Free Web NovelChapter 391: Chapter 85: The Morning Star Shines Anew, a New Chapter Begins
People formed long lines to receive their share of the feast.
No one pushed or shoved, and no one complained about the portion sizes. Every plate was piled high with food.
Just as the festive atmosphere reached its peak, the crowd spontaneously parted, creating a path down the middle.
Murphy’s wheelchair appeared at the far end of the path. Aurora pushed him, her steps steady and unhurried.
Murphy, in his wheelchair, was dressed in his usual deep blue linen clothes, the familiar crimson velvet blanket covering his lap.
Unlike usual, a faint smile graced his pale face.
Aurora wore a simple silver-gray gown. Her long, golden hair was loosely pinned up, a few strands trailing along her neck, glowing like molten gold in the firelight.
At that moment, the cheers reached a crescendo.
"Governor!"
"Lady Aurora!"
People rose to their feet, raising their cups in a toast.
There was no kowtowing, as Murphy had forbidden it years ago. Instead, there were only heartfelt cheers and smiles.
Children ran forward, presenting Aurora with freshly woven garlands of wildflowers.
The elderly raised their cups with trembling hands, saluting Murphy.
The young expressed their respect with thunderous applause.
Murphy raised his hand slightly. The gesture was small, but it was enough to gradually quiet the entire crowd.
His gaze swept slowly across every face—faces weathered by labor but full of life, faces flushed red by the firelight and overflowing with happiness.
"I am just a man in a wheelchair," Murphy began, his voice quiet yet clear enough to cut through the crackling of the bonfires and the distant music. "Everything in the Monte Territory was created by your hands. This bountiful harvest was grown with every drop of your sweat. These sturdy homes were built by you, brick by brick. The peace and prosperity here are what you have all protected together."
He paused, his deep eyes shining exceptionally bright in the firelight. "All I can do is ensure that every effort is rewarded, that the hardworking need not fear being plundered, and that the old are cared for and the young are provided for. This is not a gift. This is fairness."
Suppressed sobs could be heard from the crowd. They came from the many who had suffered oppression in other territories before choosing to move to the Monte Territory.
They, more than anyone, understood just how precious the "fairness" Murphy spoke of truly was.
For the elderly who had lived in the Monte Territory most of their lives, the feeling was even more complex and profound.
They had lived through the era of the Old Duval Territory and had seen what life was like in the surrounding lands.
’Fairness?’
In the world of noble lords, that word represented something so luxurious and fragile.
One could perhaps hope not to be plundered by outsiders, but what about by their own lord?
A lord increasing taxes, levying labor, inventing excuses for exploitation, even seizing land, wives, and daughters at will—in the long memories of these old folk, that was the more common form of "fairness" on this land.
But now, in the Monte Territory, they had witnessed another possibility with their own eyes. A lord who was truly protecting that most fundamental "fairness."
Aurora leaned down and whispered something in Murphy’s ear. Then, she straightened up and smiled at the crowd. "My husband is always reluctant to take credit. But I want to say that it is precisely because we have a lord like him that the Monte Territory has become what it is today—a place where hard work has meaning and life has hope."
She raised the wooden cup that had been pressed into her hand at some point. "So, let us raise our cups together. To the harvest! To hard work! And to every single person in the Monte Territory!"
"To the Governor! To the Lady!"
A thousand cups were raised at once, shimmering like a rippling lake in the firelight.
Ale and cider were downed in one gulp. The cheers were deafening, and even the distant mountains seemed to echo in response.
The musicians struck up an even more spirited melody.
Murphy and Aurora did not stay long. The wheelchair slowly turned and headed toward the castle.
Everywhere they passed, people bowed spontaneously, their eyes filled with sincere gratitude.
Just as they were about to enter the castle gates, Murphy suddenly gestured for Aurora to stop.
He looked back for one last glance at the celebrating crowd in the square.
The bonfires blazed, the songs were loud and clear, and every face shone with a peace and contentment rarely seen in this era, on this continent.
This was the fruit of the forty-eight years he had fought and protected since coming to this world.
He said nothing, only giving the slightest of nods before signaling for Aurora to continue on.
THUD!
The heavy oak gates of the castle slowly closed behind them, shutting out the clamor of the celebration.
"Brother," Aurora said softly, her voice gentle, "what we saw outside just now... is that the world you’ve always wanted to see?"
Murphy looked up at her, his deep, dark eyes reflecting her golden form. "No, Aurora. That isn’t the world ’I’ wanted to see."
"That is the world that we—you, me, Kaiden, Eleanor, and all the people who chose to trust the Monte Territory, who chose to stay here and pour out their sweat—wanted together, and built together."
Aurora froze for a moment. She looked into Murphy’s eyes as if trying to see more in their dark depths.
After a moment, she said softly, "No, Brother. You can’t fool me."
A distant memory flickered in her eyes. "Do you remember when we were children? In the Duval Territory. Back then... I was still a little girl, spoiled a bit too much."
"I remember one time, you were going to the stables to see Bart and Hank. I secretly followed you, but as soon as I got near, I smelled that mixture of hay, horse manure, and leather. I saw the mud on the ground, and I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose. I was so disgusted, thinking how dirty and messy it was, how undignified. I couldn’t understand why you would ever go to a place like that."
