Litte just watched as Orson and the two others bound Raven, and then escorted him away by Arthas and Owen.
The moment Orson appeared, Litte had already fully regained consciousness. She stared blankly as Orson saved her once again.
Only when Orson turned back did she quickly close her eyes, pretending to have fainted.
This way, Orson could hold her, hehe.
Orson didn’t know what Litte was thinking in her mind. He just assumed Litte had fainted from exhaustion. He squatted down and lifted Litte up in a bridal carry. However, he did not move. Instead, he remained standing, looking at the raging fire burning in the Napoli ducal mansion.
“Giovanni... choosing to end his life in this way, is it his last act of defiance before death?” Orson frowned.
Honestly, Orson was not satisfied with this kind of death.
This was not only irresponsible to the Empire, but also to his subjects. He simply left, leaving so many messes for others to clean up. A trial could not even be held, and he could only be directly convicted.
Orson looked at the balcony on the top floor of the ducal mansion. Before long, a figure leaped down from the balcony, plunging directly into the sea of fire.
“Young Master Orson,” at this moment, Virgil came to Orson’s side. “Do you have any orders?”
“Mm. Order the entire army to seal off the ducal mansion. After the fire burns out, go in and search for him. For Giovanni, whether alive or dead, I want to see a body.”
“I understand.”
Watching Virgil leave, Orson sighed.
“Sigh, Litte, you’ve rested enough. It’s time to wake up.”
Seeing Litte in his arms remain still, Orson was about to let go directly.
Feeling Orson’s movement, Litte quickly wrapped her arms around Orson’s neck.
“You gave yourself away,” Orson said this, putting Litte down, and flicked Litte’s nose. “See, the battlefield is dangerous. Someone of your status can easily be targeted if you fight on the front line, so be careful in the future.”
“If I hadn’t been by your side, the situation might have changed today.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry for making you worry, Orson,” Litte lowered her head in apology.
Orson shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the direction of the fire.
“I’m sorry, Litte.”
“Huh? Orson, why are you suddenly saying this?”
“For not being able to help you personally kill the enemy who murdered your family.”
Orson said this, turned around, and looked at Litte before him, his eyes lowered.
“This time, I originally wanted to let you have your revenge, but... I didn’t expect him, who has always cherished his life, would choose this way to end his life in the end.”
Seeing Orson’s expression, Litte’s nose couldn’t help but sting.
That was clearly her revenge, something completely unrelated to Orson, yet Orson was apologizing to her for it.
“It’s alright... I, I didn’t even take it to heart...”
Litte said, her voice trembling, and she gradually lost control of her emotions.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and she finally threw herself into Orson’s embrace, crying loudly.
She had already learned about the mission she carried, which was to avenge her mother, Margaret, and also to avenge Giovanni, the source of her many years of poverty.
For this, she had been bottling up her emotions, preparing to unleash them when she eventually met Giovanni, to make him repent, apologize, and pay the price he deserved for all the things he had done before.
She didn’t know if her revenge was simply about making Giovanni pay the price he deserved, or if she demanded more revenge.
If it was the former, then it was already completed.
But Litte’s heart was always uneasy. She always felt like something was missing. She wanted to question Giovanni in person, to ask him why he did those things, but with Giovanni’s death, there were no longer any answers.
The soldiers on the side looked at the two in confusion.
The war was won, yet Orson looked apologetic, and Litte was crying.
Could it be tears of joy?
They dared not think too much. After all, it was their officers’ business, and it had nothing to do with them. All they knew now was that the war was won, and they could finally rest.
Orson held Litte, gently patting her back. Only when she had recovered did he release her.
“Alright, Litte. Everything is over. Don’t think too much about it from now on. Let’s go back together.”
“Mm,” Litte nodded, reached out, and took Orson’s hand willingly.
There weren’t that many “what ifs” in the world. All she knew was that the only thing she needed to care about now was doing a good job with what was in front of her.
The fire continued for several hours, until late at night. As the last spark dissipated, the night sky returned to darkness.
To prevent Giovanni from faking his death, the allied forces surrounded the ducal mansion completely.
After the fire died down, the allied forces went in to search. As expected, they found a charred body in the ducal mansion.
A large part of the heat generated by the fire was absorbed by the air. It was completely impossible to burn Giovanni’s body to ashes. The last shred of dignity he had sought had become a luxury.
After a brief comparison, it was confirmed that the deceased was Giovanni. Thus, with the death of the Duke of Napoli, the war in the south was also nearing its end.
Of course, it was impossible for Giovanni to be buried with dignity just like that. After his body was wrapped in white cloth, it would be transported north. In Saint Roland City, a public trial would be held, and then his body would be executed by fire. Only then would his body finally turn to ashes.
As for Donny, after being dealt with by Litte using the Exorcism Magic Circle, he was completely unlike a normal person due to the loss of his power. His muscles had withered, he was suffering from dementia, and coupled with the imprisonment he would face in the subsequent trial, it was unlikely he would live through this year.
In this way, the position of Duke of Napoli became vacant.
In the Empire’s laws of inheritance, the collateral branches of a family did not have a significantly higher order of succession than people from other families. In fact, in many cases, to avoid suspicion, collateral families were intentionally excluded. This time was no exception.
A week later, Saint Roland City, Imperial Conference.
Representatives from the Imperial Family, the military, the various ducal territories, the cities, the Imperial Academy, and business, among others, discussed the candidate for the position of Duke of Napoli. At the conference, seventy percent of the votes approved the proposal for Orson to take over the position of Duke of Napoli.
In principle, the Empire did not allow one family to control two ducal territories simultaneously. Therefore, two days before the Imperial Conference was held, Lucius announced to outsiders that Orson would separate from the Stranick family and establish a new family.
This action was clearly taken to avoid suspicion, but not many people raised objections.
The reason was simple. Even if Orson and the Stranick family were very close, after separating, they were no longer the same family. Perhaps their relationship would still be very good in the next generation, but what about the generation after that?
In the thousand-year history of the Empire, there were countless examples of relationships becoming distant and even turning into bitter enmity due to separation of families.
As long as the two families were not overly close after separating, after a few generations, their relationship would eventually fade due to various disputes.
After being successfully elected, Orson came to the stage to deliver his acceptance speech.
Orson walked onto the stage, looking at the crowd below. Among them were many people he knew.
Elsa, the Imperial Family representative; the Olivia sisters, the Ducal representatives; Teacher Therese, the Imperial Academy representative; Celineina, the business representative. These acquaintances were all looking at him with a hint of expectation in their eyes.
Orson cleared his throat, and then said, “I am honored to be able to assume the title of Duke during the time when the Napoli Duchy had no master. Here, I sincerely thank His Majesty and all of you for your favor.”
“However, given that I am currently still studying at the Imperial Academy and do not have the energy to handle the affairs of the Napoli Duchy, therefore, after I assume the title of Duke, I plan to establish a cabinet to manage the Napoli Duchy on my behalf, and the cabinet members will be jointly elected by the various cities and counties.”
Upon saying this, the entire assembly was in an uproar.
“This is a political experiment. I believe that a government elected by everyone can better represent everyone’s interests. Similarly, if the government is completely dominated by one voice, it is easy to neglect the power of the people.”
“The specific policies, I will gradually implement in the subsequent governance of the Napoli Duchy. Please look forward to them,” After saying this, Orson bowed deeply to everyone, then left the scene.
Below, even those who supported Orson showed expressions of disbelief at this moment.
The reason the title of Duke was so noble was because only these people in the Empire could exercise supreme authority over large tracts of land.
However, such a supreme reward, Orson was now actually going to hand it over to the local people of Napoli? Was he mad?
Originally, as an outsider, it was a very difficult task for Orson to gain the sincere obedience of the counts of Napoli. Now, by relinquishing power again, most of the Napoli region would have no further connection with him in the future.
When Giovanni was in power, at least he did a very good job of centralizing power in the Duchy. Orson’s action was effectively giving complete autonomy to the entire Napoli region.
The military representatives at this moment simultaneously turned their gaze towards Arthas.
Arthas also revealed a smile.
Yes, Orson had long since made his intentions clear to him. He would not serve as Duke of Napoli. Or rather, he would not exercise the administrative power of the Duke. The Napoli Duchy would remain in a state of self-governance and would not favor any particular side.
In this way, for Arthas, it was already sufficient.
Orson wanted to remain neutral, so let him remain neutral. When the outcome of his struggle with Elsa was decided, he believed Orson would prudently pledge his allegiance to him.
When the Imperial Conference adjourned, Orson was directly blocked at the entrance by Litte.
“Orson, although I would never question your decisions, can you please tell me why you did this...”
Litte stood before Orson, her face filled with confusion.
“We sacrificed so many people for this place, just to support you, Orson. Why...”
“Litte,” Orson interrupted her, then said earnestly, “Don’t forget what our original goal was. I could certainly become Duke directly, but as I said, there are various problems. This is the best solution right now.”
“Furthermore, I have already spoken my words. Now, instead of asking for reasons, what should be done is to properly handle the aftermath.”
Saying this, Orson glanced at Celineina, who was waiting for him not far away, and walked directly towards her.
“Celineina, about the plan for the revitalization of the Napoli Duchy, let’s discuss it later, shall we?”
“Alright~” Celineina agreed. “Napoli is also my hometown, after all. It distresses me to see it in such a mess now.”
“Besides, who can help it when my money is now your money,” she smiled, not minding that Litte was right beside Orson.
“Then~ let’s discuss the reward beforehand~”
“I will recommend you to become a cabinet minister. A local of Napoli, coupled with your current business status, and my recommendation, I can give you the administrative power you desire.”
“Pfft, Orson, are you thinking of me as too materialistic?” Celineina heard Orson say this seriously and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“What I care about are not those things. You know what I care about the most.”
Saying this, she glanced at Litte on the side, and then said, “Alright, I have other things to do. Let’s not talk anymore for now. Just tell me what resources you need later.”
“Mm,” Orson nodded, watching Celineina leave.
“Orson...” Litte looked at Orson beside her. “Why do I feel like you’re being sponsored by Sister Celineina?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. That’s not true.”
“But your relationship with her seems a bit unusual from the way you talk. Should I report it to Sister Olivia?”
“You girl, when did you join Olivia’s faction again?”
“Ehehe~”