The prime minister's daughter could go wherever she wanted. It had nothing to do with the Holy Cathedral, but Valla knew that the saintess of the Leo Palace was not one to talk nonsense. She crossed her fingers in front of her chest and waited for Sidney to continue.
The candlelight in the Candlelight Hall shone on the lady's short platinum hair, leaving a deep shadow under her forehead and on the other side of her straight nose. Sidney said quietly, "She and the leader of Erouine's delegation had a feud because of Viscount Elman's death. This time, she went because of him. But there was someone behind this. Before Delfien left the imperial capital, she visited Count Freud and borrowed the demon-slaying spear. As far as I know, although Count Freud was the father of Viscount Elman, he was connected to Miss Delfien through a man named Price. This man is the butler of the vice president of the Archeological Association, Freeman Lelis. Freeman Lelis had revealed the information about the demon-slaying spear and Count Tónigel to the two of them at the same time. "
"So this little girl's trip was arranged in advance. Hmm," Valla listened quietly and replied, "I can smell a conspiracy in this. It means that someone wants to deal with Prime Minister Nidevan, or Count Freud? But what does it have to do with us, Sidney? "
"Freeman Lelis is very close to Bishop Eugene."
Valla sat in the chair and was silent for a moment before replying, "It's commendable that you found the connection so quickly. It seems that we are about to see the truth. What happened to the little girl after she went to Anzlois?"
After that, there was the turmoil in Anzlois and the invasion of Jorgendy Ridge. This went without saying, but Sidney knew that this was not what the Head of the Sanctum wanted to hear.
"She's missing," she replied.
"Is Freeman Lelis and Eugene's relationship on the surface?" Valla asked again.
"Yes."
"So it's not difficult for outsiders to connect to us through him." The old man knocked on the armrest of the chair and said in a low voice, "Little Nidevan treats his daughter like a treasure. She's a spoiled girl. Now that she's missing and the person behind this has a close relationship with the Holy Cathedral, it's hard for the prime minister not to connect it to us."
"The world isn't blind. What good will it do us to harm a little girl?" Sidney asked, "Little Nidevan is no fool. Besides, his father isn't dead yet."
"We'll know soon enough."
Valla shook her head slightly.
Sidney frowned deeply. She looked at the supreme of the Holy Cathedral with dissatisfaction. This answer was so similar to forty years ago. "His Majesty has gone too far recently, High Priest."
Valla's thick eyebrows lifted slightly. Two sharp eyes seemed to burst out from his deep eye sockets and fell on the face of the statue of the Leo Palace. This was his proud disciple. Under the platinum hair, under the flat forehead, under the platinum sword-like eyebrows, the pair of golden eyes shone with a clear and unflinching light. This gaze seemed to remind the old priest of himself when he was young. He sighed and sat back in the chair again. "That's all. Don't mention it. You know, Sidney."
"Royal power and religious power have their ups and downs. This is the law of history. But secular power and divine power have been separated and monitored for thousands of years. This is the rule that has been agreed upon. His Majesty has reached out to the Holy Cathedral. This is an extremely dangerous thing. She's doing something wrong. You must stop her from repeating the same mistake, High Priest." Sidney was unmoved and replied indifferently.
"No, things haven't reached that stage yet. Sidney, you don't understand. There are some things you don't understand." Valla shook his head. "Things haven't reached that stage yet. She's just greedy for power and doesn't want to give up the throne in her hands. For mortals, this is normal. We can't stand on the other side of His Majesty because of this. She may have gone a little too far, but it's still tolerable."
"Isn't teacher being too magnanimous towards His Majesty?" Sidney's eyes revealed her annoyance and dissatisfaction.
"This is what we owe her. At least on this matter, we can't openly oppose her. Remember, Sidney, this is not my order, but my teacher's order. I have to obey this order, and so do you." Valla replied in a low voice. "You know, this is an agreement. As long as she's on the throne, we can choose not to support her, but we can't oppose her. As long as she doesn't make the wrong choice on those key issues, we can't violate this agreement."
"Even this isn't a key issue?"
"This is just a matter of the secular world, Sidney."
"Divine faith isn't born without roots, High Priest."
"Shut up." Valla scolded angrily. In fact, he understood this point, but some things couldn't be said like that. "How dare you say such filthy and vulgar words in this sacred place, Lady Sidney. Don't let anger and resentment take over your heart. Take out your usual calmness. It's not suitable for you to continue talking to me now. Go and calm down."
Sidney was slightly startled, but then she nodded slightly. "I understand."
She didn't explain further. She took one last look at her teacher's bookshelf, then turned around and left. But halfway through, she turned back and asked, "Is it because of the Dragons?"
"The Dragons can't do whatever they want in this world, Sidney. They are far more restrained than we are." Valla shook his head. "Everyone knows that Her Majesty has the Dragons behind her, but the truth is far from that. If it's just the Dragons, they won't be able to suppress the Empire. Remember, Sidney, this is the era of mortals. The will of the Empire is controlled by people like us, not by those high and mighty legends and fantasies."
"This world is the result of the efforts of our ancestors, so our noble faith is also rooted in this." The old man spoke a few words passionately, but suddenly he felt a little lonely. He sighed and said, "The Dragons owe Her Majesty a favor, and so does the Holy Cathedral. I don't want to talk about the past for the time being. You can leave now, Sidney. You will understand one day."
If there were other members of the Holy Cathedral here, they would be surprised by the old man's words, because it contained some thought-provoking information. It didn't just contain a secret, it even included the transfer of the supreme power of the Holy Cathedral in the future.
But Sidney didn't seem to care at all. He just nodded slightly, then turned and left.
Valla looked at his student's back and couldn't help but nod with satisfaction. This was the spirit that the successor of the Holy Cathedral should have. He was a clergyman born after the Year of the Croaking Frogs. His generation was used to the ups and downs of history and the changes of the general trend. The fall from high to low and the change of status had a deep impact on his generation of clergymen. Ordinary difficulties rarely made this wise old man frown. The Holy Cathedral's present and past were inevitable in his eyes. It was difficult to change and irreversible, but at least he still had an outstanding disciple. Valla hoped that Sidney's generation might be able to change today's predicament.
It was indeed a predicament. Perhaps even in this majestic Holy Cathedral, few people would understand how predicament the Holy Cathedral was in today. The old man shook his head. He couldn't help but think of his teacher's generation of clergymen. Except for the younger generation of that era, few could accept such a fall. Many clergymen had died for this, including his teacher. It was just that few people knew this secret.
It's good to be young, the old man thought as he shook his head. At least the young ones still have hope.
He watched Sidney leave, then turned back and gently tapped the mahogany table with his finger.
Sidney's words had caught his attention. His Majesty's hand had indeed stretched a little too far. But it didn't matter. He was worried about another thing: Duke Helix had been assassinated? It just so happened that the Flower Leaf Collar was in trouble at this time. This made him feel a little uneasy. The old man suddenly stood up and took a large book with a red cover from the bookshelf. He opened the book and shook out a thick piece of parchment and spread it out. It was a huge map. The old priest spread the map on the table and his eyes fell on the Flower Leaf Collar for a long time.
He raised his eyelids slightly and continued to look north along the hills to the north of Fort Rovoff until he saw a crisscrossing mountain range.
The name of the place was marked with beautiful cursive characters on the map.
Arkash.
"Bless Martha," Valla whispered, "please don't."
He put down the map and closed his eyes. After a long while, he picked up the bell on the table.
"Someone —"
… …
Her Majesty the Queen's tea party was held after noon, as usual. The tradition of this tea party originated before the Year of the Walnut, during the era of Grantocrates the Great. Grantocrates the Great often used the Queen's tea party to meet with his subjects in secret. The tradition was passed down from that time, and was carried forward by his son. The Great Emperor's eleventh son, the previous Emperor, had discussed the Holy Sanctum with Old Nidevan during the tea party more than once. Later, the plan that was born during the tea party was maliciously called the 'Tea Party Conspiracy' by the clergy, and it was even widely sung by bards.
Today, the Silver Queen's tea party had become a custom. Every week, on three days, Her Majesty would hold a tea party in the Rose Garden. However, in this era, the officials were no longer secretly invited to the tea party. Instead, it was open and aboveboard, and it had become a symbol of status and honor.
But today, the atmosphere in the drawing room on the east side of the Rose Garden was a little strange.
No one in the room opened their mouths. It was as if a spell had been cast on everyone. They sat in their seats without blinking or speaking, just like a group of puppets.
Her Majesty the Queen sneered, while the Prime Minister beside her had an ugly expression on his face. He was both uneasy and sullen. Below him, the other nobles were mostly looking down, as if they were afraid of getting into trouble. But without exception, all of their eyes were focused on the sheepskin parchment on the coffee table in the living room. Their eyes were filled with deep meaning, as if the parchment had recorded something very strange.
"Fjodna, a month ago, Delfien really went to Anzlova."
"This …" Nidevan replied, a little annoyed and regretful, "I didn't know beforehand that she was going to Anzlova, Your Majesty. Besides, even if I knew, Anzlova was peaceful at that time. I had no reason to stop her from going out. My father only forbade her from leaving the Empire, but within the Empire, my daughter is still free. Think about it, what reason do I have to stop her from going to a small place in the Empire? This can't be used as evidence. "
"I understand. You don't have to worry," the Silver Queen seemed to find this matter funny. She chuckled and replied, "Your daughter just happened to have some misunderstandings with the count. If I knew beforehand that she was going there, I'm afraid I wouldn't have allowed her to go. But it seems that she probably didn't inform you, her father."
Nidevan's face reddened. Although he was the Prime Minister of the Empire, there was nothing he could do about his daughter. Although he didn't want to admit it, it was something that everyone knew. The only thing that made him feel a little relieved was that the Queen didn't seem to care much about this matter. He naturally understood that this kind of thing could be big or small, but as long as the supreme person of the Empire did not care, then everything could be discussed. Thinking about it, it was impossible for His Majesty to take this kind of fantasy seriously. However, this matter was too despicable, and it made him very angry.
"Your Majesty's observation is as meticulous as ever," he replied, "This matter is indeed so."
He couldn't help but glance at the stack of parchment again. It was these parchments that recorded the slanderous words that made him feel embarrassed. He naturally knew where these secret documents came from. The secret insignia on the parchment must have come from the Knight of the Imperial Court. There was only one such insignia in the Empire.
But what puzzled him was why the Knight of the Imperial Court would suddenly bite him like a mad dog. In the report, they said that he was in cahoots with Jorgendy Ridge and sent his daughter to Anzloy as a hostage. This was completely fabricated. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that this was a ploy. Needless to say, at their level, these kinds of tricks were completely unpresentable.
But it was precisely because of this that it made him feel disgusted. Young Nidevan couldn't understand who would be so bored as to use this kind of thing to play a prank on him with his daughter. It was like a cheap prank. It was disgusting.
But it was precisely this kind of prank that deeply infuriated him. Everyone knew that Prime Minister Nidevan had a precious daughter, yet these people were using his daughter to cause trouble for him. This was almost equivalent to slapping him in the face.
Whether it was out of concern for his daughter, his own face, or the dignity of his family, there was no way he would let this go.
But he knew that the Imperial Court was in charge of the Knight of the Imperial Court. Her Majesty wouldn't use such a cheap trick to deal with him. So other than that, there were only those who could interfere.
First of all, the Palutes' family. The young Prime Minister frowned. In the Empire, they didn't seem to have a good relationship with the Palutes on the surface. This was because Her Majesty had always supported the Palutes in suppressing the factions left behind by the previous Emperor. But everyone in the Empire knew that this suppression actually came from Her Majesty herself. If the Palutes made a move against him, it was equivalent to Her Majesty making a move. Unless it was a personal grudge, the Palutes wouldn't be so bored.
But he couldn't think of any personal grudges between him and the Palutes.
As for the rest, it didn't seem to have anything to do with them.
"But Fjodna, if Delphine really did go to Anzlova, it's not good news," Constance suddenly said, hinting at something.
Little Nedwin was shocked. He was originally angry because of these documents, but he completely forgot that if his daughter really went to Anzlova, it would be a big problem. His expression changed when he thought of this. When the others saw the Prime Minister's face suddenly turn pale, they also understood that this matter most likely had nothing to do with him. So, they couldn't help but look at the documents even more strangely.
This clearly meant that someone was going against the Prime Minister. Who could it be?
And if it was someone who was going against him, would it stop here? Everyone knew that Her Majesty couldn't determine that a Prime Minister of the Empire was a traitor just from a one-sided statement. This kind of thing was simply a clown's trick in a fight at this level. It wasn't worth mentioning. But the question was whether the hidden enemy had a backup plan. Everyone knew that if the person did have a backup plan, it would most likely be an even fiercer attack.
At this time, Little Nedwin had obviously thought of this. Although he wasn't as capable as his father, he still had some ability. But what he was most worried about now was — what if his daughter really fell into the hands of those people?
At this time, the Silver Queen smiled slightly, obviously seeing through the Prime Minister's thoughts. She softly comforted him, "Don't worry, Fjodna. Delfien might not have really gone to Anzlova. As for the people who are trying to frame you and the Prime Minister, I will naturally get to the bottom of it."
Little Nedwin nodded and replied somewhat dispiritedly, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Constance smiled gently and nodded at the young Prime Minister.
… …
(PS: I had a bit of a writer's block two days ago, but fortunately, I've already settled it. As expected, only by persisting in writing can one have a train of thought.
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