Volume 2 Chapter 152 - Object of union (1/2)

In the same season, the scenery in different places were completely different.

In early February, the Stantine Duchy was covered in green with warm sunshine and soft breezes, and although it was no longer snowing in Banta City, it was still cold.

But in the northern border of the Lampuri Kingdom, the sky was filled with snow and it was still ice cold winter.

On a day that had heavy snow, Seveni was meeting Viscount Leslie in a northern army guard house watching the border.

When she first saw Viscount Leslie, Seveni almost couldn’t recognize him.

Whether it was compared to when she met him back in Anvilmar City or after when she met him in Banta City, Viscount Leslie seemed completely different.

The current Viscount Leslie had an unruly stubble and his face was much darker, being no different from the men that Seveni had seen on her inspection of the northern army. He didn’t have the same natural charm of a noble young master from before.

“Viscount Leslie, it seems like your days here are quite hard.” Seveni couldn’t help saying.

Viscount Leslie revealed a faint smile.

Compared to before, the only thing that didn’t change was his smile.

Although he seemed much rougher, once he revealed a smile, he had the same unique and calm feeling of a noble young master from before.

“It wasn’t that hard, my life here is just the life of a normal soldier. Moreover, I received special treatment in the end and comparatively, my situation is much better than most of the other brothers in the army.”

Seveni fell silent and only gave a sigh after a while.

“Actually my royal father and I both know that the condition for soldiers in the army is bad and needs to be improved, but you should know how bad the kingdom’s finances are right now. Even if royal father is anxious, he can’t take out any money to change this situation right now.”

“I’m very clear on this, so I wasn’t complaining for my brothers, rather I was just stating a fact.” Viscount Leslie said with a serious look, “Your highness, I have to tell you, the situation of the north is very grim. Before winter began, the Sack Kingdom’s brats launched a fierce assault and they haven’t stopped even now. The northern army has been fighting with all their might for this long and has already been seriously damaged. If it wasn’t for the army headquarters sending large amounts of equipment, we wouldn’t have been able to hold on.”

After saying this, Viscount Leslie paused and his expression became a bit strange.

“Your highness, I’ve always had a question. Since the army headquarters didn’t have enough money, what conditions did it give to satisfy that greedy fellow Xu Yi?”

Hearing the name “Xu Yi”, Seveni revealed a sincere smile and said while shaking her head, “Chairman Xu isn’t a greedy person. He has always said to me that he wants to develop the magic machine industry, so he needs a stable environment. The environment of the Lampuri Kingdom is not ideal, so he needs to support the kingdom until it is stable and strong. This time the Frestech Chamber of Commerce worked with the army headquarters to make a weapons factory and he paid quite a bit, never asking for anything in return.”

“No, I understand him, it is impossible for him not to ask for anything in return. Only the things he wants you can’t give right now, so it’s just a debt right now. When he asks for those things in the future, I feel you won’t be able to afford it.”

“I don’t agree.” Seveni shook her head, “Actually I’ve had more contact with him compared to you, so I understand him better than you. Although he keeps emphasizing that he is a merchant who regards his own benefit as the most important thing, the benefits that he wants are different from other merchants. The most important thing for other merchants is how to obtain gold coins, but the most important thing for Xu Yi is returns that are greater than other merchants and other people can imagine. Even if he wants me to repay them in the future, I think I would be willing to accept it.”

Viscount Leslie looked at Seveni’s determined gaze with a bit of surprise. After thinking for a bit, he suddenly asked, “What if he asks for you?”

Seveni was stunned before she knit her brows, “You mean having me marry him? No, that is impossible. Xu Yi has a deep love with Still and he doesn’t give anyone else a chance, so it is impossible for him to request this.”

“That is not certain.” Viscount Leslie slowly shook his head, “Your highness, if you succeed the throne and become our Lampuri Kingdom’s queen, if Xu Yi marries you, he will have the most powerful backing in this kingdom. Like this, it would be of great help in accomplishing his ideas. If he really is a merchant, this deal is something he can accept.”

“I’ve already said it, Xu Yi is not like the other greedy merchants.” Seveni looked at Viscount Leslie with a serious gaze and said, “Viscount Leslie, Xu Yi has always told me that you helped him the most when the Frestech Chamber of Commerce was established and you understood his thoughts the best, so he always treated you as a friend. Since you are his friend, I hope that you won’t slander him like this.”

Viscount Leslie revealed a faint smile, “This isn’t slandering, this is just a rational guess. Other than that…..your highness, you didn’t deny the possibility of marrying him, right? Could it be that you also have this intention?”