Divine Covenant

Ye Wei'an's words were like a blade, precisely slicing through the reality she had been desperately trying to whitewash all these years.

Those old matters she had deliberately forgotten now flooded back into her mind like a rising tide.

She recalled that day fifteen years ago; it had been a rainy day in Suzar.

She still remembered standing in her father's study, wearing an expensive lace gown, feeling like a lamb waiting for the slaughter.

Her father, the Duke of Malcast, who held immense power, had casually pronounced her fate while flipping through a trade ledger:

"Selina, you are to marry Baron Harandir Xiaxing."

"Although the Baron is a bit old, the Summerstar family's Firefall Valley sits at a critical junction between the trade routes of Cormyr and the Dalelands. The Amarisk Family needs right-of-way through that territory. Selina, you are a daughter of this house; this is your duty."

How had she resisted back then?

She had cried out that he was a mere baron unworthy of their family's status, that he was nearly forty—a full twenty-two years her senior—and that he even had a one-year-old illegitimate son.

But her iron-hearted father had only sneered:

"He may indeed be just a baron, but he is a baron whose territory sits in a critical location!"

"A bastard with no legitimate standing cannot possibly inherit the Summerstar estate. As long as you give birth to a legitimate heir, you will be the future mistress of the Summerstar house."

Seeing her about to weep and plead further, Malcast frowned:

"If you do not wish to marry, then go to the temple and serve the Goddess before those cold stone statues for the rest of your life."

On the day of her wedding, the desolation of the frontier filled her with a despair she had never known before.

Looking at that man, two generations her senior and reeking of alcohol, and then at the illegitimate child in the cradle, she told herself in that moment: in this world, only power and money were things she could rely on.

That was why she had so frantically embezzled the territory's assets and so actively helped her maiden family smuggle goods through "Gray Crow" Finn; she only wanted to prove that she still had value and had not been abandoned by Suzar.

But Ye Wei'an's words just now had completely shattered her illusions.

Duke Malcast Amarisk had a full twelve daughters; she was merely the most unremarkable of them all. Her mother was nothing more than a maid, and had she been a male, she might not have even had the chance to join the family.

So-called familial affection was nothing but bullshit.

She was merely a tool for the Amarisk Family to control the Firefall Territory.

And the Amarisk Family had no need for a tool that botched its job.

If a tool was broken, it could simply be discarded.

"In the Amarisk family, I am just a daughter no one cares about..." Selina repeated in a low voice, laughing at herself. The tears in the corners of her eyes flowed, though she knew not if they were for the girl she once was or the woman she had become.

Ye Wei'an watched her in silence.

"You are right, Ye Wei'an. After all these years, I haven't even seen things as clearly as you do." She took a deep breath and wiped her tears away firmly. "Those old men only know how to sit high up in Suzar Manor, holding court at banquets and galas. They don't have to do a thing to rightfully siphon off the dividends I've worked so hard to manage, all while pointing fingers at my life."

"So, sign it, My Lady. This is your destiny."

Ye Wei'an pushed the parchment forward. "As long as you sign this contract, these secrets will rot in my stomach, and everything in Firefall Valley will remain as it was—you will still be the mistress of the Summerstar territory, and Lucas will still be the future lord. You aren't losing out on this deal."

Selina lifted her head once more.

Though her face remained deathly pale, her eyes now held the gambler's desperation.

"You are right. Only what is in one's own hands is truly one's own."

She grabbed the quill and wrote rapidly: "Since you want to go to those godforsaken places to be a pioneer lord, then go. I will give you money and supplies, and I will use the Amarisk connections to help you clear the kingdom's paperwork. As long as you stay far away from Firefall Valley, far away from me and Lucas... I will give you whatever you want."

At this, her hand paused: "However, I cannot produce twenty thousand gold coins in cash."

Seeing Ye Wei'an's lingering suspicion, she explained with a bitter smile: "Just as you said, I am only a tool for the Amarisk family. The lion's share of what I've earned from smuggling over the years has been handed over to the family, and the rest goes to maintaining the territory, my own dignity, and Lucas's extravagance. I am not as wealthy as you imagine."

Ye Wei'an could sense that she was telling the truth.

"Then, how much can you give?"

"Ten thousand in cash, at most." Selina gritted her teeth. "The remaining ten thousand, I can convert into the armor, weapons, and farming tools you need."

"Deal." Ye Wei'an did not quibble over the price difference.

Whether it was money or resources, as long as it could be used for the development of the territory, it was enough.

"There is also the matter of talent," Selina added another condition. "You may recruit talent from the territory, but you cannot drain all the key personnel. There must be a limit on the number of people recruited, especially the craftsmen!"

"Of course, I only need enough talent to meet the basic needs of the territory." Ye Wei'an agreed. "I am also a member of the Summerstar family. If the Summerstar house falls, it is my face that is lost as well."

With the agreement reached, at Selina's insistence, Ye Wei'an accompanied her to a small room beside the dining hall.

This was a shrine dedicated to Sharess, the Goddess of the Nobility.

Though the room was narrow, it was extremely luxurious:

Deep red velvet curtains hung on the four walls, incense burned on shelves on either side, and in the center of the room stood a statue of Sharess. The statue depicted an elegant, mature noblewoman holding a silver chalice and a diamond scepter, wearing a crown carved from diamonds upon her brow.

Beneath the statue was the Goddess's holy symbol—a silver chalice adorned with a golden sun pattern on the side.

Ye Wei'an placed the contract before the statue.

Selina stepped forward, placed her hand upon the holy symbol, and spoke with solemnity: "In the name of Sharess, Goddess of the Nobility, I, Selina of the Amarisk Family, do hereby swear that this contract shall be as firm as blood itself. Should I break this oath, let my name be erased from the herald's scrolls."

For nobles who valued family and honor above all else, being struck from the noble register was a fate far more terrifying than death.

Following this, Ye Wei'an repeated the oath and pressed the emblem of the holy symbol onto the contract.

"The contract is sealed." Ye Wei'an withdrew his hand. "My Lady, you can rest easy now."

Selina let out a long sigh of relief, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Now, can you return Finn, Grumman, and all those damned ledgers from the dungeon to me?"

"Return them?" Upon hearing this, Ye Wei'an acted as if he had heard some absurd joke. "No, My Lady, you have misunderstood."

"What do you mean?" Selina's expression froze instantly. "We just swore an oath before the Goddess! Do you intend to go back on your word?"

"I am very clear on the content of the oath." Ye Wei'an brushed some non-existent dust from his cuffs in a leisurely manner. "The contract stipulates that I will not expose your secrets, threaten Lucas's right of inheritance, or divide the family territory. However, My Lady, please read it from beginning to end again—where on that paper does it say I must return the witnesses and evidence to you?"

"Ye Wei'an! You swindled me!" Selina shrieked.

She felt as though her ten thousand gold coins and half her family fortune had been fed to the dogs.

"How could I possibly swindle you? I am merely keeping an insurance policy for myself." Ye Wei'an smiled slightly. "After all, the contract dictates that you must provide me with compensation, but it does not restrict you from taking action against me after the compensation is paid, does it? As long as these things remain in my hands, we will never have to reach the point of crossing swords."

With her petty schemes exposed to her face, Selina's complexion shifted from green to white, then from white to purple, finally erupting into a roar of shame and fury:

"Get out! Ye Wei'an, take your contract and get out! I curse you! I hope you die in the god-forsaken borderlands with those damned gold coins!"

"Thank you for your blessing; I shall keep your generosity in mind."

Ye Wei'an bowed elegantly and turned to leave under Selina's gaze.

As Ye Wei'an stepped out of the dining room, the little maid was pacing back and forth like an anxious little beast.

Further away at the top of the stairs, Lina was standing with a feigned air of composure, though the glances she cast over from time to time betrayed her anxiety.

The moment Ye Wei'an emerged, Ailian immediately hurried over, asking with concern, "Young Master! Why did you take so long to come out?"

As she spoke, she glanced toward the prayer room. "That wicked woman was screaming so loudly inside... What happened just now? Did she try to do something bad to you? If she did, I'll rush in right now and smash her shrine!"

Looking at Ailian's loyal appearance, ready to kill or loot for him at a moment's notice, Ye Wei'an felt a warmth in his heart.

The cold calculations and power struggles from the negotiation table were instantly cast to the back of his mind.

He smiled and ruffled the little maid's hair. "Don't worry, she wouldn't dare do anything to me. I am a powerful mage, after all!"

As he said this, he struck a strong pose.

"Then what was it all about?" Ailian was even more curious.

"Nothing much, we just made a deal."

"Just like in Firefall Town?" Ailian immediately recalled that night, becoming instantly excited.

"Just like in Firefall Town, only this time, we earned even more." Ye Wei'an looked toward Lina, who was waiting eagerly not far away, and reminded her, "You can tell Sister Lina that she is free. And starting tomorrow, she will no longer be the head maid of Firefall Territory, but my, Ye Wei'an's, head maid. I have a lot of work for her to do and a lot of gold coins waiting for her to count."

"Understood! I knew the Young Master was the best!" Ailian ran excitedly toward Lina.