Duchy of Byrne, Red Blood Castle.

Sitting in the palace hall – or now the "Hall of the Round Table" – under the banner of a golden lion on a black background, Charlotte Turin stared blankly in the direction of the door, with a hint of nervousness on her serious countenance.

Ayton Grenwell, who was sitting on the left and right, and Count Orkney Gareth, Earl of Rainbow Bridge, had different faces, and they were not much better than her, clenching their fists with their hands and waiting solemnly.

Just when the three of them were "looking at it", a familiar figure hurriedly walked into the door, stood in front of the round table, and bowed respectfully to the countess.

"Charles, how's it going?"

Charlotte frowned slightly, her tone was slightly anxious, and she immediately noticed that the expression of the steward of the Red Blood Castle was a little strange: "They still refuse to let go, and they don't back down even a step?"

"I'm afraid so. ”

Charles Grenwell sighed, his expression very helpless: "The messenger of the Dwarven High King still thinks that this is just Byrne's prejudice and wishful thinking, and does not admit that they have provided any support to the centaurs. ”

As the words fell, the two counts, Ayton and Gareth, looked at each other and shook their heads at the same time.

"As expected......"

Slightly stunned, the countess, who had a slight gaffe, immediately regained her indifference: "It's been three days, it seems that they plan to never let go." ”

"Not necessarily, right?" said Count Gareth, who was dressed in a robe and was as thin as a bachelor, "and the fact that they came to the door on their own initiative proves that they still have the desire to talk, but the situation before them is not in their interest." ”

"Gareth is right, they will come to us on their own initiative, and it proves that there is something they want... Even if they desperately try to hide it. ”

Ayton Grenwell curled the corners of his mouth slightly, and smiled helplessly: "Dwarves are the most stubborn and opinionated - to convince them, we need more patience than they do." ”

Charlotte snorted, very upset.

"And, I have a guess. The Count of Stormcastle spoke flatly, picking up the letterhead from the Thousand Tents on the table:

"Is it possible... They didn't know about it in the first place?"

"Hmmm......"

"The arrogance of the dwarves is well known, and it is harder to get them to admit their mistakes than to ascend to the sky. Ayton said thoughtfully:

"Whether or not they knew about the centaurs in the first place, if something like this happened, they would no longer admit that they had a request for us. ”

The countess frowned and glanced at the Count of Stormcastle: "What do you mean......"

"It's a threat, it's a relief... In short, make sure they tell the truth. As he spoke, the smiling Ayton saluted the countess gracefully: "What happens after that, I'm afraid you know better than I do." ”

After hesitating for a moment, Charlotte raised her head suddenly, and her sharp gaze shot straight ahead: "Charles!"

"The messengers of the High King have been waiting outside the hall for a long time. The steward of the Red Blood Castle replied understandingly, "As long as you nod, they can do it at any time." ”

Are you in such a hurry? It's really empty-hearted......

"Then go and invite them in. A sneer hung on the corner of her mouth, Charlotte puffed up her chest and said softly: "In front of such a distinguished guest, Byrne must not be rude." ”

At this moment, there was a little more resolute coldness in her eyes.

............................................................

Rewind the clock to three days ago......

In the study at midnight, a fluorite lamp illuminated Charlotte's stunned face, staring at the shocking content on the letterhead.

Andrew McAfee, who was out of breath, stood in front of her with his hands behind his back, flanked by Charles, and the head of the United Chamber of Commerce who arrived in a hurry, Yod Jr.

Although Charlotte can't trust the people of the Yode family, after Loren took power, Yode Jr. has become his right-hand man, and the United Chamber of Commerce is not inferior to the Yode Chamber of Commerce, controlling most of Byrne's foreign trade and intelligence network.

Among them is the trade route with the dwarven kingdom.

"Is this true?"

Shocked, Charlotte's voice trembled slightly.

"It's true!" McAfee hurriedly replied, "We met a centaur trebuchet outside the Thousand Tents, how could those barbarians make such a thing......?"

"I'm not asking that!"

The countess interrupted him sharply, her eyes sharp: "I'm asking if the dwarves have really made an alliance with the centaurs as Loren Turin said?!"

"This ......," the guard scratched his head, the corners of his mouth twitching as he recalled the reply given to him by an "irresponsible" master before leaving: "Lord Duke said... It's up to you. ”

"Is that so?" Charlotte couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, pursing the corners of her mouth.

It's a... Someone who will cause trouble for others.

"I see. The impatient countess didn't want to say a word of nonsense, and turned her gaze to the side: "Your Excellency, has the United Chamber of Commerce noticed any dwarf movements?"

Little Yod gritted his back molars, and he could sense that the countess's temper was not very good now: "It's hard to say... The only people who traded directly with Byrne and the Empire were the Dwarven Frontier Settlements and the High King of the Cloud Peak. ”

"Unlike the Empire, the Dwarves have a city-state system, and each city-state is far more independent than the principalities of the empire - if it is a private act of a city-state, it is difficult for us to detect it, and ......"

"Nothing more, I'll just reply. Charlotte said indifferently, "If I want to put pressure on the Dwarven Kingdom, can the United Chamber of Commerce do it?"

"If the Dwarven High King hadn't been involved...... Little Yod bowed his head humbly, "With our friendly dealings with the High King, we can indeed put pressure on a dwarven city-state with bad intentions." ”

On the other hand, if the High King is also involved, there is little point in pressuring... Is that so?

But if the High King is the mastermind behind the whole thing, then Byrne must be ready to defend himself against the invasion!

"Charles, what do you think?"

The named steward of the Red Blood Castle glanced at the little Yode beside him, hesitated for a moment before he spoke: "I think Your Excellency Yode's method... Give it a try. ”

"In the case, we don't know anything about the battle situation on the front line, so naturally we should rely on the Duke's judgment and be sure to find out the movements of the dwarves;"

"Yu Li, since the biggest suspicion in this matter lies with the dwarves, it is natural to negotiate with the Supreme King... Even in the worst case, it is necessary to send emissaries to each other before the war begins. ”

The study fell silent, and the eyes of all three of them converged on the countess.

Slowly looking up, Charlotte's expression was extremely serious.

"Inform the two counts of Stormcastle and Rainbow Bridge to convene a round table council......" The countess took a deep breath, and a hint of determination flashed in her eyes:

"Give an order to the Red Blood Castle and even the Thirteen Lords of Byrne to enter a state of total alert... Prepare for war!"

The cold tone startled McAfee, who was standing in front of her.

The steward of the Red Blood Castle bowed slightly, and turned around and walked out without asking any more questions, and the atmosphere in the study became a little colder.

"What if... Earl, I'm talking about what you're going to do if the dwarves are really going to do something to Byrne?"

"Lo... The Duke is still far away in Boi, and the Thirteen Territories may not obey your orders, and it is unknown how many troops can be mobilized. ”

"Even if it's just Crimson Blood, we'll fight to the end and keep the dwarves out of the Duchy's borders. ”

Charlotte pursed her lower lip and said quietly: "He entrusted Byrne to me before leaving, this is a trust, and it is also my promise to him. ”

"I will not betray him, in him... Before betraying me. ”

Little Yode's eyes changed, and his expression was a little surprised.

The air seemed to freeze.

The steward of the Red Blood Castle, who had left and returned, broke the silence with his hurried footsteps, and was so anxious that he even forgot to bow and salute:

"Ayton Grenwell and Gareth have arrived in the hall, and the round table is ready to begin, Earl!"

"Good. Charlotte bowed slightly, and her eyes froze: "Anything else?"

"From the letter sent by the Cloud Peak, the Dwarven High King has sent his messenger. Charles nodded solemnly, his expression was extremely serious:

"Now... The messenger has arrived at the Red Blood Castle, just outside the palace gates!"