"I won? I'm the next Lord of Green Field?!"
Ireya's mouth hung open in disbelief, and one couldn't blame Miss Rabbit for being so incredulous—it was all because the shift from great sorrow to joy had come too quickly.
Just in that brief moment, Ireya's emotions had roller-coastered.
First, she was confident and proud, but then, inexplicably, she started to nosedive, plunging into the valley of despair, thinking she was about to crash and burn. Then, in the blink of an eye, her fortunes reversed and she shot up towards the sky.
The girl was now utterly dizzy, unable to catch her breath properly until she saw Marquis Kuren nod again, affirming, "Yes, that's right."
Only then did she truly feel like she'd been struck by a massive wave of happiness!
If it hadn't been for the butler's recent warning, she might have leaped up again. Even though Miss Rabbit managed to keep her feet on the ground in the end, she couldn't conceal her excitement.
Her chest rose and fell dramatically, hot breaths escaping from her nose constantly.
She took buoyant steps forward to swear fealty to Marquis Kuren and then embraced her supporters warmly, celebrating the hard-won victory.
Of course, she didn't forget the person she owed the most thanks to.
Ireya trotted off towards Li Yu, but halfway there, she seemed to remember her new status and slowed her pace, adopting some of the dignity befitting the head of the Arias family.
"Not bad, you did quite well, um... just as I instructed you," Miss Rabbit said aloud, seemingly worried that those around might not hear her while giving Li Yu a meaningful glance, signaling him to play along for now, promising that anything could be discussed later when they were alone.
Li Yu stepped back imperceptibly, sparing his eardrums.
He was about to speak, but Ireya made a 'wait' gesture to him.
Miss Rabbit's gaze traveled over Li Yu's shoulder and landed on her half-brother, Blanco. She gave a sinister smile and said, "Kid, what was it you said before? Planning to execute me after inheriting Green Field? Heh, if I were you, I'd already be crying and running away from here, faster, even faster, my dear brother, because the three-headed wolf is coming!"
Since losing the election, Blanco had been a picture of fear and unease, hiding behind his mother and only daring to show half of his face. After hearing his sister's words, his little face turned even whiter.
His entire body trembled, and some sharp-eyed onlookers even noticed a small wet spot on his trousers.
Meanwhile, Miss Rabbit, as content as if she had feasted on extra meat during the New Year, turned back to Li Yu and asked, "What were you going to say just now?"
"........"
"What is this?" Li Yu frowned.
"Let me think... oh, let's just call it 'divine retribution,' shall we? You heard how he spoke about me before. Why, just because he flaunted his power over me, I can't scare him a little?"
"You shouldn't threaten a son in front of his mother," Li Yu warned.
"All right, I admit I might have gone a bit too far just now... but I'm already the Family Head of the Arias family, and even if Vanessa is annoyed with me, she can't really do anything about it now, hahahaha." Ireya got happier as she spoke and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
She was still basking in the thrill of winning the election, but then she heard Li Yu say, "If I were you, I wouldn't be so optimistic."
"Why?" Miss Rabbit blinked in surprise, her experiences with the series of recent events making her wary of underestimating this foreigner who appeared out of nowhere.
This fellow, who seemingly understood nothing—requiring the most basic knowledge of the Bratis Continent to be explained to him—always had useful suggestions.
Every word he said hit the mark; his mouth seemed even more prophetic than the most prescient old priest in the Temple.
And it had been him, after all, who silenced Vanessa, the Arias family's most eloquent talker, turning the tide by himself.
Ireya could not imagine how difficult her situation would be now if she had not met this strange foreigner last night.
Therefore, she had completely forgotten that her agreement with Li Yu was just for show and subconsciously regarded him as her true advisor.
Li Yu glanced around and said, "This is not the place to talk."
"Then let's go back to my room," Miss Rabbit suggested. "You go first, and once I've dealt with everyone here, I'll join you."
Li Yu nodded.
About half an hour later, the young girl and Li Yu met again in the guest room she was staying in.
Ireya closed the door, poured herself a glass of Honey Wine to moisten her throat, and then asked curiously, "What happened? Why be so secretive?"
"How many armed forces do you have in Rock Snow City?" Li Yu didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
"Uh... the family brought about three Knights this time, each with seven followers, plus twelve warriors, six archers, and it seems my stepmother has also hired a band of mercenaries," Ireya recalled and answered, "If we really face danger, some attendants and servants can also join the battle..."
Li Yu cut her off, "I'm not asking about the Arias family, but about your own forces."
"What's the difference between the family's armed forces and my own? Have you forgotten that I am now the Family Head of the Arias family? The family's warriors all owe allegiance to me. Besides, why are you tallying the arms? Rock Snow City is personally supervised by Marquis Kuren; the security is quite good."
"Just in case," he replied.
"In case of... what exactly?" The girl was growing more confused.
"In case someone can't accept defeat," Li Yu no longer hid his thoughts.
"Are you implying that my stepmother Vanessa might harm me?!" Ireya's eyes widened, "This... sometimes she is quite crazy, I've thought that for a long time, especially when it comes to her son—she would do anything. But are you sure she would go to such an extent?"
Miss Rabbit expressed her doubts, "Even if she's been greatly provoked today and has become mentally unbalanced, aside from my uncle Dias, who else in the family would be willing to go mad with her? I've already won the election; Marquis Kuren, Sir Romero, Sir Leo, they were all present, along with over a hundred pairs of eyes who can testify.
"Now that I've taken over as the Green Field Master after my father, it's a done deal. To side with Blanco now... isn't it a bit too late and risky?"
"How do you know they only began supporting your brother now?" Li Yu countered.
"It doesn't matter when they supported my brother; what's important is that I've won, and they have to choose sides anew," Miss Rabbit replied, though she seemed slightly tipsy from the Honey Wine.
"This is of course important. You are too suspicious of others and overly trusting towards family and friends."
Ireya disagreed, "I admit… I did underestimate you before, and I apologize for that. I owe the election victory to you, and once back in Green Field, I'll repay you as much as I can. Also, there's the issue with my uncle Antonio.
"Indeed, I never expected him to be such a deceitful person, especially considering how close he once was with my father. His betrayal was both shocking and heartbreaking, but he's just an exception and cannot represent the rest of the family."
"Is that so? Then what about your little uncle in the Knight Order of the Royal Capital?"
"Uh... It was a bit strange that uncle Torres supported my brother in his letter; he's obviously closer to my Aunt Alisa."
With Li Yu's reminder, Miss Rabbit also started to recall this unusual matter.
She had found it unbelievable at the time and even suspected that the letter might have been tampered with, because with the close relationship with Alisa, there was no reason for Torres to choose Blanco over her.
However, the matter had been overshadowed by her hard-won triumphant victory, and deep down Ireya also somewhat didn't want to accept a certain dreadful conjecture.
After much hesitation, the girl stammered, "Do you think my Aunt Alisa, she..."
"I don't know; I'm only telling you that no one approached me until just before the election began," Li Yu continued.
"Regarding that, I have something to say, might there be a slight possibility... it's because you're a Foreigner, and you dress very strangely?" the girl gently hinted.
"I am your advisor," Li Yu said flatly, "your stepmother is aware of my existence."
"Hmm, Captain Levin ran into you in the courtyard last night, and he then had a Maid arrange accommodations for you. In the mansions of nobles, news always spreads fast, so…" Miss Rabbit spread her hands, "it's no surprise my stepmother knew about you this morning."
"You're right, and the same goes for the Arias family's attendants and warriors. It's likely that many of them also know about me, yet not a single person has come to see me all morning," Li Yu said, following Ireya's line of thought, "Let alone someone trying to curry favor with me, I haven't even seen a single person sneak out to greet me in private. For a group of people whose honor and life hinge on the next Family Head, there is no need nor is it wise to place heavy bets too soon, let alone go all in.
"There's only one possibility for such a situation," Li Yu looked into Miss Rabbit's eyes and spoke deliberately, "although the election hadn't started, most in your family obviously knew you were bound to lose!"