Chapter 33

Visas lay at the very edge of the Gadayat Kingdom, quite far from the royal capital, Kaies.

Therefore, by the time Xia Zuoyi arrived at the royal capital, nearly more than half of Gadayat's lords had already arrived.

The remaining lords also reached Kaies shortly after Xia Zuoyi entered the palace.

Gadayat had a total of fifteen cities and nineteen lords.

On the Western Continent, only those who owned land were qualified to be called lords. One did not necessarily need to own a city or a castle to become a lord.

There could be two lords within a single city.

A great lord was the highest ruler within his territory, while lesser lords were manor owners granted part of the great lord's land as fiefs.

This "land" could be a village within a city, a monastery, a plantation, and so on.

Put simply, lesser lords were trusted "officials" appointed by great lords within their own cities to help manage various affairs.

Such lesser lords were equivalent to local minor officials of the ninth or seventh rank in ancient China. The difference was that everything concerning those ancient Chinese local officials, including life and death, was personally decided by the emperor.

On the Western Continent, however, everything concerning a lesser lord, including life and death, was decided by the superior great lord who had granted him land.

For example.

Xia Zuoyi owned two cities, making him a great lord.

If he granted Ferdinand a village in Visas or Komoy Fort as a fief.

Ferdinand would have the right to enjoy the taxes paid to him by the people of that village, and he would not need to pay taxes to Xia Zuoyi.

A lesser lord could be a knight with no title and no noble birth, or a baron or viscount holding the lowest noble titles.

Yet some nobles with the lowest titles might not even own land.

Count was the dividing line and above.

In other words, a great lord who owned a city had to be a noble of count rank or higher.

Generally speaking, it was rare for lesser lords to be enfeoffed within a city. Only people extremely close to the great lord could enjoy the right to possess a fief.

Gadayat's nineteen lords gathered in the royal palace.

Aside from little Xia Zuoyi, everyone was an adult and tall in stature.

They wore naturally draping garments, mostly in black and white, to show their respectful mourning for the king.

Their collars, sleeves, and hems were sewn with decorative patterned trim.

Belts cinched their waists, slightly loose white trousers covered their legs, and tall black boots extended down from their knees. Their overall bearing was elegant and slender.

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Xia Zuoyi wore a pair of little black boots.

He lowered his head and glanced at the little white robe he wore. It was decorated with delicate golden wave-patterned lace and a polished row of gold buttons, while the collar and cuffs were inlaid with understated gemstone clasps.

On the Western Continent, lords wearing expensive clothing signified respect for the royal family.

Before entering the royal capital, Judith had personally pinned the emblem representing Desinia's Thorn Rose onto Xia Zuoyi's chest.

Xia Zuoyi was one of the few count lords in Gadayat who possessed two cities.

The moment he stepped into the royal hall, he received many overt and covert scrutinizing gazes.

Bass Riches stood at the front.

The solemn black robe he wore made his already sharp and intimidating presence seem even more imposing.

More than half of the surrounding lords clustered around him, while the rest stood distinctly apart, some speaking among themselves.

Only Walker followed behind Xia Zuoyi.

After finding a place to stand, he said quietly, "The lords must mourn the king for three days before returning to their territories."

"Three days later, the new king will ascend the throne as well. Which clergyman from the church will conduct the new king's coronation ceremony?"

He did not know much about such matters.

Walker said, "The highest-ranking clergyman in the royal capital is Bishop Bolton."

"It may be him, but it may also be the bishop's representative who presides over the new king's coronation."

The Pope held the highest authority in the Holy See. Below him were cardinals, archbishops, high bishops, bishops, bishop's representatives, priests, deacons, and subdeacons.

Those at bishop rank and above, including bishops, could be appointed by the Pope and assigned to manage churches and temples in various countries.

Bishop's representatives and the others each performed their own duties and worked together to assist.

While the two were talking, Bass Riches approached with several people.

"I heard Count Desinia bought all the Trak Kingdom slaves from the Nagabi Merchant Guild. I wonder how they are being put to use now?"

Xia Zuoyi turned his head and said blandly, "They are acceptable, but I do not believe this is something that needs to trouble Duke Riches."

Bass Riches said, "I am merely considerate of a count so young having to manage two cities."

Xia Zuoyi said, "It is all right. After all, I am also considerate of Duke Riches being so old yet still having to manage the finances of the entire royal capital."

"..."

The corner of Bass Riches's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

The lords who had followed him over had initially worn expressions of anticipation, as though waiting to enjoy a spectacle. Now, however, they all pressed their lips together strangely and stared at Xia Zuoyi in surprise.

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Bass Riches's face darkened, and he said nothing more.

However, a middle-aged man dressed like a noble behind him suddenly spoke.

But he was speaking to Walker.

"Why did you not come home first after returning to the royal capital? Must I invite you myself?"

Walker lowered his head slightly, called him Father, and then said, "Since His Majesty gave me to Lord Desinia, I naturally must put my lord first in all matters."

"Please rest assured. Once the banquet is over, I will return home to visit you and my brother..."

This middle-aged man following behind Bass Riches was Walker's father—Harry William.

He was a marquis.

Standing beside Harry William was a young man whose features bore some resemblance to Walker's. His temperament was somewhat gloomy, and throughout the entire exchange, he treated both Xia Zuoyi and Walker as though they did not exist.

He was Walker's older brother, Keith William.

Yet even after leaving with Bass Riches and the others, he did not say a single word to Walker.

Old King Duke's only son hosted the banquet.

The formal mourning ceremony for Old King Duke in the church would begin the next day.

The banquet ended.

Walker escorted Xia Zuoyi back to his residence in the royal capital. Only after watching Judith lead the little count inside did he turn and leave.

When he returned to his former home, only the butler came out to greet him.

The butler said, "Young Master Walker, the marquis and Young Master Keith are discussing matters in the study."

"The marquis said that if you returned, you should go straight to your room and rest."

He removed Walker's armor piece by piece and placed it on the iron rack beside them. He also unfastened Walker's sword and hung it on the wall.

Walker nodded and said calmly, "I understand."

He then slowly returned to his old room.

Perhaps because the servants had cleaned it in advance, the room that had been unoccupied for a long time was not too dirty. Everything remained in its original place without the slightest change.

Walker walked around the room once, then lay back on the bed with a somewhat bored expression, resting his head on his arm and crossing one leg over the other.

After a while.

As though remembering something, he turned to look out the window, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

Walker's room was on the far left of the third floor, while his father Harry's study was in the middle of the second floor.

The ledge built along the outside wall was wide enough for a person to stand sideways without easily falling.

If he climbed out through his window, he only needed to grab the protrusions and railings on the wall to safely reach the ledge outside Harry William's study.

When Walker had been in his teens, he had thought it fun and often climbed through windows like this.

At first, he had even overheard his father and older brother discussing how Walker William was unruly, spent all day associating with lowly commoners, possessed none of the etiquette or conduct expected of a noble, and was a useless thing...

From that day onward, Walker began distancing himself from commoners and worked hard to learn how to become an outstanding knight.

When he finally became better than his brother Keith, what he received was his father's indifferent attitude and his brother's even more unfamiliar estrangement...

Walker had thought that perhaps he should simply be himself after all.

However, this "excellent" habit of climbing through windows had not disappeared.

Walker got up from the bed and slipped out the window. With light, quick steps, he climbed down to the second floor, placing both feet on the ledge outside Harry William's study and pressing his back tightly against the wall.

The two were indeed still discussing matters.

They were talking about arrangements for tomorrow's mourning ceremony in the church, as well as the martial law within the royal capital.

Walker listened for a while and found it boring.

Just as he was about to return, he suddenly heard Keith say, "Father, since you have already chosen to stand on Duke Riches's side, when do you plan to tell Walker..."

Walker frowned in confusion. Tell him what?

Harry William said, "He seems quite loyal to that Desinia."

"If he had returned home the moment he arrived in the royal capital, I might have considered telling him about this matter. But now..."

Harry William paused, then continued, "Duke Riches's plan is to control all the lords. After killing the members of the royal family, he will threaten them into supporting the duke's ascent to the throne."

"But Duke Riches does not intend to spare Desinia's life."

"Since Walker is at Desinia's side, we cannot reveal even the slightest hint to him..."

Walker widened his eyes in shock. His heart suddenly lurched, and he nearly lost his footing. The hand gripping the wall almost came loose, sending him plummeting down, but he managed to catch the crack in the wall in time.

A thin layer of cold sweat instantly covered his back.

Harry William and Keith William did not notice anything outside the window and continued discussing the matter.

Harry said, "Tomorrow, I will find an excuse to forbid Walker from going out. You will stay at home and keep watch over him. Before the third day of mourning for the late king, everything will be over."

"Yes, I understand, Father," Keith William said.

After the two left the study, after the lights went out and the room became completely silent, Walker slowly relaxed his stiffened fingers and legs.

He closed his eyes and silently let out a breath, then calmed himself and returned to his room.

Soon after, as the night grew darker, Walker feared making even the slightest sound and waking someone. He even abandoned his armor, taking only his sword as he quietly returned to Xia Zuoyi's residence in the royal capital.

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