The discussion that followed became long and meaningless. The secret letter was full of guesses and lacked concrete evidence. Even the nobles present could not really suspect that the prime minister was the traitor. Although they did know that someone had betrayed the interests of the Empire, Anglois's occupation and Jorgendy's accurate judgment proved everything. Especially now that the south of the Empire was in danger, Her Majesty would not easily convict such a sensitive and lofty figure. Some guessed that this might be a ploy to sow discord, while others were gloating. Such a person most likely had a grudge against the prime minister.
But no matter which one it was, this matter reminded people of the recent rumors about Duke Helix. First, it was the Duke of Flowers, then the prime minister. Who would be next?
Everyone secretly felt that there was an invisible hand stirring up trouble behind their backs, but as for who this person was, it was hard to guess.
Her Majesty also frowned. In the eyes of others, she seemed to feel threatened by these two matters.
All in all, because of this unexpected secret letter, the tea party ended on a sour note. But in the end, Her Majesty did not say anything. It was inevitable that the nobles privately guessed who would be the next unlucky person. It seemed that Her Majesty still trusted the prime minister, so the person who made the move would be unlucky, or there would be some other twist. Everyone was waiting to see a good show. There was no doubt that the day's events left everyone with room for imagination.
However, few knew that the Silver Queen's tightly furrowed brows relaxed after her vassals — especially Little Nidevan — left. Her mood seemed to have returned to normal, or perhaps it was just a facade that she showed before. She looked at the backs of her vassals as they left, and instead chuckled softly.
The supreme lady stood under the arched window in the living room and looked at the Rose Garden outside. Her gaze even passed through the gate of St. Contifer's Palace, seeming a little uncertain.
"Well, let's create some trouble for them. Poor old Walla, I hope you don't look in this direction too early," Constance said to herself. "It's a pity that time is too short. If only I had realized it earlier … Lord of Flowers, Duke Helix, I hope that idiot Rodney doesn't make any mistakes. The mountains of Algash — I haven't seen them for almost forty years. The sharp cliffs above the ice and snow are still in my memory."
"Darius, did you see that?"
Her Majesty stood quietly in front of the window. She raised her chin slightly as if she was facing an invisible audience.
"I heard that he is your grandson. It's a pity that I don't have time to see your descendant. Halran Gaia will eventually fall into his hands. Perhaps this is Lady Martha's affirmation of us. I only hope that Gwendolyn and the others can find him as soon as possible. Darius, I believe you understand my choice now."
The hall fell silent. The whispers in the wind that passed through the courtyard and the woods did not answer yes or no. But the Silver Queen seemed to already know the answer.
She took one last look at the Sacred Palace of the Cruz people for thousands of years. Then she resolutely turned her head and no longer looked at the courtiers outside St. Contifer's Palace.
It's time to know the answer.
The carriage of the royal family was already prepared.
… …
In Autumn Hazel Manor, Scarlet counted the days with her fingers. She realized that she had been under house arrest in the castle on the outskirts of Russta for nearly two months. The scenery around Bankle had changed from late autumn to late winter. While it had yet to snow in the south of the Ironthistle Mountains, the gradually colder weather and the increasing number of winter coats showed the changes of the four seasons.
A few days ago, or to be precise, a month ago, news of Russta could still be accurately transmitted to the castle. But with the war between Anglois and the empire in the south, the atmosphere in the imperial capital became more and more tense. Recently, there were rumors of Duke Helix betraying the empire and the prime minister colluding with the enemy. While these rumors were more or less inconceivable, every citizen living in the imperial capital could at least understand one thing.
The guards and patrolling cavalry stationed in the imperial capital were obviously more vigilant than usual. In the memories of the older generation, this was something that only happened sixty years ago. It was as if there was an air of war unique to that era. Everyone began to feel nervous.
It was the same for the maids in the manor as well.
Bertha had recently reduced the number of times she went out. After all, during times like this, both the inside and outside of the city would become exceptionally restless. There would always be people taking advantage of this opportunity to stir up trouble. Moreover, the atmosphere in Russta was tense and ordinary people were worried about being dragged into the unfathomable vortex. And because of this or that, news from the outside gradually became isolated from the inner manor. The news of the war at Anglois also becoming less and less. People gradually became more and more concerned about whether the empire would lose Anzeruta instead of the safety of the Count from Erouine.
And because of that, there was even less news about Brando.
In fact, ever since the fall of Graystone Town, there had been no news about the count.
For Bertha and the others, the only thing they were thankful for was that at least their Countess still believed that the legendary Count of Tónigel was safe and sound. Otherwise, they wouldn't know how to comfort her. Although privately, they more or less believed that the unlucky Count had died in Anzeruta.
On this day, Bertha was drying clothes on the balcony of the manor as usual. Suddenly, she saw a carriage passing through the forest like a ghost. When she saw the coat of arms on the carriage, she cried out in fright and hurriedly rushed down from the third floor of the castle to the hall on the first floor. When she pushed open the heavy wooden door of the hall and wanted to remind the nominal owner of the manor who had arrived, she cautiously kept her mouth shut.
There weren't only her close friends in the hall.
In fact, the mountain maidservants were standing in two rows behind Scarlet, trembling in fear. And right in front of the Countess, there was another woman. In fact, in the Empire, very few people dared to treat her as a woman. The Silver Queen stood in front of the mountain maidservant. She didn't bring anyone with her except for her coachman and attendants. Her coachman was waiting outside the manor, and her attendants were standing outside the door as per her orders. In other words, the supreme ruler of the Empire was facing Scarlet alone.
The group of mountain girls were not worried that their Countess would say something unpleasant, but that she would suddenly make a move on the Queen and kill her here. This was something that had happened before, although it was unbelievable that the Queen did not pursue the matter.
And this was the first time Constance had come to see Scarlet in person in the past two months.
"I think you know why I'm here today." The Silver Queen didn't intend to beat around the bush today. She stared into Scarlet's eyes and went straight to the point, "Today, I need your answer."
But this didn't move Scarlet in the slightest.
The mountain maiden pursed her lips and glared fiercely at the Queen. If she could, she would have stabbed her like last time. But this time, she found that she couldn't summon the Azure Lance. Just a moment ago, Ovina warned her to be careful and protect herself. As the owner of the Azure Lance, she must be responsible for her. She must not die meaninglessly in this godforsaken place. Those were the lady's words, but Scarlet felt that there was more to it.
"You think I can't do anything to you if you don't open your mouth? Have you forgotten what I said last time? For you, I can declare war on any force in this world without hesitation, whether it is Aouine or the Bugas. You should understand my determination, and don't anger me. If I want to kill your lord, it won't be much harder than squashing a bug, little girl." Constance replied calmly.
Scarlet trembled slightly when she heard this. But it wasn't out of fear, it was out of anger. The Queen could clearly see the anger in the mountain maiden's eyes.
She didn't say anything, but if the anger in her eyes could express her thoughts, Constance felt that she had been burned to death countless times.
Constance had obviously predicted this reaction.
She sighed softly, "Silly child."
"You must think that I must stand on the opposite side of you. But have you ever thought that I'm the Emperor of the Empire, and your Lord is just a mere Earl of Erouine? There's no conflict between us other than your allegiance. In fact, not only that, I can even help him and let him rise to the top. If he's willing to serve me, then what's the difference between serving me and serving him?"
Her Majesty changed her tone and said softly. These words made Bertha and the others almost unable to believe their ears. Their first reaction was to look at their Earl in surprise, wondering who this lady was. Was she the Queen's illegitimate daughter?
Of course, they only dared to stay in their hearts for a moment at most, and then quickly threw it to the back of their minds. It was as if they were about to be hanged just for having such thoughts.
Fortunately, the Silver Queen obviously didn't have the ability to read minds, so she couldn't know what strange thoughts these maids had. After she finished speaking, she waited for Scarlet's answer. Today's Silver Queen seemed more confident than that day, as if she wasn't worried that the mountain maiden would reject her.
Scarlet listened to her words, and her eyes moved slightly, but she still looked at her with deep suspicion.
"You don't believe me?" Constance asked with some dissatisfaction. However, she did feel a little defeated by this stubborn girl. Whether it was a glib tongue or a firm resolve, she could find a solution. However, Scarlet's behavior was appropriate for her identity — the daughter of a mountain maiden. Her silent suspicion made the Silver Queen think that she was from Ludwig or Metz. She was blind and stubborn, and they always had an instinctive suspicion of any words.
Scarlet still didn't answer, but this already represented her attitude.
If it was in the past, the Silver Queen would most likely leave in a huff, but today, she gave a look to the maids, and they quickly left in fear and trepidation. After everyone left, the Silver Queen opened her mouth and said, "I know you don't believe me, but I don't have much time. I just want you to understand that your Lord and I are the same kind of people."
"You think I don't know him?" Constance looked at Scarlet with a sense of superiority, "You're wrong, little girl. I know him better than you. I know who he is."
"You're the daughter of a mountain maiden, so you must have heard of the legends of the mountains, right?" She didn't give Scarlet a chance to refute, and asked quickly.
Scarlet still didn't answer this question.
However, the Silver Queen didn't need the girl to answer, because she knew that the legends of the mountains were passed down from generation to generation. Although they migrated along the mountains, the ancient traditions were passed down from generation to generation.
"Then you should know that in the legends of the Dark Forest, the blood of the mountain maidens flows with noble blood. Some of it even came from the era before the War of the Holy Saints. The Dark Dragon ruled the Miirna Empire, but the druids also submitted to him. In fact, it was far more than that. The Earth Holy Temple and the Lion Clan were the same. The Eternal King also had another group of subordinates, and that was the mountain maidens."
Constance smiled slightly, "You swore loyalty to your Lord, and it wasn't just because of the pure feelings of a young girl. You already knew his identity from the moment he gave you the golden apple —"
"Who would a fairy give an apple to? Only the Sage."
"He has the inheritance of the Dark Dragon."
The Silver Queen said softly.
The mountain maiden suddenly raised her head as if she had been electrocuted, and glared at her fiercely. Her extreme reaction startled Constance, and the latter was stunned for a moment before realizing that the maiden suspected that she would harm her Lord. The Queen didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this moment. She had seen stubborn people before, but it was the first time she saw someone as stubborn as this little girl. Constance couldn't help but feel that it was a pity that she didn't meet this silly girl earlier.
She cursed Brando in her heart, and then stretched out her right hand to let Scarlet see the ouroboros snake ring on her right index finger.
Scarlet stared at the ring warily.
After being by Brando's side for so long, of course she recognized the meaning of this ring.
"Don't worry, I'm not showing you my identity. This ring is dispensable to me, and the so-called secretive organization of All For One is just so-so in my opinion." The Queen gently took off the ring and threw it aside, dismissing this token that was extremely important to the believers of All For One as if it was trash. She let it fall into a dark corner without even looking at it. She replied, "I'm just telling you how I know your Lord's secret, and I know even more. Erouine has no secrets in my eyes, and I even know that he has something to do with Amman's death."
She chuckled, "All For One's infiltration of the Holy Cathedral of Fire has suffered a great loss because of your Lord's intervention. I've kept it a secret for you for so long, I think you should repay me with something."
But Scarlet looked up at the Queen, then lowered her head again and shook her head stubbornly.
"You think I'm lying?"
"I'm with the Lord only because he is the Lord." As if for the first time, the mountain girl replied, "The Lord has never abandoned me, and I will never leave him."
"What a silly child," Constance was slightly startled, "What is it about him that makes you so fascinated?"
She then sighed again and replied softly, "Well, you really are a stubborn girl. Then Scarlet, do you really understand your Lord's thoughts, what he wants to do, and what his purpose is? You should understand that he is different from each of you, and he is far ahead of you. Do you think you can keep up with his pace with just the current you? "
For the first time, the look in Scarlet's eyes softened slightly.
"You understand?" The Silver Queen smiled. "I've said it before. Your liege and I are the same kind of people. Because both of us know the nature of this world, we are not confused by the myths and legends of the past thousand years. Scarlet, you've seen the drunken nobles out there. You've also dealt with the cultists with your liege, so you should understand the hidden threat under the superficial appearance of this world. Do you think that people like me and him who clearly understand this will covet the power of the mortal world? That's just a myth of those short-sighted people who think they are infallible."
As she said this, she reached out to the mountain girl.
"Come, Scarlet, I'll show you what your Lord and I are doing. You will understand that by helping me, you are also helping him. It's just that his actions are aimless, and I know better what I want to do —"
Constance stared into Scarlet's eyes and continued, "Do you remember what I said?
"Do you still remember what I told you? You won't kill me, and you can't kill me. You'll soon understand why."
"The Azure Lance is on my side, Scarlet."
"You won't regret it."
The mountain girl stood there in a daze, looking at the hand of the Empire's supreme being reaching out to her. She hesitated.
And it was at this moment that she heard a clear voice in her heart.
"Don't believe her, Scarlet."
It was Ovina's voice.
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
