As Croze exited the mansion, he found a carriage waiting for him at the gate, along with his youngest daughter, Belia. The moment she saw her father, Belia hurried over. "Father, how did it go?"
Instead of answering immediately, Croze boarded the carriage first. Seeing her father remain silent, Belia held back her questions and followed him into the carriage. Once they were a distance away, she asked again, "Father, what about my brother?"
Croze didn't give a direct answer but instead said, "Let's find your brother first."
Belia's face fell. "I have no idea where he is!"
"Even now, you're still protecting him?" Croze was nearly exasperated by his children. "Don't worry, it's not to trouble him; it's an opportunity."
"Really?" Belia's face lit up.
"Yes, really. So, where is he?" Croze asked.
Belia hesitated, clearly embarrassed, but finally admitted, "He's at Lady Champs-Elysees' place."
Lady Champs-Elysees, the widow of a count, was notoriously infamous in Maro City. In fact, if Angelina was the public carriage, then Lady Champs-Elysees was the grand cruise ship, always sailing full. Hearing this, Croze clutched his heart as if it would leap out of his chest.
"That wretched son!" Croze lamented, looking skyward. "Go fetch him immediately!"
Seeing her father's distress, Belia felt guilty for revealing the truth. "Don't worry, Father. I'll send someone to bring him back right away."
Croze was too upset to respond, slumping in his seat and staring blankly at the sky. After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "Belia, what do you think of Knight Ethan?"
"He's decent," Belia replied casually. "But why are you asking about him?"
Croze sighed. "Your brother is beyond help. If Lady Sophia finds out he's still behaving this way, she might not give him another chance after this plan. So, I was thinking, maybe following Knight Ethan could be his way out. From my conversations with Lady Sophia, I can tell she values him highly, far beyond a normal superior-subordinate relationship. Is there some secret between them?"
Belia's face paled. "Father, watch what you say! Words can bring trouble!"
Croze awkwardly smiled, closing his mouth. "Do you think your brother would have a future with Knight Ethan?"
"I don't know about his future, but I do know two things for sure," Belia said with a wry smile. "First, as you said, Lady Sophia indeed looks at Knight Ethan differently. This is evident from everything she has done for him. If Knight Ethan doesn't die in the North, under Lady Sophia's protection, his future is bright. However, the other thing is not so optimistic. Knight Ethan's wife is Lady Angelina. Given my brother's nature, if he follows Knight Ethan, I fear he won't last three days. Father, you might not know this, but Knight Ethan, despite his flaws, is ruthless when he acts. He won't stop until he achieves his goals. Imagine if my brother tried to seduce Lady Angelina. Not only would he lose his life, but our entire family might also be buried with him."
"Your brother isn't stupid enough to flirt with his superior's wife, is he?" Croze tried to defend his son, though his tone lacked conviction.
Belia saw her father's persistence and suggested, "If Lady Sophia really doesn't want to give my brother another chance, we can try letting him follow Knight Ethan. But first, we must disfigure him to ensure he won't be tempted by Lady Angelina."
"Your brother values his looks above all else. Disfiguring him would be worse than killing him," Croze lamented. "If only he were half as sensible as you, our family might already be on the path to nobility. For now, we'll take one step at a time. If it doesn't work out, we'll disfigure him and send him to Knight Ethan."
Meanwhile, Ethan was unaware that a father and daughter were scheming about him. He was engaged in a video call with Sophia. Yes, a video call! On the head of his yellow eagle, Annie, floated a fist-sized image of Ethan's upper body, curiously looking around. He still couldn't believe what was happening.
Sophia tried to calm him. "Knight Ethan, there's no need to be so surprised. This is quite normal for mages. They all have ways to project their minds. Using the [Mind Projection] artifact, we can communicate like this. Though you don't know the mind projection spell, you can immerse your mind in the yellow eagle, seeing and hearing through it. This is another form of mind projection. You mentioned this feature in your letter, hoping I would talk to Annie if needed. I simply made it into a video call."
"Alright, Knight Ethan, don't act like you've never seen the world," Sophia teased as Ethan continued to look amazed.
"Sorry," Ethan laughed awkwardly. "I just don't understand the principles behind this. Doesn't [Mind Projection] require energy?"
"There are many things I can explain, but magic isn't one of them," Sophia said seriously. "Let's talk business. Initially, we scheduled this meeting to discuss the business plan. However, due to some developments, we need to postpone it for three days."
"Then what's the urgent business?" Ethan asked, puzzled.
"First, let me thank you again for your victory. It has turned our situation around," Sophia smiled. "But please preserve that man's body and his armor. I'll send someone to collect them in the spring."
"Are you joking?" Ethan was taken aback. "Preserving the armor is fine, but how can I keep a corpse until spring?"
"I'm not asking you to preserve it for me," Sophia replied. "If I'm right, the Duke will summon you within the next day or two. Please give him the body. In the North, there's a rule that once someone dies, all debts are cleared. So please don't desecrate the body. That man fought for the North. And please convey my regards to the Duke."