It doesn't matter what the lord is.

I pondered for a while and didn't know what answer to give him.

Mainly because at that time, I didn't care much about Alaiya at all.

I did teach her kendo and help her lay the foundation, but I didn't value her as much as I do now. I don't even bother to guess what kind of feelings she had behind me and what she was thinking. Even if she disappeared from my side one day, I wouldn't feel any sense of disobedience.

But now thinking back, maybe Alayya would have been angry at that time.

When I flirted with a maid who had a decent face but a very bad character, Alayya didn't say anything on the surface, but she warned the maid not to get close to me. It's not that Alayya was bossy, but the maid said a lot of bad things about me behind my back, and she also intentionally or unintentionally revealed some of my whereabouts to my eldest brother Li Yi.

I didn't have any feelings for that maid. To be honest, it was more like we were both taking advantage of each other. She wanted to take advantage of my identity, and I thought she was pretty. We were just taking advantage of each other. If she didn't do something stupid, I wouldn't have bothered her.

Unexpectedly, when Alayya went to warn her, she turned around and slapped Alayya, and mocked Alayya, saying that she was just a piece of trash picked up from outside and asked her not to interfere with her life.

Alaiya was still young at the time, and she was so angry that her eyes were filled with tears. She put her hand on the hilt of the sword, but she didn't dare to draw the sword. Although the maid didn't have much status, she was at least a maid raised by our Yunyang family, and she had more say than an outsider like Alaiya. In addition, the maid not only seemed to have a good relationship with me, but also had a connection with my eldest brother Li Yi, so she was considered a popular person in the lord's mansion.

I happened to be passing by and saw this scene. Seeing that the maid was about to continue to speak ill of Alaiya, I said emotionlessly:

——"Alaiya, draw your sword. Cut her face for me."

This time, not only the maid, but Alayya herself was stunned. I just stood there and watched Alayya quietly, watching her eyes change from suspicion to fear, and then she bit her lips desperately and drew her sword quickly.

Blood splattered on the ground, and the maid stumbled away, wailing and cursing as she ran, cursing Alaiya and me at the same time.

I said to Alayya, who lowered her head and had trembling hands:

——"Remember, you are my knight, the person closest to me, there is no reason for you to be afraid of a maid. If you think this person is bad for me, just kill him, why hesitate. Remember... In my eyes, there is no one more important than you in this lord's mansion."

Thinking about it now, it seems that the relationship between the two of us has changed since that time.

After listening to my story, Liu Shi also looked like "Why is this so troublesome?", frowned, covered his forehead with his palm, and asked:

"This should be just the beginning... I roughly understand. After that, if there is a situation where you are close to another girl and she sees you and looks a little angry, how will you deal with it...?"

I answered as a matter of course:

"Make delicious food for her, hold her to sleep, accompany her in training, take her shopping... generally speaking, it's something like this."

Liu Shi clapped his hands. Although he was now a wounded man half lying on a chair, he still spoke quickly:

"Okay... okay... I understand. Now I completely understand. Now I really understand. Ha... So why is it still such an awkward situation now when the relationship has come to this point..."

He pointed at me.

"The problem is half yours and half hers. If you didn't want to confess, you shouldn't just say something like 'Nothing is more important than you'. She's the same way, so slow, so slow!"

Liu Shi lowered his head, shook his head and said:

"In my opinion, the so-called love begins with jealousy. Seeing the person you care about talking to others or laughing a few times will make you jealous. In the middle of the night, you will feel more and more uncomfortable and toss and turn and can't fall asleep. This is the story of adolescence. This is why I asked you to maintain a close relationship with other girls. If you can stimulate her and make her sad for a while, she will naturally realize that the feeling in her heart is love. In this way, the two of you can hold hands and be a pair of dogs... a happy couple. But it's too late, or it's almost too late. That person, that blonde girl... has lost the ability to be jealous."

I asked in confusion:

"Why?!"

Liu Shi slumped down in his chair and said as if he had given up completely:

"Why... isn't it because you spoil her? You've instilled this idea in her since she was a child, making her subconsciously feel that she is closer to you. So she won't think about getting closer to you, nor will she feel jealous because other people are close to you. For example, let's say one day the silver-haired girl gets into your bed wearing only underwear, and the blonde girl sees you being intimate. The blonde girl will at most be angry for a while. Once this kind of anger is vented, there will be nothing left. Ha... do you know what this is called?"

I shook my head.

Liu Shi sighed, propped his knees with his arms, and said to me:

"This is what is called the "margin of the main wife". From what you said just now, you often hug her to sleep, right? Would you do this to other girls? Just think about it and you will know... Why are you jealous? What is there to be jealous of? As long as you don't marry someone else and have your own family, the girl with golden hair will always be the most stable reef in this chaotic situation. She is undoubted... the main wife."

34. The Butler's Narration

I was stunned by what I heard.

However, according to this statement...

Aren’t all my previous efforts in vain?

Liushi said:

"It's not that there is no solution... If this is really the case, it would be useful to ignore her for a while. If you are on good terms with another girl but don't talk to her or meet her for a long time, she will naturally feel the crisis."

I was silent for a while, scratched my head, and replied with a smile:

"No, forget about that. It's the so-called placement game, I know that. But you just said it, didn't you? Alayya subconsciously thinks that she is the person closest to me, and she won't get closer to me and won't bother about trivial matters. This is enough for me."

Although I don't know what the consequences of maintaining this kind of relationship will be, it is meaningless for me to continue causing pain to Alayya.

I don't really understand love and affection, but if two people experience more pain than happiness when they are together, then what's the point of maintaining a relationship?

Liu Shi stared at the ceiling and sighed:

"But in my opinion, your relationship is more like family than a couple. Similar to...sisters or something. Although I am being nosy, it is better for the Lord of the City to check his own heart. There are many times when it is impossible to define the feelings in this world. Some are just pure impulses, some are possessive desires, some are a sense of justice that cannot stand others suffering, and some are family affection accumulated over a long period of time. Humans are in a period of sexual desire all year round and often cannot find someone to vent their emotions, so they often mistake various emotions for love... Although it is okay to be wrong, if the Lord of the City really wants to experience the feeling of love, I think it is better not to just accept it."

From the moment I heard the first sentence, my hand that was scratching my head stopped and slowly fell down.

But by the time he finished speaking, I had recovered from my initial shock. I was quite surprised to hear the word "sister" at first, after all, it was a question I had never thought about. In my previous life, the woman I spent the longest time with was my sister, so I was thinking that maybe I applied my love for her to Alaya, and I was getting along with Alaya in the same way I got along with my sister in my previous life.

In other words, after reincarnation, I treated Alayya as a substitute for a younger sister.

But after a moment of surprise, I immediately felt relieved.

Maybe what Liu Shi said makes sense, but so what?

People can never know themselves clearly, so there is no point in worrying about these ambiguous things in my opinion.

I am very happy when I am with Alayya, and Alayya thinks it is good, which is enough for me.

So I stretched and laughed:

"I see. Thank you very much, but I'll wait until I meet someone I fall in love with at first sight."

Liu Shi frowned and narrowed his eyes slightly. For some reason, the look he saw from through his bangs was filled with envy.

But he quickly looked away.

I let out a long breath and said to him:

"Regarding the forging method you mentioned, I think it may not be entirely your fault. It may also be related to the forging materials. According to what you said, a part of the weapon you forged should be unstable, and ordinary steel should not be able to do this. I will write you a note tomorrow, and you can go to the Northern Industrial Base to get some steel produced in Yuxi City. Maybe there will be progress in the research."

Liu Shi sat up straight suddenly and asked:

"Have you done any research on this?"

I shook my head.

To be honest, not at all, but I think this might be the same problem as the compressed magic cannon that I studied all night before.

At that time, it was because ordinary steel could not withstand the high-purity magic, it was like producing a time bomb. I once doubted whether there was something wrong with my theory, and finally realized after a long detour that it was the problem of the steel itself.

Later, although I gave the blueprint to the Lingwu Lord, Lingwu was unable to produce shells independently. I could only gather the magicians together and wait for the steel from my side to arrive before encapsulating the magic power.

When I saw the sword in Liushi's hand explode just now, I suddenly remembered the night when I tried to make a cannonball. At that time, I also thought it was foolproof, until the round iron ball exploded in front of my eyes and the flames burned my hair, I knew what pain was.

Liu Shi fell into deep thought.

I didn't bother him, but got up and went out alone.

Naru, the steward of Liushi, was sitting next to a stone platform not far away. There were a lot of herbs and gauze on the stone platform. He was skillfully crushing the herbs and then putting them into a faded porcelain bottle. The gauze was placed in the sun to dry, and some tools such as tweezers and pliers were also placed next to it.

I walked towards him and asked:

"Chat for a few minutes?"

Naru looked up and saw that it was me. He immediately stood up, bowed slightly, and said:

"Greetings, Lord Mayor. How can I help you?"

I waved my hand, sat down beside the stone platform, and said:

"Please sit down first. Liu Shi has helped me a lot during this period and basically solved my emotional problems. So next, I also want to hear his story."

Naru nodded and said gently:

"Thank you, Lord City Lord. In fact, I often think that it would be great if Lord Liushi could come out of the shadow of the past. I have been getting along with Lord City Lord these days and giving him advice. Although Lord Liushi did not say it explicitly, he seems to have improved a lot compared to his previous depression."

Of course it will be good.

Because [being needed] itself is the reason for people to live.

However, people who live with such reasons are too depressed.

I tapped the stone platform with my fingers and asked:

"I heard some things from Bai Huang before. These days, there are countless rumors outside, and all kinds of rumors are spreading to the sky. I have also heard a little bit. However, no matter how it is spread, the core information is that Liu Shi killed his wife and was despised by all the blacksmiths in the world. But why and how he killed her, what kind of person his wife is, and what kind of existence the Ji Pingtian family is, I don't know any of these. Now, I want to hear you, who followed him all the way from the Ji Pingtian family, tell me the story of Liu Shi. This conversation is between you and me, so there is no need to hide anything."

Naru put down the medicine bottle in his hand, hesitated for a while, and said:

"I understand. If we want to tell the story, we have to start with Mr. Liushi's wife, my lady..."

35.His and Hers Story

Naru told me what he knew.

But because he was just a butler before he came out with Liu Shi, he didn't know much -

The Yoshihirata family is a very large family of blacksmiths. Based on the closeness of blood relationship, there is a distinction between the main family and the branch family.

Naru was an ordinary butler of the branch of the Yoshihirata family, but he was not the kind of butler who served big shots. He was just a relatively marginalized butler. He had no special skills, was not highly regarded, and could not enter the core circle of the family. However, he occasionally heard some gossip from people in the mansion, and the most talked about one was the eldest daughter of the branch of the Yoshihirata family, Carissa.

Karisa can be said to be one of the women with the highest status in the mansion. Yoshihirata is a very large blacksmith family, which is well-known in the entire blacksmithing world. Its influence is really unmatched by ordinary small families. Although Karisa is only the eldest daughter of a branch family, her suitors have already lined up in a long line.

Especially for those "self-employed" blacksmiths, being able to marry into the Yoshihirata family means being able to obtain resources that ordinary people can't imagine at once. Not to mention the various rare materials, what's more important is the forging technology that is not passed on to others in the big family, which is enough to make a person rise to the top in one step.

But in Naru's opinion, it is not so easy for Miss Carissa to find a good family.

Because according to rumors, Carissa was a woman of some fickle nature. She dressed boldly and occasionally played some over-the-top jokes with the servants. She maintained close relationships with some young and talented blacksmiths and occasionally sneaked out to spend the night. The various romantic legends about Carissa were no secret in the Yoshihirata family, and many young and good-looking servants would also fantasize about having a chance to get close to the eldest lady.

Even within the Yoshihirata family, Karissa was deliberately marginalized. When celebrities gathered, the well-dressed and elegant ladies sat around the table, leisurely enjoying afternoon tea, and Karissa was always the subject of their jokes.

When talking about Karissa, they never hesitated to make sarcastic remarks, equating her with the girls singing in brothels, and even thought that she was not as good as those girls in brothels.

"No matter what, those women who sell themselves out are still doing it to make a living. If she (Karisah) is not pure lowliness, what is she?"

This was the most famous comment about Karissa at the time.

In fact, except for a boy who grew up with Carissa, she had almost no friends in the Yoshihirata family. Her status in the family was real, but because of her bad reputation, no one wanted to get close to her, and only maintained a false respect.

Naru was a gentleman and never took these rumors, which had little evidence, seriously.

However, he had also thought about what kind of husband the young lady would choose in the end.

The big families who were well-matched with her were unwilling to look for her, and the reason was obvious. Once before, Carissa's father arranged a marriage for her, and the man was a son of another big family. As a result, the man came to inquire a little bit, and simply canceled the marriage, saying that he was afraid that after marrying Carissa, he would go out shopping and meet seven or eight men who had slept with her.

As for those common people... Naru didn't think any of them could handle Carissa's personality. There were many people chasing after her, but they just wanted to use her identity to enter the Yoshihirata family. They couldn't handle Carissa's personality, and Carissa probably wouldn't get happiness from them. She might even not regard the man who married into her family as her home, and she would still have her own romantic stories outside.

Most likely, they are just sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams.

Naru is a gentleman, so he would worry about the happiness of young people and the eldest lady with whom he had only spoken a few times.

But no one expected that on an ordinary day, the eldest daughter suddenly brought a ragged young man home and calmly announced that she was going to marry him. This news was like a huge bomb that exploded in the Yoshihirata family. Countless people came to watch the excitement. Carissa's parents picked up weapons and sticks and planned to drive this young man out of the house.

But Carissa just touched her belly and said:

"Are you planning on having your child born without a father?"

This sentence can be rated as the best of the whole audience. For a moment, the whole audience was silent. Carissa's biological father pointed at her nose, his fingers trembled violently twice, and the whole person fainted.

At that time, Naru in the crowd was silently looking at the young man.

His hair was very long and uncut, like a bunch of water grass covering his head. His clothes had been worn for a long time and had faded. Some of them were patched, and some had holes that had not been repaired. It was obvious that he lived in poverty. He was thin, especially the joints of his ten fingers were very obvious. His appearance was acceptable, but there was a certain gap compared to those male favorites who relied on their looks to make a living.

The only thing that impressed Naru was those eyes.

There was no calm confidence in his eyes, but rather a bit of inferiority. When Carissa took his hand and announced the marriage publicly, he did not dare to look at Carissa's parents or anyone else in the mansion. Facing the gazes from all directions, he lowered his head deeply and stared at the toe of his torn shoe.

If that were all, it wouldn't leave any impression on Naru.

But Naru clearly remembered that when Carissa's mother asked her why she chose this young man, Carissa replied:

"Because he is the most talented blacksmith in the world, and he will become a guy who is more powerful than anyone else in the future."

There was a burst of suppressed laughter all around.

Indeed, it is a bit too arrogant to say such a thing in a family of blacksmiths that is one of the best in the world.

But at this moment, the young man raised his head and looked at Carissa's mother without any trace of avoidance in his eyes.

He still didn't look confident, but he had an inexplicable persistence and determination. He said in a low and hoarse voice:

"I don't know if I can become the best blacksmith in the world, but I will work hard to become someone worthy of Carissa. So... I beg you to marry your daughter to me."