Inside the council room of Daiding City, Lady Roselyn unfolded Arthur's letter.
His elegant and strong handwriting leaped off the page, and she read it even more carefully, unconsciously muttering aloud.
"....Half of the spoils shall be granted to Lady Rona, to help her through her difficulties...."
"....All that is obtained from your ladyship's territory shall be returned to you in full, without a single coin taken...."
"...Offer up the liegemen who have migrated to his lands...."
Reading this, the approval and emotion in her eyes deepened. She knew that the number of people would not be small, and it could greatly enhance the strength of Daedings Family. She hadn't expected Arthur to be willing to give them to her. "Little Suleiman is a man who knows his limits."
Maester Walder's eyes were lowered, his grizzled eyebrows twitched, but he remained silent.
"I will keep my promise," Lady Roselyn put down the letter and looked at the map. "The fertile plains to the east of his territory, that's where his family shall be granted."
Lady Roselyn reached out, preparing to mark the map.
Maester Walder's low voice finally spoke: "My Lady, please reconsider."
Lady Roselyn's hand paused in mid-air: "Maester Walder, he accomplished an impossible task, and he deserves a reward. I promised him."
She hadn't expected Arthur to actually complete the task; it was a miracle.
"My Lady, you promised him land, did you not?" Maester Walder stepped forward, his withered finger pointing to another spot on the map, a disputed area involving several families.
"I cannot give him this place." Lady Roselyn frowned. "This is a highly disputed area."
"My Lady, do you know why some families need to remain poor?" Maester Walder's voice dropped even lower, watching as Lady Roselyn's gaze was drawn to him:
"Some families need to remain poor because only through poverty, only through dependence, will they wholeheartedly tie their interests to their liege's interests."
"Arthur is too prominent now, attracting the attention of many important figures. If you give him fertile land now, his power will rapidly multiply and grow."
"He will arm himself with captured wealth, attract followers with his formidable reputation, and his claws will grow sharper day by day."
"What a ruler should do is limit the soil that breeds ambition."
Lady Roselyn frowned, looking at the eloquent old man. She was somewhat displeased; to treat a sixteen-year-old orphaned boy like this.
"But his letter to my husband and me was so sincere!" Lady Roselyn argued, though her tone was no longer as firm as before. "And are you saying I should break my word?"
"My family, treating a meritorious person like this, will be nailed to the pillar of shame."
Maester Walder looked directly into her eyes: "My Lady, do you know what people outside are saying? Do you know what the liegemen of Daiding City are saying?"
"What are they saying?" Lady Roselyn lowered her head to look at the map.
Maester Walder's aged face spoke each word distinctly: "The Protector of the Riverlands, the Savior of Daedings Family, they call him 'The Black Lion of the Riverlands!'"
Lady Roselyn raised her head, a fierce glint in her eyes.
"But I cannot break my word either." Lady Roselyn stared intently at Maester Walder.
She grieved silently in her heart, Little Suleiman, blame yourself for doing too good a job.
"So." Maester Walder's aged face revealed a cunning smile. "You will keep your promise and give him land, but you will give him land that must be bought with blood."
"Land that will make him offend surrounding families, lose his support, and once again tie him to your family."
"If he fails, then he loses his reputation in the Riverlands, and we will be exactly as we were before, won't we."
"If he succeeds, we will agree to Deep Valley's proposal and let him lead an army into High Mountain."
"No one has ever been able to eliminate the barbarians in High Mountain. If he dies in battle, we can legitimately reclaim the land he bought with his life."
"This...." Lady Roselyn's breathing quickened. She disliked such scheming methods, and her brows were tightly furrowed.
Maester Walder seemed to have anticipated her thoughts, his face unperturbed, and continued: "Arrange a marriage for him with a knight's daughter, so he can leave behind descendants and continue his family's bloodline."
"Even if he dies on the battlefield, his child will grow up under your protection. This will be enough to demonstrate your family's benevolence and generosity to everyone."
Silence fell between the two in the hall.
Maester Walder's stooped figure tried to stand straight as he looked at Lady Roselyn, but still appeared bent: "My Lady, I have already violated my oath and my duty as a scholar, only because I have served Daedings Family my entire life, and my life will one day end here. I just want to tell you that boy is not right."
"I understand, Maester Walder." Lady Roselyn slowly sat back in her chair. "I will write to my husband."
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The messenger brought Lady Roselyn's reply.
Arthur unrolled the parchment, the handwriting on it elegant and clear, and he read it silently.
In the letter, Lady Roselyn highly praised his achievements and agreed to keep her promise, granting him a piece of land.
However, the letter lightly mentioned: "That piece of land is currently in a small stage of dispute."
Arthur's gaze lingered for a moment on the words "small dispute."
He feared this dispute would not be small, Arthur thought with a bitter smile.
Next, the letter rejected his request to relocate liegemen.
"Regarding the population relocated during wartime, I do not need them. They have lived on that land for generations and should return to their homeland. Please move them back to their original places and return them to their lords."
This was a good thing for him; Lady Rona's situation was no different from his own.
"Since I have already promised the spoils are yours, I will not change my mind."
"At the same time, I will relocate the families of soldiers who unfortunately died in this battle, as well as the families of soldiers still fighting under your command, to your new land."
Arthur's eyes darkened. With such good treatment, he feared that the dispute would not be a small one, but a dragon's den.
The letter concluded: "Once you have handled this matter, I have a major issue concerning the future of the entire Riverlands and Deep Valley to discuss with you. Good luck, Little Suleiman, may the Seven Gods bless you."
Arthur: ".....Riddlers are truly damned."
Arthur stood up and remained in place for a long time, pacing back and forth, then walked towards the inner castle. He needed to see Lady Rona.
When Lady Rona finished listening to Arthur's account and learned that he was about to leave, her face, which had just regained some color, instantly turned pale again.
"No! Lord Arthur!" Lady Rona shook her head vigorously, tears streaming from her eyes. "You cannot go! I... I cannot be without you!"
Her emotions once again neared collapse, the fear of abandonment gripping her heart anew.
Lady Rona almost shrieked, "You stay, stay by my side. I can give you my property... I can give you everything in Deep Valley City! As long as you don't leave!"
Arthur looked at her tear-streaked face, did not answer, but walked over and held her tightly.
That night, he did not return to the military camp outside the city.
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