Chapter 141: Chapter 141 - 137: Duke Calvin’s Letter

Nora's preparations began with astonishing speed.First, a few inconspicuously ordinary carriages were prepared, covered on the outside with gray cloth, simple and unnoticeable, with slightly dusty rooftops that appeared like old items bumped along snowy roads.The compartments were filled with wooden boxes and cloth bags, presenting a typical wandering merchant's cargo from the outside.The so-called "wandering merchant" is a type of peddler commonly seen in the Northern Territory, not relying on fixed shops for a living but traveling between territories by carriage, selling silk, spices, medicinal herbs, or other necessities.They either exchanged for money or bartered, wandering for years and barely noticed.In the Red Tide Territory, occasionally a few wandering merchants would visit, but since Louis controlled the Calvin Clan's channels.Most goods were procured directly and delivered within the territory.Therefore, there was little interest in these small, irregular trading ventures.Next, Nora personally supervised the arrangements, placing over ten guards at the back of the carriages.The armor was all replaced with simple iron plate armor, with a crude style that appeared more like temporary guards of mercenary origin, unrelated to noble knights, low-key and practical.The final preparation was the most crucial step: disguise.Nora took out a small wooden box, gently opened it, revealing mud glue, lip color, and dark red powder, along with dye mixed from trace amounts of herbs.She pinched some pigment and turned to Emily; "Miss, for the disguise, draw a large scar across your cheek, this way you'll look less like nobility."Emily nodded without hesitation, sat before the vanity mirror, and closed her eyes, allowing herself to be manipulated.Nora's fingers, agile, began to draw the fake scar bit by bit on her fair cheek.The old wound, slicing diagonally across from the brow bone, carried faint hints of red and gray.She then added dust and grime to her nose bridge and jawline, making Emily's entire face less delicate and more weathered.The person in the mirror was no longer the dazzling duke's daughter of Frost Halberd City but looked like a tired yet resilient woman merchant.Emily glanced at her reflection, and with a slight smile, expressed satisfaction: "Certainly convincing."Of course, how could all this "secret journey" arrangement be hidden from her father?Emily knew all along, this was merely a "performance."She played her part for her father, showing her stance, knowing her father would likely agree.Indeed, the evening before her departure, the old butler quietly reported the matter to Duke Edmund.Beside the dining table, the duke merely stared silently at the snowy scene outside the window, after a moment of contemplation, and then revealed a knowing smile."Let her go." he instructed his personal guard beside him, "have Victor escort her secretly, without her noticing."So, on the following morning, before the mist had cleared, several carriages discreetly departed from the West Gate of Frost Halberd City, quietly heading toward the Red Tide Territory.Emily did not know whether this young viscount was someone she could entrust her life to.But she was willing to go see the answer herself.On an early spring morning, Louis had already settled into his office, ready to begin the day's work.He held a cup of hot red tea, with hints of lemongrass and mint, sipping it slowly.Beside him, the ever stern old butler Bradley placed a stack of substantial documents on Louis's left hand side.In fact, this pile wasn't much; it's the norm of winter governance.At this point, Bradley reminded, "The one on top is a letter from the master.""Duke Calvin?"