Chapter 332 — The Glan Family
Blade of Dawn · Page 3 of 3
"Glan?" Hetty's brows furrowed slightly, and after a brief moment's thought she nodded. "Yes—Viscount Glan, to the northeast. It is Viscountess Glan who rules that land now."
"A viscountess?" Gaocen raised his eyebrows and could not help thinking of Rebecca—Rebecca was a viscountess too. "Did the previous Viscount Glan pass his title to his daughter?"
He had already learned through the psychic net, from Patty's lips, that the Glan family was now headed by a woman, so he was not surprised; he had merely asked the extra question out of curiosity.
"No. The previous Viscount Glan was the present viscountess's husband," Hetty shook her head. "The previous viscount died suddenly in an accident several years ago, and by the will he had drawn up in life, the title passed to his widow, Ropeni Glan."
Ansu's inheritance law was relatively lax; the transfer or inheritance of a title between husband and wife was not particularly rare. In fact, many noble houses relied on shrewd marriage calculations to keep expanding their family's power. When one was unwilling to lightly provoke a noble war, marriage was also one of the nobles' important means of seeking profit and land.
"Ancestor, why do you suddenly ask about the Glan family?" Hetty was quite curious that Gaoyang should bring up a noble surname with which he had little dealings, and could not help asking.
Gaoyang mused for a moment, then spoke frankly: "I suspect this family has ties to the Sleepers."
"The Sleepers?!" Hetty was startled. She did not question the reliability of the news, nor even ask how Gaoyang had come by it; with great trust in her ancestor, she asked directly about the degree of threat: "Is it the same situation as the Kant domain?"
"Not certain yet, but at least one member of the family has deep ties to the Sleepers," Gaoyang said, his expression stern. "Has the Glan family shown any unusual changes in recent years? For instance, sudden extra output like the Kant domain, or some sudden flourishing in a particular area?"
"Not at all—in fact, quite the opposite," Hetty said, shaking her head after a moment's thought. "The Glan family was originally thriving. The young former Viscount Glan was a man of great promise, but he died by accident in a magical experiment gone wrong, and the Glan family and the lands they ruled declined swiftly. Though in the past two years Viscountess Ropeni has stabilized the situation and put the domain back on track and gradually developing again, nothing shows any trace of cultists meddling in the shadows."
At this, Hetty added: "Of course, the Sleepers act in strange and unpredictable ways. Nothing can be certain."
"Died by accident in a magical experiment gone wrong..." Gaoyang's brows slowly drew together. "I mean to go and have a look at the situation."
"You mean to go yourself?" Hetty frowned slightly. "A duke always visiting a lesser noble in person—that seems hardly proper—"
"The rules were all set by us back in the day. And I paid a visit to the Kant domain last time anyway, so one more Glan domain makes no difference," Gaoyang waved a hand. "Better to see it with my own eyes. Otherwise I'll never feel easy."
"Very well, I'll make the arrangements," Hetty lowered her head. "As it happens, the Glan domain lies just east of the Kant domain. Now that we have gained that new fief east of Kant, the Cecil domain already shares a border with the Glan domain. As new neighbors, we won't lack a reason for a visit."