Rose Empire

The Marquis of Blackstone Castle was the only Marquis in the power structure of "two kings, two dukes and one marquis" in the Oran Empire. Compared with the first four kings and dukes, the title of this Marquis seemed a bit pitiful. However, no noble in the Oran Empire would underestimate this person, because the Marquis of Blackstone Castle was a "vassal marquis" with a large number of troops.

To the north of the Orlan Empire is a large inland sea, the Ryūne Sea. Further north is a country of comparable size to the Orlan Empire, called the Edissa Empire. The territories of the Orlan Empire and the Edissa Empire wrap around the Ryūne Sea in the center in two C-shaped territories, and there are also two east-west passages connecting the two countries.

In the past thousand years of history, there were many conflicts and wars between the Orlan Empire and the Edissa Empire. Every time the war started, the East-West Passage would naturally become the main battlefield. Just like the strategic route called "Caucasus" between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in Charlotte's previous life.

Even in peacetime, the two empires had to send heavy troops to guard these two passages.

The capital of the Orlan Empire, Platinum City, is close to the western passage, so the location of the western passage was handed over to the royal guards - the Royal Griffin Knights.

On the other side, the Marquis of Blackstone Castle is responsible for guarding the eastern passage.

The current Marquis of Blackstone Castle is named Brown Lexmond, and he is a recognized famous general of the empire.

More than 20 years ago, the Orlan Empire once again fought against the Edissa Empire. The Edissa Empire's army invaded the Orlan Empire from the western passage, and won consecutive victories. They were at the gates of Platinum City, and seemed to want to destroy the Orlan Empire in one battle. Even Leopold Hollowen, who was the crown prince at the time, was forced to go to the battlefield and defend Platinum City. There were rumors among the nobles that Emperor Leopold was seriously injured on the battlefield, so he was now showing signs of dying young.

When the empire was about to collapse, Brown Lexmango led his army to attack from the east. Before the Edisa Empire captured Platinum City, he successfully defeated the enemy in front of him and marched straight into the city, threatening the most important grain-producing area of ​​the Edisa Empire.

The Platinum City could not be captured after a long siege, and the grain-producing areas behind it were in danger, so the Edisa Empire was forced to withdraw its troops.

In that battle, the Edissa Empire almost mobilized all its strength, but ended up losing without losing. After the war, the Edissa Empire never recovered, and the royal family split into two due to internal strife. Today, there are two emperors in Edissa, each controlling about half of the country. People call them East Edissa and West Edissa respectively.

Although there would still be frictions of varying degrees between Edisa and the Orlan Empire over the next twenty years, the Edisa Empire that had once stood on equal footing with the Orlan Empire and competed for supremacy in the world no longer existed after all.

Not only did they save Platinum City, but they also defeated the Oran Empire's thousand-year-old enemy. The nobles of the Oran Empire were delighted. Brown Lexman, the greatest hero of that battle, also became the most famous general of the empire.

Brown Lecment was invincible on the battlefield, but seemed a little weak in the boudoir. It was not until his later years that he had a son, Arthur Lecment.

As the Lexman family had been guarding the border for many years, Arthur Lexman was not well-known in the aristocratic social circle. Charlotte had never seen Arthur Lexman before, and only heard that he was a teenager of eighteen or nineteen years old.

However, Charlotte would definitely not say that in front of Rosie and Edith Pastor. She showed a blush of embarrassment like an innocent girl on her face: "But when I was in Platinum City, I heard that Arthur Lexman, that thing, that thing has some problems..."

Hearing this, Mrs. Paster gave Charlotte an ambiguous smile and advised: "Men are all greedy cats. It's not a big problem. You will understand it when you grow up. Besides, the son of the Marquis of Lecman is a rare husband candidate even if he has some minor problems."

Edith Paster thought Charlotte was talking about Arthur Leckmont's philandering.

Although Charlotte is the daughter of the Duke, she is only a daughter after all. The Duke of Greenfield has two sons besides her. Rosie and Jose Melfield are both in their prime and may have more children in the future. Brown Lexman has only one son, Arthur Lexman. Judging from the fertility of the Marquis of Blackstone Castle, he probably won't have any more sons in the future. Arthur Lexman will be the only heir to the Marquis of Blackstone Castle.

In the eyes of aristocrats like Mrs. Paster, if this marriage could be successful, it would obviously be a win for Charlotte.

Is it a problem if the husband likes to have affairs? No. No matter how many lovers Arthur Lexman has, isn't the Marchioness still Charlotte?

This is the most common view of marriage among the nobles in this world.

"Yeah, there's no man who doesn't flirt with other women." Rosie also agreed.

However, Charlotte said timidly: "But, but, I heard that Arthur Lexman only likes men."

Mrs. Paster and Rosie were both silent, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Ah, this, this may be a bit troublesome..." Mrs. Paster said after a while.

Charlotte had no idea whether Arthur Lexman liked men or women, but that didn't stop her from defaming him out of thin air.

The Marquis of Blackstone Castle rarely left the border, and the ladies in the interior of the empire would not go to Arthur Lexman to verify the truth, so Charlotte had no burden in talking nonsense.

The two noble ladies finally stopped talking about Charlotte's marriage and turned to chat about other noble family gossips.

Charlotte had heard a lot of gossip about the nobles in Platinum City. With the advantage of information, she had a very harmonious chat with the two ladies.

At noon, the two families had lunch together, and the Melerfields, as hosts, entertained the Pasters and their daughter with an extremely sumptuous meal.

When Andre and Anne appeared again, Anne's face was once again filled with a happy and joyful smile. It was obvious that Andre had used some unknown method to calm Miss Paster down again.

In the afternoon, Jose Melfield finally had time and called Charlotte back to the study.

"What's the matter with your Viscount?" asked Jose Melfield, sitting on the leather sofa next to the desk.

"I don't know what's going on. Uncle Basilik insisted on giving me his title..." Charlotte said with her hands behind her back, shaking her body.

"Don't be so slick with me!" Jose Melefield stared at Charlotte with hawk-like eyes, questioning her in his tone, "Don't I know what kind of guy Basilik is?"

"Well," Charlotte pouted and said, "I bought Viscount Lanwan from Uncle Basilik with my own money."

"Why did you buy such a viscount?"

"I want to build my own territory."

"Are you still planning to govern the Viscount Lanwan Territory yourself?"

"Of course."

"Don't go!"

"Why?" Charlotte asked.

Jose Melfield was so angry that he laughed: "Do you know how poor the Viscountry of Lanwan is? Do you think you can live as comfortably there as you do in Platinum City? Moreover, the Viscountry of Lanwan is surrounded by tribal bandits to the north and mercenaries to the south. Those barbaric guys dare to do anything as long as they have money. Do you think your knights can really protect you? I will send someone to Blackstone Castle to arrange a marriage for you. You just stay in Blackstone Castle and wait to get married!"

"Get married?" Charlotte retorted, "Will getting married make my life comfortable? After getting married, won't my daughter still have to watch me commit suicide?"

"What did you say!" Jose Melfield stood up angrily, raised his right hand, and seemed to be about to slap Charlotte in the face.

Charlotte met Jose Melefield's gaze, raised her chin, and her eyes were full of sarcasm: "What? Did I say something wrong? Don't you remember what you did, father?"

Jose Melefield held his palm up for a long time, but in the end he was unable to put it down. He sat back on the sofa and said, "I've told you many times that Helen's death has nothing to do with me."

Jose Melefield's tone softened a lot, but Charlotte still didn't give him face. Her words were as sharp as a knife: "Really? If you say it a few more times, maybe I will believe it."

Jose Melfield was silent for a long time before he said, "But you can't stay single forever."

Charlotte knew that this might be Jose Melfield's bottom line. She put away the sarcastic smile on her face, thought for a moment, and said, "I don't want to get married before I'm 20 years old."

"Nineteen at most," said Jose Melfield. "You are sixteen this year. I will allow you to play for two more years."

"Okay." Charlotte puffed up her cheeks and nodded slightly. She looked very reluctant, but powerless to resist.

PS: Thank you all for your recommendations, rewards, blades and monthly tickets!

PS2: I can actually receive monthly tickets, so excited~~~q group 1⑥巴2衣7妻①溜

Volume 10: Chapter Chapter Husband and Wife

At night, the lights in the riverside castle flicker, but the rushing Nepo River and the floating hearts of people make this ancient castle never truly quiet.

"Do you really agree to let Charlotte go to that Viscount Lanwan?" Rosie, wearing a dark nightgown, brought a cup of black tea to Jose Melfield who was handling official business at his desk.

"Yes," Jose Melfield replied without looking up.

"Viscount Lanwan's territory is on the border, right? It's also close to the Kanpei Mountains. Isn't it dangerous?" Luo Qian said.

"I will send a team of knights to go with her. If we encounter an unbearable danger, we can bring her back by force." said Jose Melfield.

Rosie's hands gradually tightened the hem of her skirt: "Didn't you say that you wanted to arrange Charlotte and Arthur's marriage as soon as possible?"

"I promised Charlotte that I would get married in two years," Jose Melfield added.

"What?" Luo Xi's face changed drastically, but she still tried to maintain a stiff smile, "Then, what about the Lexman family? We have already agreed to get engaged next spring. Will the Marquis of Blackstone Castle be unhappy if we break the contract casually?"

"It was just a verbal agreement before, how can this be considered a breach of contract?" Jose Melfield's tone was still calm. "Besides, old Marquis Brown also said that Arthur Lexman is not in a hurry to get married, so they shouldn't mind postponing it for another two years."

Arthur Lexman was still a young man under 20 years old, so it was normal for him not to be in a hurry to get married. However, due to the rumors Charlotte had spread before, Rosie naturally thought - didn't want to get married? Did Arthur Lexman really only like men?

However, this thought did not occupy Rosie's mind for too long. After all, it didn't matter to her whether Arthur Lexman liked men or women.

"Even if we get married in two years, we should keep Charlotte in the riverside castle and discipline her well!" Rosie blurted out.

Luo Xi regretted what she said the moment she said it. She had said it too impulsively and revealed too much.

Sure enough, Jose Melfield finally put down the official business at hand, picked up the steaming teacup on the table, turned to look at Rosie, took a sip of black tea, and asked: "What do you mean by this?"

"What can I mean? As a mother, isn't it my job to teach my children?" Rosie answered stiffly, "Besides, Charlotte is away from home all year round, and I want to spend more time with her before she gets married."

"Really? Are you and Charlotte really that close?"

"of course it's true."

"So what happened on this year's Grace Day? Why is the slave Gampoa still alive?"

When Jose Melfield said this, Rosie's heart skipped a beat.

Grace Day is said to be the day when Lord Yig bestows grace on the world, and it is also the New Year in most parts of the world.

At the end of last year, Charlotte did not stay in Platinum City, but chose to return to the Principality of Green Plains to celebrate Grace Day with her family. At that time, she was riding in a carriage - the serious noble ladies of the Oran Empire all went out in carriages, and a giant eagle was really not elegant.

When the caravan stopped at an inn in the Principality of Green Plains, Charlotte unexpectedly met an old acquaintance - Gampoa.

Gampoa was the coachman of Helen Mellerfield, Charlotte's biological mother. For a long time before Helen Mellerfield's death, there was a rumor that the Duchess of Greenfield was promiscuous and committed adultery with her coachman. Gampoa was the coachman in the rumor.

When Charlotte saw Gomba again, the groom was drinking cheap wine and bragging to a group of smelly drinkers about how soft the former Duchess's body was, how delicate her skin was, and how lewdly she screamed under him.

At that time, the knights around Charlotte had already grasped the hilts of their swords. There was no doubt that with just one order from Charlotte, this shameless groom would be chopped into meat paste in the street.

However, Charlotte did not speak. She just smiled and gave Gampoa an elegant skirt-lifting salute, then left.

At that time, Rosie was on the second floor of the store opposite. She didn't know what others would think of Charlotte's skirt-lifting gift, but she felt cold all over when she saw that scene.

After Helen Mellerfield died, Charlotte swore a very vicious revenge oath in front of her mother's tombstone. Many people knew about this. A six-year-old girl must have been accompanied by many servants when she went out, and Charlotte did not swear behind their backs. With many people talking, the story spread.

However, Charlotte was only six years old at the time, and after all these years, she had not killed anyone to avenge her. Therefore, when those who knew about this incident mentioned it, they mostly talked about it as a joke after dinner - everyone knew that the Duchess committed suicide, so who could she avenge? The Duchess had obviously done something funny and stupid, but it was understandable that she was young and ignorant.

When Rosie first heard about it, the servants told her as a joke, and Rosie, who had just married into the Melferfield family, also took it as a joke at first. However, as she lived in the riverside castle for longer and longer, she became more and more wary of Charlotte.

This stepdaughter greeted everyone with a smile. She would generously lend a helping hand to those in need, and would repeatedly express her most sincere gratitude to those who helped her. She would also forgive the mistakes of those who plotted against her with tears, as if she was just a kind, weak, naive, and occasionally eccentric noble lady.

However, every time Rosie tried to control Charlotte, she encountered setbacks again and again. This stepdaughter's slipperiness was far beyond her imagination.

Whenever Rosie wanted to do something, someone would come out to stop her, or simply advise her to be nicer to her stepdaughter. Rosie then discovered that, on the one hand, Charlotte used her "advantage" of losing her mother at a young age to create a weak image for herself - no matter how Helen died, the child was always an innocent victim; on the other hand, Charlotte's usual kindness and generosity earned her a very good reputation. Therefore, Charlotte, the "harmless" lady, actually has quite a lot of sympathizers and supporters among the nobles of the Melefield family! If Rosie doesn't want to get a reputation as a mean stepmother among the nobles, she can't take too tough measures against Charlotte.

Rosie knew that Charlotte often called Andre "my stupid brother." Indeed, Rosie felt that Andre was a little inferior to Charlotte's network of contacts, which was not obvious at all but was actually extremely large.

Rosie also tried to control Charlotte in some secret ways, but these methods were mostly unsuccessful. Rosie was even sure that Charlotte had long known that her stepmother was plotting against her.

But even though she knew the truth, Charlotte still acted very close to Rosie in front of outsiders, in front of Jose, Andre, and Sean.

Whenever Charlotte hugged her neck and called her "Mom" affectionately (and harmoniously), Rosie felt creepy, as if a poisonous snake was wrapped around her neck.

"Your daughter is a dormant poisonous snake! You'd better put her in a cage as soon as possible, otherwise she will bite everyone to death!" Rosie wanted to tell Jose Melfield this loudly, but it was obvious that saying this now would only make Jose Melfield more angry.

"Why is Gampoa still alive?" José Melfeld repeated his question.

After Helen's death, Jose Meilefield sent people to hunt down the escaped Gampoia. It took the knight more than a year to successfully find the hiding Gampoia and kill him. At least that was the reward Jose Meilefield got at the time.

Therefore, when Jose Melefield learned that Gampoa had reappeared, he was extremely angry and directly ordered his men to arrest Gampoa and all the members of the knight team that was responsible for hunting down Gampoa, and executed them together.

How could a horseman like Gampoa survive the pursuit of the knights? How could he enter the Green Plains Principality again without being noticed? There must be another mystery behind this matter, but Jose Melefield did not investigate it at the time.

Rosie didn't expect that more than half a year later, Jose Melfield was still brooding over it.

"I, I..." Rosie stammered, not knowing how to answer.

"Why is Gampoa still alive!" This time Jose Melfield almost shouted.

"I don't know, I really don't know..." Rosie turned pale and shook her head repeatedly.

"Don't know? I hope you really don't know." Jose Melfeld's tone calmed down again, but his face was still gloomy. "I don't care what you think or what you want to do, but I remind you to do everything in moderation. Charlotte is just a girl. She will never inherit the Duke of Green Plains and the Melfeld family's ancestral property. There will be no conflict between her and you, the Duchess. I hope you can get along well with her. Things like Gampoa can only happen once. If it happens a second time, I will not let it go so easily."

Luo Xi bit her pale lips and lowered her head. After a long while, she finally squeezed out a sound from her throat: "Yes."

PS: The age of Sean Melfield in the previous article has been revised. There was a slight mistake. I am very sorry.

Volume 11: Chapter Chapter The Missing Gem

On the third floor in the southeast corner of the riverside castle, there is another window with a white marble carved frame and a green potted plant in the window. That is Charlotte's bedroom.

Charlotte's boudoir is out of tune with the overall gray (harmonious) tones of the riverside castle. Charlotte was obsessed with pink for a while, probably when she was nine or ten years old, so she decorated the entire bedroom in pink, with pink curtains, pink murals, a pink dressing table, a pink princess bed, and even the chandelier was made of pink crystals... everything looked full of fairy-tale romance.

Two years later, Charlotte's passion for pink faded, but she was already planning to go to Platinum City, so the pink boudoir was preserved.

While the Duke and Duchess of Greenfield were talking, Charlotte was sitting in front of her pink dressing table, which had become a little small, staring at the wooden box in front of her with a frown in silence.

In the wooden box was a princess crown made of silver, crystal, pearls and gems. Charlotte's fingers brushed the highest point in the middle of the princess crown. There was a gem inlaid on each of the seven corners of the princess crown, but there was nothing here. Charlotte was very familiar with this princess crown because it was a relic left by Helen Mellorfield. She knew that there was a gem in this position. The gem was dark blue and teardrop-shaped. At first glance, it looked as if there were waves rippling in it...

That gem is more valuable than the entire princess crown because it is a miracle. It is said that the miracle can return anyone who is on the verge of death, or even those who have died recently, to the state they were in one day ago. In theory, it can be triggered as long as it is worn, without any restrictions, and the effect is very overbearing.

Of course, it can't save someone who wants to die.

Before Helen Mellorfield committed suicide, she took off the princess's tiara and gave it to her young daughter.

Charlotte also knew how painful it was for her mother to live, so she could only hold on to the miracle that could save her life and watch Helen Mellorfield's life slowly fade away in front of her.

Charlotte did not bring the princess crown with her when she went to Platinum City. However, she did not expect that her things could be "stolen" even if they were left in her own home!

"My wife said she needed a headdress for the banquet and asked me to get this piece of jewelry for her. When my wife returned it, the gemstone was gone..."

A little maid knelt at Charlotte's feet, crying as she spoke.