"Every time Demacia falls into a difficult situation, there will always be a hero who can turn the tide. This is not only because the people of Demacia are all heroes, but also because the land of Demacia can give birth to countless heroes. Moreover, every hero of Demacia is perfect. They are not vain and only act for the well-being of all Demacians. "
Teana looked at the king who was surrounded by flowers, her heart filled with grief and indignation. Even though the 'culprit' had been caught, everyone knew that the culprit was definitely not the man who had lost everything, but someone else. But who could it be?
It could be anyone, and the greatest possibility was that it was someone from the Royal Guard Family. It was not because of anything else but because the Fearless Vanguard Legion was in her hands, and there were also Royal Guards in the other legions.
Under such circumstances, no one was more suitable than the Royal Guard Family to do such a thing. However, Teana knew very well that none of the Royal Guards intended to do such a thing because to them, the throne of the king was only a burden. The things they wanted to do were not much worse than the king's, and they didn't have to worry about a lot of things that only the king had to worry about.
But no one would believe that.
"Then, what kind of hero is needed to save Demacia?"
Teana sighed softly. She was extremely regretful that she hadn't been able to stay by the king's side. She was extremely regretful that she had trusted that Demacian and allowed him to become the king's guard. She regretted that she should have left a little later instead of leaving so early to avoid arousing suspicion.
It was all her fault. Otherwise, things wouldn't have escalated to this point.
But now, it was too late for regrets. No matter what the future held, she had to appear again and smoothly pass the throne to King Jiawen IV. She also had to assist him as much as possible so that he could secure his throne.
That was why she turned her gaze to King Jiawen IV, who was silently crying while looking at his father's corpse and clenching his fists tightly. He was the husband that she had once prepared for Lux. She tugged at Lux's hand, who was also feeling uneasy beside her, so that she wouldn't appear so nervous.
"With the kingdom's current situation, we can't do without a king. Demacia needs a flag in order to stand tall in this world again!"
The first person to break the silence was the official of the palace. He looked at the silent Teana with a fearful expression, and he offered his apologies.
He was truly afraid that after Jiawen III forced them to hand over Carina and Lux, the Royal Guards actually took advantage of their position to do such a thing. If there wasn't someone powerful enough to do so, the King's guards wouldn't be defeated by a mere 300 unarmored commoners.
But things happened just like that. The commoners colluded with the magicians to kill the king. This impossible thing happened.
He wanted his grain business to continue monopolizing the entire Demacia, but he clearly knew that he had no way of going against the Royal Guard who wanted to become the King. In Demacia, this name represented power and absolute force.
Fearless Vanguard, Dragon Squad, Demon Searchers, Demacian Sentinel Squad, Demacian First Knight Squad, Demacian First Legion …
More than half of the Demacian army was in the hands of the Royal Guards. The mid-level and low-level officers in the army were all members of the Royal Guards who held high prestige in the hearts of the soldiers. The remaining half of the officers, as well as the remaining half of the Demacia army, were almost all students and old friends of the Crown Wei family.
Only when he represented the forces of the new nobles could he barely go against the Royal Guards. In addition, the Royal Guards would protect their reputation to the death. That was why he could force the Royal Guards to hand over Carina and Lux under the rules.
But what if the Royal Guards stopped playing games with him?
If the rules were no longer in place, he, who had power from the King and the new nobles, would naturally be in trouble. The group of new nobles could naturally keep the Royal Guards in check, but he alone couldn't.
That was why he believed that the Royal Guards were behind this. The Royal Guards had the legitimacy to become the King, the strength to become the King, and the backing of the Emperor of Noxus.
Once Jiawen the Third died, the banner would be gone. Due to external pressure, the nobles would naturally have no choice but to submit to the Royal Guards and let them become the King. As such, he declared that he wanted a member of the Crown Guard Family to become the king. Regardless of whether it was Teana, her brother, or that Garen of the Crown Guard Family, as long as the Crown Guard Family showed even the slightest bit of interest, they would immediately support that person.
He wasn't arrogant enough to start a war with the Royal Guards and the Noxus people at the same time. Doing so would undoubtedly be suicidal. He could very well leave before Li Ke arrived and live a wealthy life elsewhere instead of risking his life to resist Li Ke.
There was no other way. There was no hope. When faced with complete despair, especially when one discovered that resistance was futile, no matter how crazy one was, they wouldn't choose to perish together with the enemy. That was why he was willing to let Lux go so easily.
As for Carina?
Sorry, there were some things that he couldn't decide. Besides, Carina was willing to be monitored.
"That's right, Demacia needs a King."
Teana nodded, but there wasn't the slightest bit of longing for the throne on her face. Instead, there was fatigue and nostalgia.
"Your Highness, for the sake of Demacia's future, you should ascend the throne as soon as possible and stabilize the people's hearts.
She knelt on one knee in front of Jiawen the Fourth and made him take a step back. However, Jiawen immediately took a step forward because he didn't want to show his cowardice in front of the Royal Guards. This was especially so in front of the person who was most likely to cause his father's death. It was easier for him to show his weakness.
"Aren't you from the Royal Guards? Why didn't you protect my father? "
His eyes were bloodshot. His friends, his father, his teacher, his followers, and his playmates had all disappeared. The reason was because this woman, who claimed that she would sacrifice her life to protect his father, had gone back on her word. She didn't stay by his side to protect him, causing his father to lose his life forever.
Jiawen's accusation caused Teana's head to spin. Of course, she remembered the oath she had made back then. Back then, she had indeed sworn to protect the king's life with her life. However, that was something from a very long time ago. Back then, she was still a young woman, and the Ionian was only a young man.
However, as time passed, the handsome and charismatic king's hair had turned white, and both the Ionian and Teana had entered middle age. Now, the king was lying there quietly, and the Ionian was nowhere to be found. Teana was the only one who had to accept Jiawen's accusation. She had to accept the accusation that she had failed in her duty.
She shouldn't be blamed like this. Everything she had done yesterday was within reason, and no one could point out any problems. However, in the end, the king was dead, but she was still alive. She hadn't fulfilled the oath she had made back then. .
Therefore, she bit her lip and accepted the unfair accusation.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. This is indeed my fault. However, I can swear that I will help you find the real culprit and make him receive the punishment he deserves!"
She clenched her fists tightly and lowered her head deeply in front of the child.
"But now, please become the king. Only you can reunite Demacia as one, and stand up again from this crisis."
Her words were very sincere, but Jiawen only snorted in disdain.
"Do you think I'm stupid? I'm from the Royal Guard Family. "
Jiawen's eyes were filled with anger.
"Even a great man like my father is dead. Do you think I can face a situation that even my father couldn't handle?!"
He wasn't stupid. Even though he was only a child, he was still able to see things clearly. A person like him was only left with a righteous title. Nothing else mattered. No matter who became the ruler of Demacia in the end, he wouldn't have a good ending.
Even if he left, it would still be the same. Due to his righteousness, he would be viewed as a threat by all rulers. Like him, there was no chance of survival. He would be used until the very last drop of value was squeezed dry, and then die in an "accident" like his father.
Even if the ruler of Demacia chose to spare him as a show of benevolence, his subordinates definitely wouldn't spare him. Those subordinates would definitely eliminate this threat for the sake of their kingdom. They would do everything in their power to ensure that their kingdom could continue to exist in this world.
Everyone turned to look at him and Teana, wanting to know what Teana's opinion on this was.
Teana was in despair. This kind of suspicion was impossible to dispel. It was only natural that Jiawen, who no longer trusted anyone, would suspect the Royal Guards, who were the most likely culprits. She could only do her best to display her sincerity in order to make Jiawen trust her and the Royal Guards.
"The Royal Guards will always be the Royal Guards. Your Highness, the throne is yours. No one can take it away from you."
However, Jiawen IV only replied with a cold and detached gaze. Teana knew that she would never be able to win back this distrust.
… …
After discussing the king's funeral, Teana, who was both physically and mentally exhausted, shook off the nobles who wanted to get the 'truth' out of her. She refused all social engagements and returned to her room. Then, as if to vent her anger, she took off her armor, revealing the light shirt underneath. She also wildly tore off her meticulously maintained hair before collapsing onto her bed in a completely undignified manner.
"Why do I have to encounter something like this when I'm the head of the family?"
She squirmed on her bed in annoyance. She first looked at the portrait of her husband, who had passed away a long time ago, the man who had caused her to be unable to even leave behind a single child. She then looked at the portraits of the family heads of the various generations of Royal Guards, as well as the outstanding ancestors, and for some reason, she couldn't help but chuckle.
"I've been wanting to say this for a long time. How could it be fun to do something like that under the watchful eyes of the ancestors? I don't even have a child now …"
She stroked her lower abdomen and lamented the death of her husband. She didn't like this responsibility either. If possible, she only wanted to be the head of the Royal Guards and leave everything else to her husband. Unfortunately, that outstanding young man had passed away a long time ago.
After that, everything fell on her shoulders. She had no husband to share the burden with, no child to look forward to in the future, and for the sake of the glory of the Royal Guards, it was impossible for her to even remarry.
What girl would like such a life?
When she was young, she had joined the Royal Guards because she longed for the king. However, she discovered that the king wasn't all that glamorous and was extremely loyal to his queen. After that, she began to envy the queen. After she got married, she rejoiced that her husband was an outstanding person and looked forward to the so-called happiness. However, after she heard the news of his death, she didn't feel anything. After all, they didn't have much time together. It was already considered a lot for them to meet twice a year.
She had spent her entire life working for the glory of the Royal Guards and Demacia, and what did she get in return?
Nothing at all.
"If the person defending all of this doesn't even have their own happiness, then why should I defend it?"
After giving up on herself, Teana wanted to take a good rest, and at the same time, she was also looking forward to the possibility that all of the problems she had encountered were nothing more than a dream.
However, right at this moment, she heard a man's voice from her window.
"Because people always have something to pursue. Regardless of whether it's a dream or a childhood dream, they are all things that we can pursue. If you can't feel happiness while protecting your country and your glory, then why would you fight so hard for this country?"
She immediately became alert, pulled out her sword, and jumped off the bed barefooted. She was then greeted by the sight of a man leaning against the windowsill and looking up at the moon and stars.
"Take me for example. When I was young, my dream was to become a great scientist. I wanted to travel through the sea of stars and establish friendships with friendly people from other planets and worlds. I wanted to destroy those evil people and use my inventions to bring happiness to the people of the world."
The man turned around, and Teana's heart skipped a beat. However, she heaved a sigh of relief at the same time. She put down her sword before grabbing onto the collar of her clothes to prevent her body from being overly exposed. This was because the man she was looking at was a lecher who was renowned across the entire continent. He was the man who had caused her to be in this predicament, yet he was shamelessly sitting on her windowsill, Li Ke.
"Then I should praise you, right? You have a very grand dream, and I'm very curious; do you also know about glory? "
She looked at Li Ke with a displeased expression, and her tone became stern again.
Of course, I'm very proficient in massacres, genocide, dictatorship, purges, neutron annihilation, melted glass, and Chibaku Tensei, so of course I know what glory is.
After all, as a war criminal who has no glory, I know that what I should question the most is not glory or morality. Instead, I should question why I was defeated.
Li Ke really wanted to give her this answer, but he shook his head in the end. This was the way the world was, after all. That was why the truth that he was pursuing was so laughable and indestructible.
"Glory is a contribution, not a burden. Also, aren't heroes to the Noxus people nothing more than bandits to you people? You'll never be able to get an answer to this question, and that's not why I'm here today. "
Teana's brows furrowed. What she was most afraid of wasn't Li Ke starting the war ahead of schedule. Instead, she was afraid that Li Ke would suddenly decide to do something. The civil war in Demacia was on the verge of breaking out at any moment, and she didn't want to see that happen.
"Then what are you here for? Are you going to break your promise and start the war ahead of schedule?"
Li Ke shook his head again as he stared into Teana's eyes.
"I want you to become a king."
"… What?"
"Become a king in order to save Demacia, Teana."
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