Hannover, in the study of the Grand Duke's Palace.

All the guards retreated, and in the large room, only Grand Duke Smowa and his son, Marquis Marco, sat opposite each other.

"Father, there's news from the west."

The Marquis of Marco said as he handed a letter to his father in both hands.

Needless to say, when he said the west, of course, he was referring to the much-discussed operation of the princess mission in the city to suppress bandits.

The Grand Duke of Smowa reached out and took the letter, and asked casually, "What is the result?" ”

Marquis Marco said excitedly: "As my father expected, the troops under the command of the princess have won a great victory. In this battle, more than 700 bandits pretended to be thieves of various nobles and private soldiers were killed, and more than 1,000 people were captured, but none of their own soldiers died! ”

The Grand Duke's hand, which was about to open the letter, froze in mid-air, and did not move for a long time.

After a long time, he finally opened the letter, and said with a long sigh: "I only expected Her Highness the princess to win, but I did not expect her to win so cleanly. This battle was fought so much, so ......."

He said a few words "too" one after another, but found that he couldn't find a suitable word to describe such a brilliant victory.

The difference between 300 and 1,000 and 6 times the number of troops can be called huge. And the fact that none of the soldiers who participated in the battle died is even more magical like a fairy tale.

Of course, there is an element of luck in this, and the full-body armor on the warriors must also have another mystery. But it is undeniable that this rookie unit, which was formed just 6 months ago, now has a heavy weight that people have to pay attention to.

And as the two key figures in the transformation and evolution of this rookie army, Anthony and Tang Feng's leadership talents have also been preliminarily proven.

Marquis Marco knew that in his father's mind, the two of them had added another weight to Her Royal Highness the Princess and the glorious empire.

"Although the course of the battle has changed a few times, it has been smooth overall, and Her Royal Highness the princess has always been firmly in control of the situation. From start to finish, the bandits failed to find any chance to turn the tables around. ”

Marquis Marco continued to explain the battle, and Duke Smowa finally opened the battle report in his hand.

The battle ended with a great victory for the Princess's Mission. But after all the dust settled, the leader of the bandits who voluntarily surrendered actually assassinated Princess Arina! ”

At this point, the Marquis of Marco stopped. But he saw that his father was calm and constant, neither nervous nor panicked, as if the assassination was just an insignificant passerby. Just asked lightly:

"And then?"

Marquis Mark no longer closed his son, and told the whole story in detail.

In the end, he couldn't bear it anymore and asked the doubts in his heart.

"Father, are you so sure that Princess Arlina will be safe?"

Grand Duke Smowa put down the piece of paper in his hand and smiled indifferently: "Her Royal Highness Princess Yalina has two top powerhouses around her, and we nobles just send someone to succeed in assassination, isn't that a fool's dream?" Unless they are careless, there is a major hole in the protective measures. Otherwise, ordinary people would not be able to hurt a single cold hair of Her Royal Highness the princess. ”

Marquis Marco was not convinced. In other words, ever since his father showed great interest in the princess and his party, he had always had a provocative attitude.

"I know that my father admires and appreciates Anthony very much, but when the tiger is napping, he has a mental calculation or not, and this assassination may not be without the possibility of success."

Grand Duke Smowa glanced at his son lightly, but did not argue with him.

"If Her Royal Highness the princess is really assassinated, then there is nothing to say, we will obey the wishes of those nobles and raise the banner to rebel. Didn't you also say that the odds of victory in my glorious empire are really not high. ”

Marquis Marco looked at his father in a daze, only thinking that this was too child's play. After all, it is also a major event related to the lives of thousands of people in a major province.

The Duke of Smois, however, did not want to dwell on this issue and quickly jumped to the next point.

"Although the assassination was unsuccessful, the purpose of the mastermind behind the scenes has been achieved. This serial poison trick is quite clever! ”

The Grand Duke exclaimed in a low voice, but the Marquis Marco was a little puzzled.

"It's impossible for Princess Arlina not to see such an obvious blame, right? Although there are still doubts, it is a big failure to report to the family. The Charlton family seems to be the most suspicious, but when you think about it, it is the most unlikely. ”

"What if that's what the people behind the scenes want you to think?"

The Grand Duke asked a rhetorical question and stopped Marquis Marco.

But when I say he's clever, I don't mean that. Do you remember why our Grand Duke's Palace didn't send someone to follow us? ”

"Remember!"

Speaking of which, the Marquis of Marco had a sincere admiration for his father.

Fortunately, my father had a precise vision and far-reaching plans. Otherwise, the situation of our Grand Duke's Palace will be awkward. ”

It is said that ginger is old and spicy, and Marquis Marco has a deep understanding of this.

If they were there at that time, even if they were just an errand to deliver news, they would represent the Grand Duke's Palace. In the case of the assassination of Her Royal Highness the Princess, they must be pushed to the forefront, representing all the nobles and the entire province of Hanover to negotiate with Princess Yalinna.

In this way, the Grand Duke's Palace can be regarded as taking the trouble into account. On the one hand, they need to investigate among all the nobles, which will inevitably lead to the crime of all the nobles in the province. On the other hand, the assassination of Her Royal Highness the eldest princess of the empire is not a trivial matter, and the Grand Duke's Palace must give a satisfactory answer, and there is no room for ambiguity.

With no evidence and all the clues have been broken, it is very difficult to search for the mastermind behind the scenes. Not to mention not wanting to offend people and satisfying everyone. Marquis Marco felt a pain in his head when he thought about it.

But Duke Smowa's simple words kept the Grand Duke's palace out of the way, and I didn't get a leaf out of the way, even if the wind was raging outside.

"In your opinion, the bandit leader's self-reported family before his death was a big defeat. But I think it's the opposite: it's a stroke of God, the finishing touch! ”

The Grand Duke stood up with one hand on the table, pacing back and forth in the study.

"Don't you think there's something similar to how we responded? It's just that our purpose is to get out of the way, and the people behind the scenes want the opposite. Think about it, how would things have played out without the leader's dying cry and the tattoos on their backs? ”

Marco looked down in thought, but for a moment he didn't get the point.

The Grand Duke did not wait for him to reply, but went on to speak.

"Unless conclusive evidence can be found, this assassination will only be thunder and rain, and finally it will be over. Because in the current imperial situation, Princess Arina could not stand up to the nobles of the entire Hanover province, and there was not much time to spend on it. Putting things down for the time being and settling accounts slowly later is their best choice. ”

And the mastermind behind the scenes is clever in setting a target for Her Royal Highness the princess through the shout of the bandit. The Charlton family plotted to assassinate, and Princess Yalina must be severely punished, otherwise the majesty of the royal family cannot be maintained, and the turmoil and instability will be even more aggravated. But such an obvious blame, if the Charlton family is convicted of this, not only the Charlton family will not be convinced, but other nobles will not be able to agree. And if you want to clear the suspicion and blame for the Charlton family, it is necessary to find out the real mastermind behind the scenes. How easy is that? ”

In this way, Princess Arlina is in a dilemma. Even if you want to gently let go of this assassination or temporarily suppress it, it becomes impossible to ignore the vague matter. ”

"So, the man behind the scenes played very beautifully. This is a serial poisonous scheme, and from the moment the bandit first sent out the secret weapon, Princess Arlina and all the nobles were counted in it. And whether the assassination is successful or not, the hostility and antagonism between the royal family represented by Princess Arina and most of the nobles of my Hannover province is inevitable. ”

Marquis Marco quietly listened to his father's analysis of the situation, while silently deducing the possible development of things in his heart.

As the Grand Duke said, this is a dilemma, one might even say a dead end. According to Princess Arina's intentions, she certainly did not want to clash with the entire aristocracy of Hanover. However, at this slight moment, for the sake of the majesty and strength of the royal family, it is impossible for her to make compromises and concessions easily.

What's even more troublesome is that in the face of such a difficult and thorny problem, there is not much time left for Princess Arlina to solve.

You must know that there is a high-end force around the princess that cannot be ignored. Coupled with the 300-strong force that has been overlooked, it now also shows its formidable combat power. There is also the talent for commanding, training, and directing battles that Anthony and Tang Feng began to recognize as well.

At a time when the war situation in the empire is extremely tense, this mission with gold content that is about to break through the sky has come thousands of miles to Hanover Province, and everyone can guess their purpose or not, but at least one thing is certain: in this northernmost province of the empire, there is a very important and urgent matter that needs to be solved by Princess Arina and her party.

Ignoring the urgent military affairs, but because of a momentary battle of will, he went to engage in some anti-bandit action, and now he finally played fire.

Marquis Marco admits that the princess's delegation is a rare talent, both men and women, but they are still too young after all. Young people are easily impulsive, emotionally up, and can ignore anything.

Of course, there are also those in the mission who can be called highly respected. It's a pity that Lord Sword Saint is obsessed with kendo and forge ahead, and he is not a person who is serious and calm. In addition, he is basically not a director, just like the shadow of Princess Arlina, protecting her safety at all times. The young man wanted to mess around, and he only watched from the sidelines.

Now that things are like this, what's the next thing to do?

Marquis Marco can imagine how her Royal Highness Princess Arina is now anxious and at a loss.

"Father, if Princess Arlena can't get over this hurdle, won't your plans be in vain?"

It occurred to Marquis Marc that his father was leaning towards the royal family. Although this is contrary to his own opinion, he still prefers to trust his father's judgment and is anxious for his father.

Grand Duke Smowa waved his hand slightly, turned and walked to the window, looking into the distance.

Over there, it is the direction of the imperial capital.

"The change of dynasties, like the ebb and flow of the tide, is a very normal thing. No dynasty is permanent, not before, not now, and not in the future. The glorious empire has its own reasons for today's catastrophe. Our Majesty the King, Her Royal Highness Princess Arina, and all the members of the royal family and those close to the royal family are all working hard to keep the empire alive and pay off the wrong choices they have made in the past. ”

The Grand Duke suddenly stretched out his hand and slammed the window shut, ruthlessly shutting out the boundless landscape.

"As for us, we, the courtiers of the nominal empire of Hanover, have no good reason to have to give them their lives and pay for their mistakes! If our esteemed princess cannot show the strength that is enough to impress me, then my Grand Duke's Mansion will not take the life of the entire family because of the so-called righteousness of the monarch and ministers. ”

Grand Duke Smowa's words were cold and ruthless, both in tone and in content.

Marquis Marco looked at his father with a complicated look in his eyes.

This is his father, the supreme ruler of the province of Hanover, the most mature and excellent helmsman of the family.

Not bound by fame, nor swayed by personal emotional preferences. Long-term vision and accurate judgment. Only identify the most suitable and beneficial path and choice for the family.

Marquis Marco deeply understood that he still had a long, long way to go before he became a qualified head of the family.