Moonlight Like Water (5)

With gold coins in hand, Miss Windsor appeared full of spirit. She first paid a high price to acquire the three-story flat-roofed building behind the boutique. Then, she enclosed the two existing shops and the narrow alleyway between them, which was over two meters wide, with a wall. After renovating, she connected the newly purchased three-story building to the two front shops, more than doubling the business area. Following Lorist's suggestion, she added a T-shaped stage at the back and hired several stunningly beautiful women as models. When not busy, they would strut on the stage, showcasing the newly launched clothing series.

When the former captain of the guard, who had sneaked back into the old Windsor territory a month prior to gather information, returned, he brought back dozens of people, mostly former servants and guards who had worked at Windsor Castle. After the new lord arrived, these old members of the Windsor Family were all kicked out for security reasons and left to fend for themselves. Hearing that Miss Windsor and the young master were in Molent City, they followed them.

Among the newly arrived elders was a father and son, both tanners and shoemakers, who had always been the exclusive shoemakers for the Windsor Family. Their arrival greatly pleased Lorist. Soon after, the Windsor Women's Boutique launched its high-heeled shoe series, which quickly became all the rage in Molent City. Although many merchants tried to imitate the Windsor Boutique's product series, the rich and noble patrons only recognized the small Mermaid Trademark of the Windsor Boutique. In Ancient Elvish, "Windsor" meant mermaid. The Windsor Family's crest depicted a mermaid wielding a trident in battle.

Nowadays, when nobles and the wealthy in Molent City held parties, it was considered embarrassing if the female members of the household didn't have several sets of formal wear and princess dresses from the Windsor Boutique to change into. There was even a merchant guild president's daughter who changed seventeen outfits and seven pairs of high heels at a banquet, effectively turning her father's appreciation banquet into a fashion show for the Windsor Boutique.

Miss Windsor now deeply understood the meaning of "endless stream of wealth." She handed over the boutique to Susie and the garment factory to Rina. With these two maids working diligently, Miss Windsor began to turn her attention to the family's old territory.

Maid Rina's father, Knight Som, had arrived in Molent City over a month ago, bringing Rina's mother and two younger brothers with him. However, his injuries had not yet healed, and he would need some time to recover his fighting ability.

Lorist greatly admired the silent, strong man. Sometimes, he would mischievously wonder if Rina wasn't his biological daughter, as their temperaments were completely different. It was hard to believe that such a loyal and steady man would have such a playful and mischievous daughter. However, Rina resembled her mother, who was gentle and kind, unlike the little girl with a sharp tongue who never let up when she had the upper hand.

Along with the old family members, the Windsor Family's loyal former captain of the guard also brought back news from the old territory. Due to the new lord's excessive taxation, the old territory was in despair, and people longed for the days under the Windsor Family's rule. Furthermore, those scattered former guard members and soldiers had become bandits, and the old territory was rife with conflict and chaos.

This was a common phenomenon in Galintea. After acquiring a new territory, new lords often adopted a high-pressure policy to exploit the residents. This was partly to recoup their investment and partly to intimidate the new territory's residents. When the residents could no longer bear it and were on the verge of rebellion, the lord would deploy troops to suppress them, killing those loyal to the old lord. After this "killing the chicken to scare the monkeys" tactic, the remaining residents could only submit. Only then would the new lord gradually ease his rule and implement some appeasement policies. Within a few years, the residents of the new territory would naturally forget the old lord and become loyal to the new one.

Lorist believed this was the best time to infiltrate the old territory and organize a resistance army, an opportunity not to be missed. Knight Som nodded in agreement. Miss Windsor immediately decided that after her eighteenth birthday Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Knight Som would lead a team of over ten people back to the old territory to establish the Windsor Family's resistance army. Their initial tasks would be to set up several secret and safe camps, then gather soldiers and guards still loyal to the family, and deploy spies to monitor the territory. Once the preparatory work was completed, Miss Windsor would organize military personnel and equipment in Molent City to be sent to the old territory to support Knight Som in launching attacks against the new lord.

The Coming-of-Age Ceremony was a traditional aristocratic ritual in Galintea, a celebration of a child's transition to adulthood and an expression of the elders' high hopes for the younger generation's future development. Typically, a respected elder would bestow a sword upon a young man or place a Floral Crown on an adult woman, accompanied by words of blessing. Afterward, a banquet would be held for revelry.

However, Miss Windsor's eighteenth birthday Coming-of-Age Ceremony was arranged simply, with few attendees. Knight Som's wife placed a pure white Floral Crown on the big-eyed girl's head, sprinkled her with Holy Water, and then clasped her hands in prayer, wishing the girl a carefree life, a loving partner, and a glorious mother and virtuous wife.

Following the Coming-of-Age Ceremony was the succession ceremony for the head of the Windsor Family. All the old members of the Windsor Family stepped forward one by one and bowed to the girl, who sat at the head table wearing the Floral Crown, expressing their commitment to the Windsor Family's honor and revival with unwavering loyalty. Even Madam Winsor, draped in a black cloak to conceal her increasingly plump figure, led the curious young master to the girl and performed a half-bow.

After everyone had paid their respects, the girl, who had just become the head of the family, stood up and motioned for the former captain of the guard, Hurd, to kneel before her. She placed her sword on his shoulder and said, "When the honor of the Windsor Family fell into dust, it was you, brave guardian, who did not forget your duty, brought protection to the weak, and hope to the despairing. To honor a warrior and reward loyal actions, I, Winsor.Bilina, the eleventh-generation head of the Windsor Family, appoint Warrior Hurd as the Guardian Knight of the Windsor Family."

The girl tapped Hurd's shoulders twice with the flat of her sword.

Knight Som stepped forward a few paces and loudly asked, "Knight Hurd, do you swear to become the last line of defense for Mermaid Castle?"

"I do!"

"Knight Hurd, do you swear to fight to the death under the Mermaid Banner?"

"I do!"

"Knight Hurd, do you swear to charge forward without hesitation at the sound of the Mermaid Horn?"

"I do!"

"Knight Hurd, do you swear to dedicate your life to the honor of the Mermaid Emblem, until death do you part?"

"I do!" Knight Hurd's replies grew louder, his body trembling with emotion.

"Then welcome to the fold, my brother!" Knight Som strode forward, helped Knight Hurd up from the ground, and embraced him tightly.

Everyone present began to applaud, their applause merging into a continuous wave.

As an invited observer, Lorist sat quietly and watched the entire ceremony. However, the scene before him seemed to stir memories hidden deep within his heart. These were the memories of the body's original owner, Little Locke. It seemed the Norton Family had also held a similar ceremony for promoting a family knight when Little Locke was young, equally solemn and heroic, though with more attendees and a livelier atmosphere.

After the ceremony, Lorist, the girl who had just become the head of the Windsor Family and was still wearing the Floral Crown, Knight Som who was about to lead his team, and the newly appointed Knight Hurd sat together for the final planning arrangements. Miss Windsor had decided to establish the Windsor Chamber of Commerce to acquire weapons and equipment and recruit Silver Rank mercenaries. She rejected Knight Hurd's suggestion to return to the old territory with Knight Som to organize the resistance army.

Miss Windsor believed that Knight Hurd's immediate priority was to master the high-level Wood Attribute Battle Qi Manual bestowed upon him by the family. This high-level Battle Qi Manual was acquired by Miss Windsor at great expense, intended as a gift for Knight Hurd during the family knight promotion ceremony. The former captain of the guard was Black Iron Three-Star with the Wood Attribute. With this high-level Wood Attribute Battle Qi Manual, he could advance to Silver Rank within half a year.

However, Knight Hurd was eager to avenge his lord and serve with all his might. In the end, Miss Windsor agreed to let Knight Hurd be responsible for the transportation of weapons and equipment and the reception of personnel.

Lorist repeatedly cautioned Knight Som. Upon arriving in the old territory, his first priority was not to recruit members for the resistance army and expand the force, but to first select a camp and a secret hiding place, establish a spy network, and gather intelligence on the new lord. He warned him not to rashly attack the new lord's castle and army, emphasizing that self-preservation should be the primary focus in the initial stages.

Knight Som nodded with amusement. This boyfriend of Miss Windsor was truly interesting. Didn't he realize these instructions had already been repeated three times? Nevertheless, Knight Som thanked Lorist and assured him that he would not forget these counsels.

It was late at night, and Lorist still felt a bit restless. Perhaps it was the impact of the Windsor Family's knight promotion ceremony that evening. He suddenly realized he seemed to have a profound misunderstanding of nobles. Perhaps it was too much influence from his past life. In his heart, he had always thought nobles were hypocritical, delicate, and pretentious individuals, like the caricatures in past-life comics, where nobles were depicted as vampires feeding on the populace, fat and bloated parasites. But today, the memories from deep within his heart told him that not all nobles were as he imagined. There were also loyal, brave, just, and disciplined nobles. They also fulfilled their duties with dedication and possessed the same fervent spirit.

The room door was quietly pushed open. The girl wearing the Floral Crown, in a white silk nightgown, tiptoed in. She first looked at the bed and, finding no one there, wrinkled her pretty nose and whispered, "Where did that stinky guy run off to..."

Lorist chuckled softly. The girl was startled and turned around to see Lorist standing by the window. She said angrily, "Not sleeping in the middle of the night, what are you trying to do?"

Lorist was speechless... He pointed to himself, then to the room, and finally to the girl. His meaning was clear: "This is my room, why did you sneak in here in the middle of the night?"

The girl moved like a gust of wind, instantly throwing herself into Lorist's arms. She hooked her arms around his neck and whispered, her breath warm, "I'm really happy tonight, I can't sleep at all. Locke, thank you. Without you, I wouldn't be here today. You gave me hope, and you gave me tomorrow..."

The girl closed her eyes and proactively offered a kiss.

Lorist responded passionately.

As they kissed, their emotions intensified, and Lorist found himself losing control.

The girl suddenly pushed Lorist away, her cheeks flushed. "Locke, I want to dance. I want to dance for you."

Barefoot, the girl danced gracefully on the dark red wooden floor under the bright, silvery moonlight, like the legendary Moon Elves offering their most devout prayers to their Silver Moon Mother Goddess. Her white nightgown was like a white night-blooming jasmine, quietly releasing its fragrance in the still night.

After her final dance move, the girl froze in the silvery moonlight, motionless, like a stunning statue.

Lorist gave her a thumbs-up.

The girl's face turned red again. She slowly raised her hands and gently pulled the ribbons at her shoulders. Her white nightgown quietly fell to the floor...

Her body, smooth as jade, appeared before Lorist. His breathing became heavy...

The girl's voice trembled as she asked, "Lo-Locke, do I look beautiful?"

Lorist transformed into a wolf...

That night, the moonlight was like water...

Heh heh, this is indeed a very cliché love story