The ruler of the Ansu Kingdom, the longest reigning king since the establishment of the Second Dynasty, Francis II stood on the balcony of the White Silver Castle, overlooking the ancient city that had been ruled by the Moen royal family for seven hundred years. The magical light of the giant sun shone on the old king, sprinkling a layer of hazy light on his gorgeous golden-red coat. This light merged with the glimmer on the surface of the White Silver Castle, making the old king, who was known for his wisdom and forbearance, seem to have merged with the castle, the city, and the entire kingdom.
After standing and staring for a long time, light footsteps came from behind. The old king's hearing was still sharp. He turned around and looked at the person standing behind him.
It was a middle-aged man with short blond curly hair, wearing a black coat with gold trim. He looked ordinary and did not have an outstanding temperament. He stood in front of Francis II, his eyes respectful and gentle, with a hint of awe.
"Wales, have you seen Eden?" Francis II looked at the middle-aged man in front of him indifferently. Although the man was his eldest son, his tone was indifferent and calm, as if he was talking to his most ordinary follower.
Wales Moen was the middle-aged man's name. He was the first son of Francis II. Before Prince Edmund appeared, he was the only legal heir of the kingdom. However, in the entire top stage of Ansu, the former heir was even less active than Veronica Moen, who had joined the church and left the ruling class of Ansu. This mediocre and weak prince was like the shadow of the Moen royal family, hiding from everyone's sight all year round.
The "Eden" mentioned by Francis II was the king's Prime Minister, Eden Alfred.
"Yes, Father." The middle-aged Prince Wales lowered his head slightly and said calmly, "The Prime Minister told me some things to take note of when living in the White Silver Castle."
"Very good," Francis II said lightly, "After Edmund and I leave, the White Silver Castle still needs a Moen heir to hold the fort. Veronica has converted to the God of Holy Light, so this position can only be left to you. Do you understand? "
Wales was silent for a moment before he said in a low voice, "I understand."
"Don't worry. You just need to stay in the Silver Fortress. There's nothing for you to do." Francis II looked at his mediocre son and shook his head slightly. "The Duke of the North and the West will take care of everything."
Wales Moen lowered his head deeply. "… Yes."
The door connecting the terrace and the castle was pushed open. Edmund Moen, who had changed into a light Knight suit, walked up to the terrace. The young heir to the kingdom came before Francis II and bowed slightly. "Father, everything is ready."
The old king took one last look at Wales, then turned around and walked to the door of the balcony. "Let's go."
Francis II and Edmund left the terrace. They walked down the stairs and through the long corridor in the castle. When they passed by the antechamber, two people in fine clothes came up to them.
One was the Duke of the West, Devon Franklin, who was wearing a dark blue duke's cloak and had a scholarly temperament. The other was the Duchess of the North, Victoria Wilde, who was wearing a white dress and a silver fox shawl and had a cold temperament.
The two nobles, who were nominally second only to the king, came before Francis II and bowed slightly. Devon Franklin was the first to speak. "I wish you a smooth journey."
"I will work hard for peace," Francis II said solemnly. Then his eyes fell on the Duchess, who was as cold and distant as ice. He looked at her quietly for two seconds before he continued meaningfully. "May Ansu be at peace for a long time."
Victoria Wilde nodded slightly. "Ansu will be at peace for a long time."
Then they passed by each other.
When the royal convoy with the royal emblem of the Moen royal family and escorted by a large number of cavalrymen and battle mages left the White Silver Castle, Wales was still standing on the terrace, which was blown by the cold wind. He quietly looked down at the magnificent convoy passing by the square in front of the castle, with a slight trace of loneliness on his face.
A strange cold wind blew from behind, and the former heir shivered slightly. Then, he turned around and looked at Duchess Victoria Wilde, who was standing in front of him, unsurprisingly.
So cold, this woman is as cold as the mountains in the north. Wales breathed in the cold air that suddenly floated in the air. What came to his mind was the scene 20 years ago, when he was still the only heir of the kingdom and met Victoria Wilde for the first time. At that time, he was also standing on this high terrace. Victoria, who was wearing a white princess dress, suddenly ran up to him, pointed at his nose and said, "You're the prince, right? I'm the future Duchess of Wilde! I'll be watching over you! "
A snowflake condensed by magic floated on Wales Moen's face, and the middle-aged prince immediately woke up. He nodded to the Duchess of the Northern Region in front of him. "Duke Victoria, I'll have to trouble you for this period of time."
Victoria nodded expressionlessly. "You don't have to worry about the kingdom's affairs. Duke Bodwin and I will take care of everything for you. You just need to stay in the White Silver Castle. Don't worry, I'll be watching over you."
The last sentence suddenly overlapped with the memory. Wales Moen's face trembled slightly, but he still bowed his head as usual and said without any change in his tone, "Okay."
Victoria Werde frowned slightly as she looked at the prince in front of her. Then, without saying anything, a sudden snowflake shrouded her figure. Accompanied by the swirling cold wind and snow, her figure had already disappeared from the castle's terrace.
In the middle of this Month of Recovery, a piece of news quickly spread throughout Ansu like the warm wind that suddenly changed direction in this season. At least, among the well-informed nobles who had their own intelligence channels, this piece of news spread like the wind.
The king of Ansu, Francis II, and Prince Edmund led a group of envoys and left the White Silver Castle.
Of course, 'spreading like the wind' was only relative to the speed of news in this era. Without the use of griffin messengers or magic communication, the speed of news in remote areas still depended on the speed of the messengers. The current Cecil territory obviously did not have the ability to build an intelligence line from the Southernmost Region to Saint Sunil with griffin messengers and magic communication towers. In order to do so, they would have to cross countless large and small Southern border nobles, cross the Rock Fortress, and cross the Saint Spirit Plains where the traditional nobles had strong influence. The high cost was only one aspect, but the complicated power structure was more of a headache. Therefore, when Gwen received the news, it was already ten days later.
This was the result of the fast travel of the Cecil Business Group nodes and the Military Intelligence Bureau agents along the way. Furthermore, the speed at which he received the news was already faster than most of the nobles in the Southern border, even faster than Viscount Andrew in Tanzania Town.
After receiving the news, he immediately summoned Heti, who was in charge of internal affairs, Amber, who was in charge of intelligence, and Byron, Philip, and Solderlin, who were in charge of military affairs, to the living room of the lord's mansion.
"The royal envoys set off in a convoy. In order to synchronize with Typhon's side, they won't be too fast. At this time, they should have just left the Saint Spirit Plains and not entered the Eastern border yet." Gwen waved the secret letter in his hand. This secret letter was sent by the Military Intelligence Bureau agent in the Saint Spirit Plains, sent all the way through the trade route, and finally passed to him by Amber. "If everything goes well, the official contact and negotiation will begin at the end of the Month of Recovery or the beginning of the Month of Fire. According to the intelligence, Ansu and Typhon have jointly built a 'Contract Castle' at the border to conduct this negotiation."
Byron looked at the intelligence in Gwen's hand and said with a little surprise, "Our intelligence network has already spread to Saint Sunil?"
"Not last year, but after the beginning of spring this year, our potion merchants entered the Saint Spirit Plains. This is all thanks to Mr. Padrick's efforts and Countess Ropenny Glen's assistance." Gwen nodded and then continued. "The one who is traveling with Francis II is Edmund Moen, and the one who is currently staying in the Silver Castle is Wales Moen."
"That prince's eldest son?" Heti was stunned for a moment and felt a little strange. "It is said that he is mediocre, not good at politics, and has been away from the affairs of the kingdom for many years. Currently, he is just a prince without much real power. Why did the king let him stay in the Captical and not Prince Edmund?"
"I'm afraid Francis II won't let his overly talented heir leave his sight, especially when he's leaving the king's city." Gawain shook his head with a smile. "I've seen Prince Edmund. He's a young man with a lot of insight, but he's also too insightful. As for Wales, who is staying in the Silver Castle … it is not important whether he can manage the country well or not because Victoria Werde, Duke of the Northern Region, and Bodwin Franklin, Duke of the Western Region, have arrived in the Silver Castle ahead of time. Plus, with the king's Prime Minister Eden as the pillar of the royal faction, the Silver Castle is still stable. "
"… That Wales is really a pitiful prince." Solderlin shrugged. This high-level ranger who had witnessed the seven hundred years of Ansu's history did not seem to have much interest in the current 'illegitimate royal family' and did not have much respect for him. "He is just a symbol in the castle."
"It does not matter to Francis II. The whole second dynasty was built with the support of the Duke of the Northern Region. Whether the Werdes are in the Silver Castle or not, the surname Moen is just a symbol. In this case, the easier to control Wales can save him a lot of trouble." Gwen waved his hand indifferently. "This has nothing to do with us."
Amber was a little puzzled. "Then why did you call us here?"
Gwen ignored the half-elf beside him and looked at Byron. "How's the spring expansion of the combat corps and the installation of new weapons?"
As soon as this question was thrown out, everyone present was stunned.
They smelled a hint of uneasiness from Gwen's attitude.
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