The hall erupted into a frenzy. The wooden table was overturned, and the dishes on the table made cracking sounds. Soup flowed through the cracks in the stone floor.
It was the first time the two sons sitting beside the Duke had witnessed a life-and-death battle at such a close distance. The older Cole pulled out his sword and stood in front of his father, but his posture was extremely stiff. He did not have the carefree attitude he had during his daily training. The seventeen-year-old Lance simply shrank behind his chair.
Calvin sighed inwardly. If it wasn't for Edith, the two of them might not have been so pathetic. However, when compared to the Pearl of the Northern Region, the gap between them was huge. Perhaps even they themselves had already accepted their fate and lost the courage to chase after her.
The Duke looked towards the center of the banquet hall. His eldest daughter had already set her eyes on Ed Hawes, the strongest person present.
She first picked up a bottle of ale and smashed it at him, forcing him to turn around. Then, she leaped up onto a long wooden table and swung her sword at him from above. Her movements were as swift as a snow civet. Ed hurriedly blocked, and sparks flew from the point of contact.
In a few breaths, Edith had already swung her sword five or six times. The clanging sounds formed a chain, like the footsteps of the Grim Reaper approaching. But at this critical moment, Ed exploded with an astonishing aura and completely dissolved the attacks. The two of them were locked in a battle around the long table. Several Hawes Family Knight had fallen to the sword, but he did not retreat. Instead, he became more and more courageous as he fought.
Carr could not help but worry.
Edith had already gone through a huge battle. The bloodstains on her armor were proof. Even if she was not injured, she must have used up a lot of energy. In addition, women were naturally weaker in terms of strength. This kind of entanglement was obviously disadvantageous to her.
But there was not a trace of fear on Edith's face.
Her eyes were fixed on her opponent. Her bright eyes were like twinkling stars. Every time she swung her sword, sweat could be seen on the tips of her hair. Even though her strength was gradually weakening, she still chose to use airtight attacks to suppress her opponent.
Ed seemed to have noticed this. He roared and raised his sword to counterattack. The Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms was obviously unwilling to exchange blood for blood. She withdrew her sword and blocked. The difference in strength finally showed itself. Edith's long sword was shaken off, and she lost her balance and fell from the long table!
The Duke's heart was in his throat. "Damn it! Go help her! "
However, even the nearest guard could not help him. Everything happened too quickly.
After Edith landed, she did not immediately get up. Instead, she chopped off the leg of the long table. At that moment, Ed Hawes jumped onto the long table with both hands raised high, wanting to use a powerful chop to end his opponent's life. He did not notice that Edith had fallen on the edge of the long table.
What happened next left Carr dumbfounded. The Knight who lost a leg on the table completely lost his balance. If it was only the table that toppled over, he might have been able to jump away easily. However, at that moment, all his strength was concentrated on his arms. His feet were nailed to the table, and his body leaned forward. It was a standard chopping movement! Ai De fell to the ground like a dog eating mud. His head hit the floor heavily, and the dull thud was so loud that even he could hear it clearly.
There would be no turning back.
Edith jumped onto Ai De's back, took out a dagger from her waist, and stabbed it straight into Ai De's neck. With a twist of her hands, the Knight's body convulsed as if he was having a stroke.
Was this … a coincidence?
No … The Duke realized that he had fallen into Edith's trap the moment he jumped onto the long table. From the beginning when his opponent occupied the high ground to the time when he took back the high ground, he saw hope in his heart to turn defeat into victory. And the advantage he had accumulated from competing in strength made him think of violent attacks as the best way to determine victory or defeat. The opponent's increasingly weak resistance boosted Ai De's confidence, so he used all his strength in the last blow. If it was a normal fight, Edith would never be able to block this blow.
But this also made him completely lose the chance to adjust his balance.
In the face of three times the number of their own, the resistance of the two nobles did not last too long. After a quarter of an hour, the banquet hall quieted down again. The fire was still burning quietly, but there was a bloody smell in the wantonly flowing wine.
The Duke walked down from the main seat and looked around. The lesser nobles all lowered their heads, and no one dared to look at him.
"Earl Lista and Earl Howes have been punished for plotting against King Wimbledon. Now you have a choice. Will you obey the two bodies on the ground, or will you serve the new king?"
This time, the answer was uniform, and no other noise could be heard.
…
"That's it?" In the study, Carr Wen wiped the blood on his daughter's forehead with a handkerchief. "Will King Roland Wimbledon accept us?"
"You called him a rebel king yesterday," Edith joked. "You've decided to submit to him so soon?"
"That's what you said." The Duke glared at her. "Since we can't win, we might as well surrender as soon as possible. If we can't win His Majesty's trust, we'll become the enemies of the nobles!"
The execution of two great nobles without a trial by the arbitral tribunal had broken the basic bottom line of the nobles' war. If it weren't for the fact that the Kingdom of Graycastle had been at war for the past two years and that the lords had changed one after another, as well as the example set by Timothy, he would never have dared to kill them as Edith had suggested.
"I don't know."
"Wh … what?" The Duke's heart trembled, and he almost dropped the handkerchief. "You don't know?"
"Yes, we can only try our best to show our sincerity, but the final decision of the Northern Region is still Prince Roland himself. Don't get it wrong, father," Edith said carelessly. "He may still send his trusted followers to take over the Northern Region, and your title may also be cut off. This is not something to be surprised about. I only know that if we don't try, the Kant family will have no chance. Compared with the doomed destruction, at least we have a chance to continue. "
Carr Wen was stunned for a long time, and then he sat down in a chair sullenly. He knew his daughter was right, but he still found it hard to accept such an answer.
He did not want to lose the title of Duke.
Edith suddenly laughed. "Don't be discouraged, father. Tomorrow morning, you still have to take advantage of the situation to recover the mansions and fiefs of the two earls. Besides, the final outcome of this matter will largely depend on how capable the person who defers to us can be. " She paused. "Sincerity is the ticket to our negotiation, but ability determines the outcome of the negotiation."
Carr Wen frowned. "You mean …"
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