British hegemon

Chapter 120 feels a bit off.

In a secluded corner near the main entrance of the banquet hall, Sigurd, a black dog with bulging cheeks, was desperately swallowing the food on his plate.

He glanced at Roger, who was clinking glasses with Earl Lennox and Sir Winnow near the head of the hall. "Bald man, what's wrong with the master today? Leading the pledge of allegiance and openly defending that pale-faced man, this is not like him at all."

The usually unreliable bald Neil started working his quick-witted brain, his eyes darting between Roger, white-faced John, and Earl Lennox, while the wooden tray in his hand gently tapped against the pillar he was leaning against.

The black dog Sigurd stopped chewing and stared at bald Neil, waiting for what he would say next.

"Before, the master was just a young master, at most a small manor lord, and the affairs of Alan Island were none of his concern. Now it's different. Young Master Louis is still young, and the Campbell family is left with only the master and the pale-faced man—" At this point, bald Neil vaguely realized something and dared not think any further.

"Alright, the lord has his reasons for doing things." Bald Neil quickly stopped trying to figure out what his superior meant.

Sigurd, the black dog, expressed his incomprehension, saying, "If it were me, I wouldn't stand up for the white-faced guy at all. I'd let him be humiliated enough so he wouldn't swagger around and bully us all day."

"So you can only be a black dog. Also, you'd better be careful from now on and not call him 'white face' so casually anymore. He really is the Baron of Arlen Island now, and he can kill people at any time," Bald Neil warned.

The black dog Sigurd swallowed its food, rolled its eyes at bald Neil, and then disdainfully turned its head to the side, looking at the corner of the bakery diagonally opposite the mansion gate.

"Hey~ Is that Chicken Guy? Wasn't he punished to work as a servant for the cattle and sheep at the North Island Manor? How come he's sneaked back?" Bald Neil peeked out and saw a figure walk past the bakery toward the watchtower. "How do you know it's that rotten-ass sodom?"

Blackie Sigurd said with absolute certainty, "When I was locked up in the underground dungeon, Whiteface would often pull that little chicken guy aside and do *that* with him. I knew it was him just by looking at his ass."

"That scoundrel's return is definitely no good. Let's go, follow him and see what kind of mischief he's up to." Bald Neil tossed a wooden tray to a passing servant, then dragged the black dog Sigurd, who was still wanting to gnaw on a few more lamb bones, toward the watchtower...

After being silent for more than ten days due to the death of Baron John, the Moulin Rouge finally returned to its bustling atmosphere. The desires that were restrained by the taboos of the funeral were broken by the enthronement celebration of the new baron, and a "festive" atmosphere enveloped the entire Brodick.

After the daytime banquet, most of the lords and nobles, including Earl Lennox, left the island of Arren, but a few guests who were close to the Campbell family and were not in a hurry to deal with the affairs of their territories stayed behind.

Among them were several leaders of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, who were taken to the Moulin Rouge by Roger and given a lavish welcome.

At the coronation ceremony of John the Whiteface, the Bishop of Glasgow read out Baron John's dying will. Roger's takeover of trade affairs between the Isle of Arun and the Glasgow region was naturally approved by everyone. Roger hosted a separate banquet for the leaders to discuss this matter.

Of course, Roger wouldn't directly discuss quid pro quo with the leaders.

After a few drinks and some pleasantries, the fat, burly leaders, each supported by a beautiful woman, went upstairs. Tonight, they would savor the renowned "specialty abalone" of Arun Island.

Roger, the host of this special banquet, did not accompany his guests to taste the "seafood". After settling the group of wealthy merchants, he took Marne and Olaf, who had accompanied him at the banquet, and braved the biting cold and walked through the thick snow to a secluded, dilapidated house in the flea den on the edge of the town.

This dilapidated house was Bald Neil's old lair in Brodick. It was cold in winter and hot in summer, drafty and leaky. If it weren't for the fire burning in the hearth, it would be unbearable to stay there.

In the evening, as Roger hosted a banquet for the leaders at the Moulin Rouge, Bald Neil and his black dog Sigurd rushed in to report something amiss. At the time, Roger was dealing with the wealthy patrons and had to put the matter aside.

...We followed them and saw the little chicken sneak into the watchtower with the steward and the old baroness, then close the door.

"The old lady's maid was standing outside the door keeping watch. We didn't dare to go up and eavesdrop, so we don't know what they were talking about," Bald Neil reported on the results of his daytime surveillance.

"They must be discussing how to deal with the master. The master had a grudge against the white-faced man before, and now that the white-faced man has become the Baron of Arun Island, he will definitely turn around and deal with the master." Black Dog Sigurd has never had a good impression of the white-faced man and that venomous old lady.

"No way? The master has already sworn allegiance, and we even helped him out today. Why would they still target him?" Bald Neil had also suffered a lot of bullying from that group, but he felt that the pale-faced man wouldn't be in a hurry to harm Roger.

"Young Baron John might not, but the old lady might not. She has always looked down on adults," Marne said, expressing his doubts. He was an old man from Arlen Island and knew the situation in the Baron's castle very well. When Baron John was alive, he had protected Roger a lot, so the old woman wouldn't dare to make a move.

But now that John the Younger is the butler, who can say for sure? Besides, Roger's gender reassignment doesn't seem to be all good for Baron John the Younger.

"We still need to be careful, no matter what. Those guys might be plotting something against you."

"Starting tomorrow, wherever you go, take a few more people with you, and make sure you wear your chainmail properly. Those guys wear the skin of noble families, but they're rotten to the core." Olaf was clearly putting himself in Roger's shoes.

Roger agreed with Olaf's suggestion to keep Sigurd the black dog and Donald the big guy by his side.

Roger, who has been outwardly amicable and obsequious these past few days, is actually extremely wary inside. "We can't just react passively; we should take the initiative and plant some spies in the Baron's mansion so that we'll have time to react if anything happens in the future."

He instructed Neil, the bald man beside him, "You're Brodick's man, you know everyone in the Baron's mansion, can you bribe one or two well-informed servants to tip us off?"

Bald Neil's eyes darted around for a moment before he said confidently, "No problem, I know a few maids, some of whom can get in and out of the mansion."

"Is it that chubby girl you rolled around in the haystack with?"

"No, it's another big ass that crawled through the old mill outside the city—"

That night, Roger did not return to the Moulin Rouge. He had been preoccupied with worries and busy with many affairs lately and had no interest in indulging in debauchery. The Moulin Rouge, filled with decadent music, was clearly not a place for him to relax and rejuvenate.

So Roger simply squeezed in with Marne, Olaf, Bald Neil, and Sigurd the black dog and slept fully clothed by the fire pit in the dilapidated house.