In front of Kulen, Lux seemed to have everything under control, with a well-thought-out plan.
However, once Kulen returned to his room with peace of mind, Lux could only grip her sword tightly.
"Klein, what on earth is going on?!"
Evidently, the Crownguard Family princess wasn't as confident as she appeared.
Or rather, she had gradually grown accustomed to a state of "maintaining composure, even when things are far more bizarre than imagined."
And the source of her confidence was Klein.
Though she wouldn't admit it, Lux knew very well that her teacher was a seasoned veteran, and even with limited information, he could see through the dirty tricks of the nobles.
If Lux had to handle it herself…
She would probably have to pay for her mistakes.
Lux was confident she could handle it, but before everything was settled, detours were inevitable.
Now, seeing that the trip to Silvermere seemed to be exceeding expectations, Lux unhesitatingly chose to call for outside assistance.
Klein did not refuse Lux's plea for help.
However, unlike the relatively simple noble interactions in Demacia Capital before, this time Klein intended to let Lux make more decisions herself.
As for Klein himself, he transitioned from being a direct guide to a support role.
After all, this trip to Silvermere was also a rare opportunity for Lux to grow; to truly become a capable individual, merely following instructions or observing from the sidelines was not enough.
Therefore, after Kulen left, Klein did not directly instruct Lux on what to do, but instead first helped Lux with "situation analysis."
"First, do you think your 'relatives' in Silvermere have done anything dirty?"
"Though it's hard to believe, upon careful thought, it's highly probable." When the complex problem was broken down, Lux was no longer so lost. "However, I still cannot be entirely certain."
"So?"
"So, I need to solve the problem practically, as you taught me before." Lux quickly found the first breakthrough. "I need to understand the situation around Silvermere and see if it truly suffered from frost damage."
"Then, the question is, how should you go about looking?" Klein continued his guidance. "Time? Place? Method?"
"Near Silvermere, just go over it area by area according to the map." Lux blinked. "You should know how to tell if wheat is frost-damaged?"
"Yes." Klein affirmed. "What about time? Those people in Silvermere are watching you!"
"Then… escape like the golden cicada shedding its skin, you taught me that!" Lux smiled. "Well, I'm also a noble lady from Demacia Capital, even if I lived here for a while, it's easy to get travel-weary and unwell!"
"Very good, clear thinking, but feigning illness won't last you too long."
"A week should be enough." Lux inferred, "I can stay at a farmhouse directly, as… as a traveler!"
"Nobody in Demacia just wanders around." Klein corrected, "Pretend to visit relatives."
"Then I'll visit relatives." Lux was amenable. "And I can also take the opportunity to understand the local farmers' situation."
"Thinking of that is very good." Klein looked like a teachable student. "Some cunning nobles even play tricks; if I were them, when deciding to underreport taxes, I would collect a smaller portion of the taxes, so the farmers would naturally side with them!"
"They can do that?!" Lux truly hadn't thought of this. "That's too cunning, the lord and the farmers together…"
"So, think about it, if you encounter such a situation, what should you do?" Klein didn't give her time to lament. "If you discover this, what should you do?"
"Naturally, act according to the law!" Lux instinctively replied, "Recover unpaid taxes and punish the nobles who underreported."
"What if the farmers don't have spare money to pay taxes?" Klein pressed on, "They don't know that the tax reduction was due to underreporting; they only know that a young lady from The Capital has increased their taxes—and once things reach that point, the outcome will likely be extremely bad."
"Then… exempt the previously unpaid portion, and make it a one-time thing?" Lux blinked. "Is it enough to just deal with the troublemaking nobles?"
"What if the nobles incite the farmers?" Klein still didn't intend to let Lux off easily. "Don't forget, under this assumption, the normal land tax is higher than the current tax."
At this moment, Lux felt her head ache.
In reality, Klein's assumption might not be true, but if it were, Lux truly wouldn't have many options.
"You see, this is one of the problems you might face." Klein then spoke of a broader topic. "Farmers don't want to pay taxes, and lords don't want to pay taxes to the main family—and besides your family, most noble main families also don't want to pay taxes to Jarvan III, so some two or more of these links will collude."
"Listening to you, that does seem to be the case." Lux nodded. "But why is it like this?"
"This matter involves the relationship between rights and obligations." Klein chuckled. "Paying taxes is the farmers' obligation, so what rights do you think this obligation brings them?"
"…The right to be protected!" Remembering the etiquette guide she had read, Lux's eyes lit up. "Farmers don't need to serve in the military for generations like nobles, unless it's an emergency; otherwise, at most they serve as militiamen and logistical personnel, performing labor. Unless they voluntarily enlist, they usually don't need to go to the front lines!"
"From Demacia's—or rather, Demacia's nobles'—perspective, that is indeed the case." Klein's tone became more cheerful. "However, if they could, do you think farmers would want to be nobles or farmers?"
"This…" Hearing this question, Lux, who rarely interacted with commoners, was stunned. "I haven't thought about it—but, we seem to have gone off-topic; this doesn't seem related to finding a guide or figuring out if there was a frost!"
"Trust me, Lux, this is the fundamental issue." Klein said with a profound tone. "You see, if you don't understand those farmers, how can you truly solve this problem that concerns them?"
"…"
Upon hearing this, Lux finally frowned and remained silent for a long time.
She felt that Klein seemed to be consciously guiding her to see something, to do something, but at least for now, Lux didn't know what Klein wanted her to see or do.
However… since Klein said she should go see, then she would go see!
No sooner said than done!
Hurriedly donning her coat, Lux knocked on the door of the adjacent room.
"Mr. Kulen, I have a somewhat immature idea!"
… … … … … … … …
The next day, the nobles of Silvermere received the latest news: Miss Luxanna Crownguard from The Capital had temporarily halted her journey due to a slight cold and was staying in Velos Town, three days' journey from Silvermere—the envoy reported back immediately after seeing a pale-faced Lux.
Upon receiving the news, the nobles were first stunned, then couldn't help but feel relieved.
Good that she's sick!
As expected of a young lady from The Capital—originally, three days to rehearse a play was already very tight, but Lux actually got sick!
For the branch nobles of the Crownguard Family who needed time to conceal things, Lux's illness came at just the right time!
Everyone celebrated, except for Dili, who had been silently contemplating earlier. Upon returning home, he immediately had his servant fetch his son.
"You brat, show your charm!" Dili was beaming. "Leave now, on my fastest white horse, go to Velos!"
"To see our young lady?" His son—Gao Kan Crownguard, who perfectly inherited his father's good looks—blinked, nonchalantly wiping off a lipstick mark from his neck. "To win her heart? But honestly, twelve years old is really too young…"
"Stop your damned frivolity!" Dili sternly commanded. "Gao Kan, she's not like those loose women you've messed with before; she's a real ticket to the upper class!"
"So, this time I'm playing for real?" Gao Kan raised an eyebrow. "But… playing for real, twelve is still a bit too young."
"Gao Kan!" Dili reached for the longsword on the shelf. "This isn't a joke with you—you fool, although other families question the relationship between me and your mother, you should know the truth of the matter. We are family, and I can frankly tell you that I did gain the Crownguard surname because of her, but our love is also loyal!"
Gao Kan grimaced, saying nothing more.
In fact, although Dili was once a notorious playboy, after marrying into the Crownguard Family, his relationship with his wife had genuinely remained very good.
Perhaps, as he said, it was a combination of power and love.
Therefore, he also hoped that Gao Kan could truly get together with Lux, just like him.
"Do you remember what I told you?" Dili held the longsword in his hand. "Lux is a person who loves art very much, so from the very beginning—"
"From the very beginning, I must approach her through art. She likes classical music, is skilled in bas-relief and realistic painting, has extremely high standards for etiquette and always maintains them, so unless the relationship is close enough, I must never overstep due to romance." Gao Kan finally completely shed his frivolity. "However, is she really as you say, attending banquets flawlessly at just twelve years old?"
"At least she completely solidified the Lightshield-Crownguard-Buvelle iron triangle, and also closely linked the Royal Family-Dauntless Vanguard and the Illuminati." Dili finally put down the longsword. "To be honest, I'm really a bit worried you can't handle it—I originally planned to give you more time."
"Alright, alright, she's just a twelve-year-old girl." Gao Kan finally finished tidying up, and a gentle, unpretentious smile appeared on his face. "Trust me—but honestly, Dad, I really don't like this feeling."
"You'll enjoy it sooner or later!" Dili patted his son's shoulder, handing him his riding crop. "Work hard; at least this time, you don't have to change your surname."
"…"
His father's cold joke made Gao Kan shiver. He nodded, strode out of the room, and then swung onto his horse.
"Giddy up—"