After a moment of hesitation, Derek still couldn't bring himself to refuse. Especially when it came to the Palmer family's eldest daughter… it was said she was quite charming. However, he couldn't call her "sister-in-law" just yet, as he was about to meet his fiancée and needed to maintain some respect.

Noticing Derek's hesitation, Adrian suddenly stepped forward.

"Sir David, if Miss Palmer has nowhere to stay for the time being, our noble lord, the Viscount, can offer temporary shelter, but please don't say anything that might be misunderstood. Our Viscount is about to meet his fiancée, Miss Pereira from the Pereira family. Do you understand?"

Goodness, the way he phrased that was beautiful. This wasn’t about being a "thief" – it was a noble act of sheltering three young ladies without a home. Well done, cousin, you'll get a raise next month.

David immediately apologized and began addressing Adrian with the appropriate title. Calling him "brother-in-law" wasn’t necessary, as long as he made the effort once.

The Palmer family never expected the title of Viscountess, they only used women to maintain certain connections. Not just women, either. After David apologized, he quickly handed over a prepared gift list.

"Viscount, before I came here, my father told me that the Palmer family owes its current situation to your support. From now on, the Palmer family will follow your lead, and each year we will send tribute at least equivalent to this gift."

Adrian glanced at the gift list, then handed it to Derek. Upon inspecting it, Derek noticed the generous offering—over a thousand gold coins. Even the Ferreira family, a traditional baron family, would only earn half of that in a year. Was this a sign of wealth or sincere intent? The money had been offered, and it wasn’t right to send it back. The question remained: would they continue to accept it next year?

As much as Derek was willing to accept the gift, his moral compass still guided him. This issue didn’t need much deliberation. Both he and the Palmer family shared a common interest, benefiting from the recent war and their position as emerging nobility. As long as they kept aligned, things would continue smoothly. Derek smiled, saying, “I hope to see you here in person again next year, David.”

David also smiled, relieved. In the past, it wasn’t always so easy to send gifts. Now, he had a positive result. Derek then conversed with David to learn about the Palmer family's current situation.

The family was faring well, having ascended into the ranks of landed nobility. Although they were not warmly welcomed by all, the hidden benefits were plenty. Their new territory reduced business obstacles, providing more room for growth. Yet, with their new status, they sought even greater ambitions, fearing both the prospect of falling back into obscurity and desiring the respect that came with their new position. Human ambition truly knows no bounds.

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As for the sisters, Derek resisted the temptation. He was about to meet his fiancée, so there was no need to rush things. Self-control was important, and if he couldn’t manage that, he had no business being involved in this world.

David didn’t linger long. He delivered his gifts and sisters, stayed for two days, and then left. Derek resumed his delayed journey.

This time, Derek didn’t just bring his guards and knights. To prepare for the southern nobles, half of the Saint-Miller Legion was called up, along with a portion of the Augusta family's private army, which had been trained for six months. A formidable force of about five to six thousand men set out towards the city of Pran.

In truth, the southern nobles were desperate. The second army from the north was still on its way, but some southern noble-led knight groups had already arrived in Pran. By the time Derek reached the city, they had been there for several days. And the bad news was confirmed—the southern nobles had completely lost their patience.

After waiting ten years for this opportunity, they were first played by the barbarians, and now their allies had betrayed them. It was a tragic situation, no wonder the southern nobles were furious.

Moreover, as their economy grew, the southern nobles hadn't neglected the strengthening of their military. They made significant investments and had successfully trained a number of highly skilled knights. The southern knights' equipment even surpassed that of the northern and royal knights. Over the past few days, there had been numerous skirmishes between knights from various regions.

The most unfortunate were the knights representing the central nobles, who had been thoroughly beaten in every encounter. Meanwhile, the northern and southern knights were evenly matched, surprising everyone. The older northern lords and knights now recognized the decline of the new generation of northern knights.

The consequences of this decline were clear: the southern knights' confidence had soared, and in the absence of large-scale battles, whoever dominated in knight duels would control the narrative. If the northern nobles didn’t suppress the southern knights’ momentum, their previous division of territories would become meaningless. It made no sense for the weaker party to speak loudly while the stronger one remained silent.

In this tense atmosphere, Derek’s messengers arrived in waves, sometimes ten in a single day. The Viscount, who had previously been in a relaxed mood, quickly resumed his furious state.

“A bunch of useless fools, beaten by a bunch of women knights. All this is delaying my business!”

Not being able to see his fiancée, or return home, or meet the people who mattered most to him—it was all a waste of time.

This time, even his servants, including Velrut, dared not speak up about the Viscount’s apparent slip of the tongue. The fact that the northern knights had failed to outmatch the southern knights was a huge embarrassment.

Historically, northern knights had relied heavily on their strength, and once their reputation was shattered, it would lead to a series of consequences. Limited political resources would only become even scarcer.

The only good news was that Derek had yet to take action. The two months of training had transformed his knights, and they held a blind trust in their leader.

Finally, Derek abandoned the bulk of his forces and rode swiftly with his attendants. When they arrived at the outskirts of Pran, they were informed that the old count had already taken the northern nobles to the military camp. The knights’ duels had taken place there in recent days.

Derek circled around and reached the camp, where he could see flags of both knight factions flapping in the wind. It seemed that a duel had just finished, and a group of knights was cheering. Derek approached, hearing shouts.

“Tell that young man, Derek, to hurry up and come here. Once I defeat him, let’s see what excuses you’ll have left.”

“The northern knights have fallen, it’s time for the southern knights to take their place.”