"You''re teasing me again, my lord." Elena pursed her lips.

    "I''m telling the truth."

    "Hmph!"

    The two exchanged playful banters for a while before they went down the main hall.

    As soon as they arrived at the main hall, they saw Lucas and Maria chatting with Warrick who would lead the entourage.

    Sensing their arrival, Lucas turned his head and nodded to Alaric.

    "You look good. Those clothes suit you." The baron showed a rare smile.

    "Thank you, my lord. I got this made recently in preparation for this trip." Alaric responded with a light chuckle.

    Meanwhile, Maria approached him and adjusted his collar. "Be careful out there, son. You must always wear thick clothes and don''t forget to stay close to the fire at night to keep yourself warm."

    Hearing her gentle reminder, Alaric smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, my lady."

    "Oh, by the way, I plan to bring Elena with me for this trip."

    Lucas raised an eyebrow at his words, but he didn''t say anything. He just stared at his wife as if telling her to make the decision.

    Maria understood his gaze and contemplated deeply.

    The trip to Ryvaad was an annual thing and their main goal was to visit their longtime friend and ally, the House Paxley. However, there was something different about this year''s visit.

    Just recently, they received a letter from House Paxley saying that their eldest daughter wanted to get to know Alaric so they asked for his presence in this year''s annual visit.

    From their message, it was obvious that they were interested in betrothing her to Alaric.

    Maria was worried that Elena''s presence might make things awkward for the eldest daughter of House Paxley.

    Alaric is an adult now. I believe he knows what to do.

    After some thought, Maria relented. "Alright, but you must be considerate about the other party''s feelings."

    Alaric knew what she was talking about so he nodded his head to show that he had understood her words. "Yes, my lady."

    "Good. I hope that your trip will be smooth and pleasant."

    "Are you alright?"

    At this point, the young lady''s face turned red like a tomato.

    "Oh my god! I wish I was there to see that happen!" The maidservant remarked with a sigh.

    While the two were chatting, they suddenly heard a series of knocks on the door.

    Knock! Knock! Knock!

    The young lady made a ''shushing'' gesture at the maidservant before she said. "You may come in!"

    As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the door was pushed open by a middle-aged woman wearing thick makeup.

    "My lady!" A look of fear flashed in the maidservant''s eyes the moment the middle-aged woman entered the room.

    The middle-aged woman ignored the maidservant. She stared at the young lady with an eyebrow raised upward.

    "Hershey, how are your preparations for Lord Alaric''s visit?"

    The young lady named Hershey was inwardly nervous. She tried to look composed as she replied. "All preparations are ready, my lady."

    "Mn." The middle-aged woman hummed.

    She then crossed her arms and muttered.

    "Make sure that nothing will go wrong tomorrow. That boy has the same talent as his father. It would be good to leave a good impression on him."

    Hershey nodded. "I understand, my lady. I will do my best to keep Lord Alaric entertained."

    The middle-aged woman grinned. "Good."

    Without even bothering to say goodbye, she turned around and left.

    As soon as the door closed, the maidservant breathed a sigh of relief.

    She''s finally gone. That was scary...

    Hershey stood up and walked towards the coffee table by her bedside. On top of the table was a flower vase and a portrait of a woman who seemed to be in her late thirties.

    Hershey took the portrait. An expression of longing was evident in her eyes.

    Mom, I miss you...