Silence filled the room, broken only by the faint crackling of firewood in the fireplace.Louis stood by the bed, looking at the frail young woman before him.Her skin was paler than an Imperial's, with the cold hue characteristic of the North.Her short, silver-white hair was slightly disheveled, and her eyes were a deep blue, exuding a sense of mystery.Though slender, hidden beneath her taut skin were muscular lines, like a leopard poised to strike.And even in distress, her gaze was neither humble nor arrogant, carrying an almost imperceptible wariness.Louis asked, "What's your name?"Sif looked at him quietly, offering no reply."Where are you from?"Still silent."Where are you going?"The firelight reflected on the young woman's calm, unruffled face, as if she hadn't heard, remaining in silence.The kind-hearted aunt beside her sighed and gently patted Sif's hand.Her voice held a hint of pity: "Poor child, don't be afraid. We are all good people here. The Lord saved you; he won't harm you."Sif's mind, however, was racing.She knew very well that fabricating an identity would likely be exposed.And attempting to evade questions might only arouse suspicion.The best method she could think of was to feign ignorance, claiming to know nothing.She didn't want to reveal her identity, so she simply went along with the silence.Unexpectedly, the other party's reaction was even more understanding than she had imagined.Louis pretended to look at her thoughtfully.A moment later, he seemed to reach a conclusion and said faintly, "It seems you've lost your memory?"Sif was stunned for a moment, not expecting Louis to proactively offer such an explanation.She slightly lowered her gaze, neither admitting nor denying, tacitly accepting this statement.Louis looked at her silver-white hair and casually said, "Since you've lost your memory, you can stay here for now."Then he pondered for a moment, a smile of unknown meaning appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Your hair is white, so from now on, you'll be called 'Little White'."Instantly, Sif's pupils constricted, and a surge of anger flared in her heart.Little White?!She was the Princess of Han Yue Tribe, educated in royal customs since childhood, taught by her father that she carried noble blood and bore the future of her tribe.And now she was being given a pet-like name by some Southern barbarian?!Her nails dug deep into her palms as she suppressed her fury.Sif told herself not to show emotion, not to let him detect her true identity.So she remained silent, clenching her teeth, not uttering a word.But she had secretly marked this Southern barbarian who insulted her."Can you read?" Louis asked casually, as if it were an offhand remark.Sif, still restraining her anger, subconsciously nodded.But almost at the same moment, she realized she had made a mistake.The reaction was too quick, too natural.In the Han Yue Tribe, only the noble class had the opportunity to learn the writing and language of the Southerners.Therefore, even though Sif's father deeply resented Southerners, he still hired a Southern teacher to instruct her in language and writing.Now, it had become a potential weakness that could betray her identity.Sif subtly raised her eyes to observe Louis's expression, trying to determine if he had noticed anything.But Louis seemed unaware of her slip-up, nodding thoughtfully: "Then you can be my secretary from now on.""Secretary?"Sif didn't react immediately, as she had never heard this word before.Louis explained, "It's someone who helps me record things and handles miscellaneous tasks. Don't worry, it's nothing difficult, and you won't have to do anything dangerous."Sif lowered her gaze, deep in thought.Secretary, it didn't sound like the identity of a slave or prisoner, nor did it seem like a dangerous job.At least compared to being imprisoned, interrogated, or even directly executed, this arrangement was much better.And she seemed to have no better choice.So Sif nodded gently, tacitly agreeing to the arrangement.This was not submission, but forbearance, Sif told herself.Seeing this, Louis's lips curved slightly, then he stood up: "You just woke up, so rest well first. We'll talk again when you've recovered."With that, he said no more and walked towards the door.Sif watched Louis's retreating back, her fingertips subtly tightening on the bedding, her eyes complex.This man showed no obvious malice, but he couldn't be called truly kind either.What exactly was he thinking?She couldn't judge at the moment, nor did she dare to make a rash conclusion.But one thing she ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) was very clear about: no matter what, her ultimate goal would not change.Survive, then get revenge!On the other side, Louis walked out of the room, a faint smile playing on his lips, seemingly in a good mood.Having Sif as a secretary was indeed a good idea.Louis didn't care about Sif concealing her identity.He had already gotten a general understanding of Sif's identity through his intelligence system.Who she was didn't matter; what mattered was that she was nothing now.Even if there was an opportunity to use Sif's identity later, it wouldn't require her consent.As long as Sif was now in his territory, under his control, that was enough.Louis even found Sif's deliberate secrecy somewhat endearing.Like a stray dog that had been taken in, not daring to bark, but always vigilant, its tail slightly tucked.Unwilling to be close, yet not daring to act rashly, fearing that it might be slaughtered and eaten if it made a wrong move.As for her ability to write, that was a pleasant surprise.This way, Silco's work pressure could be greatly reduced, and he finally wouldn't have to complain every day about being swamped with paperwork.And having a beautiful white-haired young woman by his side would certainly improve his working mood, right?He walked forward cheerfully, then turned and went to the artisan workshop, preparing to discuss the construction of the castle with Mike.The construction of Red Tide Territory was in full swing.Thanks to the ease of building semi-subterranean communal dwellings and the diligent labor of the slaves, rows of neat houses rose from the ground, and the semi-subterranean communal dwellings had already taken shape.It could be called a miracle in the construction history of the North.Now, knights each had independent rooms, soldiers shared a room between two, free citizens between three, and slaves between six, while married households could even apply for independent dwellings.Such living arrangements were an immense blessing in the barren Northern territories.At least when winter arrived, no one would be homeless, freezing to death in the snow.This was almost unimaginable in other territories, but under Louis's governance, all of this had become reality.However, merely housing the populace was far from enough.Now that the foundation of Red Tide Territory was gradually solidifying, it was time to allocate half of the artisans and laborers to begin building the true Lord's Castle.

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