Chapter 1447: Chapter 25: Negotiation (Part 2)

[Maplestone City]

[Montaigne Mansion]

Winters swept through the breakfast like a storm—remaining bread, leftover pickles, and a large bowl of thick soup made with fresh seasonal vegetables and remaining cured meat.

Having breakfast was a habit Winters developed while in school.

Poor people don’t eat breakfast; they have only two meals a day and usually go out to work hungry.

The wealthy can fill their empty stomachs after waking up, but they usually rise late and have their first meal at nine or ten o’clock.

Only cadets of a military academy, who have to get up early in the morning for classes, must eat breakfast at dawn.

Winters’s beast-like eating speed is a mark left on him by the military school. He never lets food stay in his mouth for long, swallowing it after only a quick chew.

Anna worried about this a lot and even set a dining rule for him: “Chew each mouthful at least twenty times.”

Unfortunately, habits are not easy to change, especially those developed from childhood.

So as long as Anna did not remind him in time, Winters still devoured his food ravenously.

Xial brought him a coat, the washed hunting outfit looked very neat and upright.

“Not wearing casual clothes today,” Winters said, “Iron my uniform.”

Xial nodded, took the clothes, and left the dining room, completely ignoring the uneasy, curly-haired, green-eyed handsome man at the other end of the table.

Sitting next to Winters at the table, “Lady Montaigne” picked up a cup to hide her lips and stifled a yawn discreetly.

If it weren’t for the sudden visit of a guest, Lady Navarre wouldn’t have risen so early.

Having fulfilled her courtesy, Anna put down the warm grape wine in her hand and elegantly greeted the handsome man at the other end of the table, “Mr. Kai, I won’t disturb you two.”

“Oh, Madam, please don’t say that, it is I who disturbed you,” Kai Morland sighed in relief and courteously returned the greeting.

Anna looked over at Winters with a sweet smile, “Be polite.”

Winters, who was tilting his head back to pour soup down his throat, shivered inexplicably, quickly putting down the plate, “Don’t worry.”

Anna sighed inwardly, stood up, nodded gracefully to the two gentlemen again, and then left the dining room to Winters and the guest—she had to go back to sleep for a while.

Kai Morland watched Lady Montaigne walk out of the room before he began to speak.

He first habitually praised the host of the mansion: “You indeed have a good appetite, to be so hungry right after waking.”

But the host, who should have exchanged pleasantries, didn’t respond and concentrated on clearing the food on the plate.

After scraping the last bit of soup clean, Winters took a napkin and wiped his mouth haphazardly, emitting a satisfied burp.

To be honest, Winters didn’t expect that upon returning to Maplestone City, his first guest would be Kai Morland.

Bard, Andre, Senior Mason, and the Mitchell Family coming to his house was like being at their own home, so they weren’t considered guests.

After making a name for himself at the Newly Reclaimed Land Free People’s Assembly, Kai Morland was tacitly allowed to move freely within Maplestone City, no longer under house arrest, and without needing to hide and evade.

Occasionally, he was heard visiting some highly respected out-of-county free people’s residences and sometimes seen at banquets held by some prominent families of Maplestone City.

But as long as the National Assembly was not formally established, he had no legal status to participate in politics.

“You shouldn’t come at this time, Mr. Kai,” Winters said, alluding to the timing, “You come at this time, and I have to serve you dishes, but since you have no appetite, they’ll just end up feeding the dogs.”

Kai Morland lowered his head, glanced at the almost untouched meal in front of him, and smiled bitterly, “I indeed have little appetite, but I must come now, before others, not for myself, but for you.”

“For me?” Winters’ expression was half amused, half skeptical.

“Yes,” Kai Morland’s gaze was extremely sincere, “Although our previous agreement did not come to fruition in the way I envisioned. In truth, you’ve given me something I never dared to dream of. So, I firmly believe that you are a partner standing on the same frontier with me.”

“I’m flattered that you think so,” Winters responded motionlessly, maintaining politeness yet indifferent, “Please say what you must, I am eager to hear the details.”

Kai Morland cleared his throat, as if he had fought a fierce inner battle, finally making up his mind to ask seriously: “Are you aware of what Colonel Gessa Adonis has been planning recently?”

Winters displayed a toothy grin, “Whether I know or not, I don’t know if what you’re talking about is the same as what I know, isn’t it? So don’t waste time, Mr. Kai, speak directly.”

Kai Morland couldn’t help but cough dryly, took the cup on the table and sipped, leaning toward the Blood Wolf at the far end of the table.

“I’ve heard Colonel Gessa is planning to award all the soldiers who participated in the Wailing Valley’s battle—they’re of course our soldiers.” Kai Morland deliberately paused and emphasized, “Medals!”

“Medals?” Winters indeed heard something he was completely unaware of, “Why award medals at this time?”

…

“Why else?”