Sister-in-law

Refusal?

The knights were shocked. Then they whispered to each other, had some of Conosa's actions angered Damian?

Old man Madi, sister-in-law Amelia, and others were equally puzzled and angry. This family needed a new pillar, but Damian's refusal to return, was it because he resented Madi for sending him to the monastery?

Regardless, for the County of Gothingen, which had just experienced a fierce civil war, Damian's presence was crucial.

He was intelligent, skilled in both civil and military matters, and had a following. In this summer ripe for raiding wars, he could secure everyone's agricultural harvest.

Countess Conosa, looking at Damian's calm expression, became flushed with anger. Her emerald eyes shimmered with tears, and traces of tears were even visible at the corners of her eyes.

The young countess never expected that Damian, a low-ranking figure, would dare to defy her appointment. This blow to Conosa's mentality was even greater than Howard's rebellion.

After all, Howard's rebellion had its reasons and wasn't uncommon.But defying an appointment was extremely rare.

It meant that the vassal had complete distrust in the lord, to the extent of voluntarily giving up the fiefdom that was within reach.

In this feudal era, lords chose vassals, and vassals also chose lords. What kind of contempt would a lord who couldn't make a vassal accept an appointment receive?

Conosa was on the verge of tears.

"What are you saying?" Joan hurried over, supporting Damian, ready to kneel with him.

"No."

Damian shook his head,"My brother just died in battle, and I am expected to return home and take over. I think this is unfair to my brother, especially Lady Amelia. I am more inclined to wait until I have children and then have them inherit the village of Bovendon. "

He stared at Conosa's face, his voice clear and reasonable as he explained himself,"Secondly, I am a monk, and my studies are still related to the Gothingen Monastery, and over there at the monastery... you are aware of Dean Scoke's situation, I believe sorting out the monastery is more important than where I am. Finally, I am more inclined to serve the entire territory, not just one village."

Overall, Damian's reasons for not returning were threefold.

Firstly, returning too soon seemed like he was eager for his brother's death; secondly, there were still troubles at the monastery with Dean Scoke; and thirdly, Damian needed to become stronger, and at this stage, his goal was to become the court's prime minister.

And behind these were two deeper reasons.

Damian didn't believe that the Bovendon family could do without him, so whether he returned or not was unnecessary. It was better to let Amelia manage and then send his heirs there; secondly, once Damian had control over the county's internal affairs, he could bring more benefits to the family.

These simple-minded knights, of course, couldn't understand Damian's concerns; they just thought he was a foolish young man.

In blunt terms, who wouldn't hope for their brother to die so they could inherit the family business?

Damian was different; not only did he not want to inherit, but he also wanted to send his children back, wasn't this a losing proposition?

Old man Madi's hair had turned half white from anger. He felt his son truly resented him.

Only Amelia, with a furrowed brow, seemed to vaguely understand Damian's meaning.

And Conosa herself was surprised by Damian's broad perspective.

Indeed, there were still matters with Dean Scoke to handle.

In the Middle Ages, anything related to the church would become extremely troublesome.

Scoke had made no overt moves. Conosa not only had to greet him with a smile, but if she wanted to continue receiving support from the monastery in matters of religious belief, coinage, medicine, etc., she had to give money and land.

How stifling was that?

Conosa looked at the composed Damian and once again marveled at his depth of thought. He considered more than Conosa did.

"Alright, I officially appoint you as my court chaplain, Monk Damian. I look forward to seeing your performance."

Conosa turned around proudly and walked towards the defeated soldiers, gathering surrendered troops and nobles.

The remaining nobles hurriedly followed suit.

Only Joan, the Flashing Knight, anxiously reproached Damian, "Do you think the noble world is easy to navigate? How many people go their whole lives without the chance to receive a fiefdom?"

Damian smiled slightly, "I have my own plans."

When the great victory ended, it was time to divide the spoils.

Due to their significant contributions, Damian's subordinates received the most spoils. However, Damian himself didn't take much.

After the captured nobles paid their ransoms, they each went home to hide. In this business deal, Damian earned over sixty gold coins.

In the end, Bovendon Village was heavily damaged, and nobles from various places dispersed. Only Countess Conosa and some inner court knights chose to temporarily stay here.

This was because the capital of Gothingen, Gothingen Castle, was to the north, and the situation there hadn't been fully investigated.

At night, Damian also saw the elite cavalry he had gained.

[Elite Troop: The Chivalrous Bandits (Basic troop count: 20, Monthly salary: 8 gold. A group of elite horse-mounted archer bandits who lurk during the day and rob from the rich to give to the poor, reveling in the name of chivalry, and opposing the nobles. Special Trait: Self-sufficient)]

In simple terms, the Chivalrous Bandits is a highly mobile, lightly armored cavalry unit with strong combat abilities.

However, the Chivalrous Bandits is naturally opposed to the nobles. If Damian were to expose their existence, he would be viewed with hostility by other nobles.

If he were to hide them, it would cost a lot of money and their usefulness would be limited. Moreover, the special trait system that appeared for the first time was something inherent to the unit.

This means that if Damian sends the Chivalrous Bandits out, they would rob from the wealthy and help the poor on their own, without needing to be paid.

Damian understood economics.

Letting this group of bandits go out and rob would disrupt normal trade and taxation in Bovendon Village. How to arrange them was a headache for Damian.

Just as he was worrying, his sister-in-law, Amelia, opened Damian's room.

"You came back in a hurry and didn't have time to tidy up the room."

Amelia was fair and had chestnut-colored, slightly curly long hair, healthy wheat-colored skin, a beautiful oval face with captivating eyes that were both lively and dignified, and a slim and graceful figure.

She wore a white long dress, exuding tranquility, in stark contrast to her appearance on the battlefield.

Damian looked around and knew that this room actually belonged to Amelia, so he stood up and declined, "I'll sleep in the attic. This room is yours, I really don't know what my father was thinking...."

Seeing Damian decline, Amelia couldn't help but get anxious. "You... you can't decline! If you decline, the people below won't know how to... think."

Damian was astonished.

It turned out that if Damian didn't want to stay in the master bedroom, the people below would think that Amelia couldn't keep Damian here.

The young widow would surely be taken advantage of.

For a moment, this small room was filled with palpable awkwardness.

"Um... then I'll just sleep here." Damian scratched his head and had no choice but to agree.

Amelia blushed and nodded, then laid out a bedding on the floor.

What does she mean?