The courtyard was eerily quiet for a moment.
Except for Amandina who softly let out a short 'ah' and the merchant lady who was looking around.
Princess Gryphine stared at her brother as if she was staring at an object, the look on her face so cold that no one dared to speak. Brando even quietly clenched the hilt of his sword under his coat with one hand, staring at the brother and sister's every move. He was a little suspicious that the eldest prince was mentally deranged because of the shock, but no matter what the situation was, he could guarantee that as long as the other party dared to have the slightest ill intention, he would dare to send the black blade of Halran Gaia into the other party's heart before that happened.
As for the identity of the eldest prince, this kind of thing had no meaning in Brando's eyes.
But the king's eldest son did not do anything. He stood calmly at the center of everyone's sight, his long hair hanging down naturally, his eyes closed, and there was not a trace of nervousness in his expression. It was as if he had just greeted them with an extremely ordinary greeting, "Good afternoon," and not "Please give me the throne."
"Give me a reason, brother." Finally, the princess used such a voice to break the dead silence, like the sound of water dripping into the bottom of a well.
But her face seemed to be covered with a layer of ice.
"The reason is simple, Gryphine," the eldest prince said calmly, "because you need time to unify the Southern Territory. South of Ampere Seale, you can find many supporters. Mr. Brando, the Count of Tónigel, may soon replace Count Randner's position. There are also Duke Anthony and Duke Viero, who are not so greedy for power. The Highland Knight will also stand on your side because of Mr. Brando. With a unified Southern Territory, the North will no longer be your obstacle. "
"Then what about you," Princess Gryphine asked, "will you become the King of the North?"
"You need someone to help you go back on your words without hurting the dignity of the royal family. Not only that, compared to you, the nobles in the North will accept me more easily, because House Seifer has natural leadership over them. In addition, Gryphine, there is a war waiting for us in the North, and I can be your natural shield. A unified South and a war-torn North, it's clear to you who will win and who will lose, right? "
Brando's heart trembled slightly.
He couldn't help but raise his head, as if he wanted to re-evaluate this Erouine's eldest son. Her Royal Highness was doing the same thing as her. She raised her head and asked seriously, "If this is a lie … it's too clumsy, brother."
"There will be a war between the North and the South, but it depends on when it happens. You and I both know very well, Gryphine. Even if the North has an incomplete Black Blade Squad and a disobedient White Lion Legion, it is impossible for them to defeat the South. "
Levin replied calmly. Then he listened, as if to make sure that Archbishop Wood had gone far away. "Will the Holy Cathedral of Fire allow a civil war to break out in Erouine under such circumstances?"
"I won't."
"They hope that you can make such a compromise with the north. It would be best if Erouine can maintain the status quo, just like what happened after the Year of the Astrologer."
"But —"
"What if you have the absolute strength to sweep the North? Before they have time to protest — "
The dead silence was like dust settling in the courtyard, making all other sounds lie motionless on the ground.
"With all due respect," Brando finally couldn't help but speak. He asked as if he had been thinking for a long time, "Your Royal Highness, although the Queen and Duke Seifer treat you as a puppet, as far as I know, you are actually involved in this' game 'behind the scenes?"
Levin suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction of the voice.
His sword-like eyebrows suddenly converged, and his whole person seemed to have suddenly become taller, "You are better than I thought, Mr. Brando. I am very glad that I am not your enemy. Can you tell me how you came to this conclusion, was it a guess, or intuition? "
None of them. It was just that the predecessor planted the tree, and the successor enjoyed the shade. In the history of the previous life, there were only a few words about His Royal Highness, and no one even said clearly about his whereabouts. However, curious players were very good at making groundless accusations, and there were many articles about analyzing Levin Ornason Seifer's character and life experience.
Some of them were groundless, some were guesses, and some were rumors, but as long as this information was linked to the real eldest son of the king in front of him, the conclusion was very simple.
"Because of ambition, an ambitious person would not be willing to just be a pawn," Brando felt that he had never been so rational for a moment, as if he had been blessed with good fortune. All the speculations he had seen about His Royal Highness in the past had become the basis for his speech at this moment.
It was as if he was standing on the shoulder of a giant. He raised his head and calmly said, "Since you can find Archbishop Wood in such a desperate situation and fight for a chance of survival, how could you really be at the mercy of others?"
"It's wonderful, but it's true." The eldest son sighed, "I have stopped some things, within the scope of my power. I am happy to see some of my mother's actions succeed, but I don't necessarily agree with her methods. "
"Besides, everyone has self-interest in their hearts, and I don't think this is a sin," he replied.
Her Royal Highness wanted to speak, but she suddenly stopped. She glanced at Brando and motioned for him to continue. Brando understood her trust and asked, "So what is your self-interest, and whose side are you on?"
"I said, we are on the same side. I want to be the King of the North, and you need me to be your barrier in the North. "The eldest son's expression was calm.
But Brando carefully observed the changes in his expression, and he had an intuition that the prince had not revealed all his true feelings. He subconsciously looked to the side and happened to see Levin Ornason's maid frown slightly.
She seemed to want to say something, but the eldest son reached out and stopped her.
"All this is just a bubble. You know very well your end. Is it worth it to sacrifice your life just to be the King of the North for a year or so?"
"Brother." Princess Gryphine finally couldn't help but speak.
The eldest son laughed and replied, "Gryphine, have you ever tasted the feeling of not being able to control your own fate? I swear, one day I will control my own path, even if it's just for a minute or a second. Remember what I told you during the winter hunt? "
"… Erouine is a Black Forest. You said that if you were that wolf, your choice would be the same …" Princess Gryphine suddenly thought of the clip that had sunk into the snow and the bloodstains that stained her vision red.
In the Year of the Astrologer, the scene of the biting cold wind blowing across the plateau was still chilling.
"Even if I have to bite off my own leg, I want freedom, because the wilderness is my home," Levin replied, revealing his white teeth. "Besides, I may not necessarily fail. Although the North is full of difficulties, there is always a glimmer of hope. Looking for a chance to survive in a desperate situation is what I am best at. "
"Gryphine, if you can't beat me, I will beat you mercilessly. Like you, I will never allow Ampere Seale to be divided for long, not even for a day. "His cold voice echoed in the front yard.
Even the merchant girl was startled. She turned around and stared at the madman with wide eyes.
The eldest son of the king did seem crazy, but at least he was an elegant madman. He bowed to his sister, and no one could find any fault with it.
Her Royal Highness thought for a while with a cold expression before calling out to him, "Do you think I won't dare to kill you?"
"Yes."
"… But I won't agree to your request."
"And then?" The eldest son of the king wasn't surprised and asked with a smile.
Her Royal Highness looked at him quietly.
… …
Two carriages filed out of the manor, and many people were waiting in the courtyard to board the carriages.
"He didn't tell the truth." As Amandina boarded the carriage, she reminded her Lord in a low voice, "At least he didn't tell the complete truth."
"I know, you mean that part?" As usual, Brando helped Amandina into the carriage. This action made him look different from ordinary people. Brendel ignored the strange gazes from the servants and raised his head to ask, "What's the matter?
"I don't know, but I feel that he is hiding something. Intuition."
"Intuition?"
"Intuition is also a kind of experience, My Lord." Amandina replied seriously.
Brando thought about it and felt that it made sense. He turned around and looked at the other carriage. The emblem on the carriage was dark and almost indiscernible. He had the same doubts in his heart. His Royal Highness was definitely the calmest person he had ever met since he transmigrated. Such a person, it was unlikely that he would tell the complete truth.
But the key was what he was hiding.
He turned around again and pinched the tip of the Roman's nose, causing the latter to fall back with a cry. Then he boarded the carriage and greeted the young prince and the cold-faced princess before sitting down next to the Roman.
Princess Gryphine frowned, as if thinking about something.
Brando was probably the only one present who understood her thoughts. But he did not say much, just lifted the curtain and looked out the window. Outside the window, the scenery of Ampere Seale was gradually falling into dusk.
From today onwards, Levin Ornessen Seifer, her brother, was no longer the crown prince of the House of Covardo. Under the joint appointment of the princess and the Holy Cathedral, he would have a legal, new title, the new head of the House of Seifer.
This new Grand Duke would be appointed to prepare the North for the war with the Lion's Mane people, but in fact, he was promised to be the King of the North. Everyone would know.
Although all this had not been finalized, Brando could already guess what Her Royal Highness's answer would be.
It looked like a compromise from the royal party.
But only a few people knew the truth.
Perhaps some people would think that Her Royal Highness should be tougher, but perhaps some people would think that this was a more mature political approach. But what really puzzled Gryphine was that her brother looked so confident.
No one knew if they had made the wrong choice.
But in Brando's opinion, the result was actually not bad. What Erouine needed was not a righteous title, but time. If he was given a little more time, he would have the ability to save the kingdom.
And now, what the eldest prince gave them was exactly what he dreamed of. As long as the nobles in the North were no longer tempted. The princess would be able to free up her hands to clean up the mess in the South.
More importantly, three years of peace. After three years, the enemies that Erouine could face would no longer be limited to the chickens and dogs in front of him.
The king's eldest son had his own plans, and so did Brendel himself.
Valhalla was the cornerstone of all of this, he was incomparably certain of this.
He took one last look at the golden sunset outside the window. In that direction, there was a line of flashing seaside, as if he could see the spectacular scenery of the Loop of Trade Winds through the golden clouds. Then he put down the curtain and stopped thinking about these things.
As for what the eldest prince really wanted, such history would be left to the future to judge.
At least for Brando.
…
(PS: There is one more update.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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