Lord of Rot

In the early morning, Evangelina, ’the Red Rose,’ departed Roaring Castle in a golden carriage, escorted by Golden Soldiers, to visit the home of a friend.

The Cavendishes, the foremost Knight family in East Port.

There were many stories about the Cavendishes, most of them related to their noble character. They aided the poor, protected the weak, were fearless on the battlefield, and never resorted to schemes or trickery. They were known as true Knights.

Upon arrival at Cavendish Manor, the guards saw the golden carriage and, after a single, brief question, allowed it to pass. The carriage traveled down a road lined with golden strawflowers until it reached a small castle.

A Soldier approached and brought out a deerskin-wrapped stool for Evangelina. Lifting her skirts, she slowly disembarked from the carriage.

A familiar blond-haired figure appeared before Evangelina.

”Good day, Miss Evangelina!”

He had a handsome face and a tall build. He must have been preparing to leave, for he was clad in a suit of shimmering golden armor. His gaze upon Evangelina, however, was intensely fervent.

Philip Cavendish.

The heir to the Cavendish family, and also the commander of the First Knight Order, known as the Midnight Sun.

His conduct was impeccable, but his personality was a bit too righteous, too much like a Knight from the storybooks. He was the favorite topic of discussion among the young noble ladies.

He was also one of Evangelina’s suitors.

She had countless suitors like him.

”Good day, Sir Philip.” Her etiquette was equally impeccable, but she deliberately projected a sense of distance.

She said, ”Tia and I have made plans.”

Philip was very enthusiastic. ”Tia is right inside. Allow me to escort you in.”

”That won’t be necessary. I can go by myself.”

Philip didn’t press the issue, just watched Evangelina’s retreating figure with a dopey grin.

The moment she stepped through the door, Evangelina was pulled into a room by a small hand. ”Did you run into my blockhead of a brother again?”

The one pulling Evangelina was a blond-haired girl in a gorgeous long dress. She had delicate, lovely features and a mischievous expression.

Evangelina couldn’t help but laugh.

’Indeed, Philip does seem rather silly, but that’s also what they call a Knight’s integrity.’

”See? You think so too!” The blond girl, Tia, let go of her and, hugging her own flat chest, said in a lecturing tone, ”He wants to court you, but you absolutely must not accept. Trust me, that kind of foolishness is hereditary!”

”Don’t worry,” Evangelina said. ”I have no special feelings for Sir Philip.”

’We’re not even friends, merely acquaintances.’

’She too had fantasized about her future husband. He had to be someone who could make her heart pound wildly, someone with whom she could share a fiery, passionate love. Though she appeared gentle on the outside, her heart yearned for a more thrilling kind of emotion.’

”Hmph hmph, that just means you can’t stand how foolish he acts either.” Tia was very satisfied.

Then she leaned suspiciously toward Evangelina and took a gentle sniff.

Her intimate gesture made Evangelina blush slightly. ”What are you doing, Tia?”

”I thought you didn’t like to use perfume? It’s a faint scent, but it smells wonderful.” Tia hugged Evangelina, nuzzling and sniffing her.

Evangelina’s cheeks grew redder. ”Don’t... don’t do that.”

The maids to the side turned their heads, pretending not to see what was happening.

”It’s soap,” she said. ”The soap that Baron Porcupine gave me. After bathing with the soap he makes, your body becomes fragrant.”

’Come to think of it, she also found it a bit magical that the scent could last for so long.’

”Soap? Can you get me some too?”

”I’ll write a letter to Sir Leech.” Evangelina finally broke free from Tia’s grasp. Cheeks flushed, she glared at Tia and said, breathing heavily, ”But Porcupine Territory isn’t very wealthy.”

”Usually, people are the ones giving me things, but for your sake, I’ll deign to buy it,” Tia said nonchalantly. She was indeed quite interested in the scent on Evangelina, but it was only a passing interest.

She owned all sorts of perfumes; she wasn’t lacking for this one.

After some time, other young noble ladies began to arrive for the gathering. The center of conversation never changed, remaining fixed on Evangelina, ’the Red Rose.’

Naturally, the topic turned to her use of Porcupine Brand soap.

Evangelina never expected that Porcupine Brand soap could be so popular. To her surprise, every single young noble lady wanted her help in buying some.

...

After returning to Porcupine Castle, Leech immediately had a Corpse Ghost begin trial plantings of Ghost Finger Grass.

It would mature around December.

’Whether the Magic Potion ingredients would mature wasn’t important; meeting that female Hunter was.’

’I have to buy a lot of Lucky Potion when the time comes.’

’Who could turn down a streak of good luck? At 10 Jinri a bottle, he wished he could have one every day to keep his luck going.’

But first, there was something more important to do.

He would use the Extraordinary Corpse Ghost Guy to eliminate the potential threats to Longship Castle, which would also help him better control it.

Shanzhang Castle could finally no longer restrain itself. Instead of hiding in the shadows and letting the illegitimate sons cause trouble, they had now proactively sent people to try and capture Lady Jie Lin to seize control of Longship Castle. This had solidified Leech’s resolve.

’Since everyone wants a piece of Longship Castle, why can’t I be the one to take it? Before, I only wanted to find a cooperative ally.’

’They think a widow and orphan are easy prey, don’t they? Don’t they know that’s *my* child she’s carrying?’

He closed his eyes, his consciousness taking control of Guy.

FLAP FLAP FLAP.

A raven landed on the windowsill. A maid at Longship Castle immediately retrieved the letter and handed it to Guy.

A strange, bewitching power allowed Guy to easily control the women within Longship Castle.

But after receiving the letter, he didn’t open it. Instead, he pushed open the door and headed for the study of Longship Castle.

KNOCK, KNOCK. He knocked gently on the door.

”Who is it?”

”Guy.”

There was a pause from inside before a voice said, ”Please, come in.”

Lady Jie Lin, who was still working at her desk after dark, looked at Guy and frowned. ”Guy. What important matter brings you here so late at night?”

Over the past two days, she had corresponded with Leech and confirmed multiple times that Guy was now ”one of them,” but she still found his sudden change in demeanor unsettling.

”A letter from Shanzhang Castle.” He placed the wax-sealed letter on Lady Jie Lin’s desk.

’The letter is unopened, which means even he hasn’t read it. Is he really this loyal?’

Lady Jie Lin broke the seal and opened the letter. Her expression changed slightly as she read.

She felt a sense of disgust at the words on the page. The letter was from Shanzhang Castle, without a doubt.

The letter asked what stage Guy had reached, whether he had ”taken” Lady Jie Lin, and repeatedly pressed for confirmation on whether she was truly pregnant.

If he had not succeeded, Shanzhang Castle might take other measures.

And if she wasn’t pregnant, they hoped Guy would get Lady Jie Lin pregnant. They could help delay the date of birth to make everything seem ”legitimate.”

’How disgusting!’ Lady Jie Lin felt an increasing revulsion for the monkeys of Shanzhang Castle.

But the next part of the letter made her expression change again, this time to one of distress.

An elite force of 200 men had already set out for Longship Castle and would arrive soon to help Guy take complete control.

Putting down the letter, Lady Jie Lin let out a long sigh.

’Even if I know, what can I do?’ A profound sense of powerlessness washed over her.

’Two hundred elite Soldiers... If they’re allowed to station themselves in Longship Castle, I’ll truly become a puppet vassal of the Monkey Clan, a mere marionette on a string.’

’But if I don’t let them in... I’m afraid the next force to arrive won’t be just 200 Soldiers.’

Their inability to take Longship Castle for so long had made the Monkey Clan anxious.

The Monkey Clan’s territory bordered the Southern Giant’s Foot, and to their north lay Waterfall Land. If they could take Waterfall Land, they could move closer to the core territories.

Of course, the most important factor was that Lady Jie Lin, without a husband, was a fat lamb ripe for the slaughter.

She handed the letter to Guy.

After he finished reading it, she asked, ”What do you plan to do?”

Guy said, ”I will write a letter back to Shanzhang Castle explaining that I have you under my complete control. Before you give birth to the heir, there will be no more trouble from illegitimate sons, and Waterfall Land will be able to recover and rebuild.”

’I’ve already switched sides, but on the surface, I’m still the Monkey Clan’s inside man. A double agent.’

’No, a triple agent.’

’Because Leech was the one controlling the Corpse Ghost. But since Longship Castle and Porcupine Castle’s interests were aligned, it was effectively just a double-cross.’

Shanzhang Castle’s original goal was to control Longship Castle, ideally by helping Guy become the Baroness’s husband.

”That alone won’t be enough to convince them,” Lady Jie Lin said.

Guy nodded. ”That’s why we have to let the 200 soldiers into Longship Castle.”

”Impossible!” she refused without a second thought.

’If I really let 200 soldiers into Longship Castle, I’d truly be a bird in a cage, with no chance of escape.’

At this moment, Lady Jie Lin even suspected that Guy’s defection to Baron Porcupine was a feint—a ploy to make her lower her guard and allow the 200 soldiers into Longship Castle for a bloodless, effortless takeover.

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Guy said, ”Rest assured, I will have complete control over these soldiers.”

”How will you control them?” Lady Jie Lin found it difficult to trust this man who had so suddenly changed his allegiance.

”It is Lord Leech’s method. Please, rest assured.”