Logically speaking, the two of them were the trusted aides of the Silver Queen. Even the slightest mishap wouldn't be enough to make them so nervous. However, two days ago, or to be more precise, two nights ago, the empire suddenly lost contact with Fort Parsilien. Anyone with half a brain would know what that meant. Bad premonitions were often the most accurate. In the next twenty-four hours, bad news floated in like snowflakes.
First, the Pegasus Knight of Asgard's garrison detected the movements of a large legion in the Bear Lake area. Then, another scout cavalry detected another legion in the Silver Spring Valley further south.
Twenty-seven hours later, Vargos, Hemlock Town, and Forest Avenue were confirmed to have fallen.
Twenty-nine hours later, Nefell and Taris of Gemini Town in the north of the Bear Lake area reported that traces of an unfamiliar army were found in the outskirts of Graystone Town in the lower reaches of the Silver Spring Valley.
Thirty-four hours later, the southern town of Gemini Town was lost. Two hours later, the northern town was lost.
Thirty-seven hours later, an Imperial military outpost at the edge of the Long Boot Forest received some remnants from the south. Among them, Baron Piris of the Cooper Family was found.
Forty-four hours later, Graystone Town was surrounded.
Half an hour later, the cavalry of Emerald Claw Fort finally brought back accurate news that Fort Parsilien had fallen. A large army of Jorgendy Ridge was attacking along the eastern branch of Broken Sword Mountains in the direction of Fort Elno. The Empire's Fort Legion was losing ground.
Fifteen minutes ago, Rusef was confirmed to have fallen. The Pegasus Knight flew over the city and observed that the city was bombarded by spells that exceeded the twelfth circle. None of the residents in the city survived.
Jorgendy Ridge had launched an invasion of the Empire. Most of Anzlova had fallen, the Evergreen Corridor was in danger, and Rokeqi, the Broken Sword Mountains, had become a star in the distant sky.
It was as if in an instant, terrible news spread from the White Rose Garden to the entire Imperial Capital like a plague. The news followed the Knight out of St. Cantilever Palace and into the mansions of the Dukes, Counts, Imperial Guards, Knight Orders, and important figures of the Holy Cathedral. It was as if a spark had been splashed into a pool of oil, setting the manors ablaze. Under the arched windows, in the attics, and in the private rooms of the nobles, candles were lit. Then, people in plain clothes with their faces covered walked out from the back door, passed through the streets, and entered the houses of the nobles.
Then came the servants. They hurriedly left their masters' mansions, drove carriages, or walked to thousands of unknown corners of the city. The news was whispered by word of mouth, passed from one person to the next, and the next person boarded a carriage and went along the streets to the twenty-two city gates of Rushta. Before dawn, countless carriages left the city and went in every direction of the Empire. Some of them went to the countryside, some to the castles, and some to the docks. The news of the war rode the wind and broke the waves, spreading across the Empire's territory.
This was what happened in the forty-eight hours before Mr. Travis Burney and the Captain of the Dragoons, Mr. Kevin de San Varia, entered the White Rose.
At this moment, in front of Constance, the Captain of the Dragoons appeared to be a little more rational, but Mr. Travis was almost trembling. The former was in charge of the evaluation of the internal Knight's promotion, while he was mainly in charge of intelligence gathering and monitoring. Obviously, he was the one responsible for the current situation. The Captain of the Knight was trembling. He wanted to explain himself to the Empire's most powerful person, but Constance didn't need an explanation. She wanted an answer.
The two of them weren't the only ones in the Queen's study. All the important figures of the Empire had already gathered together. Standing at the front was the Captain of the White Legion, Marquis Nigel, Count Bendron, Donnas, Little Netherwin, the head of the Cecil Family, the current Captain of the Azure Legion, Count Rodney, and Grand Duke Helix. Behind them were some nobles from other families, most of whom were close to Her Majesty. In addition, there were the envoys from the Holy Cathedral of Fire. These people were roughly divided into three camps. The nobles close to the Palutes were obviously gloomy, while the nobles from the Cecil Family and the military were mostly smiling at this scene. The last group of people, led by Grand Duke Helix and Chancellor Little Netherwin, had a straight face and no expression could be seen on their faces.
As for Her Majesty herself, her expression was normal. There wasn't a trace of anger in her eyes, and of course, there wasn't a trace of leniency. But anyone who knew the Empire's most powerful person would understand that she was often the most terrifying when she was in this state.
After a while, Constance finally spoke.
She glanced at the two of them. Although Her Majesty still had the appearance of a young girl, her calm eyes showed that she was a shrewd woman. She spoke coldly, "This is the second time. My dear House of Palut, and the nobles of the South, your recent performance is not worthy of your status. Mr. Commander, whether it is you or your brother, you have disappointed me. Why are you not saying a word? Are you waiting for me to speak?"
Hearing this, the nobles of the Cecil Family rejoiced in the misfortune of the Cecil Family, while the soldiers looked as if they were waiting for a good show. Only Nidwin frowned. In his memory, the Queen rarely expressed her attitude so clearly, but this was already the third time in recent times. Whether it was the reprimand of the Cecil Family in St. Cantifer Palace, the reprimand of Duke Palut in the White Rose Garden, or her current attitude, it all made him feel strange.
However, to Nidwin, this was merely an oddity. On the other hand, Donnas' expression had long changed. How terrifying was the thunderous fury from the throne? He could not help but tremble in fear. He clenched his teeth, not daring to speak at all.
On the other hand, Travice nearly swayed. Although His Majesty had said the word 'dear', Travice's face nearly turned green. After hesitating for a while, he could only reply respectfully, "I dare not, Your Majesty."
"Then tell me, west of Emerald Claw Fort, what about the movements of the Lionmen in Toquinin?"
"Nothing, Your Majesty." Travis quickly wiped his sweat and answered.
"What about the elves in the Wild of the Four Realms?"
This time, it was Nigel, the commander of the White Legion who answered. The latter shook his head and said, "Nothing, but the elves should not have received the news yet. Otherwise, they would not have given up on this opportunity."
"So at least Jorgendy Ridge has nothing to do with the Wind Elves?" Constance asked.
When she asked this question, she frowned slightly as if she was thinking about something. But there was a faint feeling that the Queen's mind was not on everything that was happening at the moment.
Like Prime Minister Nidwin, Nigel seemed to have noticed this as well. But this doubt only flashed in his mind for a moment before he shook his head and said, "Probably not."
"What about the Lionmen in Toquinin?"
"The Lionmen should be waiting for news. As soon as the army of Jorgendy Ridge arrives at Elnor Castle, they will make their move." Little Nidwin looked at the Queen and finally spoke.
"How big is the army of Jorgendy Ridge?" Constance and the young prime minister looked at each other, then looked away and put pressure on Travis.
The latter was sweating profusely and said, "Your Majesty, this is not clear, but they should have at least two legions in Anzlova."
The Silver Queen was silent, as if she was calculating something.
Little Nidwin pondered for a moment and said, "It is very likely that the Underground Kings have already made their move. Otherwise, at least half of the lords of Jorgendy Ridge would have to be mobilized to achieve this scale."
"Their target is Asgard," Constance snapped out of her daze and said, "Then, do we have any countermeasures now? Are there still troops in Anzlova?"
"We could have mobilized Anzeruta's army, but now …" Little Nidwin stopped mid-sentence and looked at Donnas in the crowd. The latter's face darkened and he cursed the prime minister in his heart. He understood what the prime minister meant. Apart from the natives of Anzeruta, the local legions stationed there were mainly in the hands of Count Jean and Count Alcons. However, this part of the army had already been mobilized to replenish Fort Parsilien. As for the rest of the noble army, everyone knew where it was.
He quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Anzeruta's army has already been replenished to Rokezi, the Broken Sword Mountain Range. The remaining militia and local defense forces are useless. Even if there were any, they would have been defeated by the unruly Count Tónigel."
"Being fooled by an Erouine is a glorious thing in Mr. Donnas' eyes," Duke Cecil said sarcastically.
The latter's face turned pale and red, but he did not dare to retort. The prime minister of the empire was clearly unhappy with him.
Constance's face returned to its cold expression. "Where is the nearest army?"
"Two divisions of the White Legion's pegasus cavalry are stationed in Violet Valley, Your Majesty," Marquis Nigel replied immediately.
"Can we make it in time?"
Donnas shook his head. "If we want to reinforce Asaph, we have to go through the Evergreen Corridor. Unless Graystone Town can hold on for at least 48 hours, we won't be able to make it in time."
Constance looked at her courtiers with a mocking gaze. "In other words, we have to give up Anzeruta? Or if Rokezi, the Broken Sword Mountain Range, is lost, this is the greatest humiliation in the history of the empire. You want me to bear it? "
There was silence in the room.
The Silver Queen looked at her courtiers and laughed coldly. "Donnas, go inform Duke Palute that my bottom line is to protect Rokeqi and the Broken Sword Mountain Range Strongholds from being lost. If you can't even do that, it means that you don't have the right to manage this land. When that happens, let the White Legion take over the defense from Anzeruta to the Evergreen Corridor. "
Constance's voice was not loud, but it was like a thunderclap in the crowd. Everyone's eyes fell on the queen's favorite courtier in an instant. Their gazes were filled with surprise, doubt, curiosity, sympathy, fear, and schadenfreude. Almost everyone present was an old fox who had been in the center of the empire's power for a long time. They naturally understood the weight of this sentence.
Her Majesty was really angry this time.
Donnas' body swayed and he almost fainted. He looked at the prime minister of the empire with a pale face, but he did not dare to complain. He quickly bowed and said, "I understand."
Only then did he dejectedly part the crowd and walk out of the study.
Only the trembling Travice was left in the study, but Constance did not even bother to look at him. With a flick of her sleeve, she left the room with her maid.
When Lodney and the other nobles left the White Rose Garden, he purposely stayed a step behind to catch up with Duke Helix. The latter was about to board his carriage when he noticed the actions of the new head of House Ashric. He turned around and asked, "Count, is there anything I can help you with?"
Lodney smiled bitterly. "My apologies, Duke Helix. I'm here to ask what you think of Her Majesty's words."
Hearing this, the duke stopped in his tracks and retracted his foot. He looked at Lodney with a serious expression. "What do you think, Count Helix?"
"Her Majesty seems to have relaxed her surveillance on the military recently, but she's been suppressing us more and more in secret. I thought she would take the opportunity to support House Parut, but I didn't expect …"
Duke Helix shook his head. "Her Majesty's personality has become more and more withdrawn. House Parut has been out of her favor for some time now."
Lodney seemed to have thought of something. "Ever since that incident …"
Duke Helix shot him a wary glance. "Shut up. This isn't something we should be discussing. Little Rodney, since your father and I are old friends, I'll give you a word of advice. While there's still a chance, go back to your dominion."
Lodney was stunned. "Duke Helix, you …?"
The duke nodded. "In less than a week, I will leave the royal capital and return to Flowerleaf Domain."
Lodney looked at him in shock. Leaving the royal capital at this time was the same as leaving the center of the empire's power. It was something unimaginable for nobles of their level.
Duke Helix shook his head. "Little Lodney, you were still young back then, but I saw it with my own eyes. I don't want to experience it again. Alright, that's all I have to say. I'm only telling you this because of the relationship between our families. If you believe me, then believe me. If you don't, then don't spread it to anyone else. As for how to weigh the pros and cons, I'll leave it to you to figure it out yourself."
After saying that, he waved at the latter and boarded the carriage, leaving Rodney standing in the same place as he thoughtfully watched the carriage slide into the darkness.
But in the end, Duke Helix smiled and shook his head.
… …
Bettina quietly slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. She then turned around and looked left and right in the dark room as if she was looking for something.
At that moment, a voice called out. "Bettina, you're back?"
The round-faced maid was startled. She then recognized the voice as the count's and sighed in relief. Although she couldn't find where Scarlett was in the room, she quickly nodded.
After a while, there seemed to be a moment of silence before the voice asked again, "How is it? Are the rumors outside true?"
"It's all true, Count Helix. It's said that the empire lost the war in the south. Now, Anzloy and Rockovich are in danger." She pondered for a moment as if she was trying to recall something. "But it's strange. This time, it's not the Lionmen or the Wind Elves of Saint-Ausol. It's the army of Jorgendy Ridge. I've never even heard of that place."
"Jorgendy Ridge?" Scarlett was slightly startled. She suddenly remembered the cave dwellers led by Abies. She was in a daze for a moment. Her longing for Erouine grew stronger. With a creak, she opened the window. Only then did Bettisha discover that her Lord was actually standing by the window. The other party was hugging the emerald spear and staring out of the window in a daze. His eyes reflected the starlight under the distant night sky. She could not help but frown. Not good, the Count's illness is acting up again.
After a while, Scarlett turned around. She seemed to have remembered something and called out. "Bettina, Bettina."
"I'm here, Count Helix." Bettina hurriedly replied.
"How far is Anzloy from the Rusef you mentioned last time?" She asked softly.
Bettina opened her mouth, but her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't say anything else.
Scarlett's bright eyes stared at him. "Is Count Helix there?"
Of course, Bettina knew who this' His Lordship 'was, but she couldn't help but grumble inwardly. She thought to herself, Why did I help this count to gather information? So this is his true purpose. But as a maid, she didn't dare to lie, so she could only nod her head honestly. Before she could nod her head a second time, she felt her Count rush to her and grab her shoulder. He asked hurriedly, "Where is he? Where is the army of Jorgendy Ridge now? Is he in danger?"
Bettina was so scared that she almost screamed. She hurriedly shook her head with a pale face. How could a maid like her know about these things? Rumors about these things had spread like wildfire outside, but none of them were reliable. At most, she could only get a rough understanding of it.
However, she knew that if she said that, Count Helix would probably not be able to sleep well for the next few days. She could only comfort him. "Count Helix, that … that Tónigel Lord might have left Anzloy long ago. If he takes a ship from Loen, it won't take long for him to reach Bankel. He might already be on the Sublime Sea by now."
Scarlet seemed to have heard her words. She relaxed and looked at her maid. She nodded and said, "Thank you, Bettisha."
"Count Helix, this is what I should do."
As Bettina spoke, she prayed in her heart. She hoped that Martha would bless Count Helix so that he could recover quickly and stop being so mysterious.
…
(PS: Thank you to a certain PPT netizen for creating a relationship chart for Amber. I've received it, and it's been of great help to me. Looking at these things, I can really feel everyone's deep love for Amber. I'm really touched. When I received this relationship chart, I felt full of motivation. I can continue writing Amber until the perfect ending. Thank you, everyone.)
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