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n?Perhaps it was Howard’s charismatic personality or his approach to matters, but he effectively maintained and continuously strengthened his relationships with his direct vassals.

nDuring the afternoon tea gathering, Bosiden started with casual remarks about recent changes within the kingdom, followed by Vettel’s economic analysis.

nAs the discussion unfolded, each person expressed their opinions in turn.

nHoward, keeping his own counsel, spoke less, allowing his vassals the freedom to discuss openly.

nHoward held the handle of his teacup, gently bringing the tea to his lips.

nStanding behind him was Nora.

nThis member of the Habsburg family, who had been the empress of the empire for over a year, was now back at Howard’s side, thanks to his diplomatic efforts.

nConsidering Nora’s previous role as a secretary, Howard had appointed her as an assistant to his existing secretary.

nNora inquired if the tea was too hot, to which Howard replied that the temperature was just right.

nTime marched on, and half a month later, a significant incident occurred in the palace.

nAccording to a maid, a secretary had been secretly taking golden and silver utensils from the palace, selling them for cash.

nThis issue pertained to the integrity of the palace’s internal affairs.

nCatherine, the queen, personally investigated the matter and found the stolen items in a market within the Polani County, not far from Pist.

nAll signs pointed to the secretary being responsible.

nHoward personally summoned the palace maids to inquire about the situation.

nAmong these maids of the Oungria Kindom palace, aside from some who were recruited later, the rest had been with Howard for a long time.

nSome of them were quite familiar with Howard.

nUnder Howard’s direct questioning, the truth soon came to light.

nThe whole affair had been orchestrated by Nora.

nHoward called Nora to him and said, “I have uncovered the truth. Due to your previous role as a court secretary, you are well-acquainted with many of the maids. Coupled with your undeniable management skills, you’ve established a high level of credibility among them. It was all your plan. You are the real culprit.” 𝘦𝑎.𝒸ℴ

nNora initially wanted to argue, but considering her current reality, she chose not to and admitted, “Alright, since you’ve found out, I confess.”

nHoward sighed, “What’s the hurry? The secretary who replaced you has been faultless so far. It wouldn’t be right to replace her with you directly. But I’ve already considered it; sooner or later, I intended to promote you to a full-time position.”

nAfter saying this, Howard seemed to sense the irony in his words.

nHe glanced at the pile of documents on his desk and said, “Nora, you failed in your struggle for power in the empire. Can you not bring those tactics into my court? You, who once were an empress, can’t you let go of a mere secretary position?”

nNora suddenly burst into tears, the first time Howard had ever seen her cry.

nAfterward, Howard said nothing more; he just held Nora, comforting her.

nFive days later, Nora left Howard’s palace for the imperial capital Wis City, which Howard had conquered, to pacify the citizens.

nHoward believed that a former empress could still contribute significantly to the core city of Wis.

nMeanwhile, the secretary, feeling almost powerless over her subordinates and ashamed, resigned.

nHoward tried to retain her, assuring her that the fault wasn’t hers, as her opponent had been a former empress.

nHowever, she insisted on leaving, so Howard generously gave her ten gold coins.

nTruth be told, she hadn’t left much of an impression on Howard.

nHer work was too academic, often ineffective, failing to gain Howard’s favor.

nFor someone like Howard, who dealt with a multitude of matters daily, he had even forgotten the secretary’s name.

nHoward lay on the sofa, and Boshni brought a basket of persimmons for him, but he waved them off, not wanting to eat just then.

nSometime later, the Governor of Venice unexpectedly declared war on Oungria Kindom, a development that took Howard by surprise.

nOungria Kindom responded decisively, swiftly capturing the major ports of the Venice region with three separate armies.

nIn two months, Venice was rapidly defeated.

nAlthough the Venice Governor had hired numerous mercenaries, under the leadership of Howard’s newly appointed Military Minister Neplon, all dangers were averted.

nHoward, who had been at the forefront of every battle, still couldn’t understand why Venice had chosen to attack Oungria Kindom.

nOr rather, the real question was: What made Venice think they could defeat him, Howard?

nThe Governor of Venice explained that he had been deceived; his chief of spies turned out to be a spy for another power, misleading him with claims that Oungria Kindom was in disarray and vulnerable to attack.

nHoward chuckled softly and turned to his spy master Portia, asking, “Was it your doing?”

nPortia replied, “Serving Your Majesty loyally is my duty.”

nPleased, Howard awarded Portia the newly acquired Guzz and Lika ports.

nIn this battle, Oungria Kindom had triumphed almost effortlessly.

nHad they been the aggressors, the Governor’s allies might have joined in defense.

nBut since it was the Governor who had recklessly provoked Oungria Kindom, his allies had no grounds for intervention.

nThrough this conflict, Howard realized the significance of espionage in warfare.

nThe Empire was now confined to the Tyro region and its vicinity.

nEven the Linth County to the west of Wis City was now in Howard’s control.

nThe once formidable Empire seemed to be in its twilight years.

nMarquis Rolf, who had once had relations with Howard, was utterly defeated by Duke Edward and had vanished into obscurity as a commoner.

nHoward felt a pang of regret.

nThe young and astute Edward of the Valuva family, having conquered all of Marquis Rolf’s territories, declared the establishment of Lumburd Kingdom.

nThis news alarmed Catherine in Pist and her father in the Lumburd region.

nHoward’s father-in-law came to seek Howard’s help, meeting him in Guzz.

nHe approached Howard hastily, pleading, “Howard, you must save me.”

nHoward, supporting his father-in-law’s arm, assured, “Don’t worry, I will definitely save you.”

nHis father-in-law exclaimed, “That despicable Edward, he must be a shameful scoundrel. He has even declared the establishment of a kingdom.”

nAt that moment, Ness of the Katerina family happened to walk by and overheard the conversation.

nWith a stern face, Ness confronted Terni, “My cousin establishing the Lumburd Kingdom is a matter of pride for our people. Why do you malign him like this?”

nTerni, visibly agitated, began to berate Ness.

nNess, not one to back down, engaged in a heated verbal spar with Terni.

nHoward asked Golan to separate the two and then took his father-in-law to a private room for a conversation.

nIt turned out that his father-in-law was worried Edward might target him in the future.

nAnd not without reason.

nThe rationale was that the Lumburd Kingdom was founded on the basis of the Lumburd region, meaning any area culturally associated with Lumburd could potentially fall within the new kingdom’s ambit of war.

nFrom this perspective, his father-in-law’s concerns were quite valid.

nHoward immediately assured him of protection for his lands.

nThe old man, overwhelmed with gratitude and emotion, clung to Howard’s hand, tears streaming down his face, “Howard, I am old and of no use now. I used to think you were just a lucky man who became Earl of Nok, and I looked down upon you. Now, I realize it was my narrow-mindedness.”

nHoward patted his father-in-law’s arm, “Let bygones be bygones. There’s no need to dwell on the past.”

nHe then instructed Bosiden to travel to Florence, the current capital of Lumburd Kingdom.

nUpon arrival in Florence, Bosiden met with King Edward.

nEdward, wearing a crown of gold and dressed in a luxurious blue-purple silk robe, was eating a plump cherry as Bosiden arrived.

nHe greeted Bosiden with diplomatic courtesies.

nBosiden bowed respectfully, “My lord Howard has not seen Your Majesty for a long time and is deeply concerned about you.”

nEdward responded, “Hmm, I too have fond memories of him. His investment in my mercenary group resolved an urgent crisis for me, and I hold him in high regard.”

nBosiden felt a surge of hope, believing the mission could be successful.

nHe continued, “Your Majesty, King Howard of Oungria Kindom wishes for your mighty forces to slightly alter their course, to overlook Terni’s lands and turn towards others.”

nEdward asked cautiously, “Does Howard consider this matter of great importance?”

nBosiden replied, “Before departing, my king emphasized repeatedly and instructed me to ensure the success of this mission.”

nEdward then put down the cherry, which he had been holding between his thumb and forefinger.

nThe fruit landed back on the plate held by a gracefully kneeling maid.

nThe source of this content is .

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