Imperial Crown

As a baron, it is proper etiquette to welcome his aunt.

Raven stood in the hall of Eagle Castle, watching Denise walk towards him step by step with the help of a maid.

After two months of not seeing each other, this mature woman seemed even more attractive.

She wore a beige tweed round hat on her head, her long black hair draped over her shoulders, her willow-like eyebrows set off her eyes to be shrewd and spirited, and her plump lips were hanging with a faint smile, but it was hard to hide the fatigue of the journey.

She walked lightly, holding the hem of her skirt, and under the binding of her waist, her plump figure was slightly swaying like jelly, and against the background of the lavender dress, it was like a sunset floating over.

"Aunt Denise, you are back." Raven smiled and took Denise's hand, kissed it gently, and gently tickled her palm with his little finger.

"Yes, I'm back." Denise's voice jumped slightly, and she pulled out her palm without a trace.

"I haven't seen you for two months. You look more and more radiant." Raven said in a magnetic voice, "I prepared Angel's Tears. Aunt Denise, why don't you have a drink with me, take a rest, and talk about what you have seen on the journey?"

"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm a little tired now." To Raven's surprise, Denise shook her head and rejected the suggestion, her tone cold and distant.

She turned her head and ordered, "Angie, help Butler Gordon move all the things in."

Angie was the maid who supported Denise. Compared with Fleury last time, she was more pure and elegant. She bowed her head and saluted, "Yes, ma'am."

Denise nodded gently, "Excuse me."

After that, she walked through the hall and went upstairs.

Hearing the footsteps, Raven wanted to turn back several times, but finally held back. He was not the kind of man who would stick to someone. He shouted loudly: "Eric!"

The retainer whose name was called stepped forward and saluted: "Baron."

"Let's go and train those new recruits!" Raven said, and walked away from Eagle Castle.

In the military camp, the three rows of private soldiers were already well-organized and basically able to follow orders. At Eric's order, they were well lined up in three neat squares and stood in the square.

"Tsk..." Looking at the soldiers in front of him, Raven frowned slightly.

Eric asked cautiously, "Baron, is there any problem?"

Raven glanced at his personal soldiers standing alone next to him and said, "The temperament is still... too arrogant."

As an old soldier, Eric understood what he meant at the first time, and said with a wry smile, "There is nothing we can do about it. Your personal soldiers have seen blood, killed people with their own hands, and seen their comrades die. These recruits can't compare to them no matter how well they are trained."

"And they are town soldiers." Raven sighed, "Let alone killing people, they may not have seen pigs being killed."

Eric agreed with this: "If it is a matter of life and death now, even if I am not extraordinary, I can lead your personal soldiers to beat these recruits through."

Hearing this, Raven thought for a while, then shook his head and chuckled with self-mockery.

"My lord, what are you doing?" Eric was a little confused.

"I just thought of an idea." Raven had an elusive smile on his face: "What do you think if I take these new recruits to take a walk on the Bloody Highlands?"

Eric widened his eyes: "Your idea is really... crazy!"

Only the word crazy can describe Raven's plan. Since the failed [Conquest War] eighty years ago, only the bandits on the Bloody Highlands rushed down the Bloody Highlands to harass the surrounding areas, and no imperial army dared to counterattack.

"But... this is too risky. We don't have enough transportation capacity to maintain logistics, and we are not familiar with the terrain above..." Eric hurriedly advised.

"I know, that's why I didn't say it right away." Raven chuckled and patted his shoulder: "I'm not a lunatic, do you really think I would do that?"

Eric was speechless, because everything Raven did now: using a trick to subdue him, confronting Denise alone to make her give up her inheritance, slapping Baron Angel in the face in public, taking back Shining Gold Town, and teaching Nancy Fox a lesson in public...

These actions, in his opinion, are crazy. If Raven now takes out a diagnosis saying that he has a mental illness, he will definitely not doubt it, and he will even be a little relieved.

"I mean, let these recruits see blood." Raven said: "The pigs I send you later will not be live pigs, but live pigs, let them kill them themselves!"

Eric doubted whether this method was reliable, but since they were all eating meat, this process was not a big deal, so he nodded and said: "Your will be implemented, sir!"

Raven nodded: "Let's start training!"

The warm-up exercise began, running ten laps around the barracks.

Looking at the smoke and dust rising around the military camp, Raven's eyes became deep.

Counterattack Bloody Heights, it seems to be an unrealistic goal now, but in the long run, it may not be impossible. There is no place around that is more suitable for training new soldiers than there.

There are still too few soldiers now. When the military strength is expanded again, it will be time for him to aim at Bloody Heights.

Passive beating is not his preference.

Where the enemy can go, I can go too.

After having lunch in the military camp, Raven did not stay long and took a few soldiers to the construction site to inspect it, mainly to see if there were any gaps that needed to be made up, and to boost the morale of these craftsmen.

Whenever Raven came here, they worked extra hard - or so it seemed.

After finishing all this, the sky began to darken, and Raven returned to Eagle Castle covered in mud and sweat.

For Raven, every time he returns to the castle is a small or big test.

There was obviously a cool breeze outside, but the Eagle Castle, which had been exposed to the sun all day, was as sweltering as a steamer. The sweat that had subsided would immediately wet him from the inside out.

But today, as soon as he walked into the gate of Eagle Castle, a cool chill hit his face, instantly dispelling the lingering heat, and Raven couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Petty, who had been waiting in the hall for a long time, served the daily red wine: "Baron, you are back!"

"Yeah." Raven took the glass wine glass that was still covered with water mist and drank down the Angel's Tears in one gulp. The cold wine and the cool air made his body shiver: "Well, Comfortable... Why is the castle so cool today? Have you taken out the ice cubes from the ice cellar? "

Petty shook his head and said happily: "No, it's Mrs. Denise. She bought the temperature control array from Men'en City according to your instructions. She just installed it and the center is in the ice cellar."

Raven was stunned for a moment. He didn't ask Denise to buy such a thing.

She paid for it out of her own pocket, but attributed all the reputation to herself. This was obviously a show of goodwill, but why was she so cold when she came back?

Play hard to get?

Petty was still sharing his joy with Raven: "I heard from Mr. Gordon that a magic circle that can affect the entire castle costs at least more than 600 gold coins. Lord Baron, you are so considerate!"

600 gold coins!

Raven's heart was shocked.

He knew that nobles liked to enjoy themselves, but he didn't expect that they would be so extravagant. 600 gold coins were enough to buy two bottles of first-level god-given potions. He couldn't bear to spend such money on him.

I don't know how long a magic crystal can keep this magic circle running.

Magicians really make money!

For a time, Raven's desire to become a mage became stronger.

I don’t know when the mage potion will arrive. Should I go to Lux and ask?

"So you like this magic circle very much?" Raven asked with a smile.

"Yes!" Petty nodded vigorously: "When I was washing clothes and tidying up the room, I was sweating all the time. You, Lord Baron, also 'punished' me for this before."

Raven smiled dumbly. That time, Petty's skirt was stuck on her body, and the shape was really attractive.

Petty said happily: "But it's better now. No matter how hard I work, I feel fresh and refreshed, and I don't need to change clothes as often anymore!"

Petty was just a representative of the many maids in the castle, and these were not the only ones who enjoyed the temperature control circle.

Old Gordon, who was sitting in a chair and reviewing the accounts, had a relaxed smile on his face.

He is a rather classical aristocratic butler. He must be well-dressed at all times, even in summer, and he will never unbutton one more button on his collar, even when he is alone.

Often just after sitting on the chair for a while, my head and hands are covered with sweat. I need to wipe them constantly to ensure that the documents are not contaminated. The neck that often rubs against the clothes also develops large red spots due to the soaking of sweat and the friction of the clothes. Rash, itchy and painful.

But things were different now. The room was as cool as a spring night, allowing him to concentrate on proofreading his accounts and calculating every expense.

"Hmph, how could it be that the Baron bought it? He didn't even know when Denise left." Old Gordon muttered dissatisfiedly: "Denise must have wanted to deliberately please the Baron!"

There is no doubt that Lord Raven is a charming nobleman. Everything he does is extremely decisive and purposeful, and he indeed makes the dying Eagle Territory glow with unprecedented vitality.

Denise is undoubtedly a witness to the re-emergence of the Eagle Territory, and her performance also proves that, at least for now, Lord Raven has sufficient status in her heart.

But he didn't expect that Denise would do this for Raven.

That’s 600 gold coins!

He was really worried that the Baron would not be able to withstand the temptation of that woman.

"If such a day comes..." Old Gordon was calculating and thinking: "If such a day comes, I must keep the secret for you."

As Raven's retainer, Eric didn't have so many twists and turns in his mind. He sat in the kitchen, drank a large glass of beer for himself, and let out a long breath: "It's so cool! There was not enough ice in the ice cellar before. , I didn’t dare ask the Baron for ice, now I can finally drink cold beer in summer!”

He raised his glass high: "Long live, Lord Baron!"

"Yes, Lord Baron is really amazing." Poirot on the side agreed: "You are pretty good. I am the cook who suffers. Not only is the sun shining outside, but the stove is still burning inside. At the end of the day, the water that flows out I sweat more than I pee!”

"Pfft--" Eric suddenly spat out the beer he had just drank, and said in a dumbfounded voice: "Say Poirot, I'm having a drink and a meal, can you say something nice?"

"Besides, it's not easy for you, but it's easy for me? You only suffer in the summer, but I wear plate armor all year round. In the summer, it feels like I'm in an oven, and in the winter, I'm covered in ice. Now it's finally okay. I don't have to pour out a puddle of water every day when I get home and take off my armor!"

Poirot looked him up and down: "When are you going home today? I have to shut off the stove."

Eric said: "If you are in a hurry, go first, and I will help you shut off the fire later."

"I'm surprised. You have a son and a daughter, and you save your salary every year to buy armor for your son. Why don't you even want to go home now?" Poirot asked.

"I don't have a temperature control array at home. It's so hot. My wife has been having sex every day recently. I'd better stay a little longer and wait until she falls asleep before going back." Eric said with some fear: "A kiss between middle-aged couples can cause nightmares for several nights!"

Poirot laughed and teased: "If you don't do some things yourself, be careful of others doing it for you."

Another mouthful of beer spurted out of Eric's mouth.

But the one who can feel the convenience of the temperature control array the most is Raven.

There is no harm without comparison. When others say that summer is hot, they have always been like this. When Raven says that summer is hot, he has truly enjoyed the advantages of modern air conditioning.

I thought I would never be able to get the same experience in my life, but now I can experience it again.

After taking a shower with Petty's help and changing into a light pajamas, Raven leaned on the recliner and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart: "This is the life of a human being."

The Elvish language was originally difficult to understand, and his eyelids began to fight. The room was as hot as a sauna. The cotton seat of the recliner was soaked with sweat. It was hot and sticky when leaning on it, which made Raven's body and mind suffer.

Before, Raven usually spent five minutes reading the Elvish language, then ten minutes to calm down, and then ten minutes to cheer himself up, and then read the Elvish language for another five minutes, and so on. It was not efficient at all.

Now it is completely different. In the cool room, he can wear light pajamas and curl up in a chair with a book.

It's like holding a mobile phone, blowing the air conditioner, and lying in the workstation to slack off in the last life.

It's as comfortable as it can be.

"It seems that she is really prepared to stay for a long time this time."

This "she" is of course referring to Denise.

Thinking of his aunt, Raven's thoughts were a little erratic for a while, and he felt that he was a little unsure of this woman's mind.

She obviously didn't need to come back after leaving, but now that she has returned, she has brought so many things, and even purchased the expensive temperature control array in her name. It is obvious that she wants to stay permanently, but she is so cold to him.

Why?

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and the cold breath made Raven change his previous irritability and asked, "What's the matter?"

A strange voice sounded: "Baron, Madam Denise made snacks and asked me to bring them to you."

"Come in." Raven said.

The door was opened, and Anqi, Denise's new personal maid, walked in. She put a tray on the desk and was about to leave after the greeting.

"Denise didn't say anything?" Raven asked.

"Reporting to the Baron, the lady said that if you ask, it is to let you think about what you have done." When Anqi spoke, there was a trace of panic on her face, obviously afraid that Raven would vent his anger on her.

Raven waved his hand: "Go down."

The door closed gently, and Raven's eyes fell on the plate, a small silver bowl, and a wooden box.

The silver bowl was filled with pudding. He held the small bowl in his hand, and a cool feeling spread through his palm. It was obviously chilled in advance.

Using a spoon to scoop a piece, the pudding began to move tremblingly. He put it in his mouth and took a sip. The pudding melted, and the aroma of milk, eggs and a hint of sweetness spread, which made people feel refreshed.

"It's really not Poirot's craftsmanship." Raven said with a smile.

After eating the pudding, Raven took the box in his hand again, opened it gently, and a golden light shone.

It was a brooch, and also the emblem of the Griffith family.

The whole body is golden, and it feels heavy, obviously made of gold; the eagle fighting the dragon flaps its wings and flies high, the feathers on its wings are clearly visible, the eagle's beak is outlined with silver, clear and sharp, and a crystal clear sapphire is dotted on its eyes.

This is Denise telling Raven that she recognizes Raven's status as the head of the Griffith family, and Weisdong will completely give up his covetousness for the title from now on.

At the same time, it also expresses another message-Denise is also a member of the Griffith family.

"Hehe..." Playing with the badge in his hand, Raven already understood why Denise was dissatisfied, and he decided to solve this misunderstanding himself.

Tonight.

With brisk steps, Raven came to the door of Denise's room and knocked gently: "Denise, it's me, open the door!"

The room was filled with slightly flustered footsteps, and then stopped, and Denise's voice followed: "I said, I'm tired today, let's wait until tomorrow if there's anything."

"But I just want to say it today." Raven leaned against the door and whispered close to the crack: "It's been a long time since we two have been alone, right?"

Denise was standing behind the door at this moment. When she heard this, her breathing stagnated, and she immediately remembered the night two months ago, when she and Raven were the only ones in the room, and at that time...

Thinking of what happened at that time, a blush climbed up her cheeks: "I am your aunt, and you and I should not be in the same room."

"Wouldn't it be better to keep it simple?" Raven's voice continued to seep in from the crack of the door: "I am Raven, and you are Denise; I am a man, and you are a woman."

Denise bit her lips tightly: "But I will not be attracted to a man like you who does not keep his word!"

"You are really angry about that thing." Raven said with a smile: "Am I such a stupid guy in your eyes?"

"The thing has been done, and it is too late to say anything." Denise's heart rose again with a trace of anger, and her tone was unhappy: "I hope you can know that I am also a person and need respect, but you betrayed my trust!"

"...Okay, it is indeed my fault for not discussing this matter with you in advance, but I will not let my gold coins flow into the hands of others in vain. Our interests are always the same." Raven's voice was helpless.

Denise felt a little soft-hearted, but her tone was still unwilling to relax: "Don't waste your breath, 'Lord Baron', I'm not the kind of woman who will climb into your bed if you just coax me a few words, I won't buy it."

"Well, I wanted to give you a surprise, but now I can only do this..." There was a rustling sound outside the door, and then a piece of parchment was stuffed in through the crack of the door.

Denise took the parchment and took a look at it in the dim light. The resentment in her heart disappeared immediately. A happy smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and then it was immediately restrained: "Humph, it's just a deed to a shop in Shining Gold Town, what's so rare!"

There was only the sound of the wind outside the door.

"Raven? Are you still there, Raven?" Denise asked with a frown.

She didn't hear the sound of Raven leaving just now. Maybe she was too fascinated by the deed and didn't notice it?

A few minutes later, there was still no sound outside the door, so Denise asked again: "Raven?"

Still no sound.

Denise unlocked the door and opened it, and then a figure appeared at the door. It was Raven, with a smile of success on his face: "Finally you are willing to open the door?"

"You...!" Denise was surprised at first, and then a trace of helplessness appeared on her face: "How can you look like a baron?"

"Then, respected Ms. Denise." Raven stroked his chest with his hand: "I wonder if I, Raven, can have the honor of entering to chat?"

...