CHAPTER 227: CHAPTER 186: AN EXTRAORDINARY BREAKFAST

The early morning light gently filtered through the high windows of Red Tide City, softly casting on the carved long table and silver-edged plates, as if murmuring softly in this tranquil morning.

This was Louis’s first time having breakfast with Duke Edmund’s family.

Also his first time, sitting as both "Red Tide Lord" and "son-in-law" at the table of the most powerful duke in the Northern Territory.

He wore a neat black formal suit, with complete etiquette, neither humble nor arrogant.

The Duke sat at the main seat, his expression calm, his gaze as distant as a snowfield.

To his left was Lady Irina, still in a fog blue long dress, gentle and elegant.

And on Louis’s right was Emily, sitting cautiously, yet her gaze quietly fixed on his profile for a long time.

The long table was filled with exquisite breakfast: hot wheat cakes and cheese laid on silver plates, warm honey wine in fine porcelain pot, and slices of smoked salmon, golden orange in color and fragrant.

But the most intense in the air was not the aroma of the food, but that subtle, yet-to-be-fully-unfolded family atmosphere.

"This fish is quite good." Edmund spoke first, picking up a slice of smoked salmon, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"A specialty of Red Tide," Louis replied calmly, "specially smoked in the workshop. If you like it, my lord, I can prepare some for you to take back to Frost Halberd City."

"Hmm." The Duke responded plainly, his tone unchanged.

Emily picked up the teacup, took a small sip, her gaze drifting across the table, landing between her father and husband, her expression slightly tense.

She knew this meal was not just breakfast, but also a test.

"How are you two getting along?" The Duke asked.

Emily blushed slightly, not knowing what she thought of.

Louis did not evade, but answered calmly, "Very well, Emily is a perfect wife. I’m lucky to have married her."

"Hmph." Edmund nodded, a certain examining tone hidden in his nasal response.

And Irina beside him laughed softly, saying warmly, "Emily indeed has a bit of a stubborn streak. She never shows her soft side easily since she was young. You’ll need to be a little more accommodating."

"Mother." Emily protested in a low voice, her face slightly flushed.

Irina gently patted her hand, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

Edmund, however, did not smile. He stared at Louis, his tone lowered a bit.

"This girl... has a hard mouth but a soft heart. Outwardly she seems reserved, but she cares more than anyone. She is my most beloved daughter, the person I most hope finds happiness in this world."

His gaze fixed on Louis, his voice calm, yet heavier than a blade.

"I married her to you not just for an alliance with the Calvin Clan. I want her to live well. So I hope you don’t treat this marriage as merely a political exchange."

The air suddenly became silent.

Emily’s eyelashes trembled as she looked up at her husband.

Louis was silent for a moment, then put down his knife and fork, turned to look at Duke Edmund, his tone steady, "I won’t. No matter the initial reason, now and in the future, I will treat her sincerely and won’t let her suffer any grievances."

Emily held her breath for an instant.

What she heard was not sweet words, but a promise made after careful thought.

Just like last night, when he said in front of her, "I will never hurt you."

The Duke looked at Louis, saying nothing for a long time.

Irina slowly smiled first, "That’s enough, Edmund. Don’t turn breakfast into an inquisition. Emily is about to be unable to sit still."

"Not at all," Emily murmured in rebuttal, but her ears were still red.

Edmund finally nodded, said nothing more, picked up the wine glass, and took a slow sip.

The topic gently shifted in the silence.

"Speaking of which," the Duke put down the cup, his gaze falling on the rising morning mist outside the window, "I originally only heard that your territory was well-built."

His tone was calm, as if casually discussing someone else’s situation.

"But after taking a look around yesterday," he paused, his eyes slightly narrowed as if recalling everything he saw, "your territory really did surprise me."

Louis was slightly taken aback, just about to speak, but the Duke had already continued the conversation himself.

"Clean streets, people’s faces looking decent, granaries, workshops, markets... I didn’t expect you transformed a war-torn border into a prosperous place in just one year."

His tone carried a faint sense of admiration, even a bit of helplessness.

"I did something similar when I was young, but you did it faster and more steady than I did."

As he said this, his gaze unconsciously avoided Louis.

He knew full well that in managing livelihood, he was indeed not as good as this young man before him.

Despite his years in military and politics, the peace, satiety, and hope spoken by the common people were never as tangible as they were in Red Tide Territory.

In less than two years, from a broken battlefield to the current city walls, streets, and order.

If not seen with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed this was achieved by someone in his early twenties.

Simply a genius, far exceeding what he had done, especially in terms of civilian life.

And only took a year’s time.

He was reluctant to admit it, but also couldn’t deny it.

Perhaps... this young man really has the potential to bring about an unimaginable transformation for the entire Northern Territory.

Emily sat quietly, her fingers gently brushing the edge of the teacup.

As soon as her father’s voice faded, she couldn’t help but sit up straight, a faint arc slowly curling her lips.