"Change surname? What's this all about?" He frowned.

"Probably felt that he couldn't manage on his own, so it's easier to merge into another family," William seemed a little surprised that he cared so much about an insignificant minor noble. "Maintaining a decent life requires a considerable expense. If not managed well, the territory becomes a burden instead."

"Is it possible that he was forced? Like to seize the territory or something?"

"That... shouldn't be very likely," the Earl pondered. "I've seen them a few times at previous banquets, but we didn't talk in detail. That Glen who changed his surname and the Somer family seemed quite harmonious. I didn't see any signs of coercion. If you want to know more, I can call Viscount Dort Somer over now—"

"No need," Roland interrupted him through Nightingale's whispers. "I was just asking casually, it's not a big deal. However, that member of the Glen family doesn't seem to be here this time?" If her brother Hyde had come, Nightingale should have recognized him by now.

"The banquet invitations were made according to customary standards, this is my oversight," the old City Lord said with a slightly apologetic hand on his chest.

The meaning of these words was already very clear. Even after changing his surname and becoming a branch of the Somer family, he was still not on his usual invitation list. Although Silverlight City's developed mining industry has boosted commerce, making its style somewhat similar to Brightlight City, with more emphasis on titles and honors, as well as wealth and power... it also showed from the side that the Glen family had indeed reached the point of being forgotten.

It should be known that after Nightingale left, Hyde inherited his father's title of Viscount.

It was tragic enough to be reduced to this point.

Back at the camp, Roland had just pulled open the tent curtain when Nightingale proactively appeared to explain, "Your Majesty, I'm not concerned about Hyde's affairs. Since leaving Silverlight City, I've had nothing to do with the Glen family. Please believe me—I was just, just a little surprised."

Seeing the expression on her face, which said, "It's not what you think," Roland couldn't resist the urge to tease her. But when he thought about Nightingale's usual temperament, if she took it seriously and then insisted on proving her innocence, then it would be his turn to have a headache. Therefore, he coughed twice and nodded nonchalantly, "I know, you never lie to me about this."

"You didn't believe... no, you didn't completely believe!" Nightingale immediately pointed out.

Uh oh, he had still brought in a bit of a joking attitude, and her ability had detected it. Roland had no choice but to take a deep breath, clear his mind of distractions, and then look into her eyes earnestly, "I believe you."

This time it was Nightingale's turn to feel uneasy. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her gaze involuntarily shifted away. "I was really just surprised, it has nothing to do with the person who betrayed me."

Although Roland wanted to say that it was only natural to care, it was better to follow her lead at this time. "Surprised about what?"

"The Somer family used to have a very good relationship with my father..." Nightingale said softly. "After my father passed away, they also came to Old Glen's mansion to visit me, but later they found out that I was a witch, and Old Glen wouldn't allow me to see them again. I didn't expect Viscount Somer to accept Hyde into the family, this... really makes me feel a little surprised."

So that was it. Roland, who had been influenced by this world for many years, immediately understood her meaning. If the two families really had such a good relationship, they should have helped her brother rebuild his family after Old Glen died—this was not uncommon in noble stories. A fallen heir would rise again with the help of others, repaying them with several times the wealth, and even having their descendants marry, were all things that people enjoyed talking about.

Letting the sole heir change his surname was not that kind of thing.

This meant that the Glen family was completely cut off, and the Viscount title would no longer be passed down.

Roland was now determined to take back all the enfeoffment power, so whether or not he was a noble was not important. But from the perspective of a traditional noble, this scheme to seize wealth was even more serious, and it was completely unlike something that families with good relations would do.

"If you think it's suspicious, you can go check it out," Roland sat back at the desk and spread out a stack of parchment—this was what he always did when he arrived at a place: check the local population and financial income and expenses. "I have Sylvie and the God's Punishment Witches protecting me here. It can be said to be absolutely safe in the camp, you don't have to stay by my side all the time."

Nightingale hesitated, "But these are all Glen family matters, they have nothing to do with me anymore..."

"Your father's territory can't be said to have nothing to do with you, of course," although now it all had to be handed over to the state, he thought. "And the mansion where you lived as a child is also on that land, right? It's rare to come here once, and you don't have to worry about being hunted down by the church. Just treat it as a trip down memory lane."

Perhaps it was the words "mansion where you lived as a child" that moved Nightingale. She was silent for a long time before making a decision. "Then you have to promise me that if you want to leave the camp, you must call me back first. Also, I'm just going to take a look, I won't do anything else."

"I know, I know," Roland shook his head with a smile, now it felt like he was forcing her to go. However, instead of keeping some past events in your heart, it's better to face them frankly. Only after experiencing them can you truly let go.

Nightingale was still too young, too... something.

*******************

The next day, as soon as it was light, Nightingale left the camp and walked along the main road towards the east of Silverlight City.

The house of her memories was large. In addition to a two-story house, there was also a vast field large enough to swallow footprints. Beside the field was a stream flowing from the mountains, where many crabs could be caught in the summer. Further east, there was a steep ravine. Her family often said that there might be a gem mine hidden underneath, and when she got married, they would give her the biggest gem inside as her dowry.

However, after leaving Silverlight City with the Mutual Aid Society, Nightingale gradually realized that her family's territory was among the bottom of the nobles. If it were placed elsewhere, it would probably be no different from a normal knight's territory. The water source was a small stream, so the area of farmland was bound to be limited. As for the gem mine in the ravine, it was probably just the family's wishful thinking. Even if there really was one, there wouldn't be enough Gold Royals to develop it.

But when she stepped on this land again after many years, the impression of her memories remained undiminished. Even though it looked much smaller, and the weed-covered field edges were no longer endless, her childhood thoughts added an unspeakable sense of vitality to it.

She couldn't help but understand what Wendy meant by "getting rid of past nightmares doesn't mean severing ties with the past."

As she approached the location of the mansion, Nightingale couldn't help but be stunned.

She had thought that this unattended house would become dilapidated, but she didn't expect that it was not only brand new, but also several times larger than the original. Passing through the courtyard walls, she saw that there were many people gathered inside. Their clothes were simple, and some were even no different from beggars. Several servants shuttled through the crowd, distributing bowls of hot porridge to them, and the crowd burst into expressions of gratitude from time to time.

Were they distributing relief food?

She followed the people's gaze to the end of the courtyard. A man stood at the entrance of the residence, responding to the crowd's gratitude with a smile. Whether it was his clothing or demeanor, he looked just like a wealthy and proper noble.

That person was her former brother.

Hyde Glen.