Aya had just come out of Yarlow's room when James walked over and looked at her. He asked, "Aya, how is Master doing? What is he up to?"

Aya replied, "He's not doing anything."

James nodded and said, "Go check on dinner preparations. When it's ready, come and inform Master. Well, since we're in this kind of place, we'll have to put noble etiquette aside." After saying this, he shook his head and walked away.

Aya watched her grandfather. She understood his feelings very well. Her grandfather had dedicated his entire life to the Whitewood Family, but little did he know that the Whitewood Family would decline right before his eyes. Aya could understand what her grandfather was feeling.

Aya headed to the kitchen. There was only one cook, Elsie, here now; Elsie was responsible for their meals. As for the slaves outside, they managed their own food. James had already provided them with what they needed, and they could prepare their own meals.

Aya also had a clear understanding of the situation. Currently, the Whitewood Family relied entirely on her grandfather's support. Master Yarlow had no understanding of anything, and now she only hoped that Yarlow would become more sensible and stop causing trouble. Otherwise, the Whitewood Family truly had no hope left.

Now, Yarlow's behavior, whether good or bad, determined the survival of the Whitewood Family.

---

As the day slowly darkened, the entire castle grew darker except for some places.

At this time, the slaves had already finished their dinner and gone to sleep. Elsie had just finished preparing the evening meal and had sent Aya to inform Yarlow.

When Aya reached the door of Yarlow's room, she first listened for any sounds. The room was very quiet, with no signs of activity. She knocked on the door and called out, "Master."

However, there was no response from inside the room. Aya called out twice more, but there was still no answer. She stood outside for a while. She didn't have the right to enter without permission, nor did she want to go in. But after receiving no answer for a while, she thought that the master must be sleeping. Reluctantly, she pushed the door open and entered the room.

Upon entering, Aya heard the rhythmic sound of breathing. She approached Yarlow's bed and saw him sleeping soundly, completely oblivious to her calls.

Aya sighed, standing by Yarlow's bedside. She gently shook him and said, "Master, it's time to wake up. Dinner is ready."

Yarlow, in a daze, asked, "What time is it?"

Aya hurriedly replied, "Master, it's already 7 o'clock in the evening. It's time for dinner."

Yarlow then opened his eyes, turned to look at Aya standing by his bed, and glanced out of the window. He noticed that it was already getting dark. Slowly, he sat up, shook his slightly groggy head, and began to regain his clarity.

Yarlow had just sat on the edge of the bed when Aya immediately reached for his boots to help him put them on. Yarlow didn't deny her and let her put on his boots. It's felt weird seeing a beautiful girl helping him put on boots but he enjoyed this feelings.

After Aya put on his boots, Yarlow stood up, turned to Aya, and said, "Let's go, let's have dinner first."

Aya nodded. She knew that since Yarlow had arrived here, he hadn't left his room, so he wouldn't know his way around the castle. If she let him walk on his own, he would likely get lost, especially in this unfamiliar environment.

As they left the room, Yarlow looked around curiously. The castle was clearly an ancient fortress, built many years ago. It appeared quite sturdy, but the style was old, and the interior design was not as sophisticated as Yarlow's original home. It gave off a somewhat eerie feeling.

However, Yarlow didn't mind this at all.

Soon, Yarlow noticed the torches on the walls. It seemed they were so tight on resources that they couldn't even afford magic crystals for lighting.

Yarlow also recalled the magical crystals in his room. It seemed to be the only one in the entire castle. Thinking about this, he felt happy.

The dining hall wasn't far from Yarlow's bedroom, and soon they entered it. James, Elsie, Jack, and Erth were all waiting in the dining hall. When they saw Yarlow enter, they bowed respectfully and greeted, "Good evening, Master. Please have your meal."

Yarlow nodded and glanced at Elsie. She seemed like a mature woman, and she was divorced. It might be good to have her in his harem.

Yarlow thought, and from his memories, he knew that the previous Yarlow had tried to peek at Elsie many times but failed at every attempt, and when the previous Yarlow grew up, he started calling her an old hag, losing all interest.

Then he glanced at the wooden table in the dining hall. He noticed that there was only tableware set for him. From the previous Yarlow's memories, he knew that servants weren't allowed to dine at the same table as the nobles. They had to stand by and serve.

Yarlow took a seat and examined the dining hall. It wasn't particularly large, just over twenty square meters. In the center, there was a long table covered with a white tablecloth. On the table were two candelabras, each holding three candles.

Around the table, there were eight finely crafted chairs. It was clear that these chairs were high-quality items. In each corner of the dining hall, there was a torch, providing ample light. However, apart from these elements, there was nothing else in the dining hall.

After surveying the dining hall, Yarlow turned to James and said, "Old man, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

James quickly bowed and replied, "Master, please speak."

"How much gold coins do we have left now?"

James replied, "Master, we currently have 180 gold coins. However, we have all supplies to survive for three years, so these gold coins are at your disposal."

Yarlow was surprised, he thought that all supplies were just for some months.

"When we came from the Imperial Capital, did we bring our belongings in carriages? What about the horses that pulled the carriages?" Yarlow asked after a thought.

James answered, "Master, we have a large territory, but it's unproductive, and there isn't much production, so to save on food, we only have five horses. When we came, we hired carriages."

Yarlow nodded. Keeping horses costs money, and it's better to save money since horses are not needed.