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That very night, Lord Ulric announced that he would hold a small banquet in three days in commemoration of the successful conclusion of the bandit hunting campaign, inviting all the nobles that were in Landow at the moment or nearby it.

A very common practice that most of the nobility partake in is that they make sure to buy a property in the city or settlement of other nobles that are higher ranking than themselves, especially those they are subordinate to, that is if they could afford it.

Landow itself was host to many villas that belonged to Earls, Counts, viscous and so on that had their territory in the Marquisate, not all could afford such accommodations and expenditures of course.

Barons for example were usually too poor to permanently own an abode of their own in major cities without bankrupting themselves and instead simply stayed at very respectable inns for the duration of their stay.

The Blackwells themselves had their own property at the seat of power of the duke that rules over the southeastern parts of the kingdom as well as the capital of the kingdom.

Though this may seem like a waste of resources, owning a property in the territory of a higher-ranking noble provided many advantages.

The first one being that the territory of higher ranking nobility tends to be wealthier and more prosperous allowing for easier investment and trade opportunities that lower-ranking nobles may not have access to in their own lands.

Other purposes are either for showing loyalty or simply gaining prestige among the other Lords.

Therefore the invitations had to be given a few days in advance to allow for Lords that could attend but are not in Landow to make the journey towards it.

That very night, the marques as well as Marek and William all attended the burial ceremony for the guards that had lost their lives in this small but crucial campaign. It was held at night with the families of the deceased present, as they mourned the loss of their sons, brothers, husbands and fathers.

The ceremony was held at night to bury the dead as quickly as possible since it had been a few days since they had perished. This night's burial was quite a sight, with hundreds of guards present with torches in hand to pay respect to their fellow comrades and send them on their way to the afterlife.

It was in these moments that everyone and especially William had to come face to face with the reality that this whole thing is not some fantasy adventure type of game but rather a real-world filled with choices and consequences.

After giving some words of comfort to the bereft families, the Blackwells left, each to tend to their own business.

William made his way back to his room, he was feeling a bit tired mentally and physically from this whole campaign, he had seen much death and destruction and now he had finally come back home to his little corner of safety.

In front of his room, he met Laura, who had been waiting for him. It was not hard to figure out that they had come back from their outing, it's not like it was a secret after all they had entered the city while parading the prisoners.

After seeing William Laura immediately greeted him in a friendly but still professional tone.

" Greetings my lord and welcome back to Landow."

"Thank Laura, though I had only been gone for about a week, I really missed my bed" William responded.

William entered his room and found it exactly as he left it, nice and clean. The first thing he did was jump onto the bed and feel its much softer texture compared to the ground he had to hug for the duration of the campaign with but a few blankets between his body and it.

"AHH, it's so nice to get back to a familiar place," William commented, which was a bit of a joke considering he had only been here for about five weeks.

Laura soon followed him into the room as she asked, "How was your trip, my lord?"

William smiled a bit at the question, he knew what she was trying to do, she was dying to know the detail of the events of the battle, he contemplated torturing her a bit with suspense, giving her just a small introduction and when things get really exciting cut her off. Just like an addict not getting his fix.

William had identified this "weakness" of hers some time ago, despite her semi-professional behavior, Laura was still not immune to gossip especially when it came to exciting events containing battles or adventures.

After some time William decided against torturing the poor girl, so he went ahead and gave her a rundown of the events, making sure to include as much suspense as possible.

About an hour later, William had concluded the story, this time making sure to put an emphasis on the Marquiss's ability to lead and plan rather than blow his own horn.

Laura's reaction was as he had wanted, she looked like someone who had just watched a movie that contained just the right amount of action, suspense and plot twists all topped off with a satisfactory ending.

" I can't believe that one of the bandit leaders was a woman!!!" she exclaimed with a slight glow in her eyes.

"Wow there, first of all, though it is rare for women to hold positions of power, it's still possible to do so, and secondly don't go about admiring her, if you want to have a role model think of the duchess in the north or the female merchants that had become successful despite the fierce competition, not some bandit leader."

William reminded her.

"You must be joking my lord, how can I have the duchess in my sight as a role model, she rules the north, with a long and prestigious family name to go with it, I am but a humble servant," Laura answered half-joking.

"Whether you have ambition for more or you are satisfied with your current position is up to you, but I advise you to always look for good role models nonetheless, a positive model to follow could do you wonders Laura" William concluded in a slightly serious tone.

She nodded vigorously at the words she was just told, the young lord showing serious behavior, slight as it may be was quite rare and so she decided to give his advice some weight.

He soon "chased" Laura away as he prepared himself to go to bed, once she was gone he went to the balcony to get a look at the city. Covered in darkness as it were, the few lit streets, coupled with the clear sky that allowed for the moon's gentle light to shine on the surface of the three rivers made for a breathtaking view.

William found himself coming to this balcony more and more as a refuge in which he could clear his mind and recharge his battery. After taking a deep and refreshing breath, he looked at the sky as the breeze ruffled his hair a bit and wondered.

"What progress had Edmund made in my absence?"