In the backyard of the castle of Kaval, where the Dukes lived, Pedi had no interest in the fortress-like loft, and the old Duchess Seviara continued to live there.

Since the death of the old Duke Nick, Madame Saviara has dismissed most of the maids in the attic, and has a daily tea party with her old friends, talking about the latest poetry and prose, and living a quiet and pleasant life.

But today, the idleness in the attic is broken,

Because the old lady's second son, the new owner of the castle intends to bring his queen and the princes of the kingdom for lunch here.

At ten o'clock in the morning, the knightly guards of the castle began to enter the fortress around the attic.

At eleven o'clock, Queen Eileen Fil arrived, but she could not see the old lady Saviara, so she could only stay in the tea-room of the parlor like a guest.

Subsequently, the Kingdom Honor Guard, the Royal Band, the Court Etiquette Officer, and so on arrived one after another.

At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, Pedi and the kingdom's military secretary, Sira Marne, and the finance minister, Edwin Filming, arrived in the attic.

And it was only at this time that the old lady Saviara appeared in the hall of the attic.

After a brief chatter, the crowd began to enter the dining room under the arrangement of the hostess. When the beautiful and elegant music played, Herman, the chief keeper of the castle, personally instructed the maids to serve the food.

The first dish on the table is an appetizer called sour veal, which is made from small sour fruits and tender beef salad from the Elven Kingdom Naren Forest.

"It's a real little sour fruit from the Narlen Forest... It's been a long time since I've tasted this. Edwin Filmin sighed as Pedy raised his glass.

As the queen, Eileen Fil immediately took on the appearance of a hostess, smiled and said, "If you like it, let your butler ask Chief Herman for some another day." ”

"You are truly generous, Your Majesty. Edwin Filmin immediately replied in trepidation.

Paddy raised his glass and said in passing, "Let's toast to the little sour fruit of Naren Forest." He glanced at the two ministers, then looked at his mother sitting across from him, "Mother, I heard that the elves can keep their little sour fruit for 10,000 years without aging, you should try more." ”

A son's words always make a mother smile, and Saviara, who is also a mother, smiled faintly, "Are you saying I'm old now?"

"No, you are forever young and beautiful in my eyes. Pedi replied heartily.

"May your words come from the heart. Saviara raised her glass as well, and when she took a sip of her wine, she put it down and said, "Speaking of Naryn Forest... When will you be able to defeat the Elven Alliance and reunite me with my eldest daughter?" she looked at the Kingdom's War Secretary, Sira Marne, as she spoke.

Peddy glanced at Silah Marne and explained in her place, "We've been working in this direction all the time, but Mother... You should know that defeating today's powerful elves is not something that can be done in a short period of time. ”

"I just hope I don't have to wait too long, I don't have the endless life of the elves. ”

"I promise I won't wait too long, Mother. There was a kind of confidence in Pedy's words, though deep down he wasn't very confident about it.

"Well...," Saviara stopped the conversation, "I only have you now... There is only one son like you, I can only trust you. Her voice grew lower.

When the old lady's voice was inaudible, Herman, the manager, took the opportunity to make a second hot soup, mushroom soup.

None of the people at the table spoke while the soup was served, and the only sounds in the dining room could be heard was soft music and the "clanging" of silver spoons touching porcelain bowls.

Then the side dish was a seafood platter, and Pedi probably didn't like seafood, so he stopped his knife and fork after two bites, raised his glass and looked at Sirah-Marne for a few seconds, and then said, "The restructuring of the kingdom's army should be almost done, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. When she heard Pedy's inquiry, she immediately swallowed the food in her mouth, wiped her lips with a napkin, and whispered: "The reconstruction of the ten corps is going well, the garrison of the five corps in the eastern part of the Eluk Command and the Kumar Fortress was restructured a month ago, and the command post in the theater was also established..."

"I remember a month ago I asked you to recommend a Supreme Commander of the War Zone... But until now, the military department has not given me a list that I can refer to. Pedi gently shook the red wine in the glass, "Is there any difficulty?"

"Your Majesty, the Theater Commander needs to coordinate the overall situation, not only to take care of the security of the kingdom's borders, but also to coordinate the relationship with the Suluk Public and the Mage Tower, so... There was some argument in the military department. "In the last three years of war, there have been many military commanders who have distinguished themselves and who can command an army to complete a beautiful attack, but if they are asked to guard the borders, coordinate border trade and relations with nations...", she shook her head and did not continue.

The duty of the border troops was to defend the border, and even the supreme commander could not move an inch without the king's orders. In other words, before the order arrived, this army could only defend passively, and could not take the initiative to declare war or attack.

The best example is that when Count Anse was stationed in Anku Fortress, he chose to take the initiative when the orcs gathered their army, and although he was brilliant in the end, he was still punished by the Empire.

Therefore, the candidate for the supreme commander of the Aerok Command Theater Command is really not something that can be discussed clearly in a short period of time.

"It seems... The military department is indeed carefully selecting. Pedi raised his glass and touched it in the direction of Siala Marne, and when he took a sip of his wine, he suddenly asked, "What does our Prime Minister think about this?"

Peddy's question was very abrupt, and Sir Edwin Filming, who was next to him, stopped when he heard the rapid swing of the knife and fork in his hand, and subconsciously looked up at the smiling ruler of the kingdom on the throne, and when the other party's gaze inadvertently came, he immediately lowered his head to concentrate on the seafood platter on the porcelain plate.

The old lady Saviara at the other end of the table frowned slightly after hearing her son's question, and subconsciously raised the wine glass in her hand, and tried to say something several times between the corners of her mouth, but in the end she didn't say anything.

Herman, the butler, walked to the serving to stop the waiter from passing the food, and signaled the waiter serving in the restaurant not to come forward first.

Siala Marne obviously didn't expect Pedi to ask so directly, she was obviously stunned, and the words she wanted to say seemed to be stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say anything.

"Sir, as my Minister of War, is there anything else that can make you feel worried?" Pedi fixed his eyes on Sirah Marne's face, "You serve me, and only me!"

"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty. Sirah Marne quickly gathered her thoughts, "I just subconsciously thought of something else...", she looked apologetic and said, "Regarding the candidates for the commander of the Arrow Command, the cabinet has proposed several candidates, and they are also within the scope of the military department's inspection. ”

"Who are they?" asked Pedy, asking.

"My dear," Erin Phil leaned over into Pedy's ear and said in a voice that everyone could hear, "Let's serve the main course first." With that, she nodded to Herman, the castle steward.

Pedi shrugged and picked up his glass, "Oh, I'm sorry, I almost forgot to be at the table right now. ”

As he spoke, the waiter served the main course of the day, which was a flying fish abundant on the southern coast of the mainland, and the Crewe people liked to eat it with cream, and when they enjoyed it, they would pour a cup of special sauce, and each cook's sauce was different.

"It was my first time enjoying this dish in this season. Edwin Fellin whispered with emotion.

"Then enjoy it, our chef has nearly twenty kinds of sauces. As the hostess, Eileen Fil couldn't help but smile when she heard someone compliment the back kitchen, "Even I don't know what kind of taste I'll taste today." ”

"It's something to look forward to. Sir Edwin was already moving his knife and fork as he spoke.

A unique aroma began to permeate the restaurant as the heat rose from the table, and neither the host nor the guests at the table spoke in the face of such a delicious taste.

Although Sira Marne seemed to be looking for food, she had actually been observing Pedi on the main seat, and when she saw that the other party did not continue the topic just now, her heart finally relaxed slightly.

Harmony has returned to the restaurant.

Mr. Herman liked the situation the most, and the fruit salad was served to the table.

But this time, Pedi took two bites to remove the lingering taste of the main dish from his mouth and then put down his fork. The two ministers, who had been watching him out of the corner of their eyes, immediately raised their hearts to their throats, and waited quietly for the king to ask a new question while pretending to enjoy their lunch.

"The police department recently reported a case..."Pei Di got up slightly and moved the chair behind him, "Some people say that the police station has been too idle recently, but they have not been idle, they have reviewed all the cases that have been in doubt in the past five years, and the '500,000 gold coin embezzlement' case two years ago has attracted the attention of the police department, and it has really made the police find out the problem." ”

"I remember this case, another case that I remember very well. Pedi looked at her mother as she spoke, "At that time, all the evidence pointed to my mother. ”

"You've never told me about it. Saviara and her son looked at each other, "No one else has ever mentioned this to me. She frowned, a slight anger in her eyes. "What the hell is going on?" the old lady probably didn't expect things to happen to her suddenly.

"Someone embezzled half a million military dollars in your name, and the final destination of this money is Twak Collar. "But recently, we've found out that the money didn't really go to the Twak Collar. ”

"I want to... I'm full. Old Mrs. Saviara threw down her napkin and stood up.

"I'm so sorry, Mother, for letting you have an unpleasant lunch, and I'll come over myself to apologize to you later. Pedi also stood up and said to her mother.

"You are always welcome here, and only you. ”

What she meant was obvious, if you wanted to talk about the interview in front of her, there could be no other outsiders.

The departure of Mrs. Saviara did not affect the conversation at the dinner table, and Pedi looked at Edwin Film: "I believe that the Ministry of Finance still keeps the file of this case at that time, as well as the records of the broken money and the signature documents of the relevant officials. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty. Edwin Filmin affirmed, "If you want to access the relevant documents, I can get them out right away." ”

The Chancellor's decisive answer made Silah Marne look sideways, and Pedi was slightly startled.

"It seems that it was the right choice to leave the kingdom's finances to you in the first place. Pedi did not hesitate to show his appreciation for Edwin Filming, "It seems that when Daisily Pombo steps down as prime minister, I will no longer have to worry about no one taking his place. ”

The king's words were like a joke, like a promise.

Edwin Film's hands trembled slightly, even though he knew very well that the young King in front of him had long wanted to abolish the cabinet prime ministership, he still couldn't help but get excited. However, he was clever enough not to take the joke, he took it as a real joke and revealed it with a light smile.

Pedi looked pleased, he glanced at Sheila Marne and looked at Herman, the castle steward next to him, "We should have another hot drink, right?"

After saluting gracefully, the chief Herman replied, "Of course, Your Majesty, milk tea is served in the kitchen today. ”

"Then bring it up. ”

Soon, the rich mellow aroma of milk tea began to overwhelm the fruity fragrance, and Pei Di looked at his two ministers while slowly savoring it. When half of the hot drink in his cup was gone, he looked at Sirah Marne and said, "I hope... See the military department's list of candidates for the El Luk Command Theater as soon as possible. ”

"Three days at the latest, Your Majesty. Sira Marne no longer answered vaguely, Edwin Film's statement just now made him understand that this time his Majesty the King was serious.

"Very well!" Petdy was pleased with the answer, he put down his cup and wiped his mouth with a napkin before standing up, "You are free, I have eaten...", and then he attached himself to his wife's ear, "I'll go see my mother." ”

"Thank you for your lunch, Your Majesty. Sheila Marne and Edwin Filmin also stood up.

"It's time for me to take my leave. ”

"It's always a busy time in the afternoon, and I have to leave first. ”

Pedi shrugged and motioned for them to be casual.

The two of them saluted as they followed the waiter's lead to the door of the restaurant...

A few minutes later, the two walked out of the attic.

Sheila Marne walked fast at first, but deliberately slowed down as she approached the gate of this magnificent residential area. When she reached the gate, Edwin Filmin from behind happened to follow.

"You seem to know something ahead of time?" asked Sirah-Marne in a low voice.

Edwin Filmin was surprised that Princess Corwin had taken the initiative to stop and talk to him, but he was more proud, and he deliberately muttered for two seconds before saying, "I just instinctively did what His Majesty commanded. ”

"Do you believe this yourself?" said Sirah Marne's tone was a little cold.

"Why don't you believe it?" Edwin Filmin shrugged, "I don't know what Daisily Pombo promised you, but I would say that his promise is a pile of shit." ”

"I never cared about Daisily Pombo's promises, I just didn't want to see the kingdom plunged into turmoil and civil war again. ”

"Supporting His Majesty's decision is the best way to end the turmoil and civil war. ”