Herald of Steel

Alexander was initially a bit surprised hearing Miss Linda's complementary comment.

Given the rotten way they had first met, he did not think it would be this easy to raise her 'likeless' meter.

But it seemed he had underestimated Miss Linda's love for power and authority.

And since Alexander was willing to help her obtain more of it, she had no problem transforming this foe into a friend.

Alexander also had no reason to turn down this call for friendship, so turning to face the grinning lady he gave a slight nod,

"Indeed we have. It seems we might have simply gotten on the wrong foot. Now that I think about there was never any true conflict of interest between us, haha."

It was unknown how much of that Alexander actually meant or even how much of it Miss Linda bought.

But the latter also did not have the mood to break the congenial atmosphere and thus nodded in agreement, "Indeed you are right Lord Alexander!"

However the lady was still a bit unhappy about her defeat and subsequent loss of position, so she also could not help but add a not so subtle jibe,

"Hahah, then I believe you wanting me to become the next duchess of Lynica is somehow to also in some way to account for that?"

Those mirthful eyes suddenly curved into a sharp, penetrating gaze as she said this.

'...As expected, even though she is willing to go through my plan, she still has reservations. And if she senses any danger she is going to flip on me anytime.'

Feeling himself placed under the scrutinizing sight, Alexander fully kept his composure and judged the situation calmly.

Then with a subtle curve of his lips, he smartly replied,

"You could see it like that. As I already said my lady, we have no conflict of interest. I have no problem with you and your son becoming powerful figures of the Heeat family. In fact, I welcome it.

Because then in return you can also help me with my enemies. For example, we can work together to keep the Strauss family in the south in check, prevent the Kaiser family supporting them from causing trouble, and even deal with the northern barbarians menace together should the need arise."

As Alexander said this, he noticed Miss Linda's fierce gaze soften considerably, realizing the mutually beneficial effects.

So he continued to oil the wheel, adding,

"I also do not think you will be any threat to my lands here. Because compared to what I have in Zanzan, this amount of land is really not worth fighting over. It's too far from my home and defending it is too much work for too little gain. I am not even sure who I will put in charge here."

"I only asked for it because I did not want your sister to cry wolf every time she faced the tiniest problem. I am a very capable man and I did not want her to think I was cheap."

"But if you prove yourself… I do not even mind switching my support from your sister to you in time Lady Linda!"

As Alexander trailed off saying such 'scandalous' words, the lady in question visibly shivered. She did not even think such grand promises were on the table.

Hence her ears listened with rapt attention as Alexander softly grinned,

"I cannot do it right now of course. We still have the free trade agreement and unilaterally breaking it would be unwise… I have a reputation to hold after all. But once the treaty expires in a few years… and you have declared yourself to be a strong player in Duke Heeat's court, I can consider signing the deal with you instead."

Alexander's voice at this point then suddenly turned from soft and magnetic to very powerful and intense, sounding like the temptations of a devil to Miss Linda.

"Just think about it, my lady! Why fight over this small spit of land on a tiny island that is divided in a thousand different ways when you can have a whole duchy? With Lord Castell's connections and my endless coin of support, you can certainly succeed. You can be the proud ruler of a mighty dukedom! It will not be too late to decide the fate of Galiosos at that point!"

"...." Initially, Miss Linda did not say anything about Alexander's 'impassionate speech. She only kept staring at the man with a sort of slightly confused eyes.

But as she managed to finally process what was said to her…. suddenly those onyx like began to blaze with the flames of a thousand suns.

"Hahaha…. good! Then I will try my best to get the old fart in between my legs! Hahaha, this should be fun!" Miss Linda let out a very loud, confident cackle before her tone suddenly changed to a much more mischievous, playful kind, "But before that…let me offer you a reward for all you support my lord!

"....!!!..." Alexander was caught a bit off guard by this sudden announcement and so watched with muted astonishment as the young lady leaped out of her chair and presented herself right in front of Alexander, unabashedly lifting the hems of her complicated dress up to her hips in one quick motion, thus exposing her underwear for Alexander to clearly to see.

"..." The man found them to match the lady's dress, a pair of red short knickers, and saw the drawer like hot shorts were snuggled closely to her alluring crotch, tantalizingly outlining her delicate features, even forming a vague cameltoe.

"Come, Lord Alexander! You know what to do!"

While noticing Alexander's blazing gaze that seemed to nearly burn through her forbidden zone, Miss Linda remained completely unfazed and even charmingly grinned the invitation.

"..." The abruptness of the amorous sight and the sudden pink development made Alexander's mind go blank for a while, wondering whether he was missing something.

"I do not think that that would be quite appropriate my lady!" But Alexander also quickly composed himself and putting on a straight face, politely noted, "You meeting me alone like this is already troublesome. If you stay any longer, people are sure to talk."

"People always talk! Everyone already thinks I was gang-raped by your men when you captured us back at the camp! So one more cock won't hurt!"

Alexander noticed a clear undertone of bitterness as Miss Linda said this, her eyes turning equally angry and hurt, her language turning base and filthy, much too different from her usual proud, aristocratic way of speaking.

This certainly false accusation had made her feel quite hurt.

And because it also involved Alexander's men and thus his own reputation, it made him angry too- it would not do good for his future campaigns if word got out that his men abused nobles.

He had no idea about such rumors being circulating around him as he never put his ears to such filth.

But now.

'Hmmm, who was it? Miranda? To get revenge on all that has happened? Or is it the Margrave elders… wishing to put the girl down for their defeat? Or maybe it's Lord Castell hoping to ruin her reputation and stop her from ever entering his family.'

Several candidates swiftly came into Alexander's mind, and he then and there decided he would do something about it as soon as he could.

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So turning to the still lifting her gown up semi naked lady, Alexander promised with a sincere face,

"I'm sorry my lady… I never knew. I have been too busy with so many other things that my retainers probably did not want to distract me with such filth. But rest assured, now that I am aware… this will stop! I promised you my support and you can take this as my very first token!"

Alexander's somber look and staunch support seemed to be quite efficacious on the lady, as much of the indignation in her eyes dissolved away… but Miss Linda still did not drop her gown.

Rather, producing a slightly helpless smile, she curtly nodded,

"Thank you, my lord! But many of the rumors have already spread far. Perhaps you speaking up against it will only aggravate them."

Alexander quickly understood what she meant- if a powerful figure like him were to dip his fingers into the mess, others might see the denial as only confirmation of the rumors, as Alexander trying to cover his men's own misdeeds.

'Is this why you want to do this with me? To smooth the wound? Since you have been already declared guilty you decided you might as well prove them right?' Alexander thus thought to himself.

And realizing this, he suddenly felt much of his lust towards the woman dissipate.

Instead, he chimed in an understanding tone,

"My lady I am sure you are grieving right now… but this is the right way. You are clearly not thinking properly."

"But don't worry, with my power I can indeed make those rumors disappear. I will issue a gag order on the matter for the whole Margraves family and I will even personally talk to Lord Castell and Lord Kite to dispel any misconceptions. My men would never do such a thing!"

However, despite Alexnader's promise, the blaze in Miss Linda's eyes refused to die down.

Rather they seem to increase!

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