King
Chapter 72 - 72 71 Awkward Situation_1

72: Chapter 71, Awkward Situation_1 72: Chapter 71, Awkward Situation_1 Finding a relatively well-preserved stone house, before Hudson even had a chance to push open the door, a strong smell of decay came wafting out, causing him to hastily cover his nose and retreat.

This was absolutely nauseating, even the normally good-natured cub revealed a face of disgust.

No matter how well this house was tidied up, Master Hudson would not live in it.

After exploring several houses, all with a similar stench, it was too ominous for Hudson, who promptly gave up on the idea of scavenging an existing house.

A noble castle, as the face of a noble, needs to be arranged.

The problem is, distant water won’t quench near thirst.

By convention, building a castle often takes several years, even decades to complete.

Either build a makeshift wooden house, or continue living in tents.

Unquestionably, Hudson chose the former.

The military tent he had, the space was just too small.

During a campaign, it was bearable, but as a daily residence?

That would be too stifling.

The summer weather was like a big oven, and the stuffy tent resembled a large steamer.

Hudson, not wanting to become a dumpling, had another night of sleeping “under the sky, on the earth”.

The first night in his new territory was certainly memorable.

It’s a pity there was no magic stone to capture the moment, or else it would have been the perfect material to inspire future generations about the difficulties of starting a business.

Gazing at the sky full of stars, Hudson was filled with emotion.

Thankfully, the heavens were kind enough to grant them clear skies since they set out on their expedition.

Although the weather was hot, it was still better than torrential rain.

If they had encountered the rainy season, the muddy roads could have driven them to despair.

However, this year’s weather was a bit abnormal.

The Southeastern province, which was usually abundant in rainfall, hadn’t seen any rain for the past two months, particularly in Wharton and Layton counties.

As for the rest of the kingdom, Hudson had no way of knowing.

But if this pattern continued, a drought in Wharton and Layton counties would be inevitable.

As for the crops growing in the fields, it seemed he was overthinking it.

The idea of crops in these counties this year was purely nonsense.

They had sown seeds for the spring planting, but as soon as the rebel army led by the Skeleton Society made their move, the unsuspecting noble lords were toppled one after another.

Who would have the time to care for the crops?

The uncultivated fields grew more weeds than wheat.

If they managed to reap a tenth of the harvest, it would already be a blessing from the Lord of the Dawn.

Especially in Hudson’s territory, seeds blown in by the wind were already rooting and sprouting in the fields.

If a few more months passed before he arrived, they would have had to abandon cultivation and allow the land to be reclaimed by forest.

Thinking about it, a drought didn’t seem that terrifying.

As long as the tributary of the Nu Cang River that passed through his territory didn’t dry up, every other problem was minor.

…

In Northern Felix Province, within an extremely luxurious mansion, the Grand Duke Cavadia felt a chill as he faced the resentful gaze of his mistress.

Messy private lives among the nobility had always been commonplace, as long as no lives were lost, things were tolerable.

That was what Grand Duke Cavadia used to think.

As a well-known womanizer of the North, his younger days were filled with numerous lovers.

However, those who wander by the river often are bound to get their shoes wet.

At a banquet one time, Grand Duke Cavadia ended up attracting the attention of the noble woman who was standing before him.

To be more precise, she was a noble maiden at that time.

At the moment they met, Lady Lina was still single.

This normally wouldn’t be a big deal; an overnight affair, without any expectation of responsibility, right?

The gap between their statuses had already predetermined there wouldn’t be any outcome.

Even if Cavadia was the ultimate good man, he had to dutifully return to his family arranged marriage, instead of indulging in free love.

The peculiar thing was, young Miss Lina had no experience, and Cavadia’s potency was extremely high.

A one-night stand turned into a pregnancy.

To avoid a scandal and out of reluctance to get rid of the child, under the arrangement of Cavadia, Miss Lina was quickly married off to a foreign knight.

Not long after their marriage, the unfortunate knight died on the battlefield.

A widowed Lady Lina singlehandedly raised the child, all very naturally.

The parties involved were dead, and the birth date of the child didn’t match.

Naturally, no one would be so foolish as to investigate this matter.

With the protection of Grand Duke Cavadia, all meddlesome flies and mosquitoes were swatted to death.

Even if people were internally scandalized, no one dared to voice it out.

The mother and child managed to get by.

However, with the arrival of the Duchess and the birth of the legal heir, things could not be kept under wraps for much longer.

The matter of illegitimate children was considered common among the nobility.

Even if their secret was discovered, Grand Duke Cavadia wouldn’t back down.

As long as he didn’t acknowledge it verbally, it didn’t exist.

If anyone dared to talk nonsense, they should first check whether their neck was strong enough.

With the child growing up, the situation slowly began to change.

Just because most people wouldn’t dare cause trouble, didn’t mean no one would.

By coincidence or design, there was a random encounter between Cavadia’s legitimate son and his illegitimate son.

Because of an elf female slave, both passionate young men ended up fighting in the street.

The outcome was unsurprising, with the illegitimate son facing the legitimate one, disadvantage was inevitable.

A reversal of position only existed in novels and storybooks.

No such event had ever been heard of on the continent of Aslante, of an illegitimate son successfully taking over.

The inheritance laws were not for decoration, the illegitimate son who was kept in the shadows was simply not in the category of inheritors.

Even if he was deeply loved by his father, the most he could inherit was property, the title was a dream he didn’t need to entertain.

Unless the surface identity of the illegitimate child also had inheritance rights, there wouldn’t be any chance of reversal.

Even if such a rare occasion did happen, it would seldom be made public.

A scandalous internal affair could cause the family to fall apart if not dealt with properly.

Grand Duke Cavadia was obviously a smart man.

Even when he arranged for a scapegoat, he chose outsiders with no roots in the community, thus preventing any local mess.

The plan was very successful.

Under the arrangement of his good father, the adult West entered the army smoothly and achieved a series of military merits.

Everything was fine until a conflict between the legitimate and illegitimate sons made the situation of Lady Lina and her son increasingly awkward.

The Grand Duke Cavadia was helpless too, as he couldn’t choose sides between his two children.

By procrastinating for a decade, although no conflicts happened openly, yet contradictions deepened over time.

The most direct impact was that West’s marriage was delayed.

No noble of a higher class would choose to marry someone with a reputation of having an illegitimate child.

The minor nobles, although willing to curry favor with the Grand Duke, were equally unwilling to offend the future Grand Duke.

The deals not suitable for Lady Lina and her son were also rejected.

Under Grand Duke Cavadia’s arrangement, West the knight, who had accumulated a lot of merits, swiftly rose through the ranks and gained the title of Viscount.

Of course, he could have the title, but not the domain.

The land of the Northern Territories was essentially monopolized by the five big families.

Grand Duke Cavadia could easily arrange a fief for his son, but the trouble was that West, being an illegitimate son, couldn’t gain the recognition of the family.

Forcibly arranging a territory was an option, but then it was necessary to prepare for the death of the son in a future orc invasion.

Fief nobles have the duty to guard the land, and they can’t run away.

If reinforcements are slightly delayed, their fate becomes tragic.

That’s how a series of minor nobles in the Northern Territories were tricked and killed, finally forming the pattern of the five big families dominating the North.

“Stop crying, Lina!”

The affectionate Grand Duke Cavadia held her to console her.

“The Northern Territories aren’t as wonderful as they seem to be.

The Felix Family might seem incredibly prestigious, but it’s actually worse than it looks.

In recent years, although there has been constant warfare in the Northland, it’s merely a small conflict.

When the orcs fully invade, you will understand that the Five Big Families of the North are nothing.

The years of peace and prosperity have lasted long enough.

I estimate that the time for the next massive invasion of the Orcs should not be far off.

At this time, it would be a good thing for West to get out of this cage.

Although his title and territory are a bit small, the Southeastern Province has fertile land and no foreign threats.

As long as he manages it well, a baron’s territory in the south may not be inferior to a Viscount’s territory in the Northern Territories.

The hierarchy of titles is just an illusion, the world ultimately speaks through real power.

Don’t be blinded by illusory things.

The Five Great Dukes of the North certainly sound majestic, but given a choice, I would rather be one of the Twelve Fiefdom Earls.”

He was speaking from the heart.

At first glance, the Five Great Dukes of the North, controlling the largest territories, holding the highest titles, and possessing the strongest power, far exceed the nobility in other areas of the Kingdom.

Yet, sadly, only they understand their own difficulties.

With the good neighbor Orcs, they live every day in fear, worrying that a war may break out one day and all their efforts will be wasted.

Back then, our ancestors brutally expelled the minor nobles from the northern territories to enhance their own strength.

Even though from the current situation, it seems it was a mistake, it was a manifestation of taking precautions.

There is no regret medicine in the world.

The departure of the minor nobles has granted the Five Big Families vast tracts of land.

Regrettably, it became increasingly difficult to defend.

Once, castles were scattered across the Northern Frontier, and the nobles have always fought to the death to protect their homeland, which even the orcs would fear slightly.

It’s not the same now.

Even though the castles are reserved, the nobles in charge of them have changed.

Previously, they were betting their lives for their people.

Now, they were selling their lives to the Five Big Families in exchange for pathetically low wages.

That’s too presumptuous.

If you can win, fight, and if you can’t, run.

Drastic measures were indeed taken, but only out of necessity.

Force everyone to fight to death, the Five Big Families had tried it.

Only the result was touching.

People simply didn’t show up.

In the end, the Five Big Families could only choose to compromise.

On one hand, they strive to change their image, on the other hand, they offered better conditions to lure nobles from other areas of the Kingdom to join the Northern battlefield.

In addition, for the sake of the overall situation, other great forces in the Kingdom did not want the Northern Border Defense to collapse, and provided a lot of support, and then slowly the situation was slightly relieved.

“That was easy for you to say!

Once we get down south, where West is a stranger, how is he supposed to establish himself?

Don’t forget, there are quite a few middle and small nobles who fell in the past two hundred years because of you.

Not all these people have died, many families have gradually revived after going south.

Time has passed, but the hatred has not dissipated.

Once they know that West is your son, I’m afraid…

Lady Lina, who wouldn’t take his word for it, directly revealed the truth.

Grand Duke Cavadia was also very helpless about the troubles caused by the old ancestors.

The Felix Family had thought about eradicating the problem at its root, but the trouble was that all the nobles in the world were all related, and one could cause a chain reaction.

Originally, the events of that year had made their families infamous and ostracized by the Kingdom Aristocrats.

If they were to push matters to the extreme, they would become public enemies of all the nobles.

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