Release that Witch

Duke Calvin was waiting in the main hall when Edith returned to the castle.

”You only plan to stay in the City of Evernight for three days? It sounded to me that this mission will take time. You don’t have to go back immediately. Why don’t you stay here longer?”

”Father, did you send someone to listen in on my conversation?” Edith asked with a frown.

”If I ask you directly, will you explain everything to me clearly?” The Duke gave her a furious glare before adding, ”I learned this trick from you. It’s better to search for the answer than to wait for it.”

The Pearl of the Northern Region replied with a bark of laughter, ”Congratulations, you finally made some progress. Now, I don’t have to worry too much about you in Neverwinter.”

The duke grunted, ”You haven’t answered my question. I can’t stop you, but why do you have to take Lance to Neverwinter. Are you that attracted to Wimbledon? He would rather marry a witch than marry you. I don’t get it. What the hell is the point of bringing Gerald’s son to Neverwinter?”

”You seem to be very unhappy with the fact that I can’t become queen,” Edith shot him a sideways glance and said. ”Or perhaps, you’re just complaining that my future child can never become the heir to the throne? I still remember what you said to me when Timothy came to the Northern Region, and I know what you suggested to His Majesty.”

”I... I did that for your own good. Are you willing to see a humble maid bring her son to power?” Calvin sounded much less aggressive now.

Edith secretly sighed. She knew that her father cared about her very much but she found that he was quite short-sighted. Calvin Kant was a caring father but he was not a wise man.

Fortunately, the other nobles in the Northern Region were no better than him. Most of them were not capable enough to manage their own domains. Edith agreed with His Majesty’s decision to abolish the aristocratic system. She thought that if she was the king, she would also not be able to tolerate such a group of idiots wasting her wealth.

She understood the conventional thoughts of a traditional noble man, but she just couldn’t say anything remotely nice to comfort her father at this moment. She enjoyed using her words as swords to hurt and torture others and sometimes even herself.

”A humble maid? No, father, you’re wrong. Gerald Wimbledon loved her for a reason,” said Edith, with interest. ”That woman just lacks a status. If she was born into a noble family of the Northern Region, she would become more capable than you, not to mention my two younger brothers. In fact, what you should be the most thankful for is the ancestors of the Kant family. Without your title as an earl, you would never have gotten what you have today. You probably wouldn’t live any better than the ordinary traders on the streets.”

Just as she had expected, her father now looked very sour.

”She was reluctant to trust me at first, but once she made up her mind, she gave me all the names of the people who may ruin her and her son’s future. What a decisive woman! If Gerald’s son comes to power one day, what will she do to me? After all, I once bullied her into going to Neverwinter with me.” Edith chuckled. ”How will she torture me to vent her anger? Being a woman herself, she must know how to make a woman suffer.”

”Enough... I know I was wrong,” Calvin finally admitted defeat. ”Can you stop talking?”

”Whew,” Edith heaved a long sigh. ”By the way, he’ll never seize the throne. Even if His Majesty doesn’t mind it, I would never allow it to happen.” She smoothed out her hair and walked to her father. ”Let’s get back to business. I must return to Neverwinter as soon as possible since I don’t want to miss any new changes in the city. Neverwinter is a fast-developing place and the center of the power. Half a month is already long enough. If His Majesty had not sent me to complete this task, I wouldn’t have come back at all. As for Lance, I’ve already asked you to send him to Neverwinter when he turns 18 in the letter. You have a really bad memory.”

”But if I send Lance to Neverwinter, the Northern Region will—”

”You’ll lose your successor?” Edith interrupted. ”But father, the rank of nobility has now become a pure honorary title. If your son is uneducated, do you think he can gain a firm footing in the City Hall? I take him away for the future of the Kant family. We’ve got a lot to learn in Neverwinter and if we don’t want to get kicked out of the game, we have to embrace all the new changes.”

The Duke still seemed hesitant. ”Didn’t His Majesty say that some formidable enemies are lurking in the Barbarian Land? Have you ever thought about it. What if Neverwinter is conquered by these enemies?”

”It’s simple. When that happens, all of us will be doomed. At that time, it’ll be meaningless even if you have a dozen of successors,” Edith said while laying out her hands in a shrug. ”And I think we should thank the demons.”

”What...?” Calvin was surprised.

”I’ve a feeling that if it wasn’t for the demons, His Majesty would turn all the four kingdoms upside down...” the Pearl of the Northern Region said, her mouth twitched. ”He needs to focus on defeating the demons now and thus chooses to make peace with the nobles. But one day, after he eliminates the demons, he’ll bring drastic change to the entire world. Keeping this in mind, the demons are actually helping us by giving us more time to keep up with the trend of development. This is our only chance. You should know what to do.”

The Duke sighed after a long silence. ”Provide preferential treatment to the teachers from Neverwinter, open more primary education classes, and send more people to study in the Western Region. Oh, and listen to the City Hall officials’ advice... You’ve mentioned those things in the letters a number of times. My memory is not that bad.”

”It’s good you can remember that.” Edith patted her father’s shoulder and then walked upstairs. ”I need to get some sleep now. I’ve many things to do tonight.”

”Wait...” Calvin turned around and said. ”As for the tavern maid’s... I mean, Olivia’s last question, I’m also curious. How did you respond to it at the time?”

”It’s better to look for the answer than to wait for it—” Edith smiled slightly. ”You’ve just made some progress. Now please continue your strong performance.”

”Hey, it’s just casual talking. Wait... do you keep silent deliberately?” The Duke stood agape and then he realized something. ”You did this on purpose to shut me up? Well, well, I promise I won’t send anyone to overhear your talking. Now, can you tell me? My sweet daughter!”

”Forget about it, father. It’s not important.” Edith paused before murmuring, ”I hope it’s true, unfortunately...”

”What...?” Calvin pursued.

The Pearl of the Northern Region did not reply. She just waved her hands and disappeared at the end of the stairs.