Organizing

After lying in bed for quite a while, Song Ye rolled over and got up.

Faint shouts drifted over from beyond the courtyard wall outside the bedroom. It sounded as if someone was gathering a crowd. It was quite lively.

Song Ye knew that his father had recently been leading the guards in hunting down escaped criminals throughout the territory.

A group of escaped criminals from who knew where had come in and, over the past few days, continuously robbed and murdered more than a dozen households of commoners, throwing the entire territory into panic.

Knight Audis had been ordered to lead his guards and split up to search everywhere.

Pushing open the bedroom door, he saw a gray little courtyard with a small pond outside. It looked somewhat desolate, with clumps of green weeds scattered messily about.

The two guards waiting outside were talking beside the pond. When they saw Song Ye come out, they hurried over and respectfully bowed.

They were both members of the barony guard, broad and sturdy middle-aged men with imposing builds.

"Young Master Anglie, you're awake?" asked the bearded guard in a deep, muffled voice. He wore heavy yellow leather armor that covered his entire body and carried an enormous axe on his back. He gave off an exceptionally formidable air.

The other man was leaner and wore only half-body leather armor, but his gaze was calm and he looked quite nimble. A cross sword hung at his waist.

Song Ye's eyes swept across the blade of the cross sword and caught sight of dark red bloodstains still lingering on it. His pupils contracted slightly.

"Did Uncle Audis send you here?" Song Ye asked.

"Yes. After escorting you back to the castle, we have to hurry back to the guard immediately. Time is rather tight, so we should leave now," the leaner man said in a low voice.

Song Ye nodded.

"Looks like there's news about those escaped criminals?"

The leaner man nodded.

"We found their temporary hideout this morning. The captain has already led the brothers in surrounding them."

"Alright. I'll go change first."

Song Ye went back inside and changed out of his sleepwear. Then, together with the two men, he left this temporary resting place.

This residence was only a place for the family to stay when they occasionally came to the town for leisure. Its conditions were not particularly good, so it was naturally unsuitable for recuperating from injuries.

Outside the residence was a bustling street. Everyone wore dull gray linen clothes, and the entire street looked filthy.

Some peddlers shouted loudly from the roadside. There were stalls selling fruit, wooden toys, and vegetables. Women carrying baskets on their arms moved back and forth among the stalls.

The moment Song Ye stepped out through the courtyard gate, he immediately noticed how different he was from everyone around him.

Unlike everyone else on the street, he was not wearing gray. He was dressed in black. But he soon understood why.

In this world, apart from nobles, all commoners could only wear gray. Colored clothing was a privilege reserved solely for nobles. Anyone daring to defy this rule could very likely be sentenced directly to death. It was an extremely serious offense. Even among nobles, certain colors could only be used by specific ranks.

The three chatted casually as they walked. Song Ye noticed that whenever passersby saw him, they respectfully bent slightly in greeting, their faces showing awe. It made him feel like a lion walking among sheep.

"What is it? Are you feeling a little unaccustomed to this, Young Master Anglie?" the leaner man asked with a smile.

After chatting for a while, Song Ye learned their names as well. The leaner man was called Carter. He had originally been an adventurer living nearby, but was later recruited into the guard. He was considered quite fortunate. After all, adventurers were practically synonymous with unemployed vagrants in real life, with extremely low status. Joining the guard was equivalent to joining the police force back on Earth. Not only did one's status rise greatly, there were also a series of benefits.

The burly one was called Miro. He was a native of the Rio Barony and was naturally gifted with immense strength.

Before Song Ye could reply, Carter chuckled to himself. "That makes sense. Candiya City is far bigger than this place." He casually picked up a tomato from a roadside stall and took a huge bite, paying no attention to the stall owner's unpleasant expression.

Song Ye frowned slightly but said nothing.

It was clear from this habit of taking things without paying that the family guards were probably notorious throughout the territory for being arrogant and overbearing.

But hadn't he himself been exactly the same before?

The three continued chatting as they followed the street out of town. Beyond the fence outside the town, a black carriage waited by the roadside. When the coachman saw them approaching, he hurried down and stood aside to wait.

The three boarded the carriage, with Carter driving, and headed straight toward the main road.

It took more than twenty minutes to reach their destination along the road: the Leo Family's headquarters, Kyle Castle.

Carefully stepping down from the carriage, Song Ye raised his head and looked at the castle ahead.

Amid a stretch of green woods stood a building resembling an estate from his previous life.

A moat had been dug around the entirety of Kyle Castle. Rather than a castle, it was more like a small town enclosed by high walls.

The gray earthen fortress looked nothing like the proper castle Song Ye had imagined. At most, it was as tall as a five-story building. Two guards carrying iron swords stood watch in front of the gate across the lowered drawbridge, gazing over at them in confusion.

The afternoon sunset dyed the entire earthen fortress red. The fragrance of some unknown flower drifted over from somewhere.

Song Ye took a deep breath. It was nearly evening, and the air had grown somewhat cooler.

"Is Old Ward here?" he asked quietly.

Carter nodded beside him. "He is. Since we've arrived, we'll head back first."

Song Ye nodded and watched as the two turned around, drove the carriage away, and hurried back. They quickly vanished down the main road before he finally lifted his foot and headed toward the earthen fortress.

An elderly man with graying hair, dressed in a black robe, was coming out of the fortress to greet him. Several maids and guards followed behind him.

"Old Ward, I'm back," Song Ye called out, quickening his pace.

Ward was the steward under Baron Kyle who was specifically responsible for managing the territory's general affairs. He had served the Leo Family for decades. It was said that even Baron Kyle, Song Ye's father, had been raised under his watch.

"I told the baron long ago that Young Master should let Lord Audis teach him, but the baron simply wouldn't listen. Now Young Master has been injured. If he'd listened to me earlier..." The somewhat gaunt old man began muttering the moment he approached.

Song Ye wore his habitual smile as he entered the earthen fortress together with the group.

After grumbling for a while, Ward suddenly stopped.

"Oh, right, Young Master. Don't go back this time. Just stay here and study under Lord Audis."

"Is that Father's decision?"

"Yes. The situation has been very unstable lately, and we don't feel safe letting you live outside alone. Besides, after suffering such a grievous injustice this time, even Viscount Candia must give us an explanation." Ward's tone carried a trace of ferocity.

"I don't really mind," Song Ye said with a nod.

The two of them, along with two maids, entered the fortress hall.

Two young girls in white dresses were waiting directly ahead. When they saw Ward bring Song Ye inside, both girls carefully lifted their skirts and curtsied to him.

"Brother Anglie."

"Cilier and Maggie." The memories in Song Ye's mind quickly reminded him who they were.

One was Anglie's half-sister from the same father, C ilier, while the other was Maggie, the daughter of poor relatives whose branch of the family had fallen into decline and who had come to seek refuge with the Leo Family. Both were younger than Anglie, so they called him brother.

Because Anglie held a high position within the family, girls of their status were always extremely cautious around him.

After all, there were many people of their standing in the castle, and they were not valued by the baron. Cilier's status was slightly better. She received a fixed monthly allowance and had people assigned to handle her household matters. Her status was about the same as that of the head maid.

Maggie's status was much lower. In the castle, her parents still had to work for the baron in exchange for wages to support themselves. They were equivalent to servants of slightly higher status. There were many relatives like her family who had come seeking refuge in the castle. They were hardly worth mentioning.

"I haven't seen you two in a long time." Song Ye smiled. He had gotten along fairly well with them before. Since the two were considered quite attractive and well-proportioned among the people in the castle, he had often looked after his two younger sisters whenever he ran into them. This made them believe they had found a protector, so naturally they were happy to grow close to Anglie.

"We heard that you were injured, so we waited here especially for you. Are you feeling better?" Maggie asked proactively. Her voice was still youthful, but although she was only thirteen, she had already developed quite maturely. Her curvaceous figure, slightly alluring face, slender waist, and full chest made Song Ye's gaze linger on her for a moment longer.

Maggie seemed to sense Song Ye's gaze. Her cheeks flushed faintly, yet she deliberately puffed out her chest and let him look, while pretending not to have noticed.

By comparison, Cilier beside her was overly shy. She was far less developed than Maggie and resembled a young fawn, secretly peeking timidly at Anglie. Her hands twisted together before her lower abdomen, and she looked somewhat distracted. Compared to Maggie, she possessed a different kind of pure beauty.

Ordinarily, Song Ye's return to the castle could not possibly have been welcomed by only the two of them. These girls were probably somewhat calculating, knowing to come out in advance and wait for him so that others would see how close they were to Song Ye. Of course, it was also possible that their parents had instructed them to do so.

Song Ye nodded.

"I'm much better already. You two needn't worry." He casually chatted with the girls for a few moments.

Ward, who had been standing nearby, quietly left to deal with other matters.

Led by the two girls, Song Ye entered the inner hall. Only after receiving the respectful greetings of most of the castle's inhabitants did he finally have time to rest properly.

He returned to his own private bedroom.

Only then did Song Ye let out a long breath.

Besides the bed, the bedroom contained a writing desk. A pale yellow parchment lay spread across it, and a feather quill rested casually beside an ink bottle. A mountain-shaped candlestick flickered with pale yellow light, giving off the faint scent of melted wax.

Song Ye pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down. He glanced over the parchment.