In November, little Anthony turned six months old. He was now able to roll over on his own and, on occasion, could even sit up by himself, though not steadily. He always toppled over within a few seconds. Wei Wei found it amusing but didn't dare let him sit for too long, in case it harmed his still-developing spine.
At six months old, Anthony was much livelier than when he was first born and no longer so afraid of strangers. When held by familiar faces, he didn't cry anymore and could be easily coaxed into laughing. He'd babble in his baby language that no one could understand. Aside from his parents, only the regularly seen maids and his little aunt, Dolores, were allowed to hold him. If anyone else tried, his little brow would furrow and he'd start crying on the spot, though with no real tears. It was fake crying.
Even so, everyone in the castle still saw him as the most adorable little angel. Even Caroline had made it her morning ritual to run to her uncle and aunt's room to see the baby as soon as she woke up. Little Anthony would excitedly wave his hands when he saw her, and the two toddlers would babble nonsense at each other for quite a while.
As November arrived, Dolores's engagement date drew near. The whole family packed up to set off for Aldridge.
This time, all five members of the Williams family traveled together—not even the two children were left behind. Although riding in a carriage wasn't exactly comfortable, they couldn't leave the kids behind. Little Anthony couldn't be separated from his parents, and Caroline had grown enough to cry and fuss if the adults went away. Her health wasn't great either, and crying too much could easily make her sick. On top of that, she had somehow instinctively mastered the art of acting pitiful—when she realized they didn't want to take her, she clung to Wei Wei's skirt without making a sound, just looking up with a woeful expression. Wei Wei felt so guilty that she had no choice but to give in and bring her along.
Aldridge County was landlocked and not by the sea, so they wouldn't be traveling by ship this time either.
Traveling with two young children required a lot more preparation. The carriage had to be made as comfortable and shock-absorbent as possible. With no suspension springs, they had to lay down multiple layers of cushions and cover all corners and edges with thick wool blankets to prevent bumps and bruises. They also had to bring along more staff. This time, Wei Wei brought along the butler and his wife—both had watched Dolores grow up. They had missed her wedding to Felix, but they had to attend her engagement ceremony.
Since Butler Barton was leaving, someone needed to manage things at the castle. Wei Wei left Qin in charge. She had been learning from Butler Barton for a long time and was now capable of managing affairs on her own.
On a clear day with pleasant weather, the Williams family carriage convoy departed from Sardinson under the escort of knights and soldiers.
Wei Wei hadn't left the estate in a long time. Since little Anthony's birth, she hadn't even left the castle much. Her longest outing had been to the pasture to watch the knight tournament. So she had only heard about the recent changes in the territory from Felix and others, but hadn't seen any of it for herself.
Dolores had occasionally gone out, but after her engagement was confirmed, she had stayed cooped up in the castle working on her engagement gown. As for Caroline, she had never left the castle at all. So along the way, the three of them were very curious about the scenery outside.
When they passed by Dingle, they didn't stop, but they did lift the carriage curtains to look at the nearby town.
It was no longer the tiny settlement it used to be. With the endless stream of people and carriages, Dingle grew more prosperous by the day. Many peasants who had originally lived in surrounding villages but worked in town had moved there to live. What used to be a town of a thousand residents now had over ten thousand permanent inhabitants. Its area had expanded several times over, with new houses rising one after another, even surrounding the agricultural market that had once stood outside town.
All of these changes had taken place in just three short years.
The people of the territory had long heard that their Count and his family were going on a journey. Many gathered on the streets of Dingle, eager to catch a glimpse of their lord. As the carriage convoy passed, the scene was like a festive parade—people lined both sides of the road to welcome them.
From inside the carriage, Wei Wei looked out at the commoners throwing flowers at the passing carriages. Each one of them looked clean and tidy. Their clothes, if not brand-new, were at least well-fitted and neat. Gone were the pale, emaciated faces of the hungry—they even had some flesh on their cheeks now and looked full of energy.
She didn't know who started it, but gradually the onlookers stopped calling out and began singing in unison. It was a local Sardinson folk song, once written to praise a previous head of the Williams family. Now, they spontaneously sang it again, offering it to their current lord.
Wei Wei turned to look at Felix, who was riding alongside the carriage. A look of surprise first appeared on his handsome face, then it slowly turned into a smile. The corners of his mouth lifted higher and higher until he looked truly delighted. He raised a hand and waved toward the crowds on both sides.
He must like this, Wei Wei thought, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
Who wouldn't enjoy being genuinely loved?
The singing dipped for a few seconds, then surged back stronger than before.
Even after the carriages had passed through the town and left Sardinson, the voices still seemed to echo behind them, never stopping.
If you give people hope, they will repay you with heartfelt admiration. This land belonged to all of them, and the people's love belonged to both Felix and Wei Wei.
After leaving Sardinson, the convoy continued along the main road for several more days, then turned north and traveled a long distance before finally entering Aldridge County.
Aldridge was located in the central region of the Pradian Empire. As a crossroads of the entire country, it was a place where all routes converged. Its commerce was booming, its population dense—even Sardinson, with all its recent rapid development, couldn't compare.
Aldridge had several large towns, though not all of them belonged to the Aldridge family. Two of them were royal territories, entrusted to the Aldridge family for management. The family was responsible for appointing town lords and administering the cities. Every year, these towns brought considerable revenue to the royal family.
This arrangement was common in many places. In prosperous territories owned by noble families, there were often patches of land belonging to the crown. Nobles would manage these royal holdings on the king's behalf. As long as the king didn't issue new orders, the nobles had full administrative control. Aside from the regular taxes they sent up each year, the actual profits belonged entirely to the noble. The royal family, without lifting a finger, could collect large sums of money and live a life of luxury.
Sardinson had no land belonging to the king. It had once been a remote, rural backwater—originally part of another kingdom that had been defeated and annexed by Pradi. The previous Earl of Williams had fought in those wars under the former king and was a loyal vassal. After the founding of Pradi, the Williams family's lands were still bestowed upon them. The king didn't take a single inch—in fact, he even granted them more. Unfortunately, a few prodigal ancestors had mismanaged things, shrinking the size of Sardinson to what it was now. In truth, Slot County, as well as the lands to the west and north of Sardinson Castle, had originally all belonged to Felix's family. But that was decades ago—he barely remembered the former glory.
The Aldridge family's castle was located in the most prosperous of its towns, a city even named after the family—Aldridge City. It was a genuine commercial capital.
As soon as the Sardinson convoy entered the county, Adonis received word. When they reached the gates of Aldridge City, he was already waiting there to greet them.
Every day, countless merchants entered and exited this bustling trade hub. Normally, even nobles had to wait in line to enter the city. Though they had a dedicated noble lane that spared them from the long waits of commoners, they still underwent basic inspections.
But since the city's lord, who was also the castellan—Adonis himself- had come to welcome them, the Sardinson convoy didn't have to queue at all. There wasn't even a routine inspection, let alone the entry toll that was usually charged.
The ladies didn't get down from the carriages. Felix exchanged a few words of greeting with Adonis before they entered the city together. Wei Wei glanced back at their convoy and couldn't help thinking Adonis was at a disadvantage. After all, they hadn't just come for Dolores's engagement—Sardinson's merchant caravan had come along too. The carriages behind were filled with specialty goods from Sardinson, as well as porcelain and silk that Wei Wei had purchased from the Great Song delegation. These could fetch a good price in Sardinson, but in Aldridge, the profit margin would be even higher.
They were also planning to open a shop in Aldridge City. From now on, aside from the royal capital, the Williams family would have its business presence here. In fact, this entire plan had originally come from Adonis himself, who had wanted to strengthen cooperation between the two houses. He had even found a suitable storefront for them in advance. All they needed to do now was inspect it, and if it suited them, they could buy it and prepare for opening.
The Aldridge family's castle was located in the center of Aldridge City. The tall castle walls were surrounded by a wide moat. The grand and magnificent castle had glass windows that shimmered in the sunlight. Compared to it, Sardinson Castle looked like an ugly duckling.
As she gazed at that brilliant white castle glowing in the sun, Wei Wei couldn't help but think of their own, similarly sized but far older fortress. Though Sardinson Castle had a longer history—over a hundred years—it had long fallen into disrepair. Its outer walls had never been refurbished. The stonework was bare and gray, unlike the clean, whitewashed façade of Aldridge Castle. It just didn't look good at all.
"I think it's time we renovated Sardinson Castle," she said quietly to Dolores beside her.
Dolores didn't reply. She was staring dazedly at the increasingly close castle, her eyes sparkling.
So this was… the place where she would live from now on?