The strange conversation with your father continued...

The father looked thoughtfully into the distance. From this high stone tower there was a beautiful view of the surrounding lands of your estate: hilly terrain with small areas of birch groves was clearly visible to the observer.

You also looked around from the height of this tower: you saw in the distance on the hills flocks of sheep being grazed by shepherds from nearby villages; you saw the winding road that runs from the estate to the west towards the fortified city of Enrelum. You know that near this road there is one roadside tavern where, in addition to the usual ale and wine, they sell amazing Morthemian vodka.

This tavern is kept by someone from the distant western lands named Trelaf. You have seen him a couple of times: his appearance is clearly different from that of most of the locals, his skin has a strange pale tint in contrast to the usual bronze skin tone for most of the locals (as well as for you and your relatives). However, the taste of Morthemian vodka does not depend in any way on the origin of this foreign innkeeper...

You, despite your father’s prohibition, have tried this amazing drink more than once...

In addition, you saw a second road that goes in an easterly direction (from the estate towards the fertile flat lands that adjoin the large Atfella River). You noticed that several carts pulled by mules are traveling along the eastern road.

You thought: “Probably these are some small traders from the lowlands who want to exchange wheat for wool or leather...”

You continued to look around. You admired with pleasure the sight of the banners of your family, which were mounted on the flagpoles of the smaller towers and which fluttered in the wind.

You thought: “This is a pleasant sight: our banner with the family heraldic emblem, which flutters over the surrounding lands and symbolizes the power of our family over the local commoners... A red hawk on a white background... A symbol of military valor and loyalty to the suzerain...”

You were pulled out of your thoughts by your father’s voice.

“I advise you to be more attentive to everything that surrounds you... Especially to persons...” he said in a somewhat irritated voice.

You flinched slightly in surprise. You are probably too busy looking at your surroundings.

Then your father asked: “Do you know where your brother Anton is now?”

You hesitated a little and answered: “Ah... Well... He told me that... It seems that he was going to travel with a small number of soldiers to the surrounding villages to collect a tax... Nothing unusual... It’s autumn: at this time we usually collect a tax in kind from the peasants our villages... Anton will probably return soon with carts filled with bags of grain, wool and tanned leather... Don't worry, father... everything will be fine... I think that soon all the misunderstandings will disappear..."

Radu listens to your words and winces. It is not difficult for you to guess that your soothing words did not evoke anything but disdain in your father’s soul. You imagine in your mind that your father slaps you. Like that time when you were twelve years old and started crying from fatigue while training with a wooden sword. It is quite possible that he wanted to do just that now. But he restrained himself.

Instead, he told you, "You should finally learn a simple fact: it is the responsibility of every adult to worry in advance and anticipate possible problems so that they can quickly take adequate countermeasures and avoid catastrophic consequences. You are already 19 years old. But unfortunately, you often behave like a twelve-year-old spoiled boy... However, enough lectures for today. Remember what I told you: keep an eye on Anton, report to me about all the oddities of his behavior. And most importantly: don’t tell anyone about the true content of our conversation today. Is everything clear to you, Stefan?"

You replied: “I will do everything as you said, father. I will not fail you".

Radu nodded and said, “You can go now.”

You obediently began to go down the spiral staircase. You went down to the base of the tower and you met one of the maids who work in the estate. She was a young girl who works in the kitchen under the guidance of the old woman Octasia (Octasia has been the head cook for many years - much longer than you have been alive in this world).

The girl politely bowed to you and asked: “Hello, honorable master Stefan! How was your conversation with His Honor Baron Radu? Would you like to go to the dining room? Soon Octasia will cook a roast pig for dinner.”

You are slightly embarrassed by this girl's attractive appearance.

What's her name? You think her name is Mara...

Of course, her clothes look cheap and quite dirty. However, it would be strange to expect a commoner to be dressed in clean and luxurious clothes. However, the poverty of the girl’s clothes did not prevent her from attracting your interested gaze. After all, this girl has many advantages... Her youth (probably she is about 18 years old), the freshness of her skin, her plump lips, her perky smile and the beautiful sparkle of her gray eyes - all these features of her appearance clearly attract your attention to her. Among other things, your attention was also drawn to another noticeable feature of her appearance. This feature is her rather large breasts, which greatly strain the fabric of her cheap dress. You have a fairly developed imagination, so you imagined this girl’s nipples sticking out so much that the fabric of her dress is torn...

You **** yourself to stop fantasizing about such vulgar topics. After all, if you didn’t stop, the fabric of your pants would begin to bulge significantly forward in the area of your groin area...

You quickly answered: “Yes... Everything is fine... My father told me not to go to roadside taverns so often... And he told me to spend more time training with the sword... Otherwise, everything is fine... However, I have many important business... I won't come for lunch..."

You quickly left the tower, leaving the maid standing with a surprised expression on her face.

So you're walking through the courtyard of the Hawk Hill estate. You see the servants' children running around with the dogs and playing some kind of game. You see a blacksmith shoeing a horse. You see the guards standing near the gate and talking about something funny (judging by the fact that they start smiling when they look after the young maid passing by them).