Avril held the soft cushion given by Luo De and returned to her cabin, lying on the bed, her thoughts countless.
This gift reminded Avril of the warmth already far awayâthe last time someone cared about her discomfort during her period, it was her mother.
Even on her fatherâs lucid days, he never cared about her discomfort during her period.
She didnât know Luo De didnât think much of it, just that women from his previous life used this kind of thing, so he casually provided some convenience for her and Milly.
But for a sensitive girl like Avril, this small cushion carried extraordinary meaning, distinct from other food or items.
Thinking of Luo Deâs concern for her private matters made her cheeks flush, her heart race, with a hint of unusual sweetness and warmth growing.
Inadvertently, it felt like her relationship with Luo De had grown closer.
Avril eagerly wanted to respond to this sweetness.
Not to repay but to respond.
Just like in ambiguity, when someone says goodnight to you, you eagerly want to say goodnight back.
Avril pondered all morning and then decided to personally sew a sachet.
The herbal knowledge she learned from Luna came in handy; she knew many herbs with a fresh scent that could also repel insects, perfectly suited for making a sachet.
This sachet could effectively prevent mosquitoes from approaching and biting while walking in the wild, more importantly, it could stay with Luo De.
After a busy day and night, Avril woke up early the next morning, eager to hand-deliver the sachet to Luo De.
As she stepped out the door, she saw all the soldiers busy, even the latest trained reserve militia was no exception.
"Whatâs happening?"
Avril asked in confusion.
Luo De was also fully equipped, wearing his Dragon Scale Armor, layered with a new Chain Armor on the outside.
Luo De smiled and answered, "Nothing much, been in town too long, taking them out for training, otherwise the weapons might get rusty."
Rusty?
Avril was filled with doubt.
These soldiers treated their longswords and shields like beloved wives every day, meticulously polishing them, how could they possibly get rusty?
But she didnât voice her doubts.
When men are doing things, itâs best for women not to speak unless he actively seeks your opinion.
This was taught by her mother.
In fact, Luo De didnât deliberately hide anything, he just didnât want to make Avril worry.
Even if she knew, it wouldnât change anything.
If he did need Avrilâs help, he would ask without hesitation.
"You all be careful during training."
Avril spoke softly, taking out the meticulously made sachet from her pocket and handing it to Luo De.
"I embroidered this last night; the herbs inside are insect-repellent ones sister Luna taught me,"
Avrilâs cheeks slightly reddened, "I think if you carry it outdoors, it should reduce a lot of troubles."
Luo De took the sachet, carefully observing the patternâ a beautiful griffon lying on the ground, next to blooming tulips, intricately designed, fine stitching.
Avril secretly gazed at him, eyes full of expectation.
But Luo De merely praised, "Very pretty, I like it very much," and prepared to put the sachet away.
Avril hurriedly stopped him, "You should hang it on your waist; it works better that way. Should I help you hang it?"
"Sure."
Luo De slightly lifted his clothes, allowing Avril to kneel in front of him and carefully tie the sachet to his waist.
"Alright, itâs getting late, I should be off."
Luo De said goodbye to Avril, walking to the manor gate, mounted Gang Leâs horse, and led the team gallantly onward.
"Lord Baron, it seems youâre about to win over Miss Avril."
Gang Le said half-jokingly.
Luo De smiled slightly, not denying it.
Having lived twice, Luo De learned more about how to be a lord.
As for how to treat women, he didnât have much knowledge, so he always went with the flow.
He was generous in his goodness towards Avril.
He didnât reject Avrilâs good intentions towards him either.
As for anything else, he hadnât thought about it yet, after all, he was still young.
Luo De flicked the reins,
"Letâs first win this battle."
...
...
The southwestern hills of Black Pine Ridge.
A troop of dozens was advancing.
The front half of the team wore uniform Chain Armor, clearly a regular army, but only twenty men.
Behind them followed forty or fifty people in plain clothes, occasionally a few wearing Cotton Armor.
"Damn it! Thereâs no exact location for that town?"
On horseback beside the team, Knight Chris cursed, his voice full of frustration and fatigue.
The Hawk Count only ordered them to loot, without providing specific location information.
And the map from that Simon Merchant was full of random marks, impossible to discern the location of Frost Leaf Town.
Unfortunately, he had just been captured for questioning, and before a night passed, he died in the dungeon, otherwise taking him would definitely help quickly find the exact location.
Chris estimated that Simon had surely been killed by someone.
But Hawk Count found no clues, and eventually left it unresolved.
"If I knew that town was so hard to find, I shouldâve gone to Border City to ask the Desert merchants for better intel."
Chris felt some resentment but dared not openly complain to Hawk Count.
Even though he held the most authority in this troop.
"Those Desert merchants only know the roads to the west; they havenât traveled east."
Chrisâs deputy, Oren, reported.
"Actually, I donât think this is a major issue; we donât need to come here for reprisal."
Oren mumbled quietly, gauging Chrisâs expression,
"That Baron didnât participate in the looting, just purchased some slaves and took in some refugees.
The refugees went to Black Pine Ridge due to Simon Merchantâs deceit."
Orenâs voice grew fainter,
"That cunning merchant Simon was the real culprit, now heâs dead, these matters should end."
Eagle Ridgeâs soldiers just came off a prolonged battle, everyone was physically and mentally exhausted.
No one wanted to quickly dive into another fight.
But Lord Earl didnât care at all.
At the noble lordâs command, they had to risk their lives.
This bred a seed of war weariness among many soldiers, including Oren.
Itâs harvest season, not the right time for battle.
"What do you know?"
Chris coldly glanced at deputy Oren,
"How do you know that merchant wasnât associated with Baron Rod? Maybe it was his order?
Otherwise, why kill Simon?"
Chris scoffed, "Besides, youâre thinking too simply.
To Lord Earl, right or wrong doesnât matter; whatâs important is having a legitimate reason for looting."
"Earlâs Domain suffered heavy losses in battles this year, must compensate from elsewhere."
"And this small Baron domain of Black Pine Ridge is the most suitable target."
"But isnât he the Tulip Clanâs second son? Wouldnât we offend the Tulip Clan this way?" Oren asked worriedly.
"Anyone sent here is certainly not a favored offspring,"
Chris brushed it aside dismissively,
"Besides, Lord Earl has legitimate reason, Tulip Clan is far away, they wonât send an army to avenge a son exiled to the Northern Territory."
"Furthermore, weâre not going to kill anyone, just grab some goods and return."
"Stop overthinking, first find a place to camp, and then get some decent food."
Chris interrupted Oren, who was about to speak further, rubbed his stomach uninterestingly,
"Days on end eating dry rations have shrunk me."
As Hawk Countâs knight, Chris hadnât suffered like this for a long time.
"Yes, sir."
Oren nodded, immediately instructing the scouts to find a suitable camp.