125: Chapter 125 A Plan for a Female Official Cabinet! Lady Lillian's Opportunity!

Just as undercurrents were surging on all sides, Rowan had already returned to his Golden Flame Castle.

He had his servants move these files and account books into his bedroom, but after flipping through a few of them casually, he set them aside.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand them; it was that he had no interest and didn't want to look at them.

As a succubus, his talent and interests lay in people—in the cultivation and harvest of emotions.

Asking him to diligently manage the territory was, for him, a massive mismatch of energy and a waste of his talents. His expertise was completely misaligned!

However, with power in his hands, these trivial matters were the foundation for maintaining the operation of the territory, acquiring resources, and even realizing his garden plan; he could not cast them aside entirely.

Therefore, the root of the problem still lay in one thing—there was no one to use!

Those officials at City Hall were respectful on the surface but harbored their own agendas. They were old hands who had been steeped in officialdom for years, with tangled webs of connections behind them, and possessed zero loyalty.

Control them with Charm? Putting aside the fact that males didn't have a system rating and the effectiveness was questionable, even if it were effective, he couldn't possibly use such a method. It felt too weird.

Therefore, the ultimate solution still had to fall upon the path that succubi were best at…

A flash of crimson light flickered in the depths of Rowan's eyes.

He needed a staff team that was completely loyal, professionally capable, and one to whom he could safely entrust core power.

And the best composition for this team was undoubtedly female officials who were descendants of the bloodline, whom he could absolutely control.

He needed to carefully select women who had talent or potential in areas such as government affairs, commerce, law, military, and intelligence, ensure their loyalty through Charm and the Embrace, and tilt resources toward their professional training, allowing them to perform their respective duties and form his private cabinet.

As for himself, he would reside behind the scenes, using this team of female officials—composed entirely of his own people—to monitor, check, and control those outside ministers.

Only then could he free himself from the tedious government affairs and focus on the improvement of his power and the management of his garden.

Therefore, everything circled back again—a beauty pageant!

Rowan tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.

He had to hold it as soon as possible, screen eligible women on a large scale, and gather them at the castle.

Then, he would select those with potential, categorize them for training, incorporate the qualified ones into the maid corps, and further cultivate the exceptionally outstanding ones into female officials… Only in this way could he escape his current predicament of having no one to use.

Otherwise, having a succubus manage a territory? That would truly be putting the cart before the horse.

Just then, a soft and rhythmic knocking came from outside the door, interrupting his thoughts.

"Enter."

Rowan turned around, casting his gaze toward the door. The heavy wooden door was pushed open silently.

Elise, the head maid, walked in first. Following behind her was Lady Lillian.

She was clearly meticulously dressed today. A well-tailored, slim-fitting light red long dress perfectly outlined her plump and graceful figure.

The neckline was cut just right, revealing a section of jade-white neck and exquisite collarbones.

Her chestnut-colored long hair was tied into a fashionable and slightly lazy side bun, adorned with a few small ruby hairpins.

Those beautiful eyes, which always held a charming smile, suddenly lit up with astonishing radiance the moment they caught sight of Rowan.

She walked with light steps, quickly approaching Rowan, bringing with her a fragrance of roses.

"Rowan… no, I should call you Lord Count now." Lady Lillian raised her head, looking at Rowan with glistening eyes, her voice soft and alluring, carrying undisguised amazement and admiration:

"Good heavens, how long has it been… My Lord, you are truly… unbelievably dazzling."

Her gaze swept quickly over the well-fitted Count's formal attire on Rowan and landed on his incomparably handsome face, a flash of infatuation passing through her eyes.

This man had just been a minor baron before, but in the blink of an eye, he had ascended to the heavens, becoming the Count Golden Flame who possessed an entire county and wielded illustrious power!

This massive leap in status cast an even more captivating halo over his already outstanding appearance and temperament.

If she could please him more, even if she only received a little favor, it would be an unimaginable opportunity for her and her family.

Rowan also raised his eyes, observing Lady Lillian, who had come dressed in her finery.

In terms of appearance, figure, and Charm alone, Lady Lillian was undoubtedly first-class, and she knew extremely well how to display feminine allure and was also well-versed in the ways of pleasing others.

It was just a pity… the system's rating was only eighty-one points; the score just couldn't go higher.

Without extraordinary power to rely on, and without the elevation of life level brought by special talents or encounters, she was, in the end, a beauty among the mundane, not the high-quality flower he pursued.

However… Rowan's gaze swept over the undisguised ambition and desire in her eyes.

Considering their past history, he didn't mind giving her a chance. A chance to prove her worth and obtain the qualification to enter the garden.

To him, granting extraordinary power to an ordinary person was nothing more than an Embrace ceremony.

"Lady Lillian, long time no see. As it happens, there are some trivial matters I would like to hear your opinion on." Rowan said with a smile.

Lady Lillian looked in the direction of his gaze. When she saw the various documents, account books, and maps that occupied almost half the room, her charming eyes widened instantly.

These things! Are these… files from City Hall? Territory land account books? Financial revenue and expenditure? City defense maps?

These were the true core of power and the keys to wealth that even at her family's peak she could barely touch! They were the lifeblood of Gino City and even the entire Golden Flame Territory!

Rowan was actually displaying these to her without reservation? Was it a test? Was it an examination? Or… was he really lacking anyone to use and needed someone he could trust to help?

Regardless of which it was, for her, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! An excellent opportunity that would allow her to truly touch the core of power, demonstrate her value, and potentially bind herself firmly to the side of this new noble Count!

She took a deep breath, her full chest heaving with it. But she immediately suppressed the excitement in her heart, and when she looked at Rowan again, her eyes had become incomparably serious, even carrying a hint of the shrewdness and sharpness that came from being born into a business family.

She curtsied slightly and said in an unprecedentedly solemn tone: "My Lord, you are busy with official business. I am untalented, but I do understand a thing or two about these matters, and I am willing to share the burden for you."

Rowan looked at the unfeigned fervor and eagerness in her eyes and nodded. Her attitude was not bad.

Thus, he pointed to a small table and chair that had been cleared next to his desk and said: "I will trouble you, My Lady, please."

"Thank you for your trust, My Lord!" Lady Lillian walked to the small table almost impatiently and then gently lifted her skirt to sit down.

She didn't even glance at Rowan again; her gaze was firmly locked onto the thick "Gino City Population and Tax Ledger" closest to her.

She extended her well-maintained slender hand, solemnly opened the cover, and began to read with a focused expression.

Rowan looked at Lady Lillian, who had quickly entered her state. Her profile appeared exceptionally serious under the daylight.

He raised an eyebrow noncommittally. It seemed this beautiful lady might truly be able to bring him some surprises in worldly affairs.

Then, he withdrew his gaze and looked toward Elise, who had been standing quietly to the side. Elise's eyes were fixed on Lady Lillian's back as she hunched over the desk; her gaze was somewhat complex, appearing somewhat surprised, yet also somewhat understanding.

Rowan walked to her side, naturally extended his arm, and wrapped it around her slender, supple waist, then leaned down and said: "It seems Lady Lillian is very interested in those things… As it happens, neither of us likes to look at these boring things."

His voice was kept extremely low, carrying a hint of lazy amusement: "Let's go, Elise, to your room. Here… let's just leave it to the professional."

Elise felt the heat near her ear and the strength from the arm around her waist, and her body trembled slightly.

She raised her eyes, looking at Rowan's handsome face close at hand, and then glanced at the bright daylight outside the window, causing two faint blushes to inevitably fly onto her cheeks.

She gave her master a cross look, but her arms had already involuntarily wrapped around Master Rowan's waist.

Rowan chuckled lowly, and holding Elise, he left the master bedroom silently…