Our Family Has Fallen

Hearing the maidservant relay the news, Margaret’s emotions gradually stabilized. She wasn’t the type of noble young lady who would only wail and scream when confronted with a problem, unable to do anything else.

On the contrary, because her mother had died in childbirth, she was raised single-handedly by her father, Baron Lawrence.

One could say she had been exposed to Nobility and military affairs since childhood, giving her a certain ability to judge the current situation.

If she had been captured by the Barbarian Tribes, she might as well have prepared for the worst. Her father and those tribes harbored deep-seated hatred towards each other, making it almost impossible for him to return alive. But hearing that it was merely captivity and not a death sentence, and furthermore, that he had fallen into the hands of a fellow Noble Lord, Margaret understood there was room to maneuver. Wars among Nobility rarely resulted in the death of nobles; it was always the common soldiers from both sides who perished. Typically, they would capture each other, then demand a ransom for their release. This unspoken agreement among Nobility even transcended the Empire’s system. Even nobles from hostile countries adhered to this convention and generally avoided irreparable breaches. War was a game for Nobility, with soldiers as the stakes. Her father and those Knights were following the Earl’s commands, so the Earl must step forward in this matter; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to command respect. As for the subsequent negotiations, the ransom amount, and so on—that was a game played by those at the higher echelons and had nothing to do with her, a ”noble young lady.”

However, she was quite curious about this place called Hamlet.

”Have you heard of this place?”

”It’s all anyone is talking about outside...”

The maidservant had obviously gathered information before returning; the rumors about Hamlet had been deliberately spread by someone.

Upon hearing the praises of Hamlet in the rumors, Margaret couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and the Butler’s voice, sounding somehow familiar, came through.

”Come in.”

Margaret spoke. The door opened, and the middle-aged man who had driven her carriage that day entered—it was the Butler.

The Butler’s face also looked somewhat grim. As soon as he entered, his warning gaze fell on the maidservant, as if questioning why she had told the Young Lady about these matters. Seeing him hurry in, arriving right after the maidservant, it was clear he had intended to stop the maidservant from telling her something.

Considering the maidservant just said that even the farmers by the roadside knew the news, it’s evident they were trying to keep me in the dark.

Margaret’s keen, hunter-like eyes caught these details, prompting her to question him.

”You knew all along, why didn’t you tell me? Is my father not even confirmed dead, and you’re all this eager?”

”It was because the Young Lady has been in a poor mood lately,” the Butler hastily explained, fearing the Young Lady might have misunderstood. ”I was afraid that telling you would cause you too much worry, so I didn’t say anything. Regarding the Master’s situation, Lord Earl has already sent someone to provide an explanation. It seems they are currently organizing a group to go and negotiate everyone’s ransom.”

This was truly unjust! He was loyal to Baron Lawrence and had only withheld the news out of concern that the Young Lady might be too distressed. After all, she had locked herself in her room for days simply because she made a mistake and didn’t win the Championship—how could he be sure she could handle this news?

The simple-minded maidservant only then realized, upon hearing these words, that she had been too anxious earlier and hadn’t considered this reason. Her already lacking confidence made her look even more guilty.

Margaret heard this and didn’t say much, though a hint of embarrassment crossed her face. She clearly understood the implication behind his words.

But almost immediately, she grew furious again and demanded loudly, ”That’s not a valid reason for you to hide such important news from me! Your loyalty is not to the Earl, but to our Lawrence family!”

”Yes,” the Butler answered, his expression conflicted. But it was clearly not the right time to provoke the Young Lady’s sensitive emotions, so he simply endured the scolding.

”You may go now; I’m a bit tired.”

Margaret didn’t say much more. As the two left, her pensive expression made it clear she didn’t think the matter was so simple.

Both the Butler and the maidservant had interpreted Margaret’s recent behavior as merely her withdrawing because she had failed to win the Championship.

But was she really that fragile? Perhaps not... At least from her reaction just now, it was clear she wasn’t the type to fall apart over trifles. Her actions were driven by deeper considerations...

To others, marrying Alvin would have paved the way to an enviable life as a noblewoman, spending her days in a splendid courtyard pampered by numerous servants, or perhaps passing the time at various banquets, savoring delicacies that common folk might never taste in their entire lives...

But for Margaret, it meant being caged within high walls and courtyards, needing to feign civility with those deceitful individuals, each harboring their own schemes, day after day.

Even the thought of it sent shivers down her spine. She didn’t know who Margaret would become then, but she knew that Margaret would definitely not be herself anymore.

And so, she resisted fiercely!

She enjoyed playing with muskets, which other Noble Ladies disdained, and liked hunting—a pastime considered unbecoming for a Lady. Her unconventional nature was partly due to her father’s influence from a young age and partly a form of unspoken rebellion.

She wanted to show her father that she wasn’t a ’young lady’ who needed to depend on others to survive.

She disliked the marriage arrangement set without her consent, and she loathed a life manipulated by others.