Chapter 193: The Changing Girl’s Heart

"Sir is a true noble!"

In the kitchen, the kitchen maid Irene Four-Fingers said proudly to Maggie, who was following her for training: "Little Maggie, you'll fall in love with this castle. I've never seen a nobler lord than him. His nobility is innate, something we can only admire."

"Yes, Sister Irene," Maggie nodded earnestly.

Actually, Irene spoke too fast, and Maggie only understood part of what she said—mainly that the lord was noble.

"Do not add too much flour, or the pineapple buns will not taste good," Irene stopped Maggie from pouring more flour. "We have many new types of bread in the kitchen, all invented by Mrs. Abby and Master Renard. The lord enjoys these new breads."

She suddenly leaned close to Maggie's ear and whispered, "Every day, Mrs. Abby makes various flavors of bread. If the lord doesn't eat them, we get to enjoy some."

Maggie exclaimed, "Ah, sir, servants eat, good bread?" Her snake language was broken, and she had to use gestures to make herself understood by Irene.

"Hmm, you'll understand the lord's kindness and generosity soon."

Indeed, Maggie understood that evening. During dinner in the kitchen, she received a small piece of pineapple bun. That night, the lord hosted two guests and had the kitchen prepare many breads, leaving plenty leftover. Each servant received a small piece.

Compared to black bread, this white bread with its unique flavor was the best thing Maggie had ever tasted.

"Little maids and little pages, follow closely. Be careful of snakes on the road at night," the patrol guard shouted loudly. They were responsible for escorting these young trainee servants back to their respective foster homes in the evening.

Following the patrol guards, Maggie felt incredibly safe.

She knew that the mention of snakes was just to scare the children.

Savoring the delicious pineapple bun, she kept whispering "Praise the lord." Then, she suddenly realized that she had eaten the pineapple bun without saving any for Mrs. Harriet's family. Although the foster arrangement was mandatory by the town administration, the Harriet family treated her genuinely well.

"Should I form a foster mother-daughter relationship with Mrs. Harriet?" She thought about the issue that had been troubling her for days.

As a nine-year-old girl whose parents were killed by mercenaries, it was natural for her to long for a new family amidst her grief.

But deep down, she still cared about her older sister, ten years her senior, tall and with curly hair. She always remembered her sister's words when she left home: "Maggie, wait for me to come back. I'll teach you magic, and we'll become mages together, mages who can cast fireballs!"

At that time, her sister was fifteen, and their parents forced her to marry a crippled old man in the village.

The next day, she left home decisively.

Her sister had always been her greatest idol.

"Maggie, you're back," Harriet greeted her kindly as Maggie returned to town.

"Oh, yes, Mrs. Harriet, you don't need to greet me every day."

"It's no trouble. Come in."

At night, the crescent moon hung in the sky. Lying in bed, Maggie thought about the kindness of the Harriet family and the delicious food at the castle. Somehow, her sister's image from childhood became blurry and distant, and certain decisions began to emerge in her mind.

"If Mrs. Harriet asks me again, I'll agree... she feels like my mother."

...

The morning air was fresh, and Liszt greedily took a few deep breaths.

He then started his daily practice and dog walking, followed by inspecting his domain. He disliked socializing; several nobles in North Valley City had invited him to birthday parties and gatherings, but he sent gifts instead of attending in person—a sign of his low profile.

After all, the designated heir of Coral Island was his brother Levis.

It was inconvenient for him to be too close with other nobles.

The Black Dragon horse held its head high, stepping on the pebble-paved road, unaware that its status was about to crumble. Perhaps it would only realize when Black Horse Island emerged that the king remains the king, regardless of past or future.

"The town lacks stonemasons, so we cannot carve and polish stones. Otherwise, we could pave the roads in town and the castle with stone slabs."

Accompanying Liszt was Isaiah, who reported on the progress of various projects in Flower Town in his capacity as an administrative officer.

"Paving stone roads is a major project. The town's labor should be used for more urgent tasks."

"Yes, sir. The autumn harvest is complete, and road construction and house building are finished. I am organizing the serfs to cultivate the wastelands around the town. Once the next batch of a thousand serfs arrives, they can take over these fields and start planting in spring."

"How is the expansion of the flame mushroom greenhouses progressing?"

"It has expanded by 20 acres, bringing the total to 50 acres. The serfs are now skilled at growing flame mushrooms, and production has doubled compared to before. In a month, the new greenhouses will increase production even further," Isaiah replied happily.

However, he also raised a question: "But sir, shouldn't the income from the flame mushroom potion workshop go through the town administration?"

"No, it does not. However, the town administration handles the tax and welfare issues of the serfs involved, and the castle will provide subsidies later." All the flame mushroom potions went into Liszt's stomach, making him an elite earth knight, unbeknownst to anyone.

Isaiah did not ask further. It was normal for a lord to handle matters related to potions personally.

Unconsciously, they arrived at the Thorns Garden.

The thorn cordyceps had grown into a four-meter-tall thorn tree, lush and eye-catching. Two-thirds of the surrounding area was covered with fast-growing magic thorns, while one-third was fast-growing iron thorns. A small area was reserved for ordinary fast-growing thorns, as a reminder.

If new mutant thorns appeared, it would be unknown.

Without waiting for Liszt to ask, Isaiah said, "Sir, the original 180 acres of the Thorns Garden have been expanded to 800 acres due to Jie La's emergence. Following the current ratio of one-third fast-growing iron thorns and one-third fast-growing magic thorns."

He pointed towards Thorns Ridge: "Fast-growing spike thorns and fast-growing poison thorns have begun to be transplanted along the edges of Thorns Ridge. With limited serf numbers, currently fifty serfs are responsible for transplanting thorns. I estimate that by winter, they will complete one-third of the transplantation."

"For spike thorns and poison thorns, there's no rush. Plant as many as possible," Liszt said, having lost interest in spike thorns.

Especially spike thorns.

They were practically useless, only good for preventing chickens, ducks, and geese from intruding.

Poison thorns, however, with their strong toxicity, could be extracted and made into poison for weapons or arrows, useful in warfare.