On the mass grave, a wild dog was lying on a pile of skeletons, and when he saw the passing carriage, he only yawned, and leaned down to lick a bone with a sleeve.

"This brute!"

A glimmer of light struck the wild dog, causing it to scream in pain and run away with its tail between its legs.

Retracting her finger from the window, Charlotte's face gradually changed, first with a burst of relief, then with a hint of unease.

Normally, she would not lose her temper with a wild dog on the side of the road, and even if the wild dog was encroaching on someone else's cemetery, it was not worth her to waste her magic to attack.

And it was an attack from a galloping carriage, which was not easy at all.

But she was a little irritable, so she took the opportunity to vent her negative emotions a little - but if she didn't eradicate the source of her negative emotions, no matter how much she vented, it would only be soothing for a while, and it would not cure the symptoms.

After all, the information that can be conveyed by correspondence with Luo Ming is limited, and after seeing many things and people along the way, her homesickness is getting stronger and stronger.

It's okay to guess whether the unseen is good or bad, but if you see it with your own eyes, the fog will lift and the life and death of the cat in the box will be decided.

In case Luo Ming was reckless and deceived in the letter, in case he misunderstood the meaning of the letter...... What if you could see with your own eyes the miserable scene of Miyana being ravaged by monsters that she couldn't recover from for a long time?

Such an uneasiness gripped her heart, even if she gave vent to it by beating the wild dogs on the side of the road for a while, but it would not be long before it hit her heart again.

Then Charlotte saw a signpost indicating that she had entered the territory of Viscount Schönbrunn from now on. It wasn't here a year ago.

Contrary to what is not human, people are still the same people.

Occasionally, some new faces were added, but as a high lord, it was difficult for Charlotte to recognize all the thousands of people under her command, and it was not unusual to see a few fresh faces.

And things have changed a lot.

The most obvious thing is that there are several strange structures on the side of the road, some of which resemble miniature mounds, and some of which are improvised outposts supported by wooden poles.

Later, she learned that it was all built by Luo Ming, and that the thing that looked like a small mound was actually a beacon tower - since her territory was not large, there was no need to use the beacon, so it was the first time she had seen the real thing.

Although she lacked specific experience, Charlotte was also a person who had received a serious aristocratic elite education, and although she had not yet fully understood where Luo Ming had obtained so much money to build so many beacons and outposts, she instinctively saw that this method was indeed very good.

After the carriage entered the area under Luo Ming's control, there was no more ruins or mass graves, and it seems that the "protection of the territory and the people" he said in the letter was not boasting.

After discovering this, Charlotte's heart was almost full of joy, but there was a small cloud in it.

She never thought that she could let Luo Ming always be her loyal courtier, and Luo Ming said from the beginning that her vassalism was only nominal.

But at least a year ago, she thought that it would not be easy for the other party to become strong, and that it might take many years to become a baron and then become her ally.

And within a year, she was even promoted to a viscount by two levels, and she was almost on an equal footing with the county guard, and when she first heard about this kind of thing, she thought she was dreaming.

Even though Luo Ming was asked in many letters in a row, there were still many doubts in his heart.

It certainly seems like a good thing that the allies are stronger.

But an ally who was close at hand suddenly became much stronger, which would inevitably upset the old balance and establish a new balance that would probably not work in her favor.

Even if she had not systematically studied geopolitics, she had a certain understanding of this situation: compared to the whole of Schönbrunn in Luo Ming, her Barony of Miana was now undoubtedly a weak one, and the weak were close to the strong, and they would definitely be greatly affected.

Unlike other places, there are almost no signs of war in Lomin's territory, and there is prosperity and tranquility everywhere, which is not only because of his great domestic political skills, but also because he has a military force that exceeds the average of Van Shee County.

In this way, Luo Ming is simply too strong.

If the gap in strength is not too huge, the weak country can rely on various means to protect itself by the side of the strong country - but now, at a glance, we can see that the gap in strength is huge, and it is very difficult to protect itself.

(Although the principality is vigorously centralizing power, it cannot be achieved overnight.) The aristocratic realm is almost a country within a country, so there is no problem in directly describing it as a relationship between countries. ）

Being invaded, occupied, or infiltrated, controlled, either way, as long as Luo Ming is determined, there is a high chance of success.

And it is not very reliable to hope for Luo Ming's personal will - although Charlotte has a good impression of Luo Ming, she will never bet on this.

This return to her hometown, on the one hand, accepted the task assigned by the princess, and on the other hand, it was also out of her selfishness.

Even if her family is a pure royalist, she must also think about her family inheritance.

Relying on letter communication, it is better to meet Luo Ming in person, get along for a few days, and get a good touch of his bottom.

Of course, she treats Luo Ming as a friend or even half a brother, but public and private must be clear, Luo Ming also said this to her.

Even if it is okay to negotiate with each other in the morning and talk with each other in the morning, and to have tea and chat in the afternoon, it is not a schizophrenia, as is often the case in aristocratic circles—but it is absolutely not okay to confuse the two.

At the negotiation table, it is only possible when the two families share the benefits together, otherwise they must be out of their minds, or one of them is very willing to sell their own interests (this is also considered to be a loss of wisdom, or the person who negotiates is a spy), then naturally one is willing to fight and one is willing to suffer;

And if you are tense when drinking tea and chatting, and delicious pastries can't stop each other's mouths, then what kind of tea are you drinking?

In short, there is a clear distinction between public and private. Charlotte naturally understands this truth, and she doesn't think Luo Ming doesn't understand this simple truth.

Although Luo Ming would have reassured her even if he just verbally gave her a "I won't do this", she would have preferred a definite reason for this.