Surrounded on three sides, the Sleeping Lion River lazily surrounds Sleeping Dragon City, although it is the main tributary of the Roaring Spring in the Holy Light City, but after the greedy sucking of the red earth along the way, the river has become narrow, and now, it lazily surrounds the side of Sleeping Dragon City, like a guard who can't lift its spirits, and it doesn't even have the strength to fall into the Warm Wind Corner, so it can only end its body and journey three kilometers from the beach.

The bustle of the city is very different from the silence of the Sleeping Lion River, where children frolic in the sun, the huge urban fountain draws the water of the Sleeping Lion River, bringing royal coolness to the common people, music playing in the tiled courtyard, and the air is filled with the rich smell of lemons and blood oranges; In the city, there is dust, sweat and smoke, and there is a constant chatter at night, stables, inns, taverns and brothels are lined up, many of them have their own walls, but the small dilapidated houses for people are basically close to the city walls, the country of the scorching fire is land, the city of Mianlong is the capital, the streets are of course wide and smooth, and the alleys in some places can actually accommodate three carriages at the same time.

The center of this qiē, the royal city of the Freeman family, is made of pale red marble, tall and majestic, and is the glory and symbol of the whole city; Civilian areas were built from tan mud and straw. The ancient fortress stood in three directions on the outskirts of the city, with the only gap facing the sea, while to the west, in the shadow of the great walls of the royal city, adobe shops and windowless houses clinging to the base of the walls, like barnacles clinging to the hull of a ship.

Prince Terrence had arrived a few hours earlier, and no doubt his guards had informed the soldiers guarding the royal city. Because when the prince arrived, the triple iron gates of the inner city had already opened. The doors are arranged in sequence, allowing visitors to walk directly through the triple curved walls to the palace without having to walk miles through narrow alleys, hidden courtyards and noisy bazaars.

Matthew? Freeman's body rested on the velvet waterbed of the dormitory, where the ice was harvested from Broken Bone Bay, on the border with the neighboring Glacial Country, and every day, the ice that flowed into the sea was collected and brought ashore by water via the City of Light and by water on the royal family's clipper.

The previous king used to be a strong warrior, and when he was young, he could hunt in the forest for a month without sleeping, but the years did not spare any heroes and great men, and its irresistible power ate away at the old king's body and energy, until he squeezed out the last bit of his life, and the dragon city became his last resting place. The old king's life was uneventful, and he married a beautiful woman while wandering around, but the only regret was that he did not leave any heirs, according to the custom of Olopus, brother to brother, son to father, of course, if he had a strong queen, then the queen could also continue her rule.

Now the mighty queen was lying beside the dead king, weeping so much that those who heard it wept and those who saw it wept.

"Where's my brother?" With a gust of wind, Prince Terrence swept through the door of the palace and flew towards his brother, whose usual smile was gone, and he fell to his knees in front of the king's couch with tears in his eyes. The old king's face was gray, his cheeks were deeply sunken, and the thick brocade that covered him covered most of the smell, and the room was sprinkled with a lot of perfume, but it still could not hide the strong smell of rotting corpses. According to the agent's report, King Matthew was dead for no more than two days, but judging from the corpse's appearance, the king was dead for more than a week.

If that's the case, Terrence looks at the young queen, and she'll have plenty of time to set it up.

Deanna? Queen Hagen stopped her grief and said to Prince Terrence at her feet, "I was so grieved that the king died, so I didn't have time to send the news, and I ask your highness for forgiveness." ”

"This is to be expected," Terrence nodded politely, and said with grief, "Everyone can see that Matthew's body is getting weaker and weaker, and you are deeply affectionate, and you should get carried away with your grief for him, and I think the people of the Burning Flame Country can understand it." Out of the corner of his eye, the prince had seen the sword soldiers in ambush in the palace, and knew that he could never tear his face with the queen here and now.

"Thank you, my lord." Deanna reached out to the Prince, and Terrence took her hand and led her to her feet, "Forgive me for having to leave the King's body here, you know, it's been very hot lately, and the slightest movement will hasten the decay of the body." ”

"I couldn't agree more," Terrence tilted his head, "I see you swap all the butter candles inside and outside the palace with magic crystals, it's a thoughtful act of kindness, my brother's corpse won't decay faster from the scorching of the lights, and that alone shows how much you used to be so dear." ”

"Oh, I'm glad you saw my efforts," Deanna was deeply moved, "Matthew may be twenty years older than me, but we are truly in love, and he once told me to take over the Burning Nation after his death. As she spoke, the queen looked at Terrence with her eyes, intending to catch a flash of anger on his face.

It's a pity that Deanna's opponents didn't give her such a chance.

"Of course." Terrence lowered his eyes and became more humble, "If this is my brother's last wish. ”

"The most important thing at the moment is the king's funeral," Deanna secretly urged, "I think that no one is better than you in this job, and the responsibility of mourning King Matthew is entrusted to you, my lord." ”

"It's nature." Terrence nodded solemnly, "I will definitely do my best to bury the king in style." ”

A charming smile rose into the queen's face: "Then I will be relieved, my good lord." ”

"Are you really going to complete the task assigned by the queen and organize the king's funeral?" The butler, Colin, opened his mouth wide in surprise.

"Why not." Terrence went to the window and poured himself a glass of cool mint, "He's my brother, and—" With a sip of wine, first the pungency of the wine, and then a refreshing breath welling up in his mouthpiece, the Prince looked at the bottle in his hand with satisfaction, "It's a good wine—and it's an opportunity." ”

"What chance?" Colin asked, puzzled.

"An opportunity to get in the way." Terrence looked out the window, the washerwoman hammering clothes not far away, the baker in the opposite workshop, and the porcelain vendor, all of whom looked up at his window from time to time, which made the corners of the prince's mouth smile again, "Thank you, our dear queen has planted so many eyeliner around me, of course I have to find the best time to repay it." ”

!!

(l~1`x*>+``+