Winter is coming

"Hey sleepy head, wake up, it's almost morning. You should head back before Roselyn gets back up," William caressed Veronica's naked back as he whispered in her ears. She was lying on her stomach with her face buried in her pillow while William was lying beside her, looking at her calmly.

"I don't feel like leaving. There is still time, let me stay here for a while. Don't worry about Roselyn, she is going to sleep for a few more hours and is only going to wake up extremely late in the morning," Veronica responded as she turned around to face William.

Upon hearing those words, a smile appeared on William's face.

"Want to go for another round then?" He asked with a mischievous smile on his face. Veronica's face turned red when she heard William's words and looked at him in a different manner.

"I am going to follow a different approach this time," She replied shyly and the next moment, moved her body to face him before pressing her boobs against his chest.

…

Meanwhile, a carriage could be seen running on the road with a large group following its trail. Various types of carts and a large number of soldiers could be seen following the carriage with a middle-aged man in front of it. Two more figures were following that man on the horse. This man was Virgil, one of the vice commanders of the group, and the two women sitting inside the carriage were Baroness Melenia and her second-in-command, Tatyana.

"You seem lost, big sis. What happened, is there something bothering you? You look kind of lost. I know you are sad because of the deaths of those three soldiers, but you have to pull yourself up for the sake of our people," Tatyana said as she looked at Melenia who was looking out of the window with her gaze fixated at the moon.

Melenia snapped out of her daze and tilted her head to look at Tatyana, who was worriedly staring at her.

"It's not about those three soldiers. It's just that I'm getting a weird feeling Tatyana, a bizarre mix of comfortable and discomfortable sensations. It is a very mixed feeling," Melenia mumbled in response.

"Don't you see? The moon is somewhat different today, and everything is pretty calm. For me, getting this kind of feeling is a pretty rare occurrence. I feel like something big is going on somewhere," Melenia continued in a mysterious manner, her heart simultaneously feeling anxious and heavy as she said those words.

After listening to her big sis, Tatyana chuckled and shook her head before taking a seat beside her as she took her hand in her own and mumbled, "You are overthinking, my dear sister.

"You are tired because you are working very hard without taking any breaks and you are anxious because our city is going through a tough time. I know you are worried about the coming winters, but don't worry, we will find a way to survive this winter as well. Just don't think about that for now, sister. The people of this city trust you and so do I," Tatyana placed her head on Melenia's shoulder as she consoled.

Upon hearing those words, Melenia heaved a deep sigh and caressed Tatyana's head as she looked at her differently.

"There is no reply to the letter that I sent to the Viscount. It feels like he is not interested in providing the funds at all. It is the same as last year. They haven't sent us any provisions in the last five years. I wonder how we are going to survive this time…" Melenia caressed Tatyana's head and spoke in a disheartening manner.

"Those bastards have pretty much abandoned us. We are out here putting our lives on the line fighting their battles at the cost of the lives of our civilians, but they don't care about us. Winter is approaching and we don't have enough funds to run the city. People are scared and losing hope, some of them have even left the city permanently. If this keeps going on, I wonder what's going to happen," Tatyana exclaimed as she tightened the grip on Melania's hand.

"Don't worry, since everyone believes in your sister, she will find a way to tackle the current situation. After returning to the city, I am thinking of giving the City Lord a visit. There is no other way to acquire funds but to ask for his help. He holds me in high regard, I'm sure he will help me with the funds," Melenia responded as she proposed the idea of visiting the City Lord.

"Sister you already know that old man, he is very vicious. He is already aware of the current circumstances. If you ask for his help, then there is no way we can lay a hand on Nolan. This is despite everything being ready and there being proof of him operating shady businesses behind everyone's back. We are very close to apprehending him, sis." Tatyana complained.

"But we need funds, Tatyana. If we can't get enough funds, then there is no way we can survive this winter. I don't know how much longer is this winter going to last. I'm aware of his crimes but I am not willing to put everyone's life on the line for the sake of apprehending one man. This is not the first time we're letting him get away. Despite knowing everything, I am pretty much helpless here," Melenia exclaimed as she responded to Tatyana.

Upon hearing her admit her helplessness, Tatyana took a deep breath and nodded her head.

"As you wish. I understand how you are feeling right now. Just don't think about that stuff at the moment. Take some rest, it's a long way home," Tatyana said as she understood that her sister was in a very difficult position as the City Lord was the only one who could help her at the moment but the price was his son's freedom. That way, he would be free despite committing numerous heinous crimes. It was just too much.