Chapter 3103

Sylvia, wearing a black dress, said in elegant Karsenrik beside Xia De:

"Although Willandale City doesn't have the title of 'City of Steam' like Tobesk, it is indeed the political, cultural, commercial, and industrial center of the southern Old Continent. The exhaust gas emitted by steam factories won't show any difference just because of the region."

Her gaze turned to the family of Count Winslet not far away. The scale of this funeral far exceeded what a newly recognized illegitimate princess should have, but everyone knew why. Almost all the big shots in the capital had received invitations, and the newspaper tycoon Count Winslet was naturally among them.

Although Flora's grandfather was in poor health, he still brought Flora's uncle and aunt to attend. Flora herself did not appear; after all, the church couldn't hold that many people.

"Xia De, do you know what Willandale is also called?"

The young Great Mage's golden eyes peered from behind her veil at the young man looking at the surrounding scenery. Xia De thought for a moment:

"Central City - Willandale City."

The United Kingdom claims that Willandale City is the central city of the Old Continent, and when the steam wave swept across the Old Continent, the earliest train tracks were also laid starting from here. This led to Willandale being the center of the entire Old Continent's railway network, with tracks extending in all directions that could reach almost every important city on this continent.

I remember Margaret telling me that there is a very peculiar train culture here, and wealthy nobles are even willing to collect retired train engines in their warehouses.

Sylvia stood beside him and nodded gently:

"Yes, Central City - Willandale, the source of all power, wealth, and art. The revolution in the textile industry back then spread from here to the entire continent, directly opening the prelude to the steam revolution."

In fact, even today, the local textile industry remains the most prosperous in the entire kingdom. It's just that the King doesn't like his capital being called 'City of Textiles' or 'City of Silk', which is why such nicknames never appeared."

She told Xia De these court secrets, and Xia De was curious:

"Since the traditional textile industry is so strong here, didn't the rollout of your chemically synthesized fibers and special fabrics encounter any obstacles?"

Sylvia, behind her veil, smiled:

"Not everyone is like you and me, able to immediately realize the value of chemically synthesized fibers. Besides, isn't there Margaret?"

And the supply of those special fabrics has been intentionally suppressed by me, plus the high price, so such a small market share naturally won't threaten the traditional textile giants."

Amidst the echoing bell tolls, she informed Xia De of the sales status and store locations of the business they were collaborating on, and mocked the wife of Margaret's brother, the eldest prince Samuel Anjou, whom she had just noticed was wearing that kind of thin fabric even to attend a funeral:

"She doesn't seem to fear the cold."

When Margaret left the Wang Hou's side and prepared to walk over, Sylvia lowered her voice and asked Xia De:

"You won't be staying in Willandale City for too long, will you?"

"Yes, in a while, after Margaret finishes saying goodbye to Miss Bethany, I will send that ghost away. Then I promised to accompany Flora to pay respects to her mother, and after that, I'll have dinner with you all, and go home after dinner."

He hadn't thought about staying the night, but worried that Sylvia might misunderstand, he explained:

"Luweiya is meeting me tonight to discuss her Whispers of Advancement, as well as what she and Bella observed in the starry sky during those few days of the Polar Night."

Sylvia nodded to show she understood:

"Can you not leave immediately after dinner? I read an interesting paper on imaginary number derivation, but I haven't understood some of the content and would like you to help me take a look."

"No problem."

The crowd that came to attend the funeral gradually dispersed, and the King and Wang Hou also boarded their carriage under the escort of the Royal Guard.

Xia De's invitation was specially obtained by Margaret; he had been sitting at the very back of the church just now, so he only saw Margaret's father from afar.

The nickname 'Lion Ryan' is very fitting; the King of the North is a man who is not very tall but shrewd and capable, while the King of the South looks like he could go to the battlefield and kill someone just by grabbing a greatsword.

He is taller than Xia De, with a sturdy build, and combined with his golden hair, he truly looks like a real lion. If one day the kings of the North and South had to engage in a one-on-one duel, then absolutely no one would think His Majesty 'Lion Ryan' would lose, provided, of course, that both sides used cold weapons.

Margaret's married sister, two brothers, and her underage younger brother all came to attend this funeral, so Xia De could be considered to have met most of Margaret's relatives through this opportunity.

The number of members in the Anjou royal family is far less than that of the Cavendish royal family, so Xia De doesn't have to rack his brain to figure out the complex kinship relations.

Even Miss Ashley Bethany's twin brother, Albert Bennett, briefly appeared in the funeral church; this was also the first public appearance of this royal illegitimate child.

Today, little Albert's status is actually very subtle; although the identity of the illegitimate daughter has been publicly acknowledged by the royal family, his identity has not yet been acknowledged.

People who don't know the truth might think this is because the dead won't affect the order of succession to the throne, but the living will; but the real reason is the matter of the Bennett family. All three Bennett sisters are ordinary people, but little Albert has recently shown signs of awakening as a Ringed Shushi.

"Xia De, thank you for being able to attend this funeral."

Margaret did not leave with the people who attended the funeral. After watching her parents leave in the royal carriage at the cemetery gate, she returned to the gate of the cemetery church.

It was she who brought back her younger brother and sister, so she requested to stay for a while after the funeral ceremony ended to confirm the placement of the coffin and the security of the underground tomb.

Margaret, like Sylvia, was wearing a simple black dress and a veil; she was probably the saddest person at this funeral besides Albert Bennett.

"There's no need to thank me for this kind of thing. Although I won't say your siblings are my siblings, we are relatives after all."

Xia De couldn't see the expression behind Margaret's veil, only seeing her nod gently:

"Teacher Sylvia, Xia De, please wait for me here for a moment. I'll take people to the underground tomb to check, and I'll be back soon."

Saying this, she waved her hand at the people behind her and returned to the church again, while the priest of the cemetery church, the tomb keeper of the royal mausoleum, and the manager specifically responsible for the maintenance of this place were already waiting for the princess to inspect the work.

"That woman is still buried in the Vesta Woodland, right?"

Xia De stood in the snow and asked Sylvia again. The black-haired witch reacted for a moment before realizing who Xia De was talking about:

"The illegitimate child's mother? Yes, the royal family didn't mention her, and people only care about the two children who truly have royal blood. Even Margaret didn't think of that woman, so her grave should still be in the woodland."

Seeing Xia De nod, she said with some relief:

"You are the first person to ask about that woman's remains. Xia De, sometimes the kindness and goodness you show really makes me wonder why there is someone like you in this world."

"Sylvia, that's a bit too much praise."

Xia De hurriedly shook his head, hands in his pockets, continuing to look at the distant view of the cemetery. The storm over the illegitimate child won't end with Miss Bethany's death; on the contrary, this funeral might just be the beginning of the whole story.

Margaret soon finished checking the condition of the underground mausoleum with her people, but Xia De certainly couldn't cast spells inside the Rogmore Cemetery, as the Sect was protecting the remains of the ancestors of the Anjou family from being desecrated.

Therefore, the three of them boarded a carriage and left, but not to return to the city; instead, they went to Helston Castle next to the cemetery.

The history of Helston Castle can be traced back to before the Southern Territory was built. The castle has a floor area of about 484,000 square feet and was the main administrative residence of the Karsenrik monarchs in the old days.

Margaret's late great-grandfather spent a considerable amount of time in this castle every year, but after a royal scandal a hundred years ago, the Anjou royal family, like the Cavendish royal family, moved their residence and administrative office to the city center, which is called the Cold Spring Palace.

So today, this largest castle building in Willandale, as well as the Sandringham Villa and Balburg on both sides, are just places for the royal family to go out of the city for vacation.

The forests, pastures, and orchards facing Helston Castle are all private royal property. During spring and autumn, a small part of the area is open to the public to hold interesting activities similar to the 'Round-the-City Equestrian Competition' in the North, but it's not so lively in winter.

In short, after the funeral, all royal members returned to the city, so only the butler and numerous servants were in Helston Castle. Xia De hid in Margaret's guard team. Margaret claimed that she was feeling a bit unwell and wanted to rest in the castle before returning to the city, and then she brought them into the castle.

She had her own separate room here, or rather, all the rooms on the east side of the third floor of the castle were hers. When Margaret took off her veil in her study, she threw herself into Xia De's arms at the first opportunity.

Then, the jade hanging on her chest emitted a faint light, and Miss Bethany, looking as if she had just woken up, floated out from it:

"Is the funeral over? Sorry, I fell asleep just now when they were reading my honorary title."

She ignored the young man and woman hugging each other, as she had long known about the secret affair between Margaret and the handsome Northern knight. The ghost lady wandered around the study to observe the surrounding environment, and when she wanted to poke her head out of the castle window to see the scenery, she was stopped by Sylvia.