Chapter 405

Hayden, granted the title of Duke, lived a relatively comfortable life in his fief. He didn't desire to return to the capital alone to spend his old age in solitude; he had hoped to have his descendants around him. However, as he grew older, he longed for a return to his roots. It was also partly to show the king that his presence in the capital would ensure his children and grandchildren remained loyal.

Hayden wasn't concerned about his own family, but he had noticed some troubling signs. He feared ambitious individuals might try to win over the various local princes and dukes. That's why he anxiously returned to the capital and retired, to keep a closer watch on things.

Tonight, he had taken Rafael aside. Hayden wanted to pretend he was drunk to speak his mind—whether as a warning or a hint, it was the most he could do.

Before parting, he patted Rafael on the shoulder. "I must say, I quite like your wife. Bring her to visit me sometime."

Rafael smiled and replied, "Of course, I will."

"Good. I'll be on my way!" Hayden stroked his beard and laughed heartily as he left, walking steadily and showing no signs of drunkenness.

As Rafael turned, he saw Carissa approaching with Ryan. He went to meet them and, out of habit, took her hand.

"Are you cold?"

"Not at all. I've had a few drinks, so I'm feeling quite warm," Carissa replied. (The following section is unintelligible and has been omitted: She had ONJ 100 Z TEM SME QPS AMG NO NOSS She added, “Money has not quite ab eode in the palace tough to keep the que is saying with her “Let her be “Rafael sac, boeing Cases white goo Rian. They left the palace and mace nei wey VV Hell Monarch Estate was They Tonight with Voet and Traves as quests. Since it was New Year’s Die Dey planned to a meal.)

Jacob had prepared several large baskets of coins to give to anyone who offered their blessings as they all gathered for the New Year. Whoever spoke well would receive a handful. For each basket of coins, there would be a basket of compliments.

As Rafael and Carissa settled into their home, servants streamed in, offering well-wishes and compliments as they went about their duties. Jacob was busy by the hearth, brewing coffee and roasting sweet potatoes. The aroma of the sweet potatoes filled the entire mansion. When he deemed the servants' greetings satisfactory, he would nod and say, "Go to Lady Carissa and collect your reward."

Carissa grabbed a handful of copper coins to distribute. Seeing this, Ryan found it particularly amusing and declared that he wanted to be in charge of grabbing the coins. His declaration drew everyone's attention to his small hands. It was clear that Carissa's hands, while not large, were long and slender, capable of scooping up quite a bit. Ryan's tiny hands, by contrast, could barely manage two handfuls compared to one of Carissa's.

Faced with protests, Ryan was soon reassigned; the task of handing out the rewards fell to Carissa.

Jacob exchanged a smile with Rafael. It was delightful to see Carissa receiving blessings, with no time to dwell on unhappy thoughts. Tonight was meant to be lively and joyful.

Violet also came over to help, so the servants were divided into two teams. As generous as ever, they weren't stingy with the rewards. While distributing coins, Violet laughed so hard she almost fell over. She playfully punched Travis, who stood in front of her.

"Rod, don't you have any shame? You've come three times, and each time you say the same thing! Can't you think of something else?"

Travis scratched his head. "This is already the best I could come up with."

"If you can't think of anything else, then just copy what others say. You've been repeating the same blessings about success and happiness over and over—it's really lacking in depth," Violet scolded.

Travis replied, "What do you know? Success and happiness are what people want. Blessings should be simple and straightforward. Being overly precise with words only confuses everyone, even the gods."

"Do you think the gods are as ignorant as you are?" Violet laughed. "I'm tired of hearing the same thing over here. Go over to Carissa's side."

"But I've said the blessings already! You need to give me the coins before I go to Carissa," Travis said, holding out his hand. "Give them to me."

Violet called him shameless, but still handed him a handful of coins.