The night was already deep, yet the night sky of Luxembourg was still bright.
Just like in Southport, at night, countless bright lamps were lit everywhere in Luxembourg. The squares in front of those magnificent and huge buildings were even more brightly lit.
On both sides of the street, an oil lamp was set up every five or six meters. The lamplighters pushed small carts filled with lamp oil and patrolled back and forth on the street.
They were the ones who brought light to Luxembourg, and they were also the busiest people every night.
The night in Luxembourg was just as busy as that in Southport.
Going to bed early at night was the habit of the residents in Avila, Piton, and Bart. However, for many people in Luxembourg and Southport, the evening was when the real life of a day began.
Sitting in a luxurious carriage, Ivan was leaning tightly against Miss Betty's arm. Their affectionate behavior didn't prevent them from carefully reading the thin document held in Miss Betty's hand.
"The Tornam family is quite influential in Luxembourg. For several centuries, they have been in charge of numerous affairs, big and small, in Piton. The Tornam family was originally formed by the merger of six scattered families through intermarriage among them.
Over the past few hundred years, these six families had always intermarried within a very narrow range and finally became an indivisible whole. This family has over a dozen viscount titles, and their influence in the south of Francois is deeply rooted."
Miss Betty imparted everything she knew in detail to Ivan.
"Compared with the three major families in Luxembourg, what advantages does the Tornam family have?" Ivan asked.
"They are two completely different situations. Even among the three major families in Luxembourg, there are huge differences among them."
"The Kenneth family is the family with the longest history among the three major families. The ancestors of the Kenneth family were originally the deputy of the ancestors of the Madin family. The descendants of the Kenneth family have assisted each generation of the lords of the Madin family for generations.
Therefore, it can be said that the Kenneth family is, in name, the noblest noble family besides the Madin family."
"Unlike the Kenneth family, the Levy family was the family dispatched by His Majesty Francois VII to Luxembourg to take charge of military affairs during the reign of Francois VII. Because it was appointed by His Majesty himself, this family has had an unshakable position for hundreds of years. Even the Madin family couldn't interfere in military affairs. However, there has never been a war in Luxembourg, and military affairs are just tools for maintaining order and executing judgments. Although the Levy family has great power, its actual influence is not that significant."
"The family that truly has influence in Luxembourg is the Leonard family. The Leonard family was originally a local noble family in Luxembourg. They had settled here before His Majesty Francois V reclaimed the south of Francois. Luxembourg was originally cultivated diligently by them."
"The Leonard family has made great contributions to making Luxembourg what it is today. Precisely because of this, the Leonard family has almost been in charge of all the high-level powers in Luxembourg. They are the de facto lords. Before Southport and Avila prospered, all the political affairs in Luxembourg were controlled by this family because they held the tax revenue in the south of Francois," Miss Betty introduced.
At this time, Ivan suddenly interrupted and asked, "Isn't the tax revenue now under the control of the Leonard family?"
"It can be said to be and also not to be, Ivan. You should know that Southport and Avila are the private territories of the Madin family. In Francois, the property within a private territory belongs to the lord who owns the territory. The lord only needs to pay a certain proportion of tax according to the size of the land."
"The only exception is that if a gold mine is discovered within the territory, it must belong to His Majesty the King. His Majesty the King will allocate a certain proportion of the money from the gold mine mining as compensation to the lord."
"Southport is not a gold mine, but it is a cash cow even richer than any gold mine. However, there has never been a precedent that the Madin family must hand over all the tax revenue to His Majesty the King.
However, the old Earl Madin was not a greedy and stingy person. He still handed over most of the tax revenue to His Majesty the King in the same way as if a gold mine had been discovered. But the old Earl held the responsibility of tax collection tightly. It was precisely in this way that the financial power that was originally in the hands of the Leonard family returned to the Madin family in the past few decades, and the old Earl redistributed the power. As far as I know, the Leonard family was extremely dissatisfied with this. Therefore, according to Great-aunt's guess, the most likely person behind the scenes is the Leonard family," Miss Betty said.
"Does Great-aunt have any way to deal with the Leonard family?" Ivan asked.
"It's very difficult. The Leonard family not only has great power in Luxembourg but also has great influence at the imperial court. You don't know that the original noble rank of the Martill family was only viscount. However, because they held the financial power of Luxembourg, the Leonard family has been the richest family in Luxembourg for hundreds of years. Therefore, they also had enough money to bribe people everywhere at the imperial court. That's how the viscount became an earl. In fact, the Leonard family has close marriage ties with many families in the capital, which has further consolidated this family's position in Luxembourg," Miss Betty said.
"What on earth is Great-aunt thinking?" Ivan asked.
"Well, I'm not sure either. She just asked me to help you get familiar with the nobles in Luxembourg because although the Martill family is powerful, they are not all-powerful and don't completely control everything. Especially in recent decades, their strength has weakened significantly. If we manage it properly, we can completely marginalize the Leonard family," Miss Betty said.
"Is it precisely because of this that we must win over the Tornam family, as well as the Reltar family and the Louis family that we visited before?" Ivan asked.
"The Reltar family is in charge of the knight order in Luxembourg, which is the most powerful weapon in the hands of the Madin family. Moreover, the Reltar family and the Levy family restrain each other. The Lewis family is in charge of agriculture and transportation.
Although their status and authority are not that high, they are extremely important. This family is also quite large and has hidden strength that is hard to imagine. What's more, as far as I know, this family is the richest one in Luxembourg besides the Madin family and the Leonard family.
The Tornam family is in charge of Piton County, and they also have a vast network of connections. What's more, these three families have an inseparable connection with the Madin family from generation to generation and are the most loyal supporters of the Madin family," Miss Betty said.
"That's quite obvious. When old Viscount Reltar saw me, he seemed extremely excited, and his son was the same. The Lewis family was so polite that I could hardly bear it. I don't know how the Tornam family will treat me," Ivan said with a smile.
"Of course. Viscount Reltar watched your mother grow up. He had a fatherly love for your mother, Miss Bertha. You don't know that your mother was a rather naughty girl when she was a child. Once, she accidentally fell into the river, and the water was flowing very fast. It was the son of Viscount Reltar who jumped into the surging river and saved your mother.
And his left arm was broken by a big tree floating downstream. You should be able to notice that his hand is not very flexible," Miss Betty explained with a smile.
Ivan felt a bit uncomfortable about Miss Betty's intentional or unintentional reminder that Miss Bertha was his mother."However, the Tornam family may not be so polite to you," Miss Betty said, pursing her lips and smiling secretly."Why?" Ivan asked."The Tornam family has always had a deep opinion about Mr. Est. The reputation of the Primo family is not very good. Meanwhile, the Tornam family has a large population, and quite a number of them had a secret crush on your mother. Now, several of the main figures in the Tornam family are those who had a crush on her back then," Miss Betty explained."I hope they don't know what Mommy... Miss Bertha became later," Ivan summoned up his courage to call her "Mommy". Fortunately, it wasn't as hard as he had imagined.
"Unfortunately, they know," Miss Betty said regretfully. "And your reputation is not that good either. Of course, I don't mean that the little secrets between Miss Bertha and her child are known to everyone. It's because Baron Lipper has a close relationship with the Tornam family, and Viscount Theodore is a member of the Tornam family. You should know what his impression of you is like.""Viscount Theodore?" Ivan was really surprised.
"Yes, you will definitely meet many people you're quite familiar with today when you're at the Tornam family," Miss Betty said with a smile.Now Ivan felt a headache. His relationship with Miss Fanny was the thing that he felt most guilty about in his heart. He had been avoiding thinking about it all the time.But obviously, there was no way to retreat now.
On the way that followed, Ivan was always frowning, trying to find a way to untie this knot.Miss Betty smiled as she looked at the little husband arranged for her by Miss Madin and at this promising young man. She wondered how he would face the emotional entanglements. Except for himself, no one could give him any guidance. He had to make all the choices by himself.
The carriage was speeding along the streets and alleys. The street lamps flew by one after another behind them. Before long, the residence of the contemporary head of the Tornam family in Luxembourg was right in front of them.From the carriage, they could clearly see an ancient and spacious mansion. The mottled dark red brick wall covered with green vines and the slightly rusty iron fence painted black on the outside all showed the long history of this family.
An iron gate separated the inside and outside of the mansion. Two family crests were inlaid on the gate, one on the left and one on the right.Through the iron gate, they could clearly see the lush trees planted in the courtyard.Obviously, these trees didn't have as long a history as the mansion. Otherwise, they would surely have become towering giants long ago.Among the trees, the corner of the blue-brick and red-wall buildings could be vaguely seen.
At the gate, the servants had already been waiting there respectfully. They were quietly waiting for the arrival of the distinguished guests.Ivan's carriage made everyone cheer up because this carriage was the special one used by Miss Madin, which was known to everyone in the whole of Luxembourg.Apparently, the distinguished heir to the lord had arrived.
The servants eagerly came forward to serve Ivan as he got off the carriage.The messenger had already run quickly towards the hall where the masters were waiting.Before long, a group of people poured out of the mansion.The leader was an old man with an unusually wide body but a disproportionately short stature.
This old man was wearing a grayish-blue woolen suit, and a red ribbon was slanted from his left shoulder to his right waist.While the vicissitudes of time had taken away his youth, it had also taken away his hair. Under the light, the old man's bald head was particularly eye-catching.
In contrast to his rather big build, he had a pair of small eyes and eyebrows that were so light that they were almost invisible.A big nose was the most striking feature on the old man's face.There were two small mustaches above his thick lips.The old man waddled towards Ivan and them.Behind him was a long line of people, men and women, old and young.Just as Miss Betty had said, Viscount Theodore was among the crowd. He was following at the back, and it was obvious that meeting Ivan was not something he was willing to do.
However, his father-in-law and mother-in-law seemed extremely enthusiastic. The two old people were closely following behind the fat old man.On the side of the old couple was their granddaughter. This young lady had a sweet smile on her face, and her big shiny eyes showed an anxious and eager look.
To Ivan's surprise, the beautiful daughter of Baron Lipper was also among the crowd. She seemed a bit hesitant, as if she was eagerly looking forward to this meeting but also deeply worried about the embarrassment when they met.After all, the Ivan she loved was no longer the Ivan who attended the ball.The status of the heir to the lord had deeply drawn a gap between them, which was almost an insurmountable gap.
"Oh, dear Mr. Ivan, welcome to my home as a guest. Think of this place as your own home. Your father and uncles have always been the most welcome guests here," The old man walked over and warmly hugged Ivan.According to the information Miss Betty had told him beforehand, Ivan knew, of course, that this old man was Viscount Tornam, the head of the Tornam family of this generation.
Ivan didn't dare to be rude to this old man. He bowed slightly and said, "Viscount, you're one of my grandfather's best friends. There's really no reason for you to come out to welcome me. You can call me Ivan, just like Great-aunt does.""What a polite child! Samson was absolutely right. Lord Juan is the most outstanding guardian in the world," the old man said with a smile.
The old couple standing behind the old man also seemed extremely happy because there were at least three reasons for them to have a good impression of Ivan.Firstly, Ivan was Miss Bertha's child, and they had always loved Bertha as if she were their own daughter.Secondly, at the banquet held at Baron Lipper's home, Ivan had left a deep and positive impression on them.
Finally, the old couple knew quite clearly that their granddaughter and the lovely young daughter of Baron Lipper had a secret crush on Ivan.The old couple's view on this affection was completely different from that of their son-in-law.In their opinion, it wasn't Ivan's fault.They couldn't put all the blame on the playboy blood in Ivan's father's family.
Although the old couple also had certain opinions about Mr. Primo, they thought that the noble blood Ivan inherited from his mother's side had obviously played a more prominent role in this child.As for their little granddaughter falling into the unrequited love, they could only blame the infinite charm Ivan inherited from his mother. Bertha had also driven countless young people in Luxembourg crazy back then. It couldn't be blamed on Bertha herself, could it?
In fact, Baron and Baroness Samson had long attributed Viscount Theodore's opinion of Ivan to the combined effect of jealousy and prejudice.In their view, their son-in-law was still brooding over his failure to court Miss Bertha back then and thus took his anger out on Bertha's son."Ivan, you're finally here. My sister Fanny and I have been looking forward to seeing you again," the daughter of Viscount Theodore said with a smile."Yes, they've been looking forward to your arrival.
I told them that you probably wouldn't arrive here until after dinner, but they just wouldn't listen and didn't even have a proper dinner. Ivan, now that you're finally here, what are we still standing here for? Come inside quickly, Ivan. Our Tornam family is an extremely large family in the south of Francois. I'll introduce our family members to you later. It will surely surprise you," Viscount Tornam said as he pulled Ivan towards the mansion.
The daughter of Viscount Theodore didn't follow her grandfather and grandmother this time. She quietly walked to Ivan's side and stood beside him.All this made Viscount Theodore quite dissatisfied. He really wanted to pull his daughter back, at least not let this little girl get too close to that little rascal.For Viscount Theodore, the Est family was the most dangerous existence for girls. Talking to the descendants of the Est family was enough to make a pure virgin lose her virginity, and kissing the descendants of the Est family might even make a girl pregnant.
The blood flowing in the veins of the descendants of the Est family didn't have any brain matter in their brains. Instead, another milky white viscous liquid filled them.The descendants of this licentious and shameless family should be the main ingredient on the barbecue grill, should be hanged on the gallows like hanging clothes, and the punishment of beheading should be carried out when they were still minors because they couldn't cause real harm at that time.
Viscount Theodore stood far away, staring coldly at Ivan with cold light in his eyes.He really wanted to pull his daughter over, but with his father-in-law and mother-in-law backing her up, this little girl didn't listen to him at all, which left Viscount Theodore helpless.After passing through a row of trees, Ivan came to the front of the Tornam family's mansion.
This was a five-story building made of brick and wood. The long history had left marks of time on its outer walls. Ivan guessed that when the rainy season came, the outside of this house would probably be covered with moss and lichens.The long history didn't add too many sculptures to this building. Except for a few stone statues standing on the roof, everything else was so simple.Looking at this unadorned building, Ivan remembered that Miss Betty had told him before that the Tornam family might be one of the richest families in Luxembourg. He couldn't help but wonder if the descendants of this family piled up thousands of gold coins in the cellar.
Compared with the third wealthiest in Luxembourg, this mansion could almost be called the home of a miser.Walking into the mansion, everything was still so simple. There were no luxurious decorations or precious utensils. The furniture in the house was no different from that of ordinary families. It was just that the place was much more spacious and the number of chairs was incomparable to that of ordinary families.The important members of the Tornam family walked into the hall one by one, while the women and children went to the lounge to wait.They all sat down on the sofas in the middle.Viscount Tornam introduced the identities of everyone present one by one.
Just as he had said before, the Tornam family was truly a large family. It took nearly half an hour just to simply introduce the important members who had certain status and were in charge of some parts of the family.As for what these people did and what their names were, although Ivan listened to them, he didn't remember a single one.There was really no way around it. There were just too many people in the Tornam family.
Anyway, the old man kept introducing them beside him, and all Ivan needed to do was keep nodding.After all the introductions were completed, the old man suddenly asked in a serious manner, "Dear Ivan, for the sake of my friendship with your grandfather, tell me clearly. What are your plans?
What kind of achievements do you want to make in Luxembourg? I once heard Lipper talk about you. Back then, what you said at his banquet about not wanting to get involved in the political whirlpool obviously wasn't what you really thought in your heart."
"I wasn't lying. According to my original intention, I didn't want to get involved in anything. You should know that I have a magic teacher. For me, the vast and mysterious world of magic is much more attractive," Ivan said.Hearing Ivan say this, the old man was left speechless. If these words were just a false attempt to clear himself, the old man didn't think so.In fact, it was hard to say which identity, a lord or a magician, was nobler. And in the eyes of most people, being a magician was obviously more attractive than being a lord.
It was difficult to count how many lords there were in the Kingdom of Francois, but the number of magicians could be calculated.For Ivan, the path to becoming a lord was full of difficulties, dangers, and hardships. Many people didn't want him to take this position, and the difficulties he would face were imaginable.However, if Ivan decided to become a magician, no one would oppose it. Even His Majesty the King would be willing to provide everything he needed. Magicians were the darlings of any country.
In any case, if Ivan was only considering himself, the choice should be quite clear.The old man nodded slightly and said, "It seems that this should be Lord Juan's intention.""Lord Juan once said that I could choose which path to take by myself," Ivan said.Ivan's answer aroused everyone's strong curiosity. It seemed a bit contradictory to the previous answer.
Of course, Ivan guessed what everyone was thinking. Seizing the opportunity was originally the most important skill that Audrey had taught him. And the key to seizing the opportunity was to adapt to circumstances. To put it bluntly, it was to say different things to different people.Ivan certainly knew that for the Tornam family, changing the status quo was also something they didn't want to see. If this family was really the third richest in Luxembourg as Miss Betty had said, they must have countless connections with Southport and Avila. Damage to Southport would undoubtedly harm their interests as well.
Ivan said, "I was born in Southport and grew up in Southport. Compared with Luxembourg, Southport is more like my hometown."Ivan knew the art of leaving things unsaid. Audrey had told him before that the most ingenious speaking skill was to leave things unsaid and there was no need to be too explicit.This had at least two major advantages. On the one hand, it could make you seem unfathomable. People who knew how to leave things unsaid couldn't possibly be incompetent. The greater advantage was that it wouldn't make your performance seem too exaggerated.
Audrey's teaching was indeed correct. Most of the people in the Tornam family understood what Ivan meant. Such a choice was exactly what they needed and welcomed."Ivan, you should be quite clear about how powerful the forces opposing you are," Baron Samson said."I'm very clear. When my home in Southport was looted and I was attacked in the Bart Forest, I already knew all this," Ivan said."Aren't you afraid?" Baron Samson asked.
"A little bit, but also a bit excited. I really want to become a great adventurer like Grandpa," Ivan said. There was a strange glint in his eyes. This wasn't his skillful acting. It was his sincere emotion."Your grandpa?" Viscount Tornam asked, puzzled."Oh, it's Lord Juan. I'm used to calling him Grandpa," Ivan explained with a smile."Lord Juan is truly an extraordinary person," Baron Samson added fuel to the fire beside him.