Chapter 271 - 269: Into His Embrace

Chapter 271: Chapter 269: Into His Embrace

It was already nighttime when Duane returned to the Golden Crown Opera House. He didn’t go back to Kennedy Manor to see Count Kais.

Owington took the opportunity to report on the day’s progress with the territory surveying.

"My Lord, I treated Sir Trenton to dinner at the Royal Capital Hotel tonight. There were seven of us in total, and it cost 68 Gold Coins!"

Owington’s tone was somewhat apprehensive as he said this.

After all, this was a dinner he had arranged, and it was the first time he had spent so much.

He didn’t know if the Lord would reprimand him.

Duane wasn’t concerned about the expense; after all, they were paying for a service to acquire a larger territory.

Besides, 68 Gold Coins really wasn’t much—just enough for a few bottles of high-quality wine and some rather rare ingredients.

"Did he make any promises?"

Owington immediately nodded. "Sir Trenton said the Silver Jade Territory is remote and difficult to travel to, so he requires some support from you for the journey. As for the surveying itself, he said we can leave it to them and that it will be handled properly and legally!"

Duane’s lips curled up slightly. ’It’s so much easier to work with people who clearly state their price.’

"How much will it cost?" he asked.

"He didn’t disclose the amount, but as the dinner ended, one of his men spoke with me. To double the size, it would cost one thousand gold. With ’reasonable planning,’ it’s possible to triple it at most."

The Silver Jade Territory was 300 square kilometers. Tripling it would make it 900 square kilometers, three times the original size.

"That’s expensive!"

Duane felt a sharp pang at the cost.

This would cost two thousand Gold Coins right off the bat, plus a few hundred more for their travel and hardship expenses.

He only had a little over two thousand Gold Coins left on hand.

’Still, if it gets the job done, spending these two thousand Gold Coins will be worth it.’

"Go and tell them that as long as the job gets done, the money won’t be a problem. But you need to be watchful and make sure we don’t pay for nothing."

"I understand. I’ll be careful!"

Owington hesitated. "It’s just that, My Lord, you don’t have enough money with you on this trip."

"No matter. We’ll return to Black Forest Island in the next day or two. For the survey of the Silver Jade Territory, I’ll arrange for Kaelon to lead a team and go with you."

Duane added, "Once this is done, I’ll have a new task for you. The Silver Jade Territory needs a new steward."

His initial plan was to take a group from the five thousand slaves brought by Marquis Sean and send them to develop the Silver Jade Territory.

They would first establish a small camp and then expand it bit by bit.

In the process, Owington could also gain valuable experience to prepare him to serve as the steward, temporarily managing the new territory.

Owington was stunned, then he excitedly dropped to one knee. "Thank you for your recognition, My Lord! I will not betray your trust!"

He had followed Duane in the first place for the chance at a better future.

He just hadn’t expected the opportunity to come so soon.

"But, My Lord, after I leave, you won’t have a Male Servant. Will you need to find a new one?"

A Male Servant’s duties sometimes involved physical labor, which was generally difficult for a maid to perform.

If Owington were to be reassigned, Duane would indeed need to find another personal Male Servant.

’But it isn’t that urgent. Who knows? Perhaps someone more suitable will come to follow me in the next couple of days.’

「The next morning.」

Duane had just gotten out of bed when he heard footsteps outside his door, followed by Owington’s announcement.

"My Lord, Miss Natalia is here!"

"Oh? Why is she here so early?"

Duane took the warm towel Jasmine handed him, wiped his face, and then strode out.

But before he could even leave the room, a figure flew at him and crashed into his arms.

"Oof..."

Duane froze for a moment. ’I didn’t expect Natalia to be so forward. It seems news of what happened at the Royal Palace yesterday has already reached the Count.’

Since she was being so proactive, he no longer needed to deliberately keep his distance and took the opportunity to embrace the girl.

Seeing this, Owington and Jasmine exchanged a glance and broke into smiles in unison.

They knew there were feelings between their Lord and Miss Natalia, and today, they had finally made some real progress.

Not daring to disturb them, the two quietly left the room.

As Duane inhaled the faint fragrance and felt the soft, yet tense, body in his arms, a strange feeling stirred in his heart.

"Duane, thank you for your persistence!"

Natalia’s voice trembled slightly. Holding Duane now was like holding the entire world.

She tilted her face up slightly, her cheeks bright red, but she still broke through her inhibitions, mustering all the courage she had to say what she wanted to say: "Can... you kiss me?"

Duane looked down, gazing into Natalia’s shy yet affectionate eyes, and his heart couldn’t help but beat faster.

He no longer hesitated and leaned down to kiss her lips.

At first, their movements were gentle and tentative, like a butterfly lightly touching a flower petal. After all, neither of them had any experience.

Soon, however, Duane seemed to get the hang of it first, and the kiss became more passionate.

Natalia’s arms also wrapped around his neck, pulling them closer and deepening the kiss.

Time seemed to stand still in that moment, and everything around them faded into a blur.

Only their shared warmth and breath felt real, intoxicating.

When they finally broke apart, Natalia’s cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled with happiness.

A smile touched Duane’s lips as he gently caressed her exquisite, flawless face.

"My reserved Countess, what’s made you so passionate today?"

Natalia buried her head in his chest, unwilling to pull away from his embrace.

"The night before last, Father agreed to our relationship. But yesterday, he came back from the Royal Palace and told me the King wants me to marry Orisien. I thought it was all over for me, but Father refused the King’s proposal."

"Then, Father guessed that the King would pressure you to give me up. I thought you would compromise, but my second brother told me about your courage and resolve!"

She slowly recounted the roller coaster of emotions she had been through.

Natalia was not Duane; she didn’t currently have the power to decide her own destiny.

Fortunately, she had a father who considered her feelings and a beloved who was resolute in his stance.

If she had been an ordinary noble, she would probably already be publicly known as the fiancée of the Holy Radiance Court’s Holy Son.

Natalia lifted her head. "I was so moved, really! I also know that I can’t live without you, Duane..."

Duane held her in his arms and comforted her, "Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, even if they take you by force, I will take you back!"

’Having confirmed their relationship, his heart seemed to have found a new anchor. It was as if he now had someone in the world to care for; he was no longer a lone wolf.’

The two embraced for a long time until Natalia remembered why she had come.

"Oh, right, Duane. My father asked me to invite you to the manor. He said he has something to discuss with you."

She added, "It’s probably to discuss the King’s proposal and... our relationship."

Duane nodded slightly. "Good. I also wanted to talk to the Count about those two matters."

Before long, a carriage drove into the Kennedy Manor.

Duane and Count Kais met again. Compared to before, in addition to being allies and business partners, they now had another layer to their relationship.

"Your performance yesterday when facing the King exceeded my expectations. Duane, you made a huge gamble."

Kais gestured for them to sit. "Weren’t you afraid of being kept in the palace forever?"

Duane smiled and explained, "The King wouldn’t go so far as to act against me over this matter, not at this juncture."

The Count agreed with this assessment.

He looked at the two of them sitting together on a sofa, looking like a little married couple, and couldn’t help but smile to himself. He decided to put the matter of the King aside for now.

Count Kais said with a broad smile, "Natalia is the most outstanding Mage among all the girls in the Kingdom, and she is the treasured lady of the Kennedy Clan. There are quite a few men who want to marry her!"

His expression turned a little more serious. "So, Duane, what will you offer to marry my daughter?"

’Duane had already thought about this on the way here. After all, no matter what world you’re in, when marriage is on the table, the issue of a bride price is unavoidable. The only difference between worlds is the form it takes.’

"I have two things that no one else can offer."

"Oh?" Count Kais’s interest was piqued. "And what two things are those?"

Duane took Natalia’s hand. She tried to pull it away but couldn’t, so she could only lower her head and let him hold it.

"The first is my genuine love for Natalia."

Count Kais pursed his lips. "Genuine love doesn’t stand the test of time. Let’s talk about something more practical."

"That would be the second thing," Duane said. "I can provide high-level combat support for the Kennedy Clan."

"Shooting Star Level?"

Count Kais shook his head, deliberately teasing, "A single Shooting Star Warrior is hardly a threat to me."

In reality, the Shooting Star Level was already more than enough to satisfy him, especially since Duane was still so young.

But he wanted to deliberately put the young man on the spot and see how this youth, who dared to confront even the King, would respond.

Duane smiled faintly. "Lord Count, you still underestimate me."

As he spoke, Fighting Qi surged from his body. In an instant, the silver vortex of Fighting Qi in his Qi Sea spun wildly, and the phantom image of a silver moon quietly materialized behind him.

Count Kais’s eyes slowly widened, his pupils contracting violently as he said in shock, "Silver Moon Level?"

He had never imagined that Duane was actually a Silver Moon Warrior!

’No wonder. No wonder he wasn’t afraid of Kurudo. So this was the source of his confidence.’

"You win, Duane..."

Count Kais chuckled in spite of himself. "You’ve successfully convinced me!"