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In the early morning, Colin awoke from his dreams.

The fireplace was still ablaze, giving off slight crackling sounds.

The bed still retained the young girl’s warmth and fragrance, but she was no longer there.

“Good morning, Colin.”

Colin sat up and saw Vera sitting by the dressing table next to the window.

The most exquisite flower of the St. Hilde family was already dressed in a bright yellow crocheted long skirt, applying rose gold ornaments to her forehead in front of the mirror.

“Good morning, Vera.”

Colin watched Vera appreciatively from a distance. In his eyes, she seemed much more mature after not seeing each other for several days.

Her pure blue eyes were filled with life, her face was more gorgeously charming than usual, the bright red lipstick gave her perfect contours a more intense feel. Although there was still a slight shyness of a maiden, what prevailed was a generous elegance and gravity, and an increasingly blooming enchanting femininity.

“Do I look good?”

After finishing her makeup, Vera turned around, giving Colin a radiant smile.

The sunlight outside the window was lovely. Strands of light penetrated through the window, spilling on the young girl, casting a barely discernible halo.

“Of course, your beauty makes the winter sun pale in comparison!” Colin replied with a flattering comment.

Vera rolled her eyes adorably, seemingly thinking that Colin’s praise was too hyperbolic.

“This is what Queen Isa taught me.” The young girl held her skirt hem and turned a circle on the spot.

Colin started inwardly. He had just thought that the style of the outfit looked familiar and was quite different from Vera’s usual style.

“It seems you’ve learned a lot during your time in Silver Moon City.”

“Yes. And Queen Isa also told me about her past. It wasn’t until I heard it that I realized how fortunate I am compared to her.”

Speaking of this, Vera reached out her hands, signaling for Colin to hold her.

Colin moved forward with a smile and, through the thin long skirt, pulled the maiden into his embrace.

It was then that he realized that Vera’s recovery from her previous trauma must have been largely due to Queen Isa’s counseling.

What a considerate lover.

“I have already sent someone to Winterfell City to propose to Duke St. Hilde for you. Soon enough, you can officially become the lady of the castle.”

Whether it was the man’s words or the warm embrace, the girl’s body gradually softened, and she completely sunk into Colin’s arms.

“Colin, even if my foster father disagrees with our marriage, I won’t leave you!” Vera declared firmly.

Colin returned her declaration with a comforting smile, tightened his hold around Vera’s soft, thin waist, and promised, “Don’t worry, I’ll make the Duke agree to our marriage.”

Their matrimony must gain the Duke’s acknowledgement. Otherwise, Vera would be eloping, and this was not an outcome that Colin, who harbored greater ambitions, was willing to accept.

However, according to the current situation, Duke St. Hilde seemed reluctant to marry Vera to Colin.

The marriage envoy from Ice Rock City has been waiting in Winterfell City for over two months without receiving the Duke’s audience.

That’s why Colin took the opportunity of Baron Lomba’s provocations this time to warn others by punishing him, and incidentally sent the Baron’s son to probe at Winterfell City to see whether Duke St. Hilde was genuinely unable to receive guests due to serious injuries, or he was deliberately refusing to see the envoy from Ice Rock City.

If the Duke really met the visitors from the Lomba family but not the Ice Rock City representative, Colin would have to reconsider his following plans.

If you won’t give her to me, then I’ll take her by force!

Sensing the changes in the man’s body, Vera suddenly broke away from Colin’s embrace in a panic and changed the subject, “Colin, are you hungry? Let’s have breakfast.”

“Okay,” Colin snickered, knowing that the young girl probably hadn’t recovered from the craziness of last night.

With Vera’s help, Colin quickly got dressed and then they both headed for the restaurant together.

After a sumptuous breakfast, Vera proposed to take a stroll in Ice Rock City, to which Colin naturally agreed.

Today was a rare good weather day, the gentle warm sun was hanging high in the sky, dispelling some of the winter chill.

Colin and Vera, hand in hand, strolled the streets of Ice Rock City, without causing much stir.

It was not that the people of Ice Rock City were being disrespectful to their lord, but that Colin and Vera intentionally hid their identities.

Colin wore a large tricorn hat that covered most of his face, while Vera wore a black veil, reverting to the look when Colin first saw her.

The guards followed the two from a distance, without much fanfare.

“Colin, the slaves in your territory are slightly different from those I’ve seen before.”

“How are they different?”

Vera tilted her little head, watching the slaves focused on their work, and said:

“The slaves I saw in Winterfell City, they were all lazy, if not for the whip of the supervisor, they would rather lie in the sun all day.

But the slaves in your territory are different, even without a whip, they are very motivated.”

“Do you know why that is?”

Vera pondered for a moment, but finally shook her head, saying that she couldn’t understand why.

“Because I gave them hope.”

“Hope?”

“Yes.” Colin recounted how the point system was implemented in Ice Rock City.

Vera thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement: “Indeed, that’s a brilliant approach! However, Colin, aren’t you worried that the number of slaves under your command will become less and less?”

“With ten places per month, only 120 freemen are produced per year. Even after a hundred years, only just over ten thousand slaves will have the opportunity to become freemen.

But in this process, the wealth created by the slaves has far exceeded the value of these ten thousand slaves themselves.

Moreover, with the current situation in the North Territory, do I still need to worry about a shortage of slaves?”

After some careful consideration, Vera nodded in agreement: “Colin, you are a kind and wise lord!”

Colin laughed heartily, but there was a trace of melancholy in his heart.

Such exploitive means were praised as kindness, leaving him unsure whether to be happy or melancholic.

After strolling through a few blocks, a group of children caught Vera’s attention.

In an open space the size of a basketball court, an elderly gentleman around fifty years old was standing. In front of him, several hundred children were gathered.

The oldest were about thirteen or fourteen, the youngest only four or five. The only thing they had in common was their tattered clothes and iron rings around their ankles – they were a group of slave children.

The old gentleman used charcoal to write on a wall, and then led the slave children in loud reading.

“Colin, is this also your arrangement?”

“Yes.”

Vera turned to look at Colin, her eyes fervent.

At this moment, Colin’s image in her heart seemed incredibly noble.

But what she didn’t know was that Colin just felt these slave children were too weak to do heavy work. It was better to have someone educate them so that when they grew up, they could be more valuable labourers.

Just then, an aged voice suddenly sounded:

“My lord, for those of low status, knowledge is not a blessing, but a curse.”

Colin turned around and saw an old priest standing behind them.