Viscount, Aren't You Afraid I'll Kill You?
???
Give her a chance to become an heir? Make a princess the heir to a count? In all her life, she had only ever heard of people with titles being chosen by royalty to be heirs, never of a princess being chosen by a count to become his heir.
The Earl of Lance beside her was an interesting and somewhat strange person. As a princess, she had seen many lords with titles, but she had never seen a lord like Lance who completely delegated power to his subjects.
It was a true and complete decentralization; he genuinely didn't care about the Fief system, taxation, or military power, allowing his Fief to develop and exert their power freely. Under normal circumstances, a lord like this would only have one fate: being usurped by Fief subjects, becoming a puppet, and suddenly dying a few years later.
Before coming to Saint Lan, I had never heard of or seen anything like Lance, who completely relinquished power, did not become a puppet of his subjects, but instead became a lord worshipped Fief his fiefdom's subjects.
Not to mention that this Earl of Lance disappeared for nearly six years. In those six years, he was not only not forgotten by the people of his Fief, but there were even signs that he was being deified by Fief. Is he about to become a legend?
She has also collected a lot of information about this "Viscount" during this period.
Some of the Fief's subjects said that the viscount left when the lives of Fief subjects were getting better and better. Before leaving, he left behind many paintings.
The Fief was developed and planned exactly as the Viscount had drawn. Some of the older subjects of the Fief also told her about the state of the fiefdom before the Fief came. According to those subjects, before the Viscount came to Saint Blue, the people here were living in misery and shrouded in despair.
The elderly die in droves during the winter, and children, due to malnutrition and poor health, also have a hard time surviving.
In addition, wild animals, Exotic Beast, and wild boars appear from time to time, making life extremely difficult.
Not to mention the environment, it was dirty, dilapidated, and chaotic.
When people can't even survive, who has the time and energy to care about the environment?
Just as they were about to give up, the Viscount arrived.
He was like a ray of light, dispelling the despair and oppression that hung over them.
The clean-cut and refreshing Viscount began his survey of villages one by one, working alongside the farmers who exuded a strong odor.
The Viscount always wore a faint smile, encouraging them with his words and painting a bright future for them.
Based on the information she had gathered, it was hard to imagine that this young, handsome, and cheerful Earl would mingle with those impoverished people. Oh, by the way, she had heard from the subjects of Saint Lan that this Viscount had also prepared medicines and treated them for free back then.
Some children who were on the verge of death recovered after taking the medicine prepared by this [Viscount].
The children who grew up in Saint Blue all considered it an honor to serve the Viscount.
From a young age, they trained their physical abilities and combat skills, hoping to grow up to fight for the Viscount and for Saint Blue.
In Saint Blue, the Viscount is already a legend.
"You're quite interesting. What can I possibly inherit from you, such a young count, as your successor?"
"My title, and my lands."
"In what capacity does Your Excellency intend for me to inherit your lands and title?"
"Adopted daughter".
"???"
Claire rolled her eyes. She might be a few years younger than Lance, but definitely not so much younger that they were a generation apart.
"Lance, you should refrain from saying such things in the future, as it sounds like you're insulting the princess. However, if you really want me to inherit your territory, you might seriously consider a marriage alliance with me. Inheriting your territory as your wife would be more reasonable."
What do little girls in the human world think about every day? A black dragon who has lived for over 3,400 years falling in love with a human girl who has lived for only a decade or two? That's too perverse for him to have ever entertained such thoughts.
"If you lived to be three hundred years old, and a young man in his teens or twenties said he wanted to marry you, how would you feel?"
"Such a good thing?"
"."
Claire's words left Lance speechless. It turns out that some people can really be this twisted. "I have no interest in your conflict with MacDonald, nor do I have any interest in Saint Lan. If you're looking for supporters, leave here and go look somewhere else."
Your disguise skills and Illusion Art that can deceive the senses may fool Ticia and the others, but they won't fool me. They're useless against me. I'm not interested in which family's princess you are.
If you come to Saint Blue for tourism and residence, Saint Blue welcomes you. But if you want to drag Saint Blue onto your chariot and have Saint Blue fight for you, you should give up that idea as soon as possible.
They are, after all, my subjects. As their lord, I will not let them die in a meaningless war.
She appeared in Saint Blue posing as MacDonald's daughter, attracted by Saint Blue's potential, and wanted to use Saint Blue to help her restore her kingdom.
The plan was well-thought-out, and the mind was meticulous.
Ticia should have sent people to the capital to investigate this princess, and the information she gathered should include the fact that MacDonald's daughter came to Saint Lan.
A princess from the previous dynasty appeared in Saint Blue, disguised as MacDonald's daughter. MacDonald's daughter should have been imprisoned by this princess.
He had no interest in fighting and killing; he preferred visiting relatives and friends, raising children, watering flowers, reading, drinking tea, and traveling. Of course, he wouldn't try to persuade the princess in front of him to give up her national and personal grievances; he wasn't qualified.
Do not advise others to be virtuous if you have not experienced their suffering; if you have experienced their suffering, you may not be virtuous yourself.
Claire's smile remained unchanged. "It seems you weren't testing me, but truly saw through my disguise. Someone as young and promising as you, why didn't you choose to stay in the capital back then?"
"There is nothing in the capital that can entice me to stay."
"Tell me, do I still have a chance to become Queen?"
"Don't ask, the answer is no."
"You're so blunt and straightforward in exposing my identity. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you when you're not looking?"
Lance seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment, he said, "If you want to assassinate me, just tell me, and I'll try my best to cooperate. If you don't believe me, you can disguise yourself as an assassin tonight and try to kill me. I promise I won't resist."
"???"
Is this person really not afraid of death?
Claire stared into Lance's eyes, while the count's eyes remained fixed on the little dragon catching fish in the river.
He would laugh when he saw Xiaolong accidentally fall into the river.
Seeing Xiaolong catch a fish and get slapped in the face by the fish's tail, he would burst out laughing.
What are you going to do with me?
"Leave on your own."
"Count Lance, please answer one question for me seriously."
"Ask."
"Do I really have no chance to become Queen and restore the glory of the Red Maple Royal Family?"
How can a short-lived person become the Queen of a kingdom?
"???"
Short-lived? Was Claire a short-lived ghost?
Lance can read faces to some extent, and Claire's face indicates that she faces a life-or-death crisis. If she is still a princess protected by the nation's fortune, she should be able to overcome this crisis. After overcoming this crisis, her luck might turn around.
The problem is that she is now a wandering princess with extremely low luck. On the day her life-or-death calamity erupts, she will probably die on the spot.
How can someone with this fate be the Queen of a kingdom?
P. S.: I asked a friend to download a picture of Squid Girl.