Chapter 46: A Sense of Dislocation from Time and Space

Faced with this uncertain situation, Onni had originally intended to find a suitable excuse to deal with this family. However, now that they were playing the victim, if word got out, people would think she was intolerant of these widows and orphans.

How would she continue to manage the four remaining minor lords under her command? Would this not cause them to turn against her?

Therefore, while hesitant, Onni decided to set the matter aside for the time being, mentioning nothing further. She felt that the problem did not need to be solved in a hurry; she could let time resolve it, as the conditions for a solution were not yet ripe.

"You may stay here for now until I have sorted things out," she said, leaving the family in the lord's hall and arranging bedrooms for them.

As the number of affairs within the territory increased, she felt increasingly overwhelmed.

"Thank you for your mercy toward your vassals, my lady!" The family expressed endless gratitude, as if Onni had already forgiven them and allowed them to remain in the territory.

Onni sneered inwardly while maintaining a silent expression. She heightened her vigilance, realizing that she seemed to be led by them.

She discovered that almost all the issues stemmed from the girl named Polly. Like any other white girl of fifteen or sixteen, she was fair-skinned, beautiful, and long-legged.

If the gender were different or her orientation slightly shifted, she might have fallen for it, but it was useless on her; she looked at everyone as if they were mere "mutton."

This family was not led by Ludwig’s wife, but by this eldest daughter.

This was very wrong!

It was just like when Feld was alive; her status in the family had been above his. Usually, only intelligent people could attain a higher status in a household.

Night fell, and Onni invited them to dinner, specifically having Polly sit beside her, intending to take the opportunity to probe and confirm her suspicions.

Onni did not like to be disturbed while thinking during meals, nor did she want her sleep interrupted, so the dinner atmosphere was exceptionally quiet.

Regarding Polly, she believed that when suspicion reached seventy percent, the facts could basically be confirmed.

However, she was surprised to find that if not for the life experience from her past, she might not even be as clever as the girl beside her.

Had this girl been playing the fool to hide her true strength all along? This speculation made Onni feel very strange. Could it be that she was the real tiger?

Polly appeared flattered and expressed her gratitude. The two chatted deeply while dining.

"Are you saying that Fjordheim village currently has no men?" Onni asked, seemingly casually, while chewing her meat.

Even though the truth was confirmed, she could not help but wonder if she was being too suspicious.

"Yes, my lady! I beg you to add some men to Fjordheim village."

Need men? Onni looked at her, waiting for further explanation.

"All the men of Fjordheim village died in battle with my father, leaving only widows and children. If you issue a war summons, we will be unable to fulfill our duties as vassals."

Polly looked deeply worried: "Being unable to fulfill vassal duties means the territory will no longer have Viking harvests, and Fjordheim village will vanish forever in hunger and cold."

"Hmm," Onni fell silent. Her reasoning was so clear that the last trace of suspicion in Onni's heart vanished.

She had truly become the target of someone playing the fool.

This girl was not only intelligent but apparently well-educated. Everything was a carefully designed trap waiting for her to jump in.

"But nowadays, every territory is short of men; I really cannot spare any manpower." Onni revealed her own dilemma while observing Polly's reaction.

"I heard my father mention that you plan to conquer villages in other towns again. If you could distribute some male captives to us at that time, we are willing to pay in gold and silver," Polly proposed.

Onni’s heart stirred. Although the wealth of Gotland had nowhere to be used, who could resist that glittering gold?

She imagined herself draped in gold and silver, with bracelets weighing seven or eight pounds, a ten-pound crown, and hilts and various decorations inlaid with gold.

Golden "money" symbols seemed to flash in her eyes.

Wiping her drool with a napkin, her inner Chinese traditions kept her reserved, feeling that such behavior was too vulgar.

Unknowingly, she found herself convinced, and felt very pleased about it. It was too tempting, simply irresistible!

But she still had some doubts about whether Polly truly possessed that much gold.

After all, Vikings were inherently selfish. The gold and silver they plundered were not used for trade, but mainly as burial goods, buried in some corner far from their graves, in the hope of using them after ascending to Valhalla and in the afterlife.

Just like her, she still did not know where that old, disrespectful Feld had buried the treasure he had plundered over the years.

She had pondered this during her most difficult period of food shortages, only to give up in the end.

This was also the fundamental reason why the Norse Vikings possessed such wealth without causing inflation.

Looking at Polly’s sincere face, Onni realized she had been snared and felt quite displeased.

She had always considered herself a clever person, but now that she had met someone who could match her in wit, she was naturally unwilling to be manipulated.

After inwardly rejecting the gold that had been flying toward her on angel wings, a plan germinated in her mind.

Since the other party had designs on her, why not turn the tables and take her along?

As the saying goes, "Great talents are like wild horses, hard to tame." She wanted to try if she could tame Polly; if not...

Then, unfortunately, since she was a clever person, if she could not be used by her, she must be killed!

Onni immediately stood up and walked to her room.

When she came out, she was holding an unlocked silver box. She opened it to reveal several sets of keys.

They were the keys to the armory, the granary, the lord's hall, and various other buildings.

She pushed the box toward Polly: "I think you are quite capable. It just so happens that Skjervik town is missing a chief minister. Would you be willing to take the position?"

Polly’s pupils constricted. She looked at Onni in astonishment, smiled awkwardly, and did not know how to answer for a moment.

Onni did not urge her, sipping her soup and waiting quietly for an answer. She guessed the girl was wondering if this was some kind of conspiracy.

Let her guess!

She wanted to see if this girl had the guts to take on this heavy responsibility. The chief minister—or steward—was the third most important person in the territory after her and Harald, with real power even above the high priest.

It was equivalent to the "Lingyin" or "Prime Minister" of ancient China.

So what if she was clever? She still could not escape her grasp and would have to work for her!

The more such clever people there were, the better; the more there were, the less she had to worry about. As long as someone handled the trivial matters for her, she could focus on training troops.

Up to now, she had never trained troops herself; she had only ridden a horse once when she attacked Stromfors town.

Her romantic dream of being a female knight and grand master of the knights had never had a chance to be realized.

It was a joke that the Grand Master of the Huscarls Knights could not even ride a horse.

Her backside seemed to ache again; the memory of being kicked by a horse was vivid.

"Have you thought it over? If not, take this box back and think about it slowly!" Onni gently wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin, a half-smile on her face.

She stood up slowly and walked to Ayana’s side, whose belly was round with pregnancy.

After receiving a smiling nod from Ayana, she gently pressed her ear against the protruding abdomen.

The posthumous child of the former Jarl in Ayana’s womb was already eight months old; in two more months, the heir to the family would descend into this world.

"Are you Margaret, or Alexander? Perhaps, both?" she asked softly.

Just then, Onni suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, as if her judgment of her location in her mind had become disordered. She felt as if she were trapped in a hot spring water prison, and she could not help but sway slightly.

Polly stood to the side, clutching the box tightly in her arms. She glanced at Onni and then looked down at the box in her hands.

Her hand caressed the box; there was no joy at being entrusted with a heavy responsibility, but rather a face full of deep fear.

As Polly was lost in thought, a scream of terror from Ayana pierced the air: "My lady, what is wrong with you?"