Chapter 14

When the brothers came out of the building, Lord Calvin's carriage had also arrived at the entrance. Before the coachman could open the door, the lord emerged, his face still marked with tears that had not yet dried. Lionel's expression hardened.

"What happened, Lord Calvin?"

Lord Calvin closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

"Why did Her Majesty summon you?"

The lord, as if his throat was constricted, took a deep breath and struggled to speak.

"My lord, why are you like this?"

Lionel stepped forward and grabbed the lord's thin shoulders. The old lord was a man who deserved respect and should not be ignored in such a pitiful state. Just as a heavy and hot feeling was about to well up in his chest, the lord pulled something from his coat and held it out to the brothers. Lionel and Theseus looked down at it with puzzled expressions, and the lord opened his pocket to show them what was inside. Four gleaming pieces of gold. The two men immediately raised their eyes to look at the lord.

"She gave me this. She asked me to use this to request the help of the surrounding estates."

Tears welled up in the old lord's wrinkles. He tucked the bag of gold back into his coat and forced a smile.

"I owe you a great deal. I came to say goodbye, so I will return to my estate right away. As Her Majesty said, I must evacuate the people from my estate as soon as possible. Thank you for everything."

He bowed deeply to the two men and turned to get back into the carriage.

"Wait a moment, Lord Calvin."

Theseus called out to him urgently. He took the heavy bag from the butler and handed it to Lord Calvin, who turned his head with a puzzled look.

"I'm sorry I can't help directly."

Lord Calvin shook his head and grabbed the young duke's shoulders with both hands.

"Don't do this, Duke. I feel endlessly ashamed."

"To evacuate the people from your estate, you will need a lot of money. Haven't you already used up all your funds?"

The emotional knot that had been tightening around the lord's neck finally burst. He buried his face in the duke's shoulder and sobbed. Life can sometimes bring even the strongest to their knees. In the face of a natural disaster, the lord, who had always maintained his dignity, finally knelt. His endless tears soaked the young duke's shirt. Theseus silently comforted the lord. As the sobs gradually subsided, the late summer sun began to stretch long shadows on the ground. It was already getting dark.

"It's about to get dark. Why don't you leave tomorrow?"

The lord shook his head and wiped his tears.

"No. I must go."

He looked at Theseus and Lionel, as if making a resolution. Seeing the determined look on the old lord's face, Lionel stepped back and signaled to the waiting family knights.

"Escort the lord safely back to his estate."

"Yes, my lord."

"Be careful. And if you need any help, contact me anytime."

"Thank you."

The lord, carrying the heavy gesture of gratitude from the empress and the duke, got into the carriage. The carriage soon departed, and Lionel's knights followed behind. Lionel and Theseus watched the carriage as it drove away into the lengthening sunlight.

"The empress is unexpected."

It was not a small amount of money, even for the empress.

" Funds to evacuate to nearby estates..."

"Since there was a tower in Gotrop, perhaps she knows more about it?"

Lionel thought of the empress again. It was hard to connect her slender and delicate figure with the tower. The cold demeanor she showed to the nobles and the consolation money she readily gave to the lord were also hard to connect. As the image of her jet-black hair and golden eyes flickered like a shadow, Lionel pushed his thoughts away and turned his body. ＊ ＊ ＊

Mrs. Giggs blinked rapidly. At first, she thought it was an earthquake. But as the sound of fabric rubbing against each other continued, she realized, "Ah, this is the sound of someone shaking their legs."

Who would dare to shake their legs so rudely in the presence of Her Majesty the Empress?! With a fierce glare, the meticulous lady scanned the room and found that none of the maids were shaking their legs. She narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze to the empress. The empress, with wide eyes, was sitting elegantly with her arms crossed, leaning back in her chair. Surely, it couldn't be her shaking her legs.

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