Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 862: Chapter 465: The Continuation of the Calvin Clan

Rachel sat on the soft sofa in the study, her hands tightly twisting the handkerchief in her hands.

Beside her, her husband, Viscount Ronald, stood straight, yet appeared extraordinarily uneasy.

Ronald’s gaze dared not linger long on the view outside, yet he couldn’t help but drift in that direction.

In the direction of the port, the outline of the steel fleet nearly obscured the horizon, the black hulls looming in the mist like rows of silent giants.

Ronald swallowed, his legs faintly tense, although he was an elite knight, he was inevitably somewhat fearful of such intimidating monsters.

Rachel’s thoughts, however, were far from the outside view; her memories were tugging back and forth in her mind.

In her memory, her brother Louis was still a youth, always lowering his head, hesitating for ages before speaking.

At the family banquet, he sat in the farthest corner, yet still worked hard to maintain etiquette.

When she first learned he was chosen to be the Baron of Expansion in the Northern Territory, she thought it was doomed. She genuinely worried about her weak brother being sent to the Northern Territory, fearing he wouldn’t survive the first winter.

She pleaded with her husband to give him more gold coins and secretly sent him her Life Potion, hoping for even the slimmest chance of survival.

But the news from the Northern Territory returned increasingly mad.

At first, there were only scattered rumors and humble letters from Louis.

The scorned child who was abandoned by the family and sent to the wasteland unexpectedly held his ground in the Northern Territory.

Starting as a Baron of Expansion with barely a decent territory, he survived amid the permafrost and insect tide and won Duke Edmund’s daughter.

Then the news became specific.

Duke Edmund died in battle, and originally independent border lords were brought together by him in an extremely cruel yet efficient way, and those deemed undefeatable, the alien races, were buried in batches in the permafrost.

Afterwards, Gray Rock Province was annexed by him in a short time.

Finally, he drew his sword against the Church Court and won.

And so those scattered titles were pieced together by people one by one.

Sun of the North, Conqueror of Gray Rock, Destroyer of the Church Court, Creator of Miracles, Great Calvin…

“Is he still that Louis?” This thought flashed through Rachel’s mind.

She glanced down at her own dress, now her most presentable one, not new in style nor luxurious in fabric, yet it was all the dignity she could muster.

Ronald noticed her silence, gently walked beside her, and softly comforted, “Don’t worry too much, dear. The knights of the Red Tide are very courteous to us, not a hint of neglect, which means… Lord Louis still holds you dear in his heart.”

As he spoke, he himself couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his palms once more.

The door was pushed open at this moment.

Rachel almost instinctively raised her head.

Louis walked in, dressed in neat casual attire.

He deliberately restrained his aura, the suffocating pressure suppressed to an extremely low level, like a young lord returning home after a long absence.

Even so, Rachel was still stunned.

The brother before her had grown much taller than she remembered.

Standing there with his shoulders straight, he naturally became the center of the entire room.

It wasn’t a deliberate display of authority, but a quietly compelling presence, long cultivated from issuing commands, quietly commanding respect.

“He’s changed.” Rachel’s heart gently trembled. “Changed to be like Father…”

She instinctively prepared to stand up, to perform a formal noble salutation.

Given Louis’ current status, such a gesture was unremarkable.

But before she could steady herself, Louis had already briskly walked over, offering a helping hand.

“Sister.” His touch was gentle, yet profoundly natural, “These years, you’ve been burdened.”

The voice was warm, sans any trace of condescension from a higher position.

And within that tone, still carried the excessively familiar, slightly reliant softness that Rachel knew so well.

In that instant, all the tense emotions seemed to be gently pierced.

Rachel’s eyes grew hot.

The little boy who once hid behind her had not disappeared.

Louis personally poured her tea and casually asked, “The knights sent to pick you up, were they not impolite? And the kids at home… the little ones have they been trouble lately…”

He didn’t discuss war details or interests’ division, simply small talk.

Rachel answered while secretly observing his expressions.

Louis was smiling, his demeanor relaxed, yet through his eyes, she noticed a slight unease.

But so long as he acknowledged her as his sister, it was enough.

As the pleasantries waned, Louis’ gaze turned towards the gentleman beside, “Viscount Ronald.”

He nodded, his tone solemn, “Thank you for caring for my sister these years, and when I was sent to the Northern Territory, your family was the only one that extended a hand.”

Ronald instinctively straightened his back, responding earnestly, “Rachel is my wife, caring for her is my duty. As for what happened back then… she insisted, I merely did what ought to be done.”

A barely perceptible glint of approval flashed through Louis’ eyes.

Perhaps lacking in ability, but this man was sufficiently sincere.

He reached for a document on the table, already prepared, and casually pushed it across.

“The Southeast Province is now awaiting full recovery, the several estates originally belonging to the Seldon lineage, along with the trade monopoly surrounding White Rock Port, are vacant.”

His tone was as indifferent as discussing a piece of idle land.

“I intend to integrate that area into a new Earl’s Domain. Would you like to manage it for me?”