thefictionvixens Chapter 239 Conveying the Marriage Contract
Chapter 239 Conveying the Marriage Contract
Chapter 239 Conveying the Marriage Contract
Horney picked up the document from his chest, squinted, and began to examine it closely.
"Hmm—" he exclaimed, "That's quite surprising."
Pena, with a fierce look in his eyes, shouted:
"You despicable scoundrel, have you forgotten the code of chivalry? You've actually used my father's death to carry out such a vile act!"
Dick felt completely innocent: "Sir, I have a clear conscience. I absolutely did not do the kind of thing you are talking about."
Horney added, "Lord Pena, please calm down. Lord Hubert never makes judgments based solely on intuition."
"Intuition? Do we need to prove it? This marriage contract must have been forged by him!" Pena roared. "No lord would marry his daughter to a commoner and bring shame upon his family!"
"My lord, Sir Buchanan has now been knighted and granted a fief by Lord Hubert. He is no longer a commoner, and besides, his father was a baron."
"So what are you trying to tell me? To persuade me to admit that this document is also genuine?"
Master Honey paused, his tone becoming earnest:
"The heraldic officer is here to assist the lord in governing the territory. Flattery is not my duty. Please forgive me, sir, but I must tell the truth. From the handwriting to the seal, and even the wording, everything is consistent with Lord Hubert's habits. This is undoubtedly Lord Hubert's decision."
"Ha!" Horney chuckled. "So you want me to admit it too? Then tell me, what are the benefits of marrying your young and beautiful daughter to your servant?"
"In my opinion, it must be because Father is old. No matter how resounding his reputation as a 'loyal dog,' he can't escape the ravages of time. Otherwise, how could he have been defeated by a pirate? He must be senile to make such a foolish decision."
"My lord!" Horney exclaimed unexpectedly, "Lord Hubert is a respectable man, but no one can be appreciated by everyone, and it is certainly not his son who should be the one to ridicule him!"
Pena blushed and scratched his head, saying:
"I know, I'm just a little angry. You know, the Payton family is always very close-knit, and my little sister is our darling. I—I just hope that my little sister can marry someone who will bring her happiness."
"Hubert's expectations for this were no less than yours, but he still made this decision, which shows that it was the result of his careful consideration."
"But why?" Pena spread his hands. "Why would he let his younger sister marry his servant?"
"Your mother is the sister of Pena Montero, and Lord Hubert was once her servant."
"But my father has noble blood flowing through his veins!"
"Yes, the son of a baron, but the one in front of you now also has that status."
"But he has no right to inherit!" Pena retorted.
"But he already has territory," Horney replied promptly.
Pena opened her mouth again, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Finally, he could only frown and say:
"Master Horney, no matter how you look at it, I can't see any benefit for the family in this marriage."
"Perhaps it's not for the family, but simply for Miss Peggy?"
"What do you mean?"
"Since Lord Hubert has chosen Sir Dick for Miss Peggy, it means that he approves of and values this young man. I think few people in the world have a more discerning eye than a loyal dog."
Upon hearing this, Pena fell silent.
He turned to look at Dick and sighed, saying:
"We'll talk about this later."
"Yes, sir," Dick nodded.
Master Horney then asked Dick, "Did Lord Hubert give you any other instructions before he passed away?"
"He instructed me to bring these to you and to serve Lord Pena well."
"I see, Lord Hubert's intentions are truly profound," Horney shook his head repeatedly.
"Master Honey, what's going on?" Pena asked.
"In short, Lord Hubert did this for you, for Miss Peggy, for the entire Peyton family, and even for the territory. At this moment, I can already feel his unease."
"You mean, Father doesn't trust me?"
"No, that's not it. Lord Hubert certainly trusts you deeply, but you should also know that few in the world can match a loyal dog in talent."
As Horney spoke, he turned to look at Dick.
"I can't guarantee anything else, but at least this newly recruited knight's martial arts skills will definitely make him a sharp sword in your hands, sir."
Upon hearing this, Dick felt ashamed.
Clearly, he had never defeated an adult.
Even when he used all his strength, he couldn't even force the adult to use his martial arts techniques.
Dick knew he was still too inexperienced, but even so, he had to remember his mission:
"My lord, I will be loyal to you and do my duty to you!"
Upon hearing Dick's words, Pena narrowed her eyes:
"I hope you will remember your oath, knight—"
It seems that Horney has now accepted those documents.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but he also understood that things would not have gone so smoothly without Pena's help in persuading him.
Horney continued, "Alright, my lord, with this decree, your legitimacy is now established. However, until you officially ascend the throne, you must not let your guard down and must keep the army firmly in your own hands."
Pena frowned slightly: "There's no need for that. No one can threaten my position except Payne, and I've always been on good terms with him."
"Never let emotions and feelings sway your judgment; for a lord, these two things are absolutely crucial."
"Okay, sure," Pena nodded.
He puffed out his chest, as if he had everything under control.
But clearly, he was not prepared.
Peña Peyton is already thirty years old, which is definitely not young.
However, he is not too old, and he has plenty of time to learn how to become a qualified or even outstanding lord.
Dick himself must also grow up quickly to fulfill the loyal dog's dying wish.
Afterwards, Horney gave Pena many more instructions before allowing her to proceed to the audience hall.
Dick was also invited to serve as Pena's bodyguard.
They arrived at the audience hall, where Master Horney read the decree of the loyal dog.
Family members and retainers all knelt before Pena.
Then, Pena joined these people in mourning the loss of the loyal dog.
Dick simply watched the scene silently, his expression as cold as a dead pool.
He had mourned enough long ago; he had been mourning ever since he witnessed the adult's head roll onto the navigator's deck.
Just then, he heard someone approaching from behind.
"Sir Dick, thank you for your loyalty to Lord Hubert and for bringing his dying wish back to the harbor."
Master Horney came to Dick's side and whispered something.
Dick gave the other person a wary look: "It's my duty."
"Remembering one's duty is a virtue," Horney said. "It seems Lord Hubert values you highly."
"I am flattered and humbled by this," Dick said, his eyes fixed on Pena's retreating figure. "I don't know if I can do it well—."
"Take your time, Sir," Horney said with a smile, patting Dick on the shoulder. "You're still young. You're ten years younger than Lord Pena, but you're much more mature than him. Your potential is immeasurable."
"Please don't say that. Lord Pena is definitely more outstanding than we imagine. He just hasn't had the opportunity to show his abilities before."
"Your loyalty is admirable," Horney laughed, "but few lords are as outstanding as Lord Hubert. It is common for a lord's talents to be inferior to those of his vassals. Recognizing your master's mediocrity is the first thing you need to master."
Dick felt that Master Horney's words were too direct and blunt, but—
"I understand, thank you for your advice, Master Horney."
"Yes," a smile appeared on Horney's aged face, "do a good job, Sir Dick. You'll be very busy for a while now—."
Horney was right; Dick was soon busy.
After leaving the audience hall, Dick followed Pena and Horney to Damascus to take over military command.
At Horney's suggestion, Pena surprisingly put Dick in charge of one-third of the troops.
Of the remaining two-thirds, half was controlled by Randolph and the other half was directly controlled by Pena.
Horney said to Pena, "Directly managing the army will certainly take a toll on your energy, but these are extraordinary times, so please be patient, sir."
Pena agreed.
Up until now, Peña had at least been obedient to Horney.
Dick's ability to accept advice was the first talent he discovered about his new master.
Dick also understood Horney's intention in making such an arrangement.
One person should not be allowed to control the entire army, otherwise a coup would become extremely easy.
But if Pena were to manage everything himself, he would definitely be too busy.
Therefore, decentralization, coupled with personal management of a small portion of military power, was the most appropriate advice given based on Pena's capabilities.
After all the important matters were arranged, Dick was asked to tell Pena and Horney everything that had happened that night at Weeping Gorge.
Pena listened, tears streaming down her face, repeatedly lamenting her father's sacrifice.
And they bet the navigator must have cheated, otherwise his father couldn't have lost!
Pena's reasoning was simple: Dick couldn't beat the loyal dog, while the Navigator died at Dick's hands.
Therefore, the leader's strength must be inferior to that of his father.
Although Dick agreed with Pena's conclusion, he did not agree with his reasoning process.
The ranking of warriors is not simply a matter of size.
Dick did kill the Navigator, but if the Navigator hadn't been overworked and missing half an arm, Dick estimated that he probably wouldn't have been a match for the Navigator.
Moreover, judging from Lord Hubert's wary attitude towards the Navigator, he clearly acknowledges the Navigator's strength.
A person who can be watched closely by a loyal dog must be quite capable.
After Pena calmed down, their conversation returned to the three letters the loyal dog had left for Dick.
Pena said, "I am naturally willing to bestow the knighthood upon you without hesitation. You are a squire trained by my father, and you have the qualifications to become a knight."
"The bestowal of territory should be done with caution, but it is not impossible. After all, land only has value when it is managed. I believe you can provide me with a large sum of tax revenue."
"But there's one last thing, my sister—which girl doesn't yearn to marry a handsome prince?"
"Sir Dick, while you are not unattractive, you do not meet the standards of a handsome man, and your social status is far from noble—tell me, how should I bring up this marriage with him?"
Dick was speechless, because even now, he still hadn't figured out how to face this marriage.
He had clearly fallen in love with a woman at first sight, but now he had to marry another woman.
Dick even secretly hoped that Pena would break the contract, so that he wouldn't have to face this responsibility.
Although he understood—for a true knight, to flee is undoubtedly a disgrace.
But Pena ultimately said, "Since Master Horney is certain that this is my father's dying wish, then I have no choice but to obey."
A wave of disappointment washed over Dick, and the thought made him feel utterly despicable.
"Sir," Horney said, "you must tell Miss Peggy that we all know she loves her father very much."
"Yes, I know, but it's precisely because I know that I don't know how to bring it up."
2
Pena shook his head repeatedly and sighed.
"She had just learned of her father's death, only to find herself to be married to a newly knighted knight, and it was this very knight who had brought news of her father's death back to the port."
Upon hearing this, Dick lowered his head deeply:
"Sir, I'm sorry—"
“I’m not blaming you,” Pena said. “Since you are the advisor my father assigned to me, I naturally have a responsibility to you as well—how about this, you come with me later.”
Upon hearing this, Dick felt a sense of dread.
A true knight should not run away.
But he has run away long enough. If he wants to become a true rider, he must choose to face it.
He nodded and said, "Yes!"
After discussing some political matters, Pena took Dick to Peggy Payton's room.
Payton knocked on the door, and a woman with red, swollen eyes from crying stood behind the doorframe.
"Oh! My dear sister, why are you crying like this—"
Payton, with a pained expression, wiped away his sister's tears.
Peggy threw herself into Peña's arms: "Brother, tell me it's all fake. Father isn't dead, he's definitely not dead. This is just a joke you played on me to scare me."
"Little sister, how could I possibly scare you on purpose?"
"But Father was so amazing, how could he die—" Peggy wailed, "Father was always so busy, he hardly ever had time for me, but—but now—Brother! Brother! Father's gone! My dad's gone—"
"Little sister, I—"
Pena couldn't offer any more words of comfort; all she could do was hug Peggy and gently stroke her head.
This was their family matter, so Dick could only stand aside without saying a word.
After Peggy finally finished crying, she wiped away her tears and asked Peña:
"Brother, what do you need me for?"
Pena stammered:
Before your father ascended to heaven, he arranged a marriage for you.
"Marriage? What marriage? Who does he want me to marry?"
Pena didn't speak, but turned to the side and looked at Dick.
Peggy immediately understood what her brother meant.
Tears still clung to her face, but she leaned back, shaking her head.
"No! Don't!"