The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Count Odbur was right on the mark. Guards Captain Gna Lanni escorted Master Alik back to Krigan Village. As expected, Sir Gregor was accompanying Duke Tywin at the Gold Leaf Bay mining site. This was good. When Alik found Lady Jeyne in the chapel, she was only accompanied by the witch.

Alik kept Count Odbur's warning firmly in mind: keep a low profile and don't publicize the noodle shop's booming business, lest the Duke increase taxes.

Therefore, at Alik's humble request, Lady Jeyne met with Alik alone in her room.

Alik was very excited because today, in just half a day, the lord and lady had made over four hundred gold dragons. This was a great fortune, and Alik was happy for the lord.

Since Lord Gregor returned to Krigan, his kindness to his subjects didn't need singers to spread the word or scholars to praise him. The people had their own measure in their hearts.

What the lord did, what he gave, what he gained, what he promoted, and what he taught everyone, the people knew everything clearly.

Sir Gregor had done a lot for his people, and he only did it, he didn't talk about it. He never uttered a word of self-praise. He was still as ferocious as ever, but the people were no longer afraid of him, and gradually developed gratitude and respect for him.

No matter how fierce he was, even if his subjects made mistakes, no one would be severely punished anymore. On the contrary, if any of his subjects encountered any troubles, whether it was difficulties in their lives or humiliation by nobles and knights from neighboring territories, within a day, Julie Krigan, the Krigan squad leader, would definitely bring Krigan cavalry to seek justice.

No matter what the other party's title was, they had to apologize and compensate. Otherwise, Sir Gregor would personally come to their door. This filled the hearts of the people, who had never received the lord's protection before, with gratitude. In a short period of time, no one in the neighboring territories—whether they were noble sirs, knights, or ordinary people—dared to bully the people of Krigan Village anymore.

Alik used to be very afraid of Sir Gregor, but now he respected Sir Gregor very much. Everything seemed so natural. Gregor only acted and didn't speak, and the effect was quick and significant. When you silently keep doing things, it's like flowing water—where water flows, a channel is naturally formed.

Alik repeated Count Odbur's words to Lady Jeyne. Lady Jeyne was also very happy. Alik said that the reputation of the noodles would soon spread throughout the city, and there would only be more and more customers. Lady Jeyne praised Alik's hard work and rewarded Alik with a copper star, which made Alik even happier.

Knock! Knock!

Someone knocked on Lady Jeyne's door.

The knock was hesitant and timid.

The sound was also very soft.

Alik opened the door, and a little boy in a scholar's apprentice robe was standing at the door. His name was Andy Shallot, his mother was Ellen, the steward in charge of kitchen affairs, and his father was Ellen Shallot, who was poisoned by the Strangler.

"Andy, come in," Lady Jeyne smiled.

Her smile was kind and beautiful, and the little boy's timidity was obviously relieved.

The little boy came in, holding a small scroll sealed with wax in his hand.

"Where did the letter come from?"

"Casterly Rock!" the little boy said in a low voice.

The little boy had delicate features and was seven years old this year. He was introverted and timid, but he had a good memory, was smart and eager to learn, and was perfect as an apprentice to Scholar Hallyne.

Casterly Rock was Lady Jeyne's maiden home.

Sir Gregor took Scholar Hallyne to accompany Duke Tywin to Gold Leaf Bay to see the gold mining situation, so the scholar's room was left to the seven-year-old apprentice Andy to take care of. The ravens in the scholar's room were naturally all managed by Andy.

"Okay, I understand, you can go," Lady Jeyne said softly.

"Yes, Madam! The little boy bowed, took two steps backward first, and then turned and left.

Alik said, "Madam, I have to hurry back to Lannisport, I must leave too."

"Okay, go!" Lady Jeyne nodded with a smile.

Alik bowed deeply, then walked out of the room, gently and respectfully closing the door for the lady.

Jeyne broke the wax seal and opened the scroll. It was a letter from her father, Gavin Westerling, who had returned to Casterly Rock. Her father asked when Jeyne and Sir Gregor would return to Casterly Rock to hold the family wedding. At the end of the letter, her father said that Earl Damon Marbrand of Ashemark and his son Adam Marbrand had returned to Ashemark and had united all the nobles in the north. They would not return the land that had been purchased and seized to the Westerling family. More than twenty large and small nobles in the north had all united and would not yield to Sir Gregor.

If Sir Gregor dared to rely on his strength, they would not be afraid to start a war.

Jeyne was silent after reading the letter.

She knew that the other twenty or so nobles in the north were not to be feared. These people did not dare to openly oppose Sir Gregor, but with the Marbrand family as their support, that was not certain.

If the Marbrand family coerced and lured the other nobles, then it was entirely possible for all the northern nobles to unite. It was absolutely impossible for Gregor to conquer all the northern nobles by force.

The combined forces of the other party exceeded the combined forces of the Krigan and Westerling families by dozens of times.

Now was a time of peace. Duke Tywin never intervened in small frictions between nobles. Killing a few guards around a knight was also a small matter, but the Duke would never allow a large-scale civil war among the nobles.

Sir Gregor was very tough!

He had used his greatsword to kill four knights of the Marbrand family on the ten-mile official road outside Casterly Rock in order to establish his power. As it turned out, that action not only did not scare the Marbrand family, but made them even tougher.

Earl Marbrand had calculated that there was nothing Gregor could do to him! He returned to Ashemark. A river flowing down from the mountains passed outside Ashemark, forming a natural moat. This river was the source of the Tumblestone, and the Tumblestone's lower reaches was the Red Fork of the Riverlands.

In addition to the natural moat, the walls of Ashemark were high and thick, and the garrison was sufficient. The regular garrison was over a thousand men, and in the event of war, it could quickly gather three thousand men. Together with the forces of more than twenty other large and small nobles in the north, it was not difficult to gather tens of thousands of troops.

Jeyne thought about it and felt that the matter was very棘手!

Gregor had already made the statement, and if he failed to recover the Westerling family's land this time, the Westerling family's reputation and Gregor's honor would plummet.

Gregor would naturally never give in, but the last act of killing and intimidation was not successful. The Marbrand family still firmly chose not to yield in the face of Gregor.

Duke Tywin's mother's maiden name was Marbrand, and she was Earl Damon Marbrand's aunt. In terms of blood relations, in the Duke's heart, Jeyne, this adopted daughter, could not compare to the Marbrand family at all.

*

A day later, Sir Gregor and Duke Tywin returned from Gold Leaf Bay together. Duke Tywin would leave Krigan Village the next day to return to Casterly Rock.

That night, Lady Jeyne lay on Gregor's body and read Earl Gavin's letter to Sir Gregor.

After listening, Gregor was silent for a long time, and said, "Tomorrow, I will have Sweetmouth Ralph escort you back to Casterly Rock with the family cavalry. Let Mom and Dad prepare our wedding for us first. Ten days later, I will come to Casterly Rock to complete the family wedding with you."

"Ten days later?" Lady Jeyne's eyes were sweet, her gaze like golden honey, "Where are you going in these ten days? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get a big gift for my father-in-law and mother-in-law."

"Our land?" Jeyne was intelligent.

"The land that belongs to us, even if the world turns upside down, I must take it back, I will never give in!"

"But we don't have any troops at all! Ashemark is too high and the walls are too thick!"

"To deal with a tortoise, you only need an iron hammer!" Gregor said lightly.

Jeyne wanted to say something, but Gregor reached out and supported her soft body. After a round of intimate weakness against strength, Gregor entered, Jeyne's breathing was disordered, and she hummed quickly.