"Master, I'm going to cook now." Nicole put away her red envelope, looked at everyone, and said, "What does everyone want to eat tonight?"
"No need to make it so complicated. Tonight, we'll all make and eat black-eyed peas, greens (like collards), and cornbread together." Lucas said, waving his hand.
"Is… is that really okay?" Nicole hesitated.
You have to remember, it's a holiday today. They had eaten black-eyed peas, greens (like collards), and cornbread a few times in the castle, but compared to their usual braised pork or fried chicken, it felt a little lacking.
"Just black-eyed peas, greens (like collards), and cornbread will be fine," Lucas said with a light laugh. He actually quite liked black-eyed peas, greens (like collards), and cornbread.
"Alright, I'll go prepare," Nicole nodded. She took Helen with her as she left; they had to prepare the filling and the dough first.
"We have things to do too," Lucas said with a wave, leading the beast-ear girls towards the living quarters in the backyard.
"Master, what are we going to do?" Annie asked curiously.
"Put up door couplets. You'll put them on your own rooms," Lucas said with a chuckle, repeating what he had told Emma that morning.
"Okay, I want to do it!" Ayesha shouted enthusiastically.
"Me too!" The little deer-ear girl cried, jumping up and down.
"There are enough for everyone," Lucas smiled gently. He had already written all the couplets that morning. "Master, I'll go get the couplets," Mina said and quickly ran towards the study, the wolf-ear girl following close behind, wagging her wolf tail.
Pat, pat, pat…
Lucas led Annie and the others to the living quarters. Looking at the courtyard before them, he couldn't help but frown.
"Master, what's wrong?" Annie asked in confusion, twitching her fox ears as she glanced at the courtyard. It looked the same as always.
"It's too small," Lucas sighed. The castle was large, but the residential courtyard in the back was not. More and more people are living there now. If a few more people came, they would have to start sharing rooms, two to a room.
"Master, this is already good enough," Elisa said softly from the side, thinking the Lord was blaming himself.
"Don't worry, you'll have new houses to live in after a while," Lucas said in a deep voice. He decided that after spring began, he would put the castle's renovation on schedule. At the very least, electric lights and running water were a must.
"New houses?" Elisa, Annie, and Ayesha were all stunned, staring blankly at Lucas's handsome profile.
"Mhm, we'll build new houses on the other side then. This kind of courtyard is too damp. Living here for a long time can cause rheumatism," Lucas said, pointing to an open space not far away. It was a lawn, perfect for construction.
"Master, it's better not to," Annie said, swishing her fox tail, trying to persuade him. "That lawn is the buffer zone between the back and middle courtyards. If you build houses on it, the castle's layout won't look good."
She knew that a castle was a nobleman's face. The castle the Master owned was formerly a ducal-level castle. Although it was only half-finished, it was still better than what many nobles had. In the future, when Sedona City grew, many nobles would come to visit and would surely tour the castle. If people discovered the layout was chaotic, they would be ridiculed for having no class.
"Oh?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. He understood what the fox-ear girl meant. In this era, nobles valued their reputation above all else.
In reality, he had long been dissatisfied with this castle. It was damp and dark, and living in it for a long time felt oppressive. He yearned for the modern residences of Earth.
Perhaps he could build a modern castle, not this dilapidated one that easily bred mosquitoes. He decided to look for blueprints when he returned to Earth, or hire some professionals to design a castle that combined ancient garden styles with a modern feel.
But the renovations still had to proceed. After all, building a modern castle with the construction capabilities of this era would take several years, to say the least, unless he invented certain things himself.
"Master, the couplets are here," Mina's voice woke Lucas from his thoughts.
"Then one set for each person," Lucas said softly. He reached out and took a set of couplets, accepted the glue Freya handed him, and helped put the couplets on Nicole's door.
"Mina, give me a set!" Annie shouted, squeezing her small body towards the cat-ear girl. But she was pushed back two steps by Ayesha's perky butt.
"Damned big cow," Annie muttered through clenched teeth. She compared their heights and sighed in defeat.
"Your Highness, here," Freya, seeing this, quickly handed her a set of couplets.
"No need, I'll get it myself," Annie said, waving her hand. She had already told Freya not to worry about her status, so there was no need for so much special treatment.
"This…" Freya stared blankly as Annie went back to pestering Mina, her eyes filled with disappointment. Her Highness didn't rely on her as much as she used to.
"People have to grow up. Annie is much more mature now, and that's a good thing," Lucas said with a smile, looking at the enthusiastic fox-ear girl. "After today, she'll be another year older."
"Growing up?" Freya stared blankly at the princess's back. It was true, she was much stronger than before.
"Go on, you go put up your couplets too," Lucas said, taking the glue from Freya's hand with a light laugh. "You can put them on your own room. Don't worry about the others."
"Yes." Freya nodded and went to put up her couplets.
Elisa, who was nearby, heard their conversation. She stared at the Lord's profile, thinking to herself that he was as warm and considerate as ever. She had seen Freya's confusion, but she hadn't expected the Lord to resolve it with just a few words.
"Elisa, aren't you going to put up your couplets?" Lucas asked, turning his head.
"Ah?" Elisa was startled for a moment, then broke into a beautiful smile and said gently, "Of course I am. I have to put them up." The elf's teasing words made Lucas roll his eyes. It seemed the elf was starting to blend into life at the castle. Now, if only he could resolve the matter of the underground bounty on her, he could truly set her heart free.
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