Mulberry Castle was located on the shores of a small lake called Hazeroi to the west of Rushta. At the turn of summer and autumn, the surface of the lake reflected the castle and the distant horizon. The snowline of the Hazeroi Mountains was a stark contrast against the tall forests and white maple trees. It was one of the most famous scenic spots near the imperial capital, but it was also a royal garden.
However, the imperial family did not often stay here. They would only spend the long summer here to avoid the heat. After the Silver Queen, Constance, ascended to the throne, the castle was used even less frequently. She might not even visit it once in two or three years. Even if she did visit, she would only stay for less than a month.
Even so, there were still groups of servants and Imperial Guards stationed in the castle. Half a month ago, a group of mountain maidservants had been replaced in Mulberry Castle. In addition, the Flaming Blade Knight Regiment had swapped in with the Imperial Guards. This made the castle much livelier.
But tonight, this ancient and elegant castle by the lakeside was unusually quiet.
The silver moon, Timis, moved slowly above the nearby forest. The white maple's shadow extended forward with the moonlight, crossing the fence and the forest path, leaving a shadow on the castle walls.
The wind pushed the clouds above the night sky. A moment later, the shadow on the castle walls began to move and rise from the ground. It gradually formed into a woman dressed as a witch with a veil draped over her face.
The woman stood by the battlements for a moment and looked into the courtyard in confusion. The courtyard was pitch black, and there were no lights in the stables. There were no hidden sentries or patrolling guards on the castle walls.
Normally, the servants would be asleep at this time. However, the castle would at least have a minimum amount of defensive power. It would not be as silent as it was now.
She frowned and walked to the edge of the castle walls. The moonlight pouring down from the clouds seemed to materialize under her feet, forming a flight of stairs. She walked down the stairs and arrived at the courtyard.
A faint silver radiance spread out in all directions from her body, sweeping across the entire castle in the blink of an eye.
The woman raised an eyebrow as if she had realized something. However, it was at this moment that she suddenly looked back in the direction she had come from.
She seemed to have heard something and was about to leave, but it was at this time that a trace of anger flashed in her eyes. She raised her right hand, and a crystal ball the size of a palm suddenly appeared in her palm. Several images were constantly changing on it, like flickering lights and passing shadows. If it was an ordinary person, they would not be able to see it clearly, but she could engrave one of the images in her eyes in the blink of an eye.
If Brando was here, he would definitely recognize that it was the scene inside the Cat and Beard Inn.
The woman raised her hand, and the crystal ball in her hand instantly turned into silver dust. Her body also shattered like broken glass, melting into the moonlight in the blink of an eye.
As soon as the woman left, a few small black shadows landed lightly on the city wall behind her.
They were cats.
The black cat at the front had a big bow tied around its neck. It looked around curiously, and when it opened its mouth, it spoke in the characteristic sweet voice of Sugar Pot: "Strange, why is there no one? Even if the Knight Regiment has been led away by the lord, there should at least be guards in the castle, right?"
Behind the black cat, a yellow and white striped cat suddenly showed a nervous expression when it heard this. It hurriedly reminded her softly, "Shh, lower your voice, Miss. It's good that there's no one here. Do you want to attract everyone here?"
"Babasha, what are you afraid of? Haven't we confirmed that the Knight of the Sword of the Flame has already left, either to support the lord's battle, or to deal with those strange guys in the city. Anyway, they won't be here. The rest of the guys combined are no match for me. "
"Miss, it's better to be safe than sorry. It's better to be careful." Babasha looked around nervously: "This is the Empire. Don't forget that Atatrice and the others are here too."
"There's no one here." Sugar Pot, who had turned into a black cat, glanced at the castle immersed in darkness indifferently. She raised her head, sniffed around with her nose, and wondered: "But there's a strange smell in the air. It seems that someone of our kind has been here. Strange, I'm not sure. Does that woman have such a powerful guy under her command? Could it be the Witch Queen?"
Babasha was startled: "That woman can't be here."
"Well," Sugar Pot nodded: "It's really not her scent. Strange, is there such a powerful guy in our generation of witches?"
"Let's get down to business, miss … …"
Sugar Pot jumped down from the city wall and landed steadily on the meadow in the courtyard, just like a real cat. It didn't make the slightest sound.
Behind her, including Babasha, the three witches who had turned into cats also jumped down one after another. They walked around the courtyard, but found no one.
"There's no one here, miss." The one who spoke was the white cat behind Babasha. Although it looked the smallest, it spoke with the voice of a middle-aged woman.
"That woman is really unreliable. Be careful, miss, this may be a trap."
Hearing the word trap, Babasha's hair stood on end. She subconsciously looked back, but the courtyard was as quiet as before.
"Relax, Babasha, even if there's a trap, it's for the Lord. The Silver Queen has no interest in an old woman like you."
"Miss," the white cat who spoke earlier suddenly spoke again: "There's someone in the castle."
Sugar Pot nodded. She also noticed it: "Front left, third room."
She walked elegantly like a cat to the window of the room. With a light jump, she jumped onto the windowsill and reached out her claws to fiddle with it twice. She opened the window a crack, and a strong smell of alcohol immediately wafted out.
"That's why I hate drunkards — —"
… …
Hobbs Barreck was indeed a drunkard. He was a dwarf from Ambrose. He was addicted to alcohol, but he was also the best horse trainer in the entire Empire. The royal family hired him to be the equestrian master of Mulberry Castle, but he dared not drink on normal days. No matter how careless the dwarves were, they would never dare to ignore the strict rules of the royal family. Moreover, he cherished the current job very much.
Not to mention how rich the collection in Her Majesty's stable was, just his identity as the strongest royal horse trainer of the Empire was enough to make him feel extremely proud.
But today was an exception. The royal guards were replaced by the Knights of the Sword of Fire. The servants in the castle were also transferred earlier. He had to help take care of the Knights' horses, so he was left behind. As a result, a few hours ago, the Knights also left.
Now, he was the master of this empty castle.
He did not dare to touch the royal wine cellar in the basement, but there were a few barrels of fine wine stored in the kitchen. Although they were not as good as the royal collection, they were enough to satisfy his craving for alcohol.
He lay on a few bags of flour in a daze. He could not remember how much wine he had drunk. It seemed that there was a small barrel of dwarf liquor, then three bottles of Landfair liqueur, and a bottle of whiskey. The alcohol seemed to form a thick cloud and wrapped him in it.
Hobbs Barreck burped. This was the life he was pursuing. He had a dream in a daze. He dreamt that he had earned enough money and returned to his hometown to build an unparalleled wine cellar. There were all kinds of rare wines in the cellar, from the Griffin's Feather in 1936 to the famous Cold Moon Wine. This wine was produced in the year of the Cold Moon and was almost destroyed by a snowstorm in the winter of that year. However, because of this, it had a unique cold taste. It was the top collection of every royal family and aristocratic family.
He dreamt that he had invited guests to a banquet. There were famous drinkers as well as people of noble upper-class society. On the long table covered with white cloth, there were all kinds of silver plates, piled with famous wines and colorful fruits and vegetables from all over the world. A black cat with a bow on its head was walking back and forth in the middle of the table.
Hobbs Barreck was stunned for a moment. He almost thought that he was seeing things. Why was there a black cat on the table? He could not help but rub his eyes subconsciously. It turned out that there was not only one cat on the table, but also two white cats and a tabby cat.
He could not help but sit up. He was about to be furious at the servants in his dream, but before he could say anything, he saw the black cat talking to him.
"Hobbs Barreck," the black cat stretched out its paw and fanned in front of his nose. It said with a look of disgust, "Damn drunkard, I'll give you a few words, or I'll send you to hell!"
The dwarf trainer's eyes widened. The cat actually spoke human language. He shook his head and thought that he was indeed dreaming.
But a moment later, he suddenly woke up. Everything in the dream had turned into bubbles, and the surrounding environment had turned into a pitch-black kitchen. The narrow space was filled with the strong smell of alcohol and raw meat.
On the wooden table directly opposite him, there were exactly four cats standing there. Among them, the black cat was the leader, and it was staring at him with eyes that were emitting a dim light in the dark.
"Ghost!"
The dwarf shrieked in fright, his legs kicking wildly as he crawled backwards. With a bang, he crashed into the water bucket behind him. A series of rustling noises came from above his head, and the various spice jars that were originally placed on the shelf immediately toppled over, smashing into his head and face.
"Haha," Sugar Pot could not help but laugh at this guy's stupidity. But she quickly put on a straight face and said, "Hobbs Barreck, did you hear what I said?"
The witch was good at controlling dreams. She had already known the name of the other party in the dream.
However, the dwarf trainer was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. It was not a good sign to meet a black cat in the middle of the night in Wohnde. Some legends in the countryside often believed that black cats, like crows, were the messengers of death. Moreover, these animals that brought bad luck were often associated with the witches, which was even worse.
Hobbs Barreck did not know that the people in front of him were the witches, but he was extremely frightened. He thought of the black cat's words and thought that it was really the messengers of death who came to send him to hell.
Did he drink himself to death?
He could not help but feel sad.
The sad thing was that he had not drunk enough.
"Let me ask you a question," Sugar Pot did not care what he was thinking. Her eyes were shining with a charming light, as if it could make people fall into a dream, "Where is the mistress of this place?"
…
Saint Kontik Palace, White Rose Garden.
Two rows of Knight slowly stopped outside the gate of the Rose Garden. It was very quiet at night. There was not a single person on the Imperial Avenue. Rows of oak trees stood on both sides of the avenue, casting dark shadows on the ground.
Outside this solemn palace was a large open meadow. There were no other buildings within a few hundred meters. It was all the Royal Gardens. But the Knight's visit in the middle of the night still woke up the residents in the distant streets.
The citizens secretly looked in the direction of Saint Kontik Palace through the window under the cold moonlight. From afar, they could see that these Knights in black armor were not the Imperial Army, nor were they the Knights of the Holy Cathedral. Which Duke's guards were they? Why did they come so late?
And in Saint Kontik Palace, there was also a gaze that fell on these Knight's body.
Constance could clearly see the situation in the Rose Garden and the Imperial Avenue from the French arched window in her study. She sat behind her desk. The light from the crystal ball beside her hand had long since faded. She could no longer see the scenery of the forest near the Frost Dew Manor. It had become dark, and a sliver of moonlight was reflected at the edges.
There was no one in the room at this moment. Only the Dragon Queen stood silently in the darkness. She did not speak. Her Majesty the Queen did not speak either. Her gaze passed through the glass of the window and looked at the tightly guarded black carriage between the two rows of Knight.
She watched as the carriage door was opened by a Knight. A maid alighted from the carriage. She had fiery red hair and bronze skin, the typical characteristics of the mountain people.
After the maid alighted, she bowed slightly and then helped a well-dressed princess down.
That was her Countess.
Only then did the Silver Queen reveal a proud expression.
"When will our prince arrive?" She asked.
"He's on his way, Your Majesty," the Dragon Queen replied in the darkness.
"The officials have been waiting in the hall for a long time." After a while, she said, "Your Majesty."
"It's fine," the Silver Queen replied, "Let me be alone for a while, Gwendolyn."
The Dragon Queen nodded, but did not move.
"Those rats are making quite a ruckus today."
"Yes, I just asked. The city guards have been drawn over by the battle over there."
"Then go tell my dear Knight Commander what he should do now."
The Dragon Queen nodded.
"Go, come back before the main course. That's the theme of today's banquet."
Only then did the Dragon Queen's figure retreat into the darkness. Then came the sound of the door opening. Finally, there was a click, and all the sounds turned into silence.
Constance silently looked at the night scenery outside the window, not saying a word.
"… You were once the kindest princess in Cruz. If you are willing to return to the right path."
"I have never been more certain that I am on the right path than I am now."
"Bigotry has clouded your vision, Your Majesty."
"On the contrary, you are the ones who cannot see the path ahead …"
An illusion seemed to extend before her eyes.
…
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