This was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples.
In this era, although there were many incidents that affected the dignity of the royal family, the biggest one being Arthas' patricide, the deeply rooted royal power that had been around for more than 2,800 years still deeply affected the majority of the people.
They blindly believed in the king, and firmly believed that it was right and proper for them to serve the king and his lord.
Hence, the matter of righteousness and reputation was rather important.
Back then, Laing and Andoine had discussed that if Duque wanted to establish his own country, they would allow Duque to do so. That was something that was only known to the small circle of the highest echelons of the kingdom. Later, when Laing died, the last words he left behind said that Duque had the right to dismiss the king. In the hearts of the people, this was more like a performance of Laing's fairness and modesty. No one thought about how people would react if Duque really fulfilled the terms.
The people only knew how powerful their own Grand Duke Duque was, and all their pride was based on Stormwind.
In the past 20 years, Duque and Laing had been intentionally or unintentionally made into a close monarch and subject. Duque was even described as the most loyal subject in the world. Although Duque had always been self-conscious, it still had a certain degree of restraint on Duque.
This was the problem of image.
Now that the current king, William, had made such a declaration, it was definitely disadvantageous to Duque. At the end of the day, Duque was still William's subject in name.
If Duque said that he wanted to limit the power of the nobles, the king would say that he would not give it to them. Once a fight broke out, it would not be a blessing in Stormwind no matter what.
At least in terms of public opinion, the direction of public opinion had become a little chaotic.
In the secret room of Storm Fortress, Bolvar apologized to Duque profusely. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Duque! It's my fault! But I really can't think of any way to stop them from meeting His Majesty. His Majesty is also soft-hearted. I don't know why he suddenly agreed to make such a declaration. Sigh, I'll go and persuade His Majesty again. "
Duque grabbed Bolvar. "There's no need to go. I don't care about what His Majesty does. As long as you don't have to worry about the grudge you have against me, I'll be happy. "
"Grudge …" Bolvar sat down dejectedly. "Alright, I have to admit that after you returned, I had some complaints about you in my heart. When the late king was assassinated, Lothar and I were the ones holding the fort. Of course, I know that you are trapped outside for the Alliance and even for this world, but I still feel a little uncomfortable. "
"Yes, I'm sorry. I've been neglecting the development of Stormwind for the past few years." Duque sighed.
"Please forgive me. After you returned, I was angry with you. After all, I was thinking that if you were here, this wouldn't have happened. Now that I think about it, I was actually looking for excuses for my incompetence. "
Bolvar was still the same Bolvar who was hailed as the role model of a Holy Knight.
Duque gently patted Bolvar on the shoulder. "Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Don't give yourself too much pressure. Anyway, now … the other King Varian has been found and ensured safe. "
"Then, what do we do with the two Kings now …"
Duque had a headache!
The historical Varian split up and then merged back into one. There was a rather unscientific logic to it. The Princess of the Black Dragon's attack patterns were so diverse. How could he determine that it was a spell that could restore Varian's original appearance, and not the famous [Deep Breath]?
In reality, there wouldn't be such an eye-catching notification like 'Onyxia took a deep breath'.
Who knew if it was a big breath of dragon breath or just a normal breath of turbid air.
After all, Duque had only let the four Dragon Kings take the lead and finish off the Wings of Death the last time. Duque did not have the experience of fighting a demigod-level dragon. Many things could only be tried once. With the system's data, he would be able to make a more accurate judgment.
Duque pondered for a while and finally said, "This is an evil spell. The fastest and most convenient way is to find the caster. Fortunately, we all know where she is. This is also the reason why I've been secretly carrying out that plan ever since I returned. "
Bolvar's eyes lit up, but then he thought of something. "There's another problem. Regarding Her Majesty's declaration …"
Duque smiled mysteriously. "To destroy it, one must first make it mad. During this period, as long as I don't die, you don't have to worry about me. "
Bolvar thought of the nobles who had gathered around the Princess of the Black Dragon like sharks that had smelled blood, and he couldn't help but grimace.
On the 20th of January, Duque was summoned by King Varian to the Storm Fortress and engaged in a heated debate with the 'conservative' nobles in front of the king.
The topic revolved around the vassals' rights and duties, and even royal authority.
"Royal authority! Her Majesty's authority is bestowed by the heavens! It is sacred and inviolable! Her Majesty extends her authority according to the will of the heavens. The nobles are Her Majesty's arms and fingers, so the nobles' authority is sacred and inviolable! "Countess Katrana sanctified the nobles' authority from the very beginning.
"Royal authority is not innate. Without Thoradin The Great's struggle 2,800 years ago, there would not be the Arathor Empire, and there would not be the Seven Kingdoms. Moreover, the Arathor Empire has already perished, as has the Stromgard Kingdom, one of the Seven Kingdoms. "Duque retorted.
"That's because the heavens withdrew their blessings on these two kingdoms. Duke Marcus, do you dare to say that there are no gods in this world? "Katrana's words were sharp.
Generally speaking, the debate between idealism and materialism was nonsense. Neither could convince the other. In a situation where science was not sufficiently developed, it would be a disaster if idealism led the conversation in a direction that could not be proven by materialism.
It was a pity that this was Azeroth, a world where souls could be seen with the naked eye, and where even gods frequently appeared. Although humans did not believe in the Goddess of the Moon, Elune, most of them knew of her existence. In addition to the existence of mysterious people like Mages, Warlocks, and Priests, the result was that the 'Royal Authority' theory was very popular.
As soon as Katrana finished speaking, all the nobles, including the neutral Knights, could not help but nod.
Duque did not have any good ideas in the debate. He could only explain his position from the different demands of the new era nobles on the progress of society and the development of productivity. For example, the impact of banning the circulation of goods and increasing the circulation cost on society.
Unfortunately, such things were believable, and everyone knew that it was right. However, breaking the chain of interests of the old interest groups was a huge matter that would make the nobles jump in anger.
It's good that you, Duque, help us earn money!
But if you take back the money that you give us every year, then you, Duque, will become our enemy!
Moreover, that cowardly William was probably under mind control now. Whatever Duque said, William would always respond with a "Tortoise Recite Scriptures" and not listen!
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