Because of the appearance of the Lord, the slaves who were working outside were all called back by the old Butler; at this moment, they were kneeling in rows, trembling before Jasmine, their heads bowed low to the ground, and no one dared to look up at her even once.
As for the territory, Jasmine turned her head to look toward the vast, boundless wilderness outside. It turned out that the places where weeds grew stronger than the seedlings, the parched and cracked earth that she had just passed through, were actually the farmland. Jasmine slightly doubted whether the food grown from such lifeless patches of field could truly feed those people, or if they lived on roots and tree bark.
As for the so-called castle in front of her, more than half of it had collapsed; the black stone walls were covered in ancient moss, and many places had crumbled to form large holes that allowed the wind to whistle through. It was obvious that the structure had not been repaired for many years; Jasmine even had to worry about whether the interior would leak when it rained, or worse, whether it would collapse while she was sleeping.
Looking at the dilapidated castle before her, Jasmine massaged her temples with a headache, waving her hand to tell the old Butler to dismiss the slaves so they could return to their work. As for Jasmine, having traveled day and night for over ten days, her bones were exhausted; right now, she desperately needed rest, and other matters would wait until she recovered her spirits.
Perhaps knowing that the new Lord was coming, the master bedroom of the castle had been specially cleaned by the people sent by the old Butler. Although the inside was hollow and empty without any precious furniture, and the wall paintings only had rotten wooden frames left, the floor looked quite clean without too much dust. It was just that the bed boards were a bit hard, and the thin mattress was not enough to cover the unevenness of the wood; sleeping there was only slightly better than the jolting carriage.
Jasmine had not bathed for nearly half a month, and her body felt uncomfortably sticky. To save time, the Holy Knights usually bypassed the towns where they could rest, spending most of the time sleeping outdoors by the campfire, with absolutely no conditions for bathing. Therefore, even though she felt very tired and her eyes were drooping, Jasmine still firmly called back the old Butler who was about to leave and close the door: "William, could you please help prepare a few tubs of hot water?"
The old Butler was so surprised upon hearing this that William even forgot honorifics, eyes wide as the butler stared at her: "You want to bathe?"
It was as if Jasmine's desire to bathe was something that shocked the Butler's worldview, an unimaginably luxurious request in this middle-of-nowhere place. Jasmine's forehead was filled with dark lines as she tiredly waved her hand at the old Butler: "Yes, please prepare a few tubs of hot water for me; I want to bathe right now."
Comfortably soaking in the hot water, the rising steam expanded her pores; she scrubbed off pounds of grime, changed into clean and fragrant clothes, and then Jasmine climbed into bed and slept straight through until the next morning. If she had not refused to eat anything yesterday, causing her stomach to rumble in protest and wake her up, she might have been able to continue lying in bed for another day to make up for those hard days in the past.
Jasmine opened her eyes somewhat unwillingly, and what caught her eye was a white egg the size of a basketball placed right on the bedside table. She was dazed; using her not-yet-sober head, she blinked and recalled for a moment, only then remembering. Oh, this was her husband.
Well, who knew if this egg would hatch into a female dragon or a male dragon? Or perhaps some strange creature that was a cross between a dragon and a lizard? It seemed the old Butler also knew the relationship between Jasmine and this Dragon Egg; William had even carefully prepared a soft red velvet cushion for the Dragon Egg, highlighting its preciousness. Looking at the glossiness on the eggshell, perhaps while Jasmine was unaware, William had even cleaned and maintained the Dragon Egg with some kind of special oil; it felt like the egg's treatment was even better than hers as the Lord.
"Good morning," Jasmine thought to herself, reaching out to touch the Dragon Egg; a cool sensation, like touching top-grade jade, spread from her fingertips. She accepted this Dragon Egg quite well without any rejection; after all, everything she currently possessed, from the title to this piece of land, was inherited through the Dragon Egg.
It was said that a giant dragon needed several hundred to a thousand years to break its shell; in this era where giant dragons had disappeared and become legends, whether this Dragon Egg could hatch was still a great mystery. Therefore, rather than saying she had a husband, it was better to say she had an exceptionally expensive and unique decoration.
Jasmine got up and stretched refreshingly. On the wooden shelf by the window sat a basin of water; the still surface of the water reflected a faint light, though she did not know when it had been prepared. She was in no hurry to wash her face and instead stood by the window looking out.
This was the second floor of the castle; the window did not even have a frame or curtains, leaving it empty. Cold wind occasionally blew in, and with one glance, the primal scenery outside could be seen. However, perhaps for safety, the window opening was very small, like an embrasure, barely allowing one to poke their head out; consequently, the lighting in the room was very poor. Even in broad daylight, candles needed to be lit in the room for illumination, creating a somewhat gloomy atmosphere.
Of course, with the depleted financial situation of the Black Dragon Castle, it was impossible to afford to let Jasmine light expensive beeswax candles all day long. Directly opposite Jasmine's bedroom was the Dry Forest.
It was said that within the Dry Forest, there were immortal creatures wandering and lost souls that could not move on; the old Butler William strictly forbade the slaves from approaching that area. Looking from here, one could only see the bare, twisted trunks with grotesque shapes in the Dry Forest; grey mist covered the base of the trees, and no signs of anything moving could be seen. This made Jasmine feel a bit relieved; at least she did not have to worry about waking up one day to see dry skeletons dancing at the edge of the forest or climbing up her room window.
Past the Dry Forest, further away, was the majestic Black Dragon Mountain, its peak lost in the clouds, carrying an air of mystery and threat.