In the dimly lit dungeon, damp and cold. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

Sebastian curled up on a pile of straw, motionless. After the church trial, he had a fever and a pain in the soles of his feet. The bare arms, calves, ankles, and insteps are all small red buns, which are the masterpieces of fleas.

A mouse probed his head and touched his hair with his nose, and he let out a slight sigh as the mouse ran away. The little red envelope on his body was painful and itchy, and at first he reached out to grab it, but now he didn't bother to raise his hand.

I'm dying, and I care what I'm doing with all this? How am I going to die? I'm sent to the gallows, with a rope around my neck, and it's getting harder and harder to breathe, kicking my legs and glaring? Like a convict who was hanged at an imperial celebration? Or was my head cut off and a few days later my head pierced with a spear and stuck in the city walls?

In the face of the impending execution, Sebastian's heart is becoming more and more calm. He had thought a lot about it in the past few days, and he heard the guards say that Emperor Caesar had ascended the throne.

Oh, that little 12-year-old boy, as tender as spring grass. The little ghost head sits on the Thunder Throne, wearing a cloak embroidered with seven lightning eagles and seven snow leopards, and accepts worship and petitions.

Without me, the sun of the empire still rises as usual. Sebastian sneered. Regent, Guardian, Prime Minister, I thought that those glamorous titles implied power, a butcher's knife that could be killed and taken. All along, I have been cautious in the use of power, walking on thin ice, for fear that I will blame the good people and let the evil people go. In the end, I learned that these titles are more like beautiful clothes, and every careerist wants to strip the person who sits on the Thunder Throne to the brim.

Bloody costumes, no wonder August scolded "go to his title" on his deathbed. Oh, people are dying, what is the difference between the emperor and the prisoners? rats, fleas, cockroaches, mosquitoes, they are not picky eaters, and the nobles with fine skin and tender flesh make them even more delicious.

Sebastian stretched out his arm, his right hand was too bent to straighten, and he kicked his legs, the soles of his feet ulcerated in places, scabbed in others, and itched unbearably when they touched the straw. It doesn't matter, this body will be scrapped soon.

Sebastian remembered Ludwig's face. The former commander of the military department proudly asked for the position of governor of Orlando at the Imperial Council table, and I refused. He threatened me not to allow me to check the military headquarters, and then took the risk. Leaving the position of commander, he is nothing more than that.

Sebastian burst out laughing. At this moment, the door opened, and the guard brought today's meal. In the dungeon, he couldn't tell if it was day or night, and when the guards brought cold soup and ** bread, he knew that it was time to eat, and he would eat one less meal.

His eyes widened as the meal was hearty: smoked salmon, sandwiches, mushroom soup, and even a small glass of fragrant ale.

"What time is it, day or night?" asked Sebastian, looking at the thinning guard.

"Five o'clock in the morning. The intelligence director, dressed in a short gray robe, appeared in the doorway, frowning, his hand fanning his nose, "Oh, it stinks here." ”

"Bill Newton?" Sebastian sneered, "what are you doing here?"

"Look at you, after all, you and I were friends. Bill shrugged, "The scholar is so cruel to you, there is no humane treatment at all." Or me, at least before you are guillotined, to talk to you. ”

"I don't have much to say to you. Sebastian said coldly, "Ivana told me everything. ”

Bill kicked away a pile of hay, stood in a cleaner clearing, put his hands in his sleeves, and continued: "Her Majesty has come to see you." I'll just say, she can't let you go. ”

"She's not going to be at ease with me," Sebastian smirked, "for fear that I'll embarrass her by shouting and arguing during the execution." After all, everyone knows that I am innocent. ”

A shallow smile tugged at the corners of Bill's lips and said, "Not really. Her Majesty really likes you, anyone with a discerning eye can see it. ”

"Less disgusting to me. I'd rather be blind. Sebastian laughed, "What are you here for? and acting as a lobbyist for the Queen? Persuade me to keep my mouth shut when I am executed, anyway, my hand is up and down, and in a matter of seconds, don't cause trouble for you conspirators?"

"Oops, Sebastian, my good friend, it's too late for you to become like a hedgehog by now. Bill sighed, shook his head, and said, "In Thundercastle, you have to learn how to survive. What about the old bachelor, choose to be a dogtail grass, wherever the wind blows, you can shake your tail, it looks so inconspicuous, who would bend down and take the trouble to pull an inconspicuous grass? ”

"Oh, figuratively. Bill, I really underestimate you, your rhetoric is very good. Sebastian shrugged, he twitched his leg and a flea bit the sole of his injured foot.

"Before you have your own power, you are forced to sit in the position of regent. In fact, you can choose to be a hedgehog and look like you can't speak, at least so that others don't dare to mess with you. Bill ignored Sebastian's sarcasm, "But you're just like an antelope, rushing forward with your horns on your head, big goals, and poor stamina." When I met wolves and cheetahs, I died so miserably. ”

"I didn't expect an antelope to die at the hands of mice. Sebastian gestured around the corner, "Do you hear that? That's you, Bill." ”

Bill shrugged, not feeling a hint of anger at the parable: "I said earlier, I hide in the shadows, but I yearn for the light. ”

"Bah!" Sebastian sarcastically said, "you don't do that, you manipulate the whole trial." ”

"There are only two kinds of people in the world, one is a chess piece and the other is a chess player. Bill raised his right hand and stretched out two fingers, "When you were regent, you had a lot of chess pieces to use, but you played a stinky game of chess, you were a general, and you almost buried the empire to Ludwig." ”

"I'm not meant to play Game of Thrones in the first place. Sebastian smiled wryly, "You think I'm willing to play chess with you?"

"This shows that Emperor August was a stinky chess player. Bill smiled, "All your experiences can only be attributed to His Majesty the Emperor." ”

"Be respectful, His Majesty the Emperor is not thin on you. Sebastian put a grimace.

"These are two different things. Bill retorted, kicking away another pile of straw to give himself more room to move around, "He's not thin on me, but that doesn't mean I can't point out his mistakes." ”

"You should point out his mistakes more harshly in the knight's team competition!" Sebastian remembered before the team competition, "You are simply adding fuel to the fire, where are you persuading, the eldest prince listened to your words, and the more he wanted to prove himself in the team competition!"

"Hey......" Bill said, shaking his head, "In the world, the identity of a chess piece and a chess player is closely intertwined, like two sides of a coin. You are the regent, we are all your pawns, and you are the pawns of His Majesty the Emperor. Then whose pawn is His Majesty the Emperor?"

Sebastian was speechless for a moment. The supreme ruler of the whole continent, whose pawn can he be?

"Humanity. Although he was self-righteous and drunk, he was also deeply in love with Queen Dorothy and the Grand Prince. Bill held out a finger as if he were speaking, "He is a pawn of his multifaceted, tragic character." ”

Sebastian was speechless. He was silent for a long time, carefully reviewing every word Bill said. The fat man was right, but he didn't agree. For him, there is no point in discussing these. He asked, "Why are you discussing this with me?"

Bill smiled kindly, "I just want to talk to you, sometimes, you can't control your own fate." It can be regarded as a reassuring of your heart: after all, after sacrificing you and digging out the careerists of the empire, you are also worthy of Emperor August and His Royal Highness Brandett. ”

Sebastian sneered, relieved to hear Bill say that. He laughed: "In any case, I am not a good chess player, but I am also a good chess piece." Thanks, I really feel a lot lighter on my shoulders. ”

"Then enjoy it. Bill pouted at the hearty dish, "Don't waste it." ”

Sebastian gulped down the tender flesh of the smoked salmon and served with ham in the sandwich. He was starving, rotten bread and cold water, giving him diarrhea and toothache, he had planned not to eat rotten food, starvation is also death, but he didn't expect Bill to personally deliver the last meal.

"Oops, drink slowly. Bill smacked his lips, "Look at you're eating, I'm hungry, ale, good ale." ”

"Haha, would you like a sip?" asked Sebastian, holding up his glass.

"Oh, that's not going to work, it's your last meal, after all. Bill scratched his face and gave an embarrassed expression, "Did I disturb your mood for dinner when I said that?"

"Not at all. Sebastian shook his head, "Save the good wine for last." Oh, delicious mushroom soup, you really deserve a bite. ”

Bill watched Sebastian drink the mushroom soup with satisfaction, he smiled and said, "Actually, you also want to open a little, the death knell rings in the morning, and I don't know for whom." ”

"Yes, I, Ludwig, Krause, Walzer, Andrés, the four members of the Imperial Council, and one of the captains of the Imperial Guards, must all die. Sebastian laughed, "The one who rings the bell tomorrow must be busy." But I don't know one thing: why do you want to kill Count Arryn? You and I both know that he is innocent and not in your chess game. ”

Bill smiled, this time mysteriously, "I thought you had forgotten the righteous Earl of Arryn." Who do you mean? Empress Ivana, me, Ludwig, Archbishop?"

Sebastian sniffed the ale, which was fragrant. He nodded, and asked rhetorically, "Who else could it be? Aren't you good at playing Game of Thrones? ”

"The Church Armament is the work of that stupid woman, and honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. If Ludwig's military rebellion was suppressed, the empire would not be able to cause any civil strife, which would not work, and without civil strife, the master would be unhappy. Bill stretched out his finger and pointed at the tip of Sebastian's nose, "You must die, because you are alive, Thundercastle will be stable for a while, and Count Arryn must die, because only if he is dead, can the Kingdom of Meinor have a reason to send troops." ”

Sebastian snorted and asked, "Who do you say you are serving, master?"

Bill clapped his hands, "I like you, Sebastian." Based on this, I reveal to you: my master is the real chess player in the mainland. Now, tell me, for whom the death knell is ringing?"

It's all a conspiracy, and the entire Thunder Castle is being played with by Bill.

Sebastian shuddered, and the ale glass fell to the ground. He shouted to the guards to grab Bill, and when the words came into his mouth, he found that he was dumb. (To be continued.) )