socalfunplaces Chapter 276 Ray Thomas
Chapter 276 Ray Thomas
Chapter 276 Ray Thomas
After saying goodbye to the fat chef, Dick escorted Peggy back to the castle. Peggy kept her head down and remained silent the whole way.
Except when she's sick, Peggy is always a lively girl, which is in line with her age.
However, she walked quite slowly on this return journey.
The person who was supposed to take Peggy to Peggy's study was the civil servant who came to inform her.
However, since Dick was there, he decided to take on the task.
After some time, they finally arrived at their destination.
Peggy stood at the door in a daze, so Dick knocked on the door for her.
"Knock knock".
"Come in."
Dick pushed open the door: "Lord Pena, I've brought Miss Peggy."
Pena smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Sir Buchanan."
Dick bowed slightly: "It is my duty."
"You're still in charge of my team, yet I still expect you to hang out with Peggy."
"There is nothing particularly noteworthy about the fleet for the time being, and as retainers of the Peyton family, I should always prioritize the safety of the Peyton family members."
"Um,"
Pena nodded, then looked at Peggy standing in the doorway.
"Peggy, don't just stand in the doorway, come in quickly."
Peggy hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.
Pena, all smiles, walked around the desk and toward Peggy.
He took Peggy's hand and led her toward the man who was sitting in a chair, dressed in a red and black stand-up collar suit.
The man had medium-length black hair, parted in the middle of his forehead.
His thick, neatly trimmed mustache on his upper lip gave him a refined and elegant appearance.
This man is probably around fifty years old. The sharp glint in his eyes always points diagonally downwards, suggesting that he may have an arrogant personality.
Pena said to Peggy, "Peggy, this is Earl Luther Rextom. Earl Luther, this is my sister."
Peggy: Payton.
Dick looked at Peggy's profile and saw that her eyes were filled with resistance and fear, and her furrowed brows showed extreme vigilance.
Pena tugged at Peggy's arm: "Sister, you should greet Earl Luther; don't forget the proper etiquette!"
However, Peggy bit her lip and didn't say a word.
Upon seeing this, Count Luther simply put his hands on his hips, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair.
"Count Pena, I think Miss Peggy has misunderstood. She probably thinks you are going to marry her off to this old man."
Peña chuckled. "Ha! I didn't make things clear enough, but even if Peggy really does marry you, it's definitely not a bad thing for her."
"Hahaha!" Luther laughed out loud. "Indeed, not everyone has the chance to marry the Earl."
Pena nodded, then tugged at Peggy:
"Alright, sister, no matter who you are marrying, you should still greet this distinguished guest."
Peggy finally opened her mouth and curtsied to Luther:
"Count Luther, it is an honor to meet you."
Luther squinted, scrutinized Peggy carefully, then turned to look at Peña:
"She really is your mother's woman, ha, they say that if you have the blood of the Montero family, your skin will be as smooth and tender as an Aoyama tangerine. Miss Peggy has added new evidence to this rumor."
"But it's just a rumor after all," Pena shrugged. "The current baron of the Hofs is a disgusting bald man, and his daughters are all ugly as they are, and his grandmother is a direct descendant of the Montero family."
“Bloodlines can be diluted,” Luther said, “and Peggy’s mother was a pure Montero.”
"That's true, Lord Buchanan, bring a chair over."
Pena turned to look at Dick, then at Peggy.
"Little sister, let's sit down and talk."
Dick bowed and immediately complied.
Then Pena asked Dick to help pour the wine, a task Dick often did when Count Hubert was still alive.
Therefore, he was quite familiar with the process.
Refilling the wine was a continuous task, so after pouring the wine, Dick stood between the two Peytons and waited.
“To be honest,” Luther looked at Pena, “when I first saw your young mother, I secretly cursed your father, saying he deserved to die.”
"Hahaha," Pena laughed so hard he almost fell over, "you were all young and impetuous back then."
“I was younger than you are now back then,” Luther shrugged. “And I found it even more incredible when I learned that he was able to marry the sister of his own lord.”
"The relationship between the loyal dog and the old Duke Montero was not a simple one of ruler and subject, but I never heard my father explain it in detail."
Upon hearing this, Dick realized that even Lord Hubert's son was unaware of his past with Peña Montero.
"I've heard some rumors about this too," Luther said, "but now, those times seem so vivid in my memory."
I met your father on the battlefield.
"I know, that highland battle," Pena continued.
"Yes, your father was the champion of the tournament in that battle, which earned him the trust of the command battalion, resulting in him being able to serve as a general in the battle."
"You should know that your father was only a baron at the time, so most of the knights under his command were quite resentful."
Pena grinned. "So, that includes you, Earl?"
"Now that Hubert is gone, I have nothing to be ashamed of in admitting it, and yes, that includes me as well."
Luther said,
"I lost to your father in the quarterfinals of the tournament, and then became his subordinate in that battle."
"Fortunately, I wasn't an earl at the time, so I just kept my emotions to myself. But after a few battles, everyone, including myself, was impressed by your father's military talent."
"At the time, I thought your father would be the brightest star in this battle. Who would have thought that he would be overshadowed at the end?"
“I’ve heard quite a bit about this,” Pena said, narrowing her eyes. “Are you talking about the Duchess?”
"That's right, the Lady of the Plains, Brianna Lorraine. She's a mysterious and powerful woman, and although I only met her once, I felt completely captivated by her."
Hearing this, Pena narrowed his eyes:
"Hearing you say that, I really want to see that lady's beautiful face."
"Regardless of her appearance, although she is very beautiful, it is her unique temperament that is the key to her charm."
"Is that so? But speaking of the Lorraine Plains," Pena said, "the west doesn't seem to be very peaceful lately."
"The western part of the kingdom has been in chaos lately. I've heard that an assassin organization is rising in power, and more importantly—"
Luther leaned forward slightly and gazed at Pena.
The murky mystery that shrouded the "Golden Wheat Plain" seems to be fading away.
"mystery?"
"It is said that since decades ago, women have become the masters of that land, and the Lorraine family has been protected by some evil force. All the surrounding families are afraid of them and inevitably give them a wide berth when dealing with them."
Luther said,
"But once that power dissipates, its beneficiaries will inevitably lose their composure, and you should know how those lords who have long been wary of the Lorraine Plain will react, right?"
Pena nodded solemnly, but said nothing.
Luther continued, "Therefore, I suspect that something big is about to happen in the Lorraine Plains."
"However, the Lorraine Plains are quite a distance from here, whether it's the Montero Hills or the Thomas Twin Rivers,"
At this point, Pena suddenly turned to Peggy.
"Peggy, do you know the Rittos family?"
Faced with the sudden question, Peggy paused for a moment:
"This is a branch of the Thomas family, and their emblem is the Bloodstained Lonely River."
Luther seemed pleased after hearing this, and he smiled and asked:
"Then do you know the origins of the Rittos family and the 'Bloodstained Lonely River'?"
This time, Peggy shook her head.
"Eight hundred years ago, the short men of the Thornlands launched a despicable sneak attack on the Twin Rivers region under a fabricated pretext. Because the attack was sudden, the southern part of the river basin quickly fell."
Count Luther began to recount the history of his family.
"And they attempted to move north along the river and gradually annex the entire Twin Rivers region. Their plan went smoothly, and the Golden River was quickly taken over by them. As long as they take over the Silver River, the Thomas family's Runyun City will be in grave danger."
"At that time, the ancestor of the Rhett Butler family, Tal Thomas the Fortress, led five thousand cavalrymen to defeat the Lloyd family's army of thirty thousand and dyed the silver water red."
"Afterwards, Tal's brother, Duke Pavel, finally gathered the remaining forces, launched a counterattack, and reclaimed all the lost territory."
"After that, Pavel granted the title of Earl of Tal and bestowed upon him a fief. Thereafter, the blood-stained banner of the Rittos family flew over the lands of the kingdom."
Peggy nodded, but her expression suggested she wasn't particularly interested.
Peggy continued, "Alright, Peggy, you will be marrying into Redwave Castle in the Twin Rivers region. Your husband will be Kenneth Rethomat, the second son of Earl Luther."
"Oh, but there's something I need to clarify."
Luther cleared his throat.
"Actually, as an old friend, I should have attended Hubert's funeral and proposed marriage to Chow Harbour two months ago. But I was unable to attend due to important matters at Red Wave Fort, which is why it has been delayed until now."
"Earl Pena, although Kenneth is only my second son, he will inherit my title and lands."
"Ah, I've heard of that. Your son, Belon Rittos, is highly skilled in martial arts and is one of the twelve Royal Knights."
"Hmm—I'd rather his skills were mediocre."
Luther sighed deeply.
"Count Pena, as you know, the Guardian Knights swear an oath to protect the Great Scripture, the Kingdom, and the King, requiring them to be without desires and not to marry."
"He had to give up all his rights as my eldest son, but he still agreed and resolutely joined the Guard. I almost drew my sword against him for it."
"But that kid still disobeyed my orders in the end and became a Royal Guard. Everything that should have belonged to him naturally fell into Kenneth's hands."
Pena nodded, and from his expression, it was clear that he had known about this situation for a while.
He looked at Peggy: "Did you hear that, sister! The man you're going to marry is the earl's heir!"
However, Peggy just kept her head down and didn't say anything.
Pena frowned: "Peggy, it's time to speak!"
Peggy kept her head down.
"Peggy!" Peña raised her voice.
At this moment, Peggy finally looked at Peña.
However, her eyes were filled with tears, and her expression was quite fierce:
"No!"
"Peggy, you!"
Pena glanced at Luther, seemingly observing his expression.
He stood up, went to Peggy's side, and whispered:
"You can't be willful at a time like this!"
"No!" Peggy almost screamed.
She suddenly stood up, wiped her face with her sleeve, and rushed towards the door—
"Snapped!"
The loud slamming of the door startled the three men in the study.
Pena was the first to react, and he said to Luther:
"I'm sorry, Earl Luther, you must be laughing at me."
"This girl is spoiled," Luther said, his expression seemingly displeased. "She's a loyal dog, so majestic in public, yet she can't discipline or raise her offspring."
"Peggy's situation is a bit special," Peña said awkwardly, "but no matter what her attitude is, the outcome won't change."
"Of course," Lude said arrogantly. "The Rei Thomas family has always been tough and will not tolerate any humiliation."
Dick, now somewhat worried about Peggy, had no choice but to interject:
"Lord Pena, I am worried that Miss Peggy might do something dangerous. Please allow me to supervise her."
Pena nodded: "Yes, go ahead."
After bowing, Dick immediately left the study.
After asking the guards at the door, Dick learned that Peggy had run towards his bedroom.
So he quickly gave chase.
Dick quickly arrived at Peggy's room and knocked on the door:
"Miss Peggy."
"roll!"
Dick had heard Peggy say this word to him many times, but it reassured him at this moment.
This proves that Peggy was in the room and did not appear to have any extreme thoughts.
Ultimately, this had nothing to do with Dick; his only responsibility was to ensure Peggy's safety.
What Peggy thinks is none of his business.
Given his status, he cannot easily intervene.
So he simply called over the guards in the corridor: "Stand by the young lady's door and don't let her leave. If she throws a tantrum..."
"Then come find me or Count Pena."
After giving his instructions, Dick returned to the Earl's study.
When Dick knocked and entered, he found that Pena was the only one left in the room.
"And Earl Rimas?"
"He left, and he was very unhappy."
After all, being rejected outright by his future daughter-in-law must have felt humiliated.
Dick bluntly advised, "Sir, you shouldn't have let Peggy meet the other party before you were sure of her attitude."
"I understand, I know this was a bit hasty," Pena said, sounding quite impatient, "but she's being too willful."
"Don't you understand that she's speaking on behalf of the Payton family!"
Dick didn't know how to comment, but there was one thing he needed to confirm:
"My lord, is Earl Ridtos aware of Peggy's illness?"
"Of course I don't know," Pena said. "I never intended to tell him."
Dick frowned: "This is deception."
"Interactions among nobles are nothing but deceit and treachery."
Pena pursed her lips, looking completely indifferent.
"Moreover, this matter can be considered a win-win situation for both Peggy and Chau Harbor."
"A win-win situation?" Dick asked, puzzled.
"As you know, Peggy's illness is probably incurable, but through this marriage alliance, Chau Harbor can establish a kinship ties with Red Wave Fortress."
Peggy, in a way, made some contribution to the family before she died, and at least she could experience the happiness of marriage before she passed away.
Even if Dick takes a deep breath, this happiness may not be what Peggy craves.
At this moment, Dick felt nothing of the sibling bond between Pena and Peggy. Even knowing that it would mean sacrificing his sister, Pena's attitude would probably not waver in the slightest.
But Dick said nothing; the only thing he swore to protect was Peggy's life.
As for Peggy's happiness, it has nothing to do with him.