Chapter 31: A Moment of Peace, A Haunting Encounter

After the Vassal Rebellion was quelled, Chloe’s life as a lord in Avros became quite comfortable.

Alice was still diligently writing in the study, and neither Chloe nor Xina wished to disturb her. Instead, they opted for a luxurious bath, eager to wash away the lingering stench of blood and horses, along with the unpleasant memories of recent days.

After her bath, Chloe draped a towel over her head, gently rubbing her damp hair. Steam billowed from the bathroom, shrouding the dressing area in a soft mist.

“Chloe, you have such a lovely scent,” Xina murmured, embracing Chloe from behind. She nuzzled Chloe’s hair, her nose twitching as she inhaled deeply, a sound of pure admiration escaping her lips.

“Mmm, you smell wonderful too. Now let me go,” Chloe replied, her cheeks flushing as she felt something soft pressing against her back.

Chloe tossed the soiled gown into the laundry basket. Ever since learning of Cliff’s betrayal, she harbored complex emotions toward the dress, even contemplating simply discarding it.

Yet, she decided against it. Her principle had always been to hold grudges against people, not objects—and certainly not because the gown was undeniably beautiful.

Chloe then slipped into the tight-fitting blue and white tunic Xina had provided. However, it hung rather loosely on her, particularly around the chest.

“This garment is quite large,” she remarked.

Chloe attempted to pull the tunic tighter, but it was still a size too big.

“You’re just too slender!” Xina pouted, pulling Chloe’s tunic aside to reveal her bare torso. “And why aren’t you wearing a bra?”

‘A bra…?’ Chloe’s face beaded with sweat. ‘Surely, she means *that*?’

“You mean you’ve never worn a bra before?!” Xina exclaimed, astonishment lacing her voice.

Of course not. Chloe was, after all, a man. Aside from the occasional glimpse of his sister’s bra in the washing machine, such an item had largely been irrelevant to him. With a sigh of resignation, Chloe nodded.

“That simply won’t do! It will chafe your chest!” Xina declared, retrieving a bra from the clothes rack. “Luckily, I have one right here. Take it!”

Chloe took the bra, expecting it to be a size too large as well. To her surprise, it fit perfectly.

“It fits me just right,” she mumbled.

“This bra is from five years ago, tee hee. I also have a matching tunic, also from five years ago. You can have it.”

Chloe put on the tunic. It wasn’t just ‘suitable’; it was a perfect, snug fit. Chloe’s little heart took a blow.

After leaving the bathroom, Xina led Chloe to the castle terrace, where a small gazebo stood.

From here, the entire Avros territory stretched out below them. The sky met the rice paddies at the horizon, while wisps of smoke curled from a nearby village. Farmers toiled in the fields, guards patrolled the roads, and hunters galloped swiftly on horseback.

A cool breeze swept through, lifting Chloe’s long hair. Her silver strands shimmered beautifully under the sun’s rays.

“Let’s get something to drink!”

Xina waved her hand, summoning a maid who happened to be passing by.

Chloe turned around, only to find a familiar face.

Miko stood before them, clad in a maid’s uniform. The attire accentuated her beauty, which was now fully revealed. She kept her head bowed, a hint of embarrassment coloring her expression.

Miko and Jack had been left homeless. Upon learning this, Xina invited them to Sirena Castle to work as servants, providing them with food and lodging—a benevolent act of shelter. Jack was recruited by Xiao Nuoqi as a guard, while Miko became a maid at Sirena Castle, filling a vacancy for Lucia.

Had coarse clothes truly concealed Miko’s beauty? Compared to the ordinary farm girl she once was, she now seemed like an entirely different person. Indeed, clothes truly make the man—or, in this case, the woman.

“Good morning, Miko,” Chloe greeted.

“Good morning… Ah! My Lord, it is I who should greet you first,” Miko stammered, her face blushing. She still seemed unaccustomed to her new role. “Lady Lucia has repeatedly instructed me… to always show respect to the lord.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that, Miko. Just be yourself,” Xina said, leaning back comfortably in her chair. “Bring me a glass of lemonade, please. Chloe, what would you like?”

“Lemonade for me too,” Chloe indicated with a raised hand.

Miko quietly withdrew.

“You truly don’t put on any airs as a lord,” Chloe remarked to Xina.

“In the Ugukhan Khanate, servants are considered part of the family; I’m simply accustomed to it,” Xina explained. She rocked her chair gently, eagerly anticipating her lemonade.

Before long, Miko returned, though not with lemonade. Instead, she was accompanied by Lucia, who approached the two with a grave expression, holding a parasol.

Chloe spread her hands in a gesture of resignation. It seemed their brief moment of leisure was about to conclude.

“My Lords, a hunter requests an audience,” Lucia announced. Her solemn demeanor suggested that the matter was of no small importance.

Chloe rose from her seat with decisive grace, but Xina lingered, reluctant to leave her comfortable spot.

“Come, let’s go to the council chambers.”

Chloe extended a hand to Xina. With a sigh, Xina decided to take it.

Moments later, they arrived hand-in-hand at the council chambers. The hunter had been waiting for quite some time; he was a middle-aged man with a distinctive handlebar mustache. Upon seeing them, he respectfully dropped to one knee.

“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” Chloe announced clearly.

The hunter seemed slightly surprised. He then spoke, “It is only right and proper for a humble servant to await his lord.”

‘I almost forgot I was a lord,’ Chloe thought. ‘No, does being a lord mean one can simply be late whenever they please?!’

“What brings you here?” Xina asked him.

“My name is Tucker, and I am a hunter from Pannoria Territory.”

“Pannoria Territory?” Chloe questioned, a hint of suspicion in her voice. ‘What connection does Pannoria Territory have to me?’

“I heard that the Count of Pannoria is currently in Avros Territory, and so I specifically hurried here to seek an audience with you,” Tucker replied, his head bowed.

Chloe suddenly remembered this detail. Cliff had apparently granted her two additional earldoms; one was Pannoria Territory, but what was the other one called? Something-gaya?

Avros alone demanded so much of her attention that she had almost entirely forgotten about her two other fiefdoms.

If a single earldom like Avros generated this much work, then managing two more would surely exhaust Chloe to death. A shiver of dread ran down her spine.

She finally understood why players in games couldn’t directly govern too many territories. In the rudimentary communication environment of the Middle Ages, it was genuinely impossible to handle so many matters!

“Tucker, you’ve traveled a long way. What is it you wish to discuss with us?” Xina pressed further.

Tucker extended his arm, revealing a stark, crimson scratch etched across his skin. Chloe’s mouth went dry, and a surge of vampiric hunger welled within her.

Tucker withdrew his arm, then explained, “I was scratched by a tiger while hunting in the Secluded Forest.”

“Being scratched while hunting is quite normal,” Lucia interjected from beside them.

“However, it’s not normal to be scratched by a tiger that’s carrying a person,” Tucker said, his voice tense. “I saw it clearly: when the tiger attacked me, there was a young girl riding on its back! Her eyes, filled with a haunting resentment, stared intently at me, as if she held a grudge against the entire world.”