As a child, Lia quickly grew tired, and I knew I had to find her a room. However, this residence has been unoccupied for a long time, and I have no idea how long it will take to clean up once I find a room. It is a two-story house horizontally, and I carefully walked up the stairs with only a candlestick in my hand. The second floor was pitch-black, and the stairs creaked beneath my feet, giving the impression that they could break at any moment. It seems that the floors and stairs here need to be repaired, or it could be dangerous later on.

But for now, let's handle it this way.

I led Lia to the second floor, where there was a candlestick on the wall in the corner of the stairwell. I lit it with a candle and took a look. There were several rooms on the second floor, but checking them all would not be possible tonight. I have plenty of time to renovate this house later. For now, all I need to do is give Lia a clean room for her to sleep in. Lia must have a room to sleep in, otherwise, if Vilvy sees it, there will likely be trouble.

I found a room a little further inside and tried pulling the door. Luckily, it was not locked, or else I would have had to break it open. After opening the door, I found a very standard bedroom with a bed, a window overlooking the garden, and a typical small desk in front of the window. The room also had a fireplace, which seemed like a good choice. I walked in and took a look, fortunately, there wasn't much dust on the floor. However, I should note that the previous owner of this house was quite wealthy, and these furnishings are still sturdy and beautiful. With a little cleaning up, it will be a nice room.

I took off the bedsheet, removing the dust on top, revealing a thick mattress underneath, filled with a softer material. I pressed down on it, and it seemed comfortable enough. I clapped my hands and said, "Let me go call Vilvy and ask for her help to start a fire."

"No..."

Lia tightly hugged my arm, looking at me with some anger, and said, "I've already told you not to get too close to that woman, but you always spend time alone with her, even willingly putting yourself under her sword. Dad, you don't care about Lia's feelings at all, so Lia wants you to stay by her side, at least for tonight..."

Lia's grip was strong as she held onto me, afraid that I would leave. I looked at the fireplace and smiled bitterly, "But Dad doesn't know how to start a fire. If Vilvy doesn't light it up, this room will be quite cold."

"I won't be cold if I have Dad..."

Lia tightly held onto me, burying her head in my chest, and said softly, "Dad's embrace is warm enough... I don't need that woman... I don't need her at any time... Lia only needs Dad... as long as I have Dad by my side... I don't need anything else..."

"But for now, we still need Vilvy's care. Without her, it would be difficult for both you and me to survive."

"What about afterwards? Will Dad take Lia away?"

Lia lifted her head and looked at me with an incredibly serious and eager gaze. Her hands were trembling slightly, and her eyes were filled with hope. I knew she was afraid of Vilvy and desperately wanted to leave her. Although we needed to stay close to Vilvy for now, Lia also yearned to be away from her. She wanted to leave Vilvy and start a new life with just me, even though our current life was already new to her, it wasn't the happiest life for her.

I looked at Lia and didn't know how to answer because I hadn't considered my future. I'm not someone who thinks about the future much; I don't have the energy to do so. My focus is on the things I'm experiencing right now - the other person's attitude, the other person themselves, and their idle remarks. I don't have the energy to think about the future because if I don't handle the present situation well, I won't have a future.

So I prioritize the present, just wanting to peacefully get through each day. As long as I live in peace every day, the future will naturally become the present that I emphasize.

But now, perhaps I need to seriously consider what the future holds for Lia and me. How will we live together? Will we stay here indefinitely? To be honest, it's not a long-term plan to remain with Vilvy even though she is relatively kind-hearted. Lia doesn't like Vilvy, she even dislikes and resents her. So if their relationship doesn't improve in the future, it would be best to take Lia and leave.Moreover, I don't want Lia to live in this desolate northern region. The north is not a place that brings happiness to Lia. The weather is cold and dreary, and she can't receive a good education here. If possible, I want to return to the capital city so that Lia can live a peaceful life in the most prosperous and safe city for humans, instead of staying here.

I want her to be able to see the most beautiful flowers in the world.

Therefore, I need to find a way to live in the capital city. Ideally, I would have a good job that can provide a good life for Lia. There are many things I need to consider for my goal. It will likely take a long time to prepare and it's not something that can be rushed. I need to earn enough money here first.

"Mhmm."

I nodded, squatting down and holding Lia's hand, I nodded earnestly and said, "Daddy will take you away. Daddy won't let you continue living here. Daddy will definitely take you to a warm place where you can see colorful flowers and a wonderful world, instead of staying here."

Lia looked at my face, extending her tiny arms to tightly hug my head. She stood on her tiptoes and held onto my head with all her might. I didn't say anything else, but kissed her head and then lifted her up, gently placing her on the bed. I then took off my cloak and covered her with it.

"Daddy... Daddy..."

Lia looked at me, her face filled with expectations. But instead of lying down immediately, I bent down to kiss her forehead and said softly, "Daddy needs to go and check on the food supplies. Food is very important. You need to know that we can cook, but the people below us won't be able to if they don't have food. They will go hungry in this winter. I don't think they even have firewood. They might freeze to death in this winter. Daddy needs to find out about these things."

"Why do you want to help these people, Daddy?"

Lia looked at me puzzled, whispering, "If we have the food here, we can keep eating delicious things, right?"

"Then why did Daddy protect you at that time?"

I reached out and touched Lia's little head, lightly laughing and said, "That's what we should do."

"Daddy, humans are so different. If it were us, we wouldn't give it away. Daddy, are humans all like this, protecting others?"

Lia looked at me and asked.

I hesitated for a moment, then said, "Actually, no. Lia, there are people among humans who think like you, it's just that it's considered immoral and wrong for humans to do so. But there are still many people who do it, humans who have the same thoughts as you Demon. However, humans have reached this stage because of those people, not the selfish ones."

"Then, Daddy, how can I become more like a human? What should I do?"

"Just consider other people's feelings."

I looked at my daughter in front of me, kissed her forehead once again, and lightly smiled as I said, "The difference between humans and other creatures is whether they can consider others. Lia, as long as you consider others, you will be a human."

"Is that so... Then... Daddy, after you finish your work, please come back to Lia. Don't go find that woman."

Lia reached out and grabbed my sleeve, saying seriously. I looked at my daughter in front of me, gave a bitter smile, nodded, and then tucked her little arm into my cloak before turning around and leaving the room.

I walked down the stairs and saw Vilvy sitting upright at the dining table with the kettle in front of her, facing the fireplace and remaining still like a sculpture. I walked over gently and sat next to her. Vilvy didn't move or speak, her gaze fixed on the fire, saying nothing.I sat next to her and picked up the kettle of boiled water. I poured a cup of water into a wooden cup and said, "We need to talk to the villagers about these food issues, and let them come and collect their share. The soldiers have no records, so we'll have to divide it equally."

"Thank you."

"What?"

Vilvy's thank you completely caught me off guard. I had no idea what she was talking about. I looked at her in confusion and she turned to me, her sapphire-like eyes burning with a glimmer of fire. She said earnestly, "Because you stopped me today, otherwise Lia would hate me more. Thank you."

"No, it's not just for Lia. It's also because of you. If you don't have credibility here, there's no meaning in ruling."

I looked at Vilvy in front of me and replied softly.

"I don't like deserters."

"I don't either, but as a lord, sometimes you have to deal with everyone. And deserters are easier to handle compared to rebels."

"I don't know how to be a lord."

Vilvy looked at me and said softly.

"I don't know either, but I do know that being a lord is not just about killing."

Vilvy nodded slightly and then looked at me, saying, "Can you help me become an excellent lord?"

"Do I have the qualification?"

I looked at Vilvy and asked.

"As long as you can."

"Then first, let's handle these food supplies properly."