Chapter 416: Chapter 416 - 271: Visa’s Confusion (Part 2)

The streetlights were already up at night, and outside the public bathhouse, the hours of operation and free notice were still posted.She hesitantly entered a bathhouse.When the hot water splashed over her body, the sweat stains, dirt, and blood scabs were gradually washed away.Standing in the mist, she suddenly felt as if her skin didn't belong to her.This comfort, this clean feeling, was so unfamiliar.She touched her arm, the thought that she couldn't go back suddenly emerged."Our nobility can only wipe their faces with ice water in winter. Yet, the poor here can soak in hot baths."She suddenly understood that those "imperial civilities" she used to look down on were not just for show, but a way of life.Later she slowly figured out that Sif stayed in the Red Tide Territory not by coercion, but stood openly at the center of power, becoming one of the two wives of Red Tide Lord Louis.This news plunged her into deeper confusion.She used to think the Imperial Nobility were nothing but plunderers cloaked in golden armor and sweet words.They were selfish, hypocritical, and accustomed to using power to oppress, regarding the Barbarian Race only as slaves and tools.But Louis. this Red Tide Lord exuded something different everywhere.She saw when he rode through the main street, craftsmen, children, and elders gathered on the sides, calling his name, not with fearful shouts, but with genuine echoes.The children excitedly chased after his horse, as if he were not a lord, but a long-lost relative.This scene left her in a daze, reminding her of Titus, the cold Frost Fierce leader.When he rode by, no one dared to raise their heads, only heads bowed in silence.They called his name because not doing so would get them whipped, and following behind him were slaves in chains, not cheerful children."Our leader rules by fear," she silently thought to herself.She never doubted the ways of the Barbarian Race until she saw another choice with her own eyes.But what shocked her the most wasn't the hot water of Red Tide, nor the order in the streets, nor Louis' prestige among the crowd.But Sif's smile.That day, after a military meeting concluded at sunset, she silently stood by the exit and saw Sif step onto the podium, telling a not-so-funny joke to the soldiers below.The soldiers laughed heartily, and so did Sif.That smile had no hatred, no guard, and none of the cold hardness required to maintain dignity back in the clan.