The Godfather

"Make me little Xia Ya's godfather?"

Aaron felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.

A godfather was equivalent to a foster father in the East, even carrying rights of guardianship; if anything were to happen to little Xia Ya's parents, he would theoretically be responsible for the child's upbringing.

To take a darker perspective, if The Count were to pass away in the future and Colin were to die as well, Aaron could rely on that guardianship to act as the direct regent for the title of Count of Green Forest!

Legally speaking, this would provide him with an even greater layer of legitimacy than Sean.

"I don't mind, but I doubt Colin would agree... Besides, this is just a rumor; it might have been deliberately spread by some lady to stir up trouble..."

Aaron shrugged his shoulders: "We don't need this, so there's no reason to push for it, understand?"

As he spoke, he pressed his temples.

Just a moment ago, his spirituality had surged, and he seemed to sense some vague scene, yet there was nothing there.

This caused a guess to surface in Aaron's mind: Is this... the ability of divination... has the dark spirituality enhanced my intuition?

Could it be... that the 'Sun' or the [Black Sun] of the dream world also holds the symbol of divination?

The path of the Black Sun is 'Darkness,' related to corruption... wait, could this mean I intuitively sensed some conspiracy? A conspiracy of the future?

His expression turned serious.

Albert bowed even lower.

He felt a terrifying heat surging from the man before him, as if he were not facing a lord, but a dark furnace!

Pitch-black flames rose, as if a black sun had ascended to swallow him whole.

"Ah!"

Albert jolted as if waking from a nightmare, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

The lord's majesty... it simply surpasses that of a Count... no... it surpasses... humanity!

Sothoth Castle.

"Godfather? Why him?"

Hearing Colin's roar, Ginny couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Then, unsurprisingly, she watched as Colin was unceremoniously kicked out of Theodore's study.

"Things decided by Father are never subject to change... he is just like the old grandmother, unwavering!"

Ginny lowered her voice, looking at her twin brother, Sean, beside her.

Sean's expression was equally grim: "If this happens, once something happens to Colin, Aaron will inevitably take the position..."

In the traditions of Green Forest, only primogeniture was considered a strong claim.

Once the eldest son died, his brothers enjoyed essentially equal rights of succession; there was no inherent priority among them.

In other words, if Colin died, the title could be inherited by Aaron just as easily as by Sean; both would be reasonable.

Of course, since he had a son, the son's right of succession would take precedence over his uncles.

However, with Aaron holding the guardianship as godfather, his priority would exceed Sean's, at least until Xia Ya came of age.

If the heir in such a situation were a female, it would be even more miserable; the godfather might even arrange her marriage directly.

He could easily strip the territory bare before the heir ever grew up.

"Colin is the eldest son, and Aaron is the son who satisfies him... What am I? I am nothing!"

Sean mocked himself.

"At least... you know who you are."

Ginny added from the side, then pouted: "I want to eat caramel pudding; the one made in the castle kitchen is never quite authentic..."

Colin walked out of the castle, mounted his horse, and arrived at a villa in the small town.

He kept a mistress here.

Well, for the Green Foresters, this was nothing unusual; Colin even occasionally enjoyed visiting the town to seek amusement with the local streetwalkers.

It seemed that to compensate for his wife's infidelity, he was quite enthusiastic in this regard.

Outside the villa, Colin dismounted, his heart fluttering at the thought of his mistress's shy face.

"Elaine, I'm here!"

He walked through the front door, grabbed a beautiful young woman, and moved to kiss her impatiently.

"Wait, there is a guest!"

Elaine blushed and hurriedly refused.

"A guest? Who? Some merchant looking for passage rights and tax cuts?"

Colin frowned and walked into the living room.

Then, he saw someone who caught him completely by surprise.

"Lord Colin, we meet again."

The special envoy of the Kagash Kingdom, Ferry Gato, whom he had once met at the wedding, stood up, bowed respectfully, and offered a greeting.

"It's you?"

Colin stared at Ferry, feeling a sense of bewilderment.

The Ferry Gato of the past had worn silk robes, his hair groomed to perfection, his eyes filled with pride—the very picture of an upper-class aristocrat.

But now, he wore a gray coat, his hair was a tangled mess like a bird's nest, and his face wore a fawning smile, making him indistinguishable from any common merchant.

This immediately made Colin realize that he had seemingly underestimated this legendary king's jester.

"You snuck into the Green Forest... what are you trying to do?"

Colin entered the parlor and asked in a deep voice.

"I am here to help you, Lord Colin. I heard that you have encountered some... er... minor troubles?" Ferry Gato said, "The Kagash Kingdom is willing to help you become the undisputed Count of Green Forest... This would be beneficial for both of us."

"Are you the spymaster for the Sheep Men?"

Colin was no fool; he immediately caught the scent of a conspiracy and sneered, "You want me to betray the Green Forest, to betray my father? I am already the heir; I don't need any help!"

His hand was already gripped around the hilt of his sword, ready to sever the head of the man before him at any moment.

"No, no, no. According to the news I've heard, your position as heir is already in jeopardy... Furthermore, according to the barbaric traditions of the Green Forest, the legendary Green Forest King favors his second son, and thus would kill his eldest to pave the way for him..."

Ferry smiled, "Do you... want to become a stepping stone for Aaron?"

Watching Colin, who had suddenly frozen, he sneered inwardly: What a fool. Even your younger brother knows better than to have any contact with me, keeping his distance... But fools are good; fools are what benefit the kingdom!

For some reason, Ferry thought of that unflappable youth again: If a king like Aaron were to take the throne, he would surely set his sights beyond the Green Forest, and then the kingdom would be in danger...

"You..."

Colin's expression shifted several times, but he fell into an eerie silence, his hand releasing the sword hilt.

"That's right, my respected lord. We are not asking you to betray your father; the only one we are targeting is your younger brother..."

Ferry continued his seduction, while thinking to himself: Whether this conspiracy succeeds or fails, I will leak it... plunging the Green Forest into civil strife, ideally causing it to fracture once more—that is what best serves the interests of the kingdom. Those remnants of the Davis Family are truly too stupid; they've already had most of their number captured and are no longer worth the investment...