"Your Majesty, I..."
To Roland's surprise, Iron Axe did not blurt out the answer as he usually did. Instead, he seemed rather hesitant, which was rare for the Commander-in-Chief of the First Army.
Roland had only asked casually, but now he became interested. He didn't think that Iron Axe had any ulterior motives. Moreover, being fully in charge of Iron Axe included the means of punishment, so there was no essential difference between burning or hanging. What he was curious about was that since it wasn't a violation of the order, the other party's hesitation was worth pondering.
However, he did not continue to pressure Iron Axe. He just leaned back in his chair and waited for Iron Axe's answer.
After hesitating for a while, Iron Axe suddenly knelt down and said, "No, Your Majesty... It was Miss Edith who proposed the plan to eliminate the enemy nobles, but I was the one who carried it out, so I should take full responsibility."
"Edith?" Roland was stunned. "Is this the plan of the General Staff? No, I did not see anything related to this in the plan, so... is it a private message? "
In an instant, he understood the reason for the other party's hesitation.
In this era where private soldiers were prevalent, anything related to the army was a taboo for the lord. It was taboo for outsiders to intervene, even if it was a suggestion or reminder that would help the war. If this had happened in the territory of other nobles, the one who proposed it in private would have been punished. Iron Axe did not want to implicate Edith, nor did he want to cover it up with a lie, so he hesitated.
"I see. You handled the war on the Eastern Front very well. City Hall will give you a reward according to the results of the war. You can go now."
Iron Axe was stunned and asked, "Your Majesty, won't you... punish me?"
Roland could not help laughing and asked, "Why? Did you violate any of the rules? "
"Uh..."
"My order is to eliminate the rebels in the Eastern Region and bring their cities under my rule. You can act according to the circumstances." He paused. "If you heard two of your soldiers discussing the war situation while you were patrolling the camp, and you took their advice, should I punish you and these two people? Besides, Edith is a member of the General Staff, so it's normal for her to have ideas about the war plan. "
"So … you think we're not at fault?" Iron Axe couldn't help but raise his head.
"I didn't say that." Roland shrugged. "Just because you don't have any problems doesn't mean Edith doesn't. But what happens next has nothing to do with you. Go back and have a good rest."
Iron Axe opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he chose to obey the order under Roland's gaze. "Yes, Your Majesty."
As soon as the commander-in-chief of the First Army left, Roland immediately called the City hall. "Tell Edith to come to the castle."
In less than a quarter of an hour, the Pearl of the Northern Region appeared at the office door.
"Your Majesty, this is my responsibility," Edith said. "I'm willing to accept any punishment you give me."
Roland looked at her with interest. "I haven't even opened my mouth and you already know what I'm going to say?"
"As soon as the Eastern Front Army returns to Neverwinter, the first person you summon will definitely be Iron Axe. If he hadn't reported to you about the burning of the nobles, I don't think you would have summoned me so quickly. "
"It's so easy to talk to smart people," Roland thought. Moreover, looking at her magnanimous appearance, he could not help but feel that she was a loyal minister who was wronged for the country.
However, the smarter a person was, the easier it was to fall into a dead end that he had built himself.
"First of all, I asked him about this. After all, it's not his style to trick the nobles together and then disguise it as a fire scene. Besides, since you feel that you're responsible, what's the problem? "
"I made an informal appointment with the commander-in-chief of the First Army, and I didn't apply to you..."
"Wrong," Roland interrupted her directly. "Your problem is that you violated the regulations of the Adviser Department. According to the regulations, any battle plan must be recorded on paper and submitted to me for review. "
Edith obviously did not expect him to say this. She could not help but widen her eyes. "Your Majesty?"
"Isn't it?"
"But..." The Pearl of the Northern Region looked puzzled. "Once it's carried out in your name, won't it become your doing in the eyes of other officials?"
"You're right." Roland raised the corner of his mouth. "What's the problem?"
"This..." Like Iron Axe, Edith also showed a rare look of confusion. "Although they're rebels... they're also nobles. In the eyes of some nobles, I'm afraid what you did..."
"I know what you want to say." Roland waved his hand. "But if even I can't handle it, do you think you can bear the backlash?"
"I..."
"Relax, I just want to discuss with you. Do you really think it's right to make your subordinates take the blame when there's a problem?"
"Take... the blame?"
"Ahem, you can think of it as shirking responsibility." Roland explained stiffly. "Back to this matter, I did it for the Kingdom of Graycastle. In the end, not only did I not get the honor, but I also had to die because of it. But I felt at ease and even applauded. If other people knew, would those officials still be loyal to me?"
Edith fell silent.
"So the king is the most suitable person to take the blame. Only in this way, the subordinates will not have any burden when they do things. Because of this, I need to review the final plan of the Adviser Department, even if it's something I'm not good at. Do you understand? "
After a while, the Pearl of the Northern Region nodded and responded, "I was too arrogant."
"The punishment for violating the regulations is that all the credit for this two-front offensive will be revoked, and you could have been promoted." Roland took a sip of tea. "This matter ends here. You can continue with your work."
"Yes, please allow me to leave." Edith placed her hand on her chest and bowed.
*****
"So... you've worked for nothing this time?" Cole Kant carefully pushed the honey mushroom in front of Edith, and then watched as she stabbed her fork into the mushroom slices. "The other colleagues were promoted, but you didn't?"
"Yes, I didn't." The Pearl of the Northern Region chewed on the browned Bird Beak Mushroom as if she was venting her dissatisfaction with her dinner. "Listen to what His Majesty said. If even I can't withstand it, can you withstand it?" It's precisely because I can't withstand it that I need an outlet. Of course, if it was a lord like my father, I would never do this. I knew that His Majesty would not ignore it, so I felt that this investment wouldn't be too bad, and the risk was manageable. But with a few words, he dispelled all my plans. He even said that I was thinking too much. Are all idealists so naive? "
"Uh... Sister, are you angry?" Cole wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Why? Can't you tell?" Edith stared at him.
Cole quickly shrank his neck. It was the first time he saw his sister show such an expression on a non-banquet occasion. After living with her for more than ten years, Cole clearly knew how much his sister loved power. If it was really as she said, and she had lost a chance to be promoted because of this, it would be normal for her to be angry, resentful, or disappointed. But... her expression told him otherwise. It was more like a... strange smile mixed with anger.
And if he did not get it wrong, this kind of complaint was usually called a coquettish grumble.
Thinking of this, Cole could not help but shiver. The Pearl of the Northern Region, who was always indifferent or scheming against her opponents, could actually grumble? And unlike her pretense at the banquet, she seemed to be completely unaware of her current expression. Was this still the Edith Kant he was familiar with?
"Hmm?" Edith did not get an answer for a long time. She dangerously narrowed her eyes.
Cole immediately felt the hair on his back stand up. No, she was still his sister. There was no mistaking it. "I just think... His Majesty might have his own considerations?"
"Let him be." The Pearl of the Northern Region put the last piece of mushroom into her mouth. "I'd like to see how high an idealist can go. But... "
"But what?" Cole had a vague premonition.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
