Marina never expected much from the new Lord. She already accepted the inevitable truth that he was just going to be like the other Lords before him.

It didn't matter whether he was a loyalist or a rebel. Both sides would just see them as mere peasants only to be used for their own political goals. They wouldn't care a damn if they all starved or died in their wars if it didn't affect them. She was fine with them having to pay high taxes to fund their lavish lifestyles and their wars, as long as they took care of them well. 

Unfortunately, so far, all the Lords of this land never gave a crap about them in the slightest. And they suffered greatly as a result.

So when the news came that the replacement Lord was arriving, she wasn't that excited like some of the other villagers.

However, she still went out on the road to see him and his entourage nonetheless. Everyone else was doing it. It would be odd if she was the only one who stayed behind.

And besides, she still had a little curiosity in her heart herself.

Just a little though.

[hr]
To her surprise, she managed to get a good look of the new Lord up close.

Well, not that close as there were obviously soldiers surrounding him, guarding him from any riff-rafts that might approach him.

But she was in front of the crowd, and it was the closest you could ever get to him as an ordinary peasant. It's not like you're ever going to ever be called to meet him in his fancy keep or castle.

She didn't intend to be there from the start however. Somehow, she ended up being pushed to the front of the crowd against her will.

At least this time around she didn't get her arse groped from behind. That tend to happen whenever she got into a heavy enough crowd.

And she had to admit, she was surprised. He looked entirely different than all the other Lords she had ever laid her eyes on.

He was young. Really young for someone who was supposed to be a reigning Lord. He shouldn't be that much older than herself.

She remembered. How he was originally just a landed peasant that became a noble after saving the King's life. The news had reached all the way here as he was pretty much acclaimed as a hero by the kingdom, or at least, among those loyal to the King.

She still didn't believe he would be any different however. Her pessimism, build by so many years of hunger and starvation under cruel and selfish Lords, was not so easily cured by a mere first impression.

However, she was willing to give him a chance. To see what he would do to this land as a new noble.

Perhaps, just perhaps, he wouldn't be as rotten as the rest of them.

She wouldn't hold her breath for that however.

[hr]
The feast the new Lord established didn't really surprise her in the slightest. It was quite the tradition of new Lords to celebrate their ascension in status with lofty feasts and dance parties, though it was usually only done in times of peace, for obvious reasons.

What surprised her however was that he didn't ask any of the villagers to contribute their own food into the feast. Everything was provided by him and his men.

It was a terribly generous act, and naturally, every single villager came to the feast. Free, delicious, filling food for everyone. Who could resist?

It was enough for some villagers to start singing praises to the new Lord already, drinking their beer on his name. The feast quickly turned rowdy as a result, as more and more villagers were starting to be intoxicated from all the free drinks they could get.

Marina on the other hand was still pacing herself grumpily in the corner. She would not, could not, put her faith on the new Lord just because of this one act of kindness.

She still partook of the food however, stuffing herself as much as she could without hurting her stomach.

Naturally, she rejected any drunken fool who asked her hand for a dance. She was in no mood for such a thing.

And besides, she needed to watch over her father who was also there in the feast with her. She needed to make sure he wasn't drinking too much.