the army to command thousands of troops?

As he thought about it, Reid couldn't help but feel sad. The Duke was trusting him more and more, and his position as the top leader in the army was becoming more and more secure.

But why did he suddenly have the urge to be buried alive with the Duke?

Is this the legendary saying, "A scholar will die for one who understands him"?