Rose Empire

Otherwise, the deceased Knight Paul Martins would not have occupied the land and come to the edge of the castle.

If it was just to select a location for the knights to move, it wouldn't take much time. However, each speaker had a different purpose, so it took a whole night.

When Eric in the south and Ed Adkins in the north expressed their submission to Charlotte respectively, all the knights in the south and the north reacted and realized that the situation had changed greatly. It was very likely that they would really have to be loyal to the new viscount in front of them in the future.

So the knights quickly made their own responses.

The northern knights provided Charlotte with advice on site selection and demonstrated their wise thinking, shrewd vision and rich experience in managing fiefdoms.

The Southern Knights made all the appropriate requests for relocation to Charlotte, while demonstrating their sharp minds, decent manners, and exquisite rhetoric and eloquence.

In this process, the migration of the knights became a secondary matter. The truly important thing became how to show a friendly and cooperative attitude to the new feudal lord without leaving any trace, and how to make the new feudal lord remember him as soon as possible, or even leave a good impression.

Charlotte also needed to say a few words from time to time to show that she accepted their loyalty and at the same time to calm the anxiety and fear that still existed in their hearts. At this time, she showed the gentleness and elegance that a true noble lady should have.

Therefore, everyone would carefully seize the opportunity when speaking and think carefully about their wording. By the time most people had finished speaking, the night would have passed.

As the dawn broke, many people yawned. There was no more room for the guests in the castle, so Charlotte had to ask the servants to prepare some bread and milk for the knights to eat before they went home to sleep.

It was a pity that these guests came to a banquet with great enthusiasm, but ended up eating some bread and milk.

Celine Adkins didn't even eat the bread and milk. With a full heart and a dizzy mind, she rode a long way with other northern knights. Suddenly, she realized that her father was not with her. She looked around but didn't see her father.

"Did you see my father?"

Celine asked her companion.

"No, it seems that Knight Adkins is left in the Viscount's castle."

The companion replied.

Celine suddenly felt a sense of crisis. She ignored her companions' calls, turned her horse around, and rushed towards the castle again.

Inside the castle, servants were cleaning up the mess left by last night's dinner. They carried out the mutilated bodies one by one and transported them to a distant place for burial. They poured hot water on the ground to wash away the dried blood stains. Fortunately, the weather had already cooled down, otherwise these things would have stunk.

When Celine returned to the castle, the first thing she saw was a servant pouring out a bucket of black and red sewage. All the bloody memories of last night came to her mind, and the girl's face suddenly turned three points paler.

After the guests left, Charlotte was eating breakfast leisurely with Renee.

Renee complained quietly that Charlotte was at such a dangerous banquet, but the knights she brought into the venue were all sent by Jose Melefield. She felt that those knights were not worthy of such trust. What if the southern knights and the northern knights were enraged and really united to kill Charlotte first? Those knights who were deceived by Rosie might not fight to protect her. Charlotte was playing with her own life.

Charlotte agreed with “umms and aahs” like a primary school student being nagged by her parents.

In fact, what Renee said was right. The loyalty of the knights sent by Jose Melfield was still questionable, but what Renee overlooked was that in Charlotte's eyes, there was one person whom she could always entrust her life to, and that was Renee herself.

Charlotte believed that even if that one in ten thousand chance happened and the southern knights and northern knights joined forces to besiege her, Renee would be able to protect herself and retreat safely, and she would definitely do so.

Just when Charlotte was trying to answer Renee's question as if she was listening to the wind around her ears, a man suddenly rushed in and knelt down in front of Charlotte with such force that Charlotte felt the pain in her knees.

"You..." Charlotte looked at the person who came, "You are Ed Adkins' daughter."

"Yes." Celine lowered her head and said, "I apologize to the Viscount for my disrespect. Please release my father."

Charlotte was a little confused at first, but she quickly understood Celine's line of thought - the girl thought she had detained Ed Adkins because she had bumped into her in the kitchen before.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and smiled with interest. Renee, who knew Charlotte well enough, knew that if her young lady showed such an expression, she would definitely have bad intentions.

"Why should I accept your apology? Your father must pay the price for holding me hostage!" Charlotte asked, staring into Celine's eyes.

Although she looked like a tomboy and was wearing gray leather armor, Charlotte could see with her rich experience that this girl could actually be a little beauty if she dressed up a little.

"I didn't intend to hold the Viscount hostage." Celine explained in a panic.

"But that's what you actually did!" Charlotte was still merciless, "I can't help but regard your behavior at that time as hostage-taking!"

Xilin was not a person who was good at speaking. She bit her lip and organized her words for a long time. In the end, she could only say: "I should bear the responsibility for my mistakes. I am willing to accept any punishment. I only ask you to let my father go."

"Really any punishment?"

Even a fool could tell that Charlotte's question had bad intentions, but Celine still bit her lip and nodded.

"Well then," Charlotte said, "I am still short of a personal guard. You can be my Hermeo attendant."

"Guard?" Celine was surprised. She thought she would face a very harsh punishment, but in the end she was just a guard?

"Well, wouldn't you?" Charlotte asked.

"Of course I do!" Celine was very happy. Only a fool would not want to be punished this simply!

In order to show that she was brave enough to take responsibility for her mistakes, Celine raised her right hand on the spot, swore in the name of God, and pledged allegiance to Charlotte.

In the future, Celine Adkins, who has been hailed as the "Silver Sword Princess" by the world, always feels that she is so stupid when she recalls her current mood and actions!

"Very good," Charlotte nodded happily, then turned to Renee and smiled, "Renee, take her to take a bath and change her clothes. You know what to do."

Renee rolled her eyes, indicating that she didn't want to do this kind of favor for her young lady, but she still followed Charlotte's instructions and took Celine to take a bath.

As a girl, Celine also liked to take a bath, but she had never thought that a noble would need four or five people to serve him in taking a bath, and that he would need to use such a comfortable wooden barrel, and add so many flowers and plants whose names she didn't even know to the bath water.

After a careful bath, Celine felt light and fragrant all over.

"Not bad, she is indeed a beautiful person." A sweet female voice sounded, waking Celine from her daze.

"Sir, Lord Viscount..."

Celine was startled to find that the Viscount had stood behind her without her noticing. She was only wearing a close-fitting nightgown that the servants had brought her after she had taken a bath, and she couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

Charlotte stretched out her right hand and gently lifted Celine's chin. Although she had short hair, Celine's small round face and short hair not only did not destroy her beauty, but made her look very cute. After bathing, she looked even more rosy.

Celine then realized that she was in a bedroom. Next to her was a large bed with fresh sheets. The servants who had just bathed her had already left. Now there were only Charlotte and herself in the bedroom...

Celine immediately sensed something was wrong and took a step back in panic.

Charlotte put her hands behind her back, smiled and took a step forward: "You don't want me to let your father go."

Charlotte's words interrupted Celine's attempt to escape. With Celine's skills, if she wanted to escape, Charlotte might not even be able to touch the corner of Celine's skirt.

"I only swore to be your servant..."

"Isn't this the duty of a personal attendant?"

"Really, really?"

"Of course……"

Is the life of a noble so terrible...

Celine felt that her worldview had been refreshed.

While the girl was confused, Charlotte gently lifted Celine's skirt with her fingers...

The morning light poured into the bedroom through the half-open lattice windows, and the candy-colored lace curtains swayed in the autumn breeze.

It was not until the morning light turned into the bright sun at noon that Charlotte, who was sleeping soundly, was awakened by Renee.

Charlotte habitually raised her hand and asked Renee to help her put on her clothes.

However, Renee tapped Charlotte on the forehead gently and said, "Miss, go take a shower first."

Only then did Charlotte feel a little sticky on her body, so she puffed her face and went to take a shower reluctantly.

Charlotte puffed her cheeks and went to take a bath reluctantly.

After taking a bath and changing into clean casual clothes, Charlotte went to the reception room that the servants had just cleaned as planned.

Renee gently closed the bedroom door so that the other tired girl in the room could continue to sleep.

In the reception room, Eric Scamario and Ed Adkins were waiting for Charlotte. This morning, other guests left, but Charlotte kept these two people because she had something to tell them.

Considering that both of them were too tired after talking all night, Charlotte let them take a nap in the reception room.

"How are you two doing? Can we get down to business?" Charlotte asked with a smile as she sat down in an armchair.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Viscount. I feel much better after sleeping for a while." Eric said.

Ed Adkins replied, "Go ahead, Viscount. I've been unable to sleep for several nights in a row during wars before. One night without sleep is nothing."

"Winter is coming. The climate here is warm, so winter is not a big deal. But the tribesmen in the mountains will definitely come out to rob. I plan to form a territory guard to guard against the tribesmen." Charlotte said.

"This is a matter of course. When Viscount Basilik was still alive, we also organized patrols every year."

Ed Adkins said.

Eric nodded as well.

Both of them were a little confused. Serving the lord for ninety days every year was a knight's obligation, and guarding against the tribesmen was also an official duty that the territory had to do every year. Why did they have to stay behind to explain such things?

"After winter is over, this territory guard will not be disbanded, but will remain in place. Guard members are required to serve all year round and must train in the barracks even when there is no war. They will only have five days off each month."

Charlotte's words challenged Ed and Eric's common sense, and they both frowned slightly.

Most countries and regional forces in this world have a very superficial understanding of standing armies. The city-states of the Sokya Peninsula are famous for their mercenaries, but the main force during the city-state war has always been citizen soldiers. Citizen soldiers are soldiers in wartime and civilians in peacetime. In peacetime, they only need to gather and train for five days a month. The knights of the Orlan Empire are similar. They usually manage their own manors and industries. When there is military intelligence, the lord will shout and everyone will gather to fight.

The Orlan Empire has two famous troops, one is the Royal Griffin Knights led by the emperor himself, and the other is the Eastern Knights led by the Duke of Blackstone. Both knights are permanent troops, but they have not broken away from the shackles of "knights serving the lord for ninety days a year", but have adopted a shift system to let the knights take turns to serve, ensuring that the troops can be maintained at around 3,000 soldiers all year round.

Therefore, Charlotte's practice of requiring the knights to stay in the barracks for most of the year was simply incomprehensible to Ed and Eric.

"Why do you ask to do this?" Eric asked puzzledly.

why?

Of course, Charlotte is displeased with the free and easy war mode of these guys nowadays!

If a group of professional soldiers spend most of the year farming or running other businesses, how much combat effectiveness can the army have?

Why are the Royal Griffin Knights and the Eastern Knights of the Orlan Empire so elite? The former confronted the 300,000-strong army of the Edissa Empire head-on, and the latter almost penetrated the rear of the Edissa Empire. Charlotte The reason is very simple. To put it bluntly, at least the core officers of these two armies stayed in the barracks for many years.

As long as the officers of an army stay in the barracks, concentrate on training and studying how to fight, the combat effectiveness of the army can be greatly improved. How could Charlotte allow her army to retain the tradition of "serving 90 days a year"?

Of course, this reason directly infringed upon the interests of the knight class, and Charlotte certainly could not say it out loud.

"In addition, I plan to pay the knights serving in the guards a salary of three fuso per day." Charlotte seemed to be answering a question that was not relevant to the question. "I hope that after you return, you can try your best to persuade other knights for me. However, if they despise this meager salary and are unwilling to join the guards, I will not force them."

Eric and Ed's eyes suddenly lit up.

Three fusos a day was indeed nothing compared to Charlotte's former fortune of five million. Whether it was the already poor northern knights or the southern knights who occupied the trade routes, not everyone could earn three fusos a day.

In fact, the average daily living cost of a poor knight was less than one fusso, and the annual expenditure of a wealthy baronial family was only about 1,300 fusso.

"Don't worry, this is a good thing. I believe most knights will not rudely refuse the favor you offer." Eric said.

"If three fuso a day is not enough, then they are really only fit to dig in the soil for food for the rest of their lives." Ed also laughed and said.

Obviously, both of them regarded Charlotte's establishment of a standing guard as a move to buy people's hearts with money. In the past, knights had never been paid for serving their lords, but Charlotte not only paid them, but also paid them such a high salary.

If this isn’t winning people’s hearts, what is?

It seems that after the "hard" last night, the Viscountess has resorted to soft tactics again today. Combining hardness with softness is the habit of aristocratic rule.

After finalizing the main issues regarding the establishment of the territorial guard, Charlotte asked the two some questions about the invasions of the tribesmen. Jose Melfield attached great importance to this matter every winter, so Charlotte had to repeatedly remind herself to be vigilant against the tribesmen.

However, Eric and Ed acted very relaxed. According to them, the tribesmen had not invaded the Viscount Lanwan territory on a large scale for many years. Even if some tribesmen came occasionally, they would leave on their own initiative when they saw that the Viscount had taken precautions, instead of attacking violently.

In their view, all Charlotte needs to do is put more patrols along the northern border.

Is it really that easy to guard against the tribesmen? Charlotte was skeptical, but after all, she had never actually experienced an invasion by the tribesmen, so it was difficult for her to directly question the two's experience.

After saying these things, Eric and Ed Adkins prepared to say goodbye and leave.

Charlotte suddenly told Ed Adkins: "I hit it off with your daughter right away, so I invited you to be my personal attendant. She was happy to do so and has sworn to be my Hermeo guard."

Ed Adkins was stunned. Celine didn't know the true meaning of "Hermeo", but an old knight like him knew it very well.

Hermeo is an ancient word preserved from the Wimbledon Empire. Today, this word is also used in the language of the Oran Empire. Most people only understand it as "personal attendant". There is nothing wrong with Charlotte interpreting it as a personal attendant.

However, Ed Adkins knew that Hermeo had another meaning in the noble system of the Orlan Empire - Companion. Companion is a special title, not a title of nobility. It only symbolizes that the recipient has a deep friendship with the lord and is deeply trusted by the lord. The king of the Kingdom of Cato has a group of special knights around him, called "Companion Knights". They are highly skilled in martial arts, brave in combat, and loyal to the king.

More importantly, companion is a lifelong title. Those who accept the title of companion must serve the lord for life until they die in battle or die of old age.

After a moment of daze, Ed Adkins smiled, touched his chest and bowed to Charlotte, saying: "I didn't expect that my daughter would have the opportunity to obtain the title of Hermeo from the Melefield family. This is my daughter's honor."

Ed Adkins's happiness was not false. Although becoming Charlotte's partner meant that Celine would be tied to Charlotte from now on, in Ed Adkins's opinion, Charlotte was born into a noble family and would eventually marry into a noble family, and Celine could follow her. In that case, it would be better than staying in this poor place all her life and marrying a poor boy in the future, right?

Even Eric, who was listening quietly at the side, was a little moved.

The title of a fellow is actually a two-way binding. "You are my friend" not only means that the fellow must devote his life to the lord, but also because the lord endorses the fellow with his own reputation and glory. If the lord's last name is Melefield, then the value of this endorsement is probably enough to travel freely in most of the Oran Empire.

Costa is about the same age as Celine, is there a chance he could also become Charlotte's partner?

Eric couldn't help but ponder.

But thinking back to Costa's crying performance last night, Eric felt that the Viscount must not have a very good impression of Costa, and that kid should have no hope.

Eric felt quite regretful.

PS: This chapter has been revised to an all-age version. The 18+ version can be read in the book club. @q@q@群一⑥巴贰①7⑦①6