Rose Empire

Chapter 3: Farewell, but Without Fanfare 

Henry Holovin was three years older than Charlotte. They had met a few times when they were very young, but not often enough to be considered familiar with each other. It wasn't until three years ago, when Charlotte came to Platinum City to study at the Great Banyan Academy, that Henry Holovin, who was also studying there, saw her again. He became infatuated with Charlotte's beauty and pursued her relentlessly, but Charlotte rejected him without hesitation. 

Charlotte thought it wasn't a big deal. Wasn't it common for a young, infatuated boy to be rejected by a girl? 

Besides, Charlotte was only thirteen at the time. What kind of beast would hold a grudge over being rejected by a thirteen-year-old girl? 

However, who could have imagined that Henry Holovin is pettiness would reach such an unimaginable level? 

For the past three years, Henry Holovin had done everything in his power to harass Charlotte. When harassment didn't work, he resorted to ostracizing and pressuring her, spreading rumors and slandering her. The sycophantic noble children around them also chimed in, trying to persuade Charlotte, saying things like, "Henry Holovin is destined to become the crown prince. Even if you were just his mistress, it wouldn't be a loss for you." 

If Charlotte hadn't been the daughter of the Duke of Greenfield, she might have been drugged long ago. 

Although Charlotte, with her adult mindset and mature political skills, could easily handle a bunch of brats, she was still utterly fed up. This was one of the reasons she wanted to leave Platinum City. 

After leaving the palace and returning to the castle, Renee finally couldn't hold back and said, "This is too much! Even if it were just a baron, they wouldn't refuse to grant even a single griffin, right? And you were granted the title of viscountess. Why didn't you say anything, miss?" 

The servants in the castle were bustling about, knowing that the castle's owner was about to leave, so they were busy packing luggage. 

"What could I say?" Charlotte removed her hair accessory and casually tossed it to a maid who was packing her jewelry. She then gestured for Renee to help her out of the dress that was suffocating her. With a light laugh, she said, "Even if I had asked for a griffin, I'm sure I would have gotten a response like, 'The Bay Viscounty can't support a griffin.'" 

The empire placed great importance on griffins. Even those owned by nobles were inspected annually by officials. If a noble failed to properly care for their griffin, the emperor had the right—and the duty—to reclaim it. This was to ensure that the empire could muster enough griffin knights during times of war. 

"But that means the Bay Viscounty won't have a single griffin knight," Renee said worriedly as she helped Charlotte untie the complex laces of her dress. 

A territory without griffin knights was like a castle without walls—this was common knowledge in this world. 

At its peak, the Bay Viscounty had once owned more than ten griffins. However, after Basilik inherited the title, he gradually sold them all off. The Orlan Empire prohibited the export of griffins but did not forbid nobles from trading them among themselves. Wealthier nobles could obviously afford the higher costs of raising griffins. 

"If we don't have them, we don't have them," Charlotte said, feeling much more relaxed after removing the corset that had been squeezing her ribs. She then proceeded to take off her undergarments. "If the emperor won't give us any, we'll just have to find a way to buy them ourselves." 

"But we're out of money!" Renee grabbed Charlotte's hand, stopping her from stripping completely naked, and brought over a more comfortable, practical button-up dress for her to change into. 

"Uh…" 

Renee's words made Charlotte's expression stiffen. 

She was out of money—this was the second reason Charlotte was eager to leave Platinum City. Over the past three years, Charlotte had befriended powerful figures in Platinum City, engaged in social interactions, and been generous with her spending. She had become a well-known "little rich woman," and many people thought she was wealthy. However, in reality, Charlotte didn't have any significant sources of income. Her wealth came entirely from her late mother's inheritance. 

The mother Charlotte had mentioned to Kong Tao wasn't her birth mother but the second wife of the Duke of Greenfield—her stepmother, Rosie Mellefield. Charlotte's birth mother, Helen Mellefield, had passed away ten years ago. 

Helen Mellefield had been a princess of the Gatu Kingdom. 

When most ordinary people talked about the political map of the Orlan Empire, they would often summarize it as "two kings, two dukes, and one marquis." This referred to the five great nobles of the Orlan Empire: the Kingdom of Koxin, the Kingdom of Gatu, the Duchy of Greenfield, the Duchy of Bonan, and the Marquis of Blackstone Fortress. 

It was hard to say which of the two kingdoms, Koxin or Gatu, was stronger. Both royal families were considered the first-tier nobles of the empire, second only to the imperial family. As a princess of the Gatu royal family, Helen Mellefield naturally had a considerable dowry when she married. A woman's dowry was her private property, which she could dispose of as she pleased, independent of her husband's family. When Helen Mellefield passed away, she left all her property to Charlotte, which was worth at least five million Forso. 

The Forso was the official currency of the Orlan Empire. A strong, healthy serf could be sold for ten to twenty Forso. A small, low-ranking noble family could have a decent meal for one Forso, and two Forso would allow for a quite lavish meal. 

So, five million Forso was undoubtedly a significant amount of money. 

However, the problem was that Charlotte's expenses were also substantial. 

Just the box of gold artifacts crafted by fairies, which she gifted to Kong Tao's nephew, had cost nearly one hundred thousand Forso. 

The Lakeside Manor she bought for Basilik Mellefield three years ago, located outside Platinum City as a retirement home, had cost her over five hundred thousand Forso. 

Over the past ten years, with only outflows and no inflows, even a mountain of gold would have been nearly depleted. 

"How much money do we have left?" Charlotte asked. 

"One hundred and seventy thousand Forso," Renee replied without hesitation, revealing the balance of Charlotte's private funds. 

"One hundred and seventy thousand Forso? That's probably not even enough to cover the initial costs of developing the territory," Charlotte said, feeling a headache coming on. "Looks like I'll have to extort some living expenses from big brother…" 

Hearing her mistress's utterly unsubtle words, Renee's mouth twitched involuntarily. 

Andre Mellefield, Charlotte's older brother by twelve years, had lived in his younger sister's shadow since childhood. He had been bullied by his seemingly sweet but secretly ruthless sister all his life, to the point where he once thought, "There's nothing left to live for in this world. I might as well become a monk." He had nearly joined the church and become a priest. 

Now, Andre Mellefield was about to get married, but it seemed Miss Charlotte still had no intention of letting her older brother off the hook. 

Whoosh… 

The sound of strong wind came from the direction of the tower. 

A moment later, a servant announced, "The two knights have arrived." 

Marion Durand and Herman Green were Charlotte's personal knights. Both their fathers had sworn allegiance to Helen Mellefield. After Helen's death, following her will, Marion Durand and Herman Green, who had inherited his father's knighthood, continued to pledge their loyalty to Charlotte. 

The two knights waiting in the castle hall saw Charlotte gracefully descending the stairs, the short sword symbolizing her noble title hanging at her waist. Their eyes flickered, and they led the four squire knights behind them in kneeling on one knee. "We pay our respects to the Viscountess!" 

Charlotte was almost startled by their fervent voices. She looked down at the short sword at her waist—Renee had hung it there for her—then took it off and casually tossed it to Renee. "It's just a viscountess title. No need to make such a big deal out of it. You can still call me Miss Mellefield." 

Just a viscountess… 

To the two knights and four squires, these words sounded excessively humble. 

A knight was the lowest rank of nobility in the empire. Above knights were barons, and above barons were viscounts. 

For a commoner to become a knight was almost like undergoing a species evolution. But was it any easier for a knight to be promoted? The mobility within the nobility was extremely low. Ninety-nine percent of knights would never become barons in their lifetime, and ninety-nine percent of barons would never become viscounts. 

That was why they were so excited to see Charlotte, who had been granted the title of viscountess from the start. 

However, after calming down, the two knights also remembered Charlotte's identity—the daughter of the Duke of Greenfield. This status was far more prestigious than a mere viscountess. Realizing this, they even felt that the title of viscountess was somewhat beneath her. 

Charlotte waved her hand, signaling the knights and squires to rise, and then asked, "Are the giant eagles ready?" 

"They're ready. We've brought six giant eagles. The castle guards are giving them water and food to replenish their strength for the long journey," replied Marion Durand, the older knight with a beard who could be considered a handsome older man. "But… if we want to bring this much luggage, eight giant eagles might not be enough." 

Giant eagles were fast flyers, but their carrying capacity was limited. Unlike carriages, which could haul one or two tons of cargo, a giant eagle's load generally shouldn't exceed one-third of its body weight. Any heavier, and it would affect their normal flight, drastically reducing their speed and endurance. They might even lose control in strong winds. 

Charlotte glanced around the hall at the various boxes and packages, thought for a moment, and then said, "Tomorrow morning, Renee and I will take the giant eagles home first. Knight Marion, you'll be responsible for protecting us. Knight Herman, you stay behind and hire some carriages from the carriage company to transport my luggage and the servants back to the Duchy of Greenfield." 

"Yes," Marion and Herman responded in unison. 

It seemed no one noticed the two squire knights behind Marion subtly gripping the hilts of their swords. 

The knights rested at the castle that night. Early the next morning, before dawn, Charlotte was dragged out of bed by Renee. After washing up, having breakfast, and being pulled up to the tower, Charlotte yawned as she mounted the giant eagle. Suddenly, she added, "Knight Herman, while you're in Platinum City, contact the nobles with spare money and sell both this castle and the Lakeside Manor." 

"As you wish, miss," replied Herman, the younger-looking knight with a serious expression. 

Whoosh! 

The giant eagle flapped its wings, carrying Charlotte into the air. 

Knight Marion and his squires also mounted their giant eagles and followed closely behind. 

Only then, as she rode the giant eagle with Charlotte, did Renee say, "Miss, if you sell both the castle and the manor, where will you stay the next time you come to Platinum City?" 

Renee never questioned Charlotte's decisions in front of others. She only brought up such matters when they were alone. 

"The next time I come to Platinum City…" Charlotte gazed in the direction of Platinum City. She extended her right hand, slowly clenched it into a fist, as if she wanted to crush the grand, extravagant, and rotten city in her grip. "I believe that the next time I come to Platinum City, I won't need to find my own accommodations." 

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