CHAPTER 1280: CHAPTER 310 ANNAN’S ANALYSIS

When Annan returned to the Duchy of Winter, November was already halfway through.

This time, Kafney accompanied Annan to the Duchy of Winter as well.

It was the first time in her life that she had left Noah.

After all, Kafney was not like Annan—when Annan traveled, he could confidently hand the Grand Duke’s authority directly to Dmitry. Kafney, however, could not bring herself to do such a thing.

Because she had no brothers or sisters she could entirely trust.

Although the hearts of the Winter clan were frozen by snow and ice, leaving them inherently incapable of understanding what love truly was, it was precisely because of this... that they deeply cherished the people around them.

For while they could not feel joy from "gaining," they would indeed feel sorrow from "losing."

—When there are no joyful memories to serve as a buffer and protection, even the faintest trace of sorrow becomes wholly unbearable.

Adding to this was the climate of Winter and the curse of the Heart of Winter, which rendered the survival rate of newborns incredibly low.

It was precisely because of this... even outside the domain of "rulers" and merely within the realm of "nobility," the Winter family had the closest sibling relationships bar none.

They could entrust their offspring, power, and deepest secrets to one another with confidence...

Of course, another key reason was that death for them was not necessarily a permanent farewell; there was always a true "head of the family" who, though silent and expressionless, was constantly watching over everything.

However, Kafney had never experienced such love. She dared not hand over her power to her aunt, the Eldest Princess... for power truly had the ability to corrupt a person.

Even if the Eldest Princess had originally decided not to compete with her anymore, as long as she grew accustomed to the feeling of power in her hands, she might very well conceive some new ideas.

And as for Kafney’s father, he was completely unreliable.

Though he was indeed a good man... his ability paled in comparison even to Dmitry.

At least Dmitry still had a sense of responsibility that constantly tormented him, allowing him to focus fully on accomplishing many tasks.

But that uncle, though born into the royal family, harbored an absurdly meager desire for power... so meager that it bordered on the ridiculous.

So meager that even now, though his daughter had ascended the throne to become the queen with power in her grasp, he had never sought any official title for himself. Nor did he indulge in revelry or squander resources wantonly; he simply stayed at home every day reading books and drinking tea, occasionally visiting a few bishops he knew to share a meal.

By the standards of Noah’s nobility, his lifestyle could even be described as frugal.

Yes, he kept hunting dogs, but only two, and they were not of particularly fine breeds. He also owned a vineyard and hunting grounds, but he hadn’t visited them in two years, mostly because he couldn’t be bothered. Physically thin, with a small appetite, his diet consisted primarily of vegetarian fare, and he didn’t necessarily eat meat even once a day.

He would even avoid attending banquets among the nobility whenever he could.

For his lack of desires was all-encompassing... it wasn’t just his lack of ambition for power; he behaved like a reclusive monk entirely unfettered by material concerns.

It was likely because his memories had been repeatedly overwritten and fragmented, leaving the flame of desire deep in his soul so battered it was nearly extinguished.

Though his father and daughter were both Kings, lofty figures by any standard... he himself had lost his motivation entirely, like a numb corporate slave. Kafney indeed believed he would not covet power... but his actions were too disorganized, and his careless promises would inevitably cause her headaches.

So in the end, Kafney entrusted her power to someone no one could have predicted...

—The old Crow.

It was only then that the Noah nobles finally realized... just how intimate the relationship between the Crow family and this so-called Devil Queen really was. She trusted the Crow even more than her own father!

This move instead became a form of deterrence.

The Crow family held far too many damning secrets, but those secrets might not always be of use.

Because rulers might not be inclined to listen... or rather, might not be willing to place absolute trust in those who entirely controlled the flow of information.

In a sense, they could even manipulate the ruler’s actions by controlling the sources of intelligence—removing those they wished to remove, saving those they wished to save, oppressing those they wished to oppress.

For this very reason, many rulers were deeply wary of such entities.

No matter how loyal they believed the other party to be, they would never fully trust them... some even established dedicated departments and trained personnel specifically to monitor and restrict those entities’ authority.

However, such measures invariably diminished the efficiency of those entities’ operations.

Yet now Kafney, using this ultimate maneuver, demonstrated the extent of her trust in the Crow family.

After Kafney left Noah, the Crow family did not abuse the royal authority but dutifully and silently safeguarded it.

Under this dual display of mutual understanding, the upper nobility of Noah, who had never fully submitted, instead chose genuine allegiance—because they knew they no longer had any chance or capability to resist.

"Is this what you’d call good fortune?"

Maria crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"It’s actually something I learned from Annan."

Kafney responded with a radiant smile, "I discovered that, sometimes, it’s not that they’re determined to oppose me. It’s simply that I haven’t been able to truly display power that can subdue them—they tend to think what I show is merely a performance. It’s like a form of projection."

"That does make sense."

Annan, mirroring Maria’s posture, confidently nodded with arms crossed: "In such moments, you need to make bold moves—to reveal your most vulnerable, most unguarded side.

"When they realize, or attempt to uncover... that even your most fragile point is beyond their reach, they will come to understand reality and will naturally choose to submit.

"And forgiving such ’probing’ is precisely the magnanimity of a ruler.

"Because I don’t fear them to begin with, nor do I need to issue severe punishments to warn others—such actions, before they recognize my strength, would only be seen as weakness.

"But once they understand the stark gap in strength between us... then such a display would become the final straw that breaks the camel’s back."

At the Winter family’s dining table, Annan and Kafney sat before the Great-Grandmother.

This was a rare family meal for the Winter household—though it was still missing the Great-Grandmother, who remained in her Deep Sleep.

"—Speaking of which, I’ve actually been wondering about something."

The Great-Grandmother asked curiously, "Annan... why was it that Lady Haoyun chose you? Did you already study how to become a monarch in your original world?"

"I don’t know why I was chosen either..."

Annan pondered, then slowly replied, "I do know my abilities are extraordinary... but I actually don’t know how different I am from ordinary people.

"Someone once said to me that my thinking is utterly unlike a mortal’s, unnecessary even—but I can only say his statement was incomplete.

"Before I joined the company, before coming into contact with Lady Haoyun’s incarnation in our world, I genuinely thought of myself as a genius. But, honestly, in the company, there were plenty like me..."

As Annan mused, he answered earnestly, "I was the lead designer, but only a minor leader in the project group. Just among those I knew and interacted with, there were several individuals with extraordinary talents... My roommate was one of them. As a result, arrogance never took root in me."

"I even suspect that Lady Haoyun’s incarnation established that company as an excuse to gather us together. He didn’t care if I worked overtime, likely because he wasn’t concerned about the ’products’ I was responsible for—or rather, I might have been the real ’product.’ It wouldn’t be impossible.

"Although my colleagues all possessed remarkable talents, I firmly believe I am the one best suited to solve the Mist Realm’s problems. If someone else were in my position, they certainly couldn’t achieve what I have now."

Annan’s lips curled slightly, and a glimmer of "Wisdom" flashed in his eyes:

"I believe... perhaps they might be out there, saving other worlds on the Dream River as well, don’t you think?"