An Awkward Predicament

They found a relatively well-preserved stone house, but before they could even open the door, they were hit by a stench of rotting corpses, which made Hudson quickly cover his nose and back away.

It was absolutely disgusting; even the most oblivious Young Bear looked disgusted. Even if the house were renovated, Lord Hudson wouldn't move in.

After inspecting several houses, he found a similar odor in all of them. It was such an ominous sign that Hudson immediately abandoned the idea of taking what was readily available.

A noble castle—for a nobleman, this is a must. Unfortunately, it's too far to solve an immediate problem.

Conventionally, it often takes several years, or even decades, to build a castle.

He had two choices: build a cabin to make do for now, or continue living in a tent. Without a doubt, Hudson chose the former.

The military tent in my hand is really too small. It's okay to make do when marching and fighting; but it's too cramped to use as daily living quarters.

The summer weather was like a giant oven, and the stuffy tent felt like a giant steamer. Not wanting to become a steamed bun, Hudson once again spent the night with the sky as her blanket and her seat as her bed.

The first night officially settling into the territory was quite memorable. It's a pity I didn't have a magic stone to take a picture and record it, otherwise it would have been the best material to spur on the younger generation about the "hardships of starting a business."

Looking at the starry sky, Hudson was filled with emotion. Fortunately, the weather was kind to him, and it had been clear and sunny since the start of the campaign.

It was a bit hot, but it was still better than being hit by torrential rain. If it were the rainy season, the muddy roads could drive anyone crazy.

However, the weather this year is somewhat abnormal. In the usually rainy Southeast Province, Huaidun and Laite counties haven't received a drop of rain in the last two months.

Hudson had no idea what the situation was like in the rest of the kingdom. But if this continued, drought in Huaidun and Laite counties would be inevitable.

As for the crops in the fields, it seems I've been overthinking things. Talking about crops in the two counties this year is pure nonsense.

Spring planting has begun, but the moment the Skull Society -led Rebel Army made their move, the unsuspecting nobles fell one after another. Who cares about the crops anymore?

In unattended fields, weeds grow far better than wheat seedlings, and a harvest of even one or two tenths is a testament to the blessing of the Lord of Dawn.

Especially in Hudson's territory, the tree seeds that fell with the wind have already taken root and sprouted in the fields. If they had come a few months later, the farmland would have been converted back to forest.

Thinking about it this way, the drought doesn't seem so terrible. As long as the tributary of the Nucang River that flows through my territory doesn't dry up, everything is a minor problem.

In a luxurious mansion in the Felix Province in the North, even the Grand Duke Cavadia felt a chill run down his spine when faced with his lover's resentful gaze.

Chaotic private lives within aristocratic circles are nothing new. As long as no one dies, everything is fine.

Grand Duke Cavadia thought so too. As a well-known womanizer in the North, he had many lovers in his youth.

But as the saying goes, "He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet." At a banquet, Grand Duke Cavadia seduced the noblewoman before him.

To be precise, she was a noblewoman. At that time, the Lady Linna before us was still unmarried.

This is nothing, just a one-night stand. Does he expect you to take responsibility?

The difference in their social status doomed the two to a dead end. Even if Cavadia were the perfect man, he would still have to obediently return to his family for an arranged marriage, instead of pursuing a free-choice relationship.

The amazing thing is that young Miss Lina was inexperienced, and Cavadia's success rate was too high, so the one-night stand actually resulted in her getting pregnant.

To avoid a scandal and unwilling to get rid of the child, Miss Lina quickly found a foreign knight to take her in, arranged by Cavadia.

Not long after their marriage, the unfortunate knight died on the battlefield, and the widowed Lady Linna raised the child alone. Everything seemed so natural.

Since the parties involved are all dead and the child's birth date is incorrect, naturally no one would be foolish enough to investigate further.

With Grand Duke Cavadia watching over them, even the most oblivious flies and mosquitoes were swatted away. No one else, however disgusted they might be, would dare say it aloud.

The mother and son managed to get by. However, with the Duchess's arrival and the birth of their legitimate son, the truth could no longer be hidden.

Illegitimate children are commonplace in aristocratic circles. Even when the truth came out, Grand Duke Cavadia wasn't intimidated.

If someone denies it, then it doesn't exist. Anyone who dares to utter a word of it should first consider whether their neck is strong enough.

As children grow up, things gradually change. Just because ordinary people don't dare to cause trouble doesn't mean no one dares to.

Whether by coincidence or a setup, the eldest son and the illegitimate son of the Grand Duke Cavadia bumped into each other by chance.

Because of an elven female slave, two hot-blooded teenagers got into a fight in the street.

Needless to say, the illegitimate child inevitably suffers when he encounters the legitimate son.

The idea of a child rising to power through a surviving act only exists in novels and picture books. There's never been a case of an illegitimate child successfully taking over a position on the Aslant Continent.

Inheritance laws are not just for show; illegitimate children who cannot be born in the light of day are not even considered heirs. Even if they are very much loved by their father, they may at most inherit some property, but they can forget about ever getting a title.

Unless the illegitimate child has a legitimate right to inheritance, there is no possibility of them succeeding.

Even if such things do happen, they are rarely exposed.

Making trouble within one's own family is a huge scandal, and if not handled properly, the family could fall apart.

Grand Duke Cavadia was clearly a smart man; even when he arranged for someone to take over, he chose an outsider with no roots in the local area who had caused trouble.

The plan was very successful in its early stages. Under the arrangement of his good father, the adult Ciss smoothly entered the army and gained a series of military achievements.

Everything was fine until a conflict between the legitimate son and the illegitimate son made Lina and her son, whose identities were already awkward, even more precarious.

He was torn between the two sides of the family, and neither side seemed right, leaving Grand Duke Cavadia feeling helpless.

For ten years, they dragged things out by playing the peacemaker. Although there were no more open conflicts between the two sides, the contradictions accumulated and deepened over time.

The most direct impact was that Ciss's marriage was delayed. With a reputation for having an illegitimate child, no noble of any standing would choose such a person for a marriage alliance.

Although the lesser nobles wanted to curry favor with the Grand Duke, they were equally unwilling to offend the future Grand Duke, and thus avoided such matters like the plague. Besides, Lina and her son wouldn't even consider those with poor conditions.

Under the arrangement of the Grand Duke Cavadia, the Ciss knights, who had accumulated a great deal of military merit, quickly rose through the ranks and obtained the title of viscount.

Of course, you can have a title, but forget about getting a territory.

The Northern Frontier is basically monopolized by the Five Great Families. It would not be difficult for the Grand Duke Cavadia to arrange a fief for his son. The problem lies in Ciss's status as an illegitimate child, which prevents him from being recognized by the family.

Forcibly granting fiefdoms is not impossible. However, one must be prepared to lose one's children in a future Beastfolk invasion.

The feudal nobles had a duty to defend their lands, but they couldn't run away. Even if they couldn't win, they had to hold on, because if reinforcements were even slightly delayed, they would face certain death.

The original minor nobles of the Northern Frontier were all killed off one after another in this way, eventually leading to the formation of a situation Five Great Families jointly dominated the Northern Frontier.

"Don't cry, Lina!"

"I'm not a heartless person after all," Cavadia said, reaching out to hug his lover and comforting him.

"The Northern Frontier is no peaceful place. The Felix Family may seem extremely prominent, but in reality, they are just a hot potato."

In recent years, although the North has been plagued by constant warfare, these have all been minor skirmishes. If a full-scale Beastfolk invasion were to occur, you would realize that the Five Great Families of the Northern Frontier are nothing.

After so many years of peace, it's estimated that the next large-scale Beastfolk invasion won't be too far off.

At this point, it's a good thing to let Ciss escape his cage. Although his rank is a bit lower and his fiefdom a bit smaller, the Southeast Province has fertile land and is free from external threats.

With careful management, a baronial territory in the south may not be inferior to a viscountial territory in the Northern Frontier.

Rank and title are meaningless; in the end, this world is about strength. Don't let illusory things blind you.

The five dukes of the Northern Frontier certainly sound prestigious. But if I had a choice, I would rather be a count of one of the kingdom's twelve fiefdoms.

This is the truth. On the surface, the five dukes of the Northern Frontier have the largest fiefdoms, the highest ranks, and the strongest power, far surpassing the nobles in other regions of the kingdom. But in reality, they have their own bitter experiences.

With Beastfolk orc neighbor around, they lived in constant fear, dreading the day war would break out and wipe out everything they had built up.

Back then, our ancestors relentlessly expelled the nobles from the small and medium-sized fiefdoms in the north, essentially to strengthen their own power.

Although it was indeed a mistake in retrospect, it was also a sign of being prepared for potential dangers even in times of peace.

There's no going back in life. With the departure of the nobles from the smaller fiefdoms, the Five Great Families all acquired vast tracts of land, but unfortunately, defending them has become increasingly difficult.

Once upon a time, castles stood in a crisscrossing pattern across the Northern Frontier. The nobles fought to the bitter end to defend their homes, and even the Beastfolk were wary of them.

Things are different now. Although the castle has been preserved, the nobles responsible for its defense have changed.

Back then, they were risking their lives for themselves; everyone was gambling with their lives. Now they're risking their lives for the Five Great Families, and they think they can buy everyone's lives with such a small amount of military pay? That's just wishful thinking.

Fight if you can win, run if you can't. Desperate measures do occur, but only when absolutely necessary.

The Five Great Families had tried forcing everyone to fight to the death before. But the final result was so disheartening that they simply stopped coming altogether.

Ultimately, the Five Great Families had no choice but to compromise. On one hand, they tried to improve their image; on the other hand, they offered better conditions to entice nobles from other regions of the kingdom to join the Northern Frontier Battlefield.

In addition, considering the overall situation, other major powers in the kingdom did not want the Northern Frontier defense line to collapse, so they provided them with a lot of support, which gradually stabilized the situation.

"You make it sound nice! But if we really go south, to a place where we know no one, how do you expect the Ciss to establish themselves?"

Don't forget, there are quite a few minor noble families that you have ruined in the last two hundred years.

Not all of these people died out; many families slowly revived after moving south.

Time may have passed, but the hatred has not dissipated. If they find out that Ciss is your son, I'm afraid...

Unconvinced, Lady Linna directly revealed the truth.

Cavadia was also helpless about the seeds of trouble sown by his ancestors. The Felix Family had considered eliminating the root of the problem, but the problem was that all the nobles were one family, and moving one would have far-reaching consequences.

The events of that year had already tarnished their reputations and led to their ostracization by the kingdom's nobility. If they were to push things further, they would become public enemies of the nobility.