Lord: Starting with Biological Modification

In Baron Kaman’s mansion, the evening banquet was in full swing.

It was Velin’s last night before his return to the Grey Marsh Territory.

On the dining table sat a leg of venison, sizzling and glistening with fat; a shepherd’s pie drizzled with thick gravy; and a small mountain of sweet berries.

Baron Kaman, seated at the head of the table, picked up a bottle of red wine and personally poured a full glass for Velin.

Then he raised his glass. "Velin, your two brothers sent a letter! They’re singing your praises to the heavens!"

The Baron’s face was flushed from the wine.

"They said they’ll rush back on their next leave to see for themselves just what kind of genius the Klein Family has produced! Haha!"

His voice was filled with gratification.

Velin raised his glass, clinked it gently against his father’s, and took a sip of red wine.

Lilia, sitting at the other end of the table, put down her knife, dabbed her lips with a napkin, and folded her hands in front of her.

"Brother, Father, Mother, I have also made a decision."

Everyone stopped what they were doing.

"In a few days, I will depart for the Royal Capital. I wrote a letter to Marchioness Audrey, and she has agreed to have me as her lady-in-waiting."

Baron Kaman was stunned.

Then, an even more gratified expression spread across his face as he reached up to stroke his beard.

"This is a good thing." His voice was filled with emotion.

"For an unmarried young lady from a family like ours, being able to enter the inner court of a high noble’s wife as a lady-in-waiting is the best opportunity to learn management, etiquette, and expand one’s connections. This is more valuable than any dowry. Lilia, you’ve grown up."

Velin remained silent.

’Lilia entering the noble circles of the Royal Capital is like placing an important chess piece for me there. It will allow me to stay updated on the latest news from the capital. In the future, if any political or military conflicts arise, I won’t be as passive as I was before.’

’She’s growing up faster than I imagined and knows how to seize opportunities. This is a good thing.’

The banquet concluded in a harmonious atmosphere.

「It was late at night.」

Xiaoling paced back and forth in her room, her fingers unconsciously tapping the tear-shaped mole near the corner of her eye.

She stopped at the window, watching the silhouette cast by the light from Velin’s room in the distance.

Her gaze was far too mature for a fourteen-year-old.

"Sister, listen to me."

"Lord Velin is a towering tree, still growing, but we are not the only vines in its shade. There’s Miss Caroline of the Golden Sail Commerce Association, and countless noble ladies in the Royal Capital in the future... Favors and loyalty fade with time. We must add a lock that no one can break."

Xiaoling’s logic was crystal clear.

’The books say a hero always feels a special sense of responsibility toward the first woman who shares hardship with him.’

’Sister was Lord Velin’s first subordinate. That’s our biggest advantage.’

’We have to turn that advantage into a deeper bond.’

Xiaolan sat on the edge of the bed, her hands tightly gripping her coarse linen dress.

She didn’t understand all the complicated words, but she could feel her sister’s anxiety.

Xiaoling opened the wardrobe and, from a pile of old clothes, pulled out a silk nightgown.

She handed the nightgown to Xiaolan.

"Put this on."

Xiaolan took the nightgown. The light fabric made her palms feel hot.

"Sister... what... what is this for?"

"Just listen to me."

Xiaoling began to instruct her sister.

"Your back must be straight, but your shoulders relaxed. You need to look... helpless."

"Your eyes should be like a startled fawn’s, but not entirely fearful. There should be a hint of... reliance and adoration."

She demonstrated it herself, her pitiful and lovely posture perfectly executed.

Xiaolan clumsily imitated her.

"Yes, just like that! Then, walk in gently and say, ’My lord, it’s late. Would you like some milk?’"

Xiaolan’s cheeks were so red they looked like they might start bleeding.

Seeing her sister’s state, Xiaoling sighed, her tone softening slightly.

"Sister, if we can’t become ’important’ to him... then as servants, we could be given away as gifts at any moment, or sacrificed in some deal we don’t even know about. I don’t want to live that kind of life. Do you?"

Xiaolan took a deep breath and nodded heavily.

"I... I understand, Xiaoling."

’Even if... even if he ends up hating me, even if I’m scared to death, I have to complete this mission.’

’This is my responsibility as the older sister.’

’Lord Velin is a good person. He saved us.’

’I’m doing this... so I can protect my sister.’

’Yes, that’s it.’

...

Velin sat behind the oak desk in his study.

A manuscript lay spread out on the desk, covered in dense script and complex alchemical diagrams.

It was the final round of data analysis for the cultivation environment of the "Dragon Blood Horny Goat Weed." Once verified, he would be able to begin small-scale mass production in Mist Spring Valley.

This would bring him a stable and enormous stream of cash flow.

CREAK—

The door was pushed open gently, making a soft sound.

Velin looked up.

Xiaolan stood in the doorway, wearing a light blue silk nightgown that was clearly ill-fitting. The wide straps hung loosely on her shoulders, which only served to accentuate the startlingly developed curves of her chest, belying her age.

The girl held a glass of milk, the white liquid sloshing gently inside.

Velin’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before returning to his manuscript.

At the door, Xiaolan finally summoned her courage and took a step forward.

She remembered her sister’s instructions: to "accidentally" fall at the right moment.

But in truth, she didn’t need to act at all.

Her naturally calamitous constitution caused her to trip for real over a wrinkle in the rug, one invisible to the naked eye.

"Ah!"

A short cry of surprise.

Her well-honed reflexes, developed through long training, were no match for the immense pressure in her heart. Her body instantly lost its balance, and she pitched forward in a wildly exaggerated posture.

The glass of milk in her hand flew through the air, tracing a parabola.

SPLAT.

The white liquid landed with precision all over the manuscript Velin was reviewing.

The ink quickly bled, and the crucial data became a blur.

As for her, she crashed headfirst into the hard corner of the desk.

THUD!

A dull, heavy sound.

A large red welt instantly appeared on her forehead, and the intense pain brought tears to her eyes immediately.

Velin’s pupils contracted.

He paid no mind to the dizzy and dazed Xiaolan.

The manuscript was soaked in milk, now rapidly turning into an illegible smear.

He stood up and walked around Xiaolan, who was whimpering on the floor, clutching her head.

He grabbed a clean linen cloth from a nearby shelf and tried to blot the moisture from the manuscript.

After a few seconds, he gave up. The manuscript was completely ruined.

Velin let out a soft sigh. ’Looks like I’ll have to redo the analysis from memory.’

He turned around, his gaze falling on the swollen red mark on Xiaolan’s forehead. The skin was already starting to turn a faint shade of blue.

"Don’t move."

His voice betrayed no emotion, but Xiaolan’s crying stopped.

Velin walked straight to a cabinet in the corner and took out the first-aid ointment he always kept on hand.

He knelt, drew close, and applied the ointment.

His movements weren’t exactly gentle, but he applied it steadily to the bruised spot.

They were extremely close. The girl could feel the warmth of Velin’s breath on her forehead, her hair stirring with it.

This caused her brain to completely shut down.

"I’m returning to the Grey Marsh Territory tomorrow," Velin said softly. "Get some rest, and don’t touch the wound on your forehead."

Xiaolan looked up, no longer feeling the pain in her forehead, only seeing Velin’s eyes as a vortex.

She could see her own reflection in his eyes: her blushing cheeks, her dazed expression.

A strange warmth flooded her heart, something she had never felt before.

With a sudden burst of courage from who knows where, she lunged forward.

And kissed Velin.

But the decision was too sudden and the timing was off; her sneak attack aimed for his lips landed on his chin instead.

But Xiaolan couldn’t be bothered with that now. It felt as if she had just used up a lifetime’s worth of courage.

She covered her face and fled the room as if escaping.

Velin stood up, touching his chin, his expression puzzled.

’Did she stand up too fast and feel bad about bumping into me?’

He shook his head. ’No point dwelling on such a small thing.’

He took a new sheet of parchment and a quill from a drawer.

He began to rewrite the uncorrupted data from memory, planning out a new experimental procedure.