Brando came back to his senses in a daze. He stared at the Nature Orb in his hand that was emitting a soft light and glow. He turned his head and found that Delfien's gaze had fallen on his face.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Sir Lord." Delfien shook her head gently and looked away, but there was still a clear sense of loneliness between her eyebrows.
Brando could not help but sigh. Although the thoughts of the prime minister's daughter were extreme, she was also a victim. Moreover, in comparison, although she had plotted many things behind the scenes, there were not many people who really suffered because of it. Compared to the Silver Queen's coldness that caused countless people to fall into the flames of war and disaster, it was better to say that it was just a kind of willfulness and paranoia.
To be honest, the only one who was really blamed because of her was the Roman. However, what happened to the merchant lady was inevitable. Brando was actually very clear in his heart that the Twilight Dragon's plan for several generations would not be changed by a mere mortal.
In fact, he was already clear about all this in his heart, but when Delfien brought up this matter again in a contemptuous tone, he could not help but feel angry.
"Are you really okay?" Brando asked, "Do you want to rest?"
"No need," Delfien hesitated for a moment, "It was just a dream."
"A dream?"
"Yes … I dreamed of some things when I was young." She forced a smile, her eyes full of nostalgia, "Sir Lord, I lived in Loein Castle before I was five years old. It was in the suburbs of South Bankel, and it was my father's territory. When I was young, I was the leader of the children. I had a group of friends, most of them were orphans adopted by the Silver Lily Association's orphanage. Do you know the Silver Lily Association? "
Brando was slightly surprised, "Commoners?"
Delfien nodded.
"Surprised? Do you think that I, the daughter of a noble family, would lower myself to mingle with commoners? "
"It's a little hard to tell." Brando replied. He was well aware of the strict hierarchy of the Cruz Empire. The nobles rarely interacted with the commoners, let alone make friends.
The descendants of the nobles were even more strict in their upbringing. They would usually be taught by an outstanding lady before they reached adulthood, and they would not mix with the children of the commoners. Not to mention the commoners, even the ordinary small nobles would not be able to enter their eyes.
In fact, he only needed to look back at his first encounter with Vahina to know how prideful and domineering the little princess was.
If it were someone else, Brando might have been able to believe it a little. But when he looked at Delfien, he couldn't believe that the daughter of the prime minister, who always acted with strict aristocratic etiquette, was such a deviant person.
"Hehe, if my father and grandfather knew about this, I'm afraid they would fly into a rage."
'I'm afraid it's not as simple as just flying into a rage.' Brando thought to himself. What kind of family was the Nidevins in the Empire? What kind of status did the old prime minister have in the Empire? If he knew that his eldest granddaughter, the eldest daughter of the family, mingled with a bunch of filthy poor boys all day long, there would be an earthquake in the Nidevins' family.
He asked, "So, you dreamt of what happened back then?"
Brando never thought that his casual question would make Delfien cry in a daze. He watched as two lines of crystal tears rolled down the prime minister's daughter's face.
Brando was stunned.
Ever since he had met the Prime Minister's daughter, no matter how much damage she had suffered, even when she was almost disfigured by the Dragon Flame that day, although she was hysterical, he had never seen her lose control of her emotions like this.
"De, Miss Delfien …?"
"My Lord, do you think that a person who betrays her beliefs and vows is really worth saving?" Delfien suddenly asked.
"…?"
"After my fifth birthday, I had to go to Mehotofen. Before I left, I went to see my companions for the last time. I remember it was in a barn. I swore to each and every one of them that one day, I would definitely come back to see them. I would never forget my promise and my companions just because my identity had changed — "
"Just like any other tomboy, I bumped fists with Rowan, and Demi gave me her favorite straw doll." Delfien clenched her fists tightly. Brando saw that her knuckles had turned white, and her nails were almost digging into her flesh to the point of drawing blood. "But I forgot everything. This shameless, vicious woman forgot all her vows and her companions …"
"… When she returned to Loyin once again, when she returned there …"
"The disaster of Cloak Bay." Brando sighed slightly. He had already understood everything.
It was a riot that happened in the year 358 of the first era. Thirty-seven years after the end of the Second Holy War in the Year of the Stars, and eighteen years after the great purge in the Eastern Metz region, Cloak Bay and the surrounding areas experienced continuous droughts and locust plagues. However, the Empire at that time issued a new law and increased the taxes on the area. The next spring, under the instigation of the dissatisfied pagans left after the great purge, large-scale refugee riots broke out in Loyin, Bangalore, Kallas, and other areas.
However, the riots quickly attracted the suppression of the Empire and the Holy Cathedral of Fire. According to historical records, after the suppression, these areas were turned into rivers of blood, and the countryside became a wilderness. It was not until the Year of the Pillar that they gradually regained their vitality.
But whose fault was this?
Brando thought.
As a child, it was naturally easy for her to throw some things to the back of her mind. But one day, when she once again remembered her promise and returned to her childhood hometown, she discovered that everything had changed beyond recognition.
"… In your dreams, did you dream of those scenes in the past?" Brando asked.
Delfien took a soft breath and suddenly became silent.
She silently wiped away her tears, and with great difficulty, she regained control of her emotions and replied faintly: "In the year 279 of the first era, the year of the harvest, the Empire issued a law — the Treaty of Helosto. According to the law, the tax reform was reformulated, and the farmers in the provinces of the Empire were exempted from religious taxes and thirteen other miscellaneous taxes —"
"That was the follow-up of the reform in the Year of the Golden Glory," Brando looked at the girl and replied softly: "It was the reform presided over by your grandfather. In this reform, the main thing was to deprive the Holy Cathedral of Fire of control over the farmers, and reduce the exploitation of the farmers. Not long after that, the Empire entered the so-called twenty years of prosperity, which was also the beginning of the Glorious Era — "
The Prime Minister's daughter silently raised her head to look at him, her purple eyes showing a hint of surprise.
"In the year 331 of the first era, my grandfather left the political scene of the Empire. Because of the backlash from the Holy Cathedral and the old aristocratic forces, the Treaty of Helosto was immediately abolished. But in the new French that was inherited, most of the provisions of the treaty were inherited."
"That was because Her Majesty the Queen had not yet stabilized her position and did not want to see the Holy Cathedral rise again. As far as I know, the new French was actually the product of the struggle and compromise between the two sides." Brando pondered for a moment, slightly puzzled. He did not understand why Delfien would suddenly mention this.
"But the good times did not last long. Her Majesty soon showed her strong side. With the support of the dragons and the Bugas, she quickly grew her wings, and the Holy Cathedral was no longer her opponent. At this time, she wanted to make a move on the entrenched aristocratic political forces of the Empire."
Delfien replied coldly, "She first supported the Palut family, and then promulgated the Ternipani French. This French was in fact born to eliminate my grandfather's influence in the political scene of the Empire and suppress the Nidevan family."
Hearing this, Brando suddenly understood what she was going to say.
The prime minister's daughter's eyes were slightly red. "The next year, according to this French, the Empire imposed heavy taxes on the Loein, Bangalore, and Kalas regions. This tax was nominally to supplement the expenses of the Imperial Navy's new docks, but in fact, Her Majesty suppressed the Nidevan family and gave the Cecil family a sweetener — in order to support Her Majesty's motion for the Palut family to be enfeoffed."
"That year, there was a continuous drought and locust plague in the northern part of Cloak Bay. According to the traditions of the Empire, the taxes in the region should have been reduced. But Her Majesty's struggle with the old aristocratic political forces was at a white-hot stage, so she would never compromise at this time. After four months, the taxes in the Loein, Bangalore, and Kalas regions increased — "
At this point, Delfien fell silent.
"In the spring of the year 359, I received a letter in Laize. After that, I secretly went to Kalas, but I did not have time to see Rowan for the last time. Their army had run out of ammunition and food in the hills north of Cloak Bay. When I arrived, they had already been besieged and annihilated by General Mangrove —"
After a long period of silence, the young girl's voice sounded calmly.
"After that, I made a vow — one day, I will definitely repeat the reforms of the Golden Glory Year and fulfill my grandfather's long-cherished wish. I will re-implement the Treaty of Helosto that my grandfather abolished, but to do so, I understand that I have to restore the influence the Nidevan family had on the Empire in its heyday."
Brando looked at her, but his heart was heavy.
He had never thought that this stubborn young lady would have such lofty ideals in her heart. However, she had chosen the wrong path. The reason the Nidevan family was able to reach their current position in history was purely because of the game between royal authority and religious authority. He had fulfilled the long-cherished wish of Emperor Grantody the Great and became an indispensable part of the three pillars of the Empire during that era. As a result, he had been an extremely prominent official for his entire life, and the Nidevan family had also shaken the Empire.
… …
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