"Big bear! Is it the kind with brown fur, a round face, and a cute nose?" Surya's eyes lit up, and she repeatedly questioned, "Can you describe it, Mr. Oliver?"
"Uh, I'm not too sure either, Lady Surya." Oliver was actually more afraid of the Countess in front of him.
No matter how you say it, Laine is a Holy Grail Knight, a hero and model for humanity, as well as the Divine Chosen Champion of the Lake Fairy, the Guardian God of the Kingdom. For someone like Laine, who has immense fame and status, Oliver knows there are certain things Laine doesn't manage with emphasis. The Count himself has to govern the territory, lead troops to battle, and occasionally pray in the Lake Fairy Tower. He has always been busy with affairs, so as long as the framework isn't broken, Laine generally doesn't ask much more.
But Lady Surya is different. This Countess was born in the court and received good education from youth; she knows too well how to deal with merchants.
Since she started infiltrating Laine's forces last year, all merchants know compared to the Count, the Countess is someone they absolutely cannot provoke. Most human merchants who frequently came to Gene Town for business obediently pledged allegiance to Surya, except for a merchant named Antoine who felt he was from Estalia and refused to show respect to the Countess.
A few months later, Antoine faced business failure, his capital chain broke, and he was burdened with massive debt, leading him to commit suicide by jumping into the sea.
These two incidents seemed unrelated, at least on the surface.
However, Oliver didn't think so, so he always showed utmost respect to Lady Surya. Merchants couldn't possibly confront the nobility. In the Empire, it's still somewhat manageable since not all nobles necessarily go to the front line, big merchants enjoy certain status, whereas in Brittania, knight lord nobles are often strong warriors; some are even Holy Grail Knights. Especially for Oliver, he dares to say that his entire guard squad combined wouldn't be a match for Laine alone.
His current status was granted by Laine, so all he can do is obey and be loyal. He has already sent his child to Laine's court, and the future remains bright.
"Surya, it won't be long now. Oliver is also unclear about it, so don't make it hard for him," Laine said warmly as he held Surya's small hand, which was clothed in a white lace court glove. The female knight kept pressing Oliver for answers, and Laine knew Surya really liked teddy bears. Their bedroom was already filled with many teddy bear dolls, among which Surya's favorite was a brown bear sewn by the Lake Fairy herself, which she named "Laine" and often hugged to sleep.
No surprise Surya was excited about the chance to see a real big bear.
"You'll see it soon enough."
That day, Laine and Surya strolled through many places around the town. As for the so-called reassurance and warnings, they were secondary. What Laine and Surya aimed to express together was actually a very strong political signal: the Count and his wife have a very good relationship, their marriage is happy and harmonious, and outsiders need not speculate. The couple stands united, sharing joys and sorrows, inseparable.
Even after dinner, Laine and Surya were still discussing the matter.
"The town has started getting a bit crowded lately, and the speed of carriages has slowed considerably," Laine said while leaning on a soft armchair, with Ollica, the dark elf, standing behind him.
"Yes, Laine, your territory has a bit too much population now." Surya sipped her tea gently: "More population isn't always better; I've heard Devon Town's security has not been very good recently."
Count Glamorgan has three affiliated towns: Gene Town, Charon Town, and Devon Town. Gene Town has a squad of Holy Grail Knights and many troops maintaining order, along with the Lake Fairy Tower and Veronica's Dawn Wizard Tower acting as deterrents, so security isn't a major problem. Charon Town has the Charon Forest Patrol Battalion formed, so security issues there aren't too bad either, but Devon Town's security is rather troublesome.
More population isn't always better; larger territories aren't always better. Laine thought for a while before continuing: "That's why I mentioned to you earlier about attacking Musillon; I need more land."
"Laine, are you planning to go to war again?" Amelia, the little maid, said worriedly, with some reproach on her delicate and charming face, "You've just returned to the domain, why can't you take a break for a while?"
"Amelia wants you to spend more time with her," Surya said playfully with a strong sense of amusement in her sea-blue eyes.
"Surya Sister!" Amelia's face immediately turned bright red.
"Even if I wanted to fight now, I wouldn't be able to." Laine knew his little maid was concerned about him, and he laughed as he said: "Apart from other issues, Teresa is still recovering from her severe injury, the domain fought a major battle with the Northern Barbarians at the start of last year, so it requires rest now, and as for the attack on Musillon, it needs long-term preparation."
Only then did Amelia's face looked somewhat relieved. The little maid wasn't keen on seeing Laine wage war often; her heart always harbors some shadows.
"Speaking of this, it reminds me that as Count Glamorgan, you still seem to have a claim to a Baron's Domain?" Surya remembered something and continued: "Is it Sharp-Top Palace?"
