Twilight. A crisp breeze blew in through the window, and Duke Locke was the only occupant in the room.

He didn't let people light candles, just sat quietly in the darkness and enjoyed the scenery outside the window. Since returning to Roseend, he has always liked to relieve the pressure in his heart in this peaceful way, leaving his charming wife to a strange "hometown" thousands of miles away.

Looking at the environment where I have always been unable to fit in, there is naturally an indescribable mood in my heart, and a melancholy mood fills my chest, although I already have the name of the Duke, but in fact, only I know it, and I experience the taste of being alone.

From the bustling empire of Kyoto to the remote northwestern country of Rosend, the contrast between the two is enormous, but one thing is the same, and that is that the sunset is so beautiful, like a burning sky releasing all its glory before darkness falls.

Thinking of this title that made him have no sense of glory at all, Locke felt a wry smile, everyone thought that he was sad and crazy, imprisoned his father and killed his brother, so cruel that he couldn't believe it, I believe that in the eyes of others, his position as Duke of Gosende came so easily, he must be the kind of high-spirited now, but only he knows that the road he has walked, what kind of price he has paid, how much scheming he has spent, like a puppet, everything he has done is the thing he hates the most,

It's not that he hasn't hesitated, but he can't stop, he is already a front-line puppet in the hands of others, except for a face, an identity that has been set up, what is left of him?

Every time, when he hesitated and couldn't decide, he would think of that dusk in Kyoto,

In the lavish and glorious Imperial Palace, the white marble of one hundred and fifty steps, the golden sunlight, through the glazed glass on the side, turned into a dreamlike seven colors and shone on the ground. Dozens of bright candles illuminate the room, and the room is pure like a piece of existence that does not belong to time and space

Locke always remembered that at the end of the corridor of the palace there was a young man sitting at his desk reading a book, the sun shining on him, he was tall and slender, his face was delicate and melancholy, his eyes were as bright as sapphire but so clear, and his gaze revealed a profound wit.

He held the scroll in his hand and looked attentive. More like a philosopher who has insight into the world or a poet with no talents, rather than the master of this thousand-mile empire. The wind blew, ruffling his long hair, and in a moment, he shook his head slightly, his fingers flicking the edge of his jaw to cover his eyes, and the movements were dexterous and pleasing to the eye, making Locke stunned.

"You are Locke, a graduate of the 160th class of the Imperial Military Academy. Just applied to join the Imperial Praetorian Guard......"

After a few minutes, the young Emperor raised his head and looked at the academy student kneeling ten meters away in front of him, his eyes were blue. Like the sky, like the sea, and like the purest sapphire crystal, it is inscrutable. It is as if there is an infinite future in it

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Locke was half-kneeling on the ground, his voice trembling. It seems that he doesn't even know what he is talking about, but in the cold winter, sweat is oozing from his back, and the empty hall is full of boundless pressure, and these pressures come from one person

"I've seen your grades, they're excellent!" "But the requirements for admission to the Praetorian Guard are very strict, and you also know that the ratio of the number of people who can enter the Praetorian Guard from the academy students every year is fifty to one, and those who can directly enter the ranks of the officers, in addition to their grades, also need a family with enough reputation as a guarantee."

"And you're applying for an officer!"

The young emperor's words became very pleasant when they came out of his mouth, as if they were as smooth as flowing water: "Northwest people like you are even fewer who are admitted to the Praetorian Guard, so I am curious, if you enter the Praetorian Guard, what are your plans?"

"No, I'm not from the Northwest, I grew up in the imperial capital! I chose to take the Praetorian Guard officer exam in order to be able to display my ambitions!" Locke's body trembled slightly, his face was flushed, since he was a child, the education he received was the education of the imperial capital, at the age of six, he was praised by others for his flexible thinking, and at the age of twelve, he was admitted to the Imperial Military University with the best grades, in the academy, his grades were very outstanding, his theoretical scores ranked in the top ten, and his personal skills were also able to enter the top fifty,

The average Praetorian Guard officer is not necessarily his opponent,

As an outstanding student of the Imperial Military University, Locke not only needs to learn various military theories and train combat skills, but also needs to participate.

The students of the Imperial Military Academy are not flowers in the greenhouse, most of them come from families with military backgrounds in Kyoto, they have excellent blood, profound family knowledge, and they have been cultivated talents since childhood, these military academy students who are selected to be sent to the front line of the battlefield do not need to participate in the battle directly, most of them are for those generals as adjutants to do chores, but Locke rarely asks to be sent to the front, he has seen the corpses on the battlefield all over the field, and he has seen the regimental confrontation of the banners,

Three years of study at the Imperial Military Academy gave Locke the ability to be an excellent soldier, he had just completed his graduation studies, and was recommended and affirmed by a very famous general of the Eastern Legion, so he had the decision to directly apply for the Praetorian Guard.

If a letter of recommendation from the general, who was once the head of the Praetorian Guard, should be enough to open a door of glory for himself,

The only thing that worries Locke is his lineage, he comes from the remote northwest, an uncivilized region in the eyes of the people of Kyoto, and although he has always considered himself an imperial capital, there is an inescapable fact that the blood of the northwestern barbarians that flows in his body is a stain that will never fade

"Well, aren't you the eldest son of the Duke of Northwest?" the young emperor put down the scroll in his hand, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he regained his composure

"I have never regarded that uncivilized barbarian as a father" Locke replied word by word with a hideous face with a low head "In my eyes, there is only His Majesty, there is only the Empire, and there is only Kyoto!" "But what if the Empire needs you to return to the northwest," the young emperor looked at the young academy student and said word by word. You must have heard about the Northwest, which is becoming a source of crisis for the Empire, and there is a lot of evidence that the Slavs who occupied the North came from the Northwest, and the Empire cannot let this situation go on any longer, and the Empire needs someone to trust enough to go to the Northwest to cut off the source of unrest at the root, are you willing to take on this responsibility?"

"This ......" Locke lowered his head, not daring to raise it, returning to the northwest was the last thing he wanted to face in his heart to face the nightmare

"If you do this, you will become the first Northwest Commander of the Empire, which is more able to show your ambitions than becoming an officer of the Praetorian Guard!" the young emperor looked at the hesitant young academy student and threw out a bait that he couldn't refuse, "This time, there are five thousand Praetorian Guards with you, someone will preside over this matter, you just need to cooperate!"

Footsteps sounded at the door, Locke looked back from the window, the memory was interrupted, and a Praetorian Guard officer walked in from the outside, slender, girl-like Sven and delicate, and with an extraordinary temperament, "Lord Duke, the Duke of Dunkiel has arrived in Kromdor" "What about the northwest coast?

Duke Locke turned his head, frowned slightly, and said, "The calm reaction of the Northwest Coast, like a hammer hanging high, always makes people uneasy, that is 200,000 Northwest elites, two wars that determine the fate of the Northwest, are the protagonists of the Northwest Coast singing, our previous arrangement is to arouse the Northwest Coast's desire to win, but who knows that the other party doesn't know whether it is a treacherous and cunning, or he doesn't take us in his eyes at all, and he directly ignores it" "Hehe, that's why I came because of this, You also think too highly of that Vekia Falcon" The Praetorian Guard officer sneered at the corner of his mouth, "I just received a secret report from the Minister of the Interior, there is a person in the queue of the Duke of Dunkier, who is very similar to the figure of the Vekia Falcon, and this person is also very arrogant and rides in the same carriage with the Duke of Dunkier,

It's really interesting to say, this Vecchian falcon seems to have come in with the intention of hiding in the convoy of the Duke of Dunkirk, is he so naïve, really thinks that we are blind? will not guard against anything against the people of the northwest coast? If it were me, I would never use such a self-righteous method!""What you said is true? Is it already confirmed? In that case, what are we waiting for here? Send out troops and arrest this scourge at once!"

Hearing the words of the Praetorian Guard, Locke stood up excitedly, his eyes flickered, and finally came, isn't all his efforts to catch this biggest fish in the northwest? Catching the Vekia Falcon is equivalent to grabbing the lifeblood of the Northwest at once, "What's the hurry, this big fat fish hasn't completely entered the net yet! And there is news about the existence of our Praetorian Guards in the capital of Ruosende, and it can't be exposed yet." The young Praetorian Guard officer obviously has a higher status than Locke, so there is a sense of command in his tone, and a chill flashes in his eyes" "Then we ...... now" Locke was a little overwhelmed for a while, at the same age, the identity of this Praetorian Guard officer was not comparable to himself, and the means of forcing the northwest coast into a desperate situation step by step made Locke, a person who considers himself a genius tremble, "There is a kind of person who is a natural conspirator" Looking at the other party's beautiful and elegant men's side face, Locke felt a heartbeat for no reason(To be continued......)