Crimson Maple Territory Trades Its Lands

Victor knocked and walked straight into the room. He had not expected to find anyone besides Alex and Count Lloyd there, but Count Edmund of Crimson Maple was with them too.

When Edmund saw Victor enter, he immediately stood and bowed to him. Then he turned to Alex. "Your Grace, now that Marquis Victor is here, I'll take my leave. Sorry to trouble you with what comes next!"

Alex was cordial to Edmund as well. "Count Edmund, you can rest easy. Leave this to me.

"Once this audience is over and I've returned to Vela, I'll start moving things forward."

Gratitude showed on Edmund's face. He said goodbye to Count Lloyd, then left the captain's cabin.

Victor watched Edmund step outside and gently close the door. How strange. When had the count become so polite? As Victor recalled, Edmund had never acted like this, not even when Count Colt was around.

After Victor sat down, he asked Alex curiously, "Count Edmund came to see you just now. Does he need your help with something?"

"He does," Alex said. "And it really is something only I can help him with.

"He wants to exchange his lands and move the whole of Crimson Maple Territory inland!"

Victor drew a sharp breath. "Count Edmund performed so well in the Civil War and earned plenty of merit. Even after spending enough to be promoted to count, he should still have enough military merit left to exchange for land inland, as far as I know!

"I'd think he could get at least a viscount's territory. Why does he want to move his existing lands too?

"Relocating a territory is a massive undertaking. He'd have to move a huge population, and land in the Northlands would certainly shrink in the exchange for inland land—perhaps even by