"Henry, when I left in the morning, you said that Mr. Althop would be seeing you in an hour, why did he say he would come to see you later?" Isabel asked the Duke of Richmond puzzled.

"I wonder why he never came to see me. It wasn't until I accidentally saw a scene just now that I realized what a terrifying demonic power this person contained in his body. Henry said hatefully.

Isabel thought for a few seconds and said, "I suppose you mean he went to church first on his way to meet you?" For some reason, Father Thomas became Mr. Althorp's boyfriend? ”

Henry looked back at her, and suddenly laughed and said, "Isabel, you are too imaginative. Well, it must have been the spirit of humanism that impressed you, didn't you? ”

"What do you mean, Henry?"

"You actually said that the priest was the boyfriend of a London lawyer? Hahaha...... It's just so much fun. ”

"Well, I confess that I suddenly thought of Edward II (the fourth son of Edward I of the Plantagenet dynasty and a king with a broken sleeve). Be careful, Henry, Father Thomas is now on the side of Mr. Althorp. It seems that more Category 4 talent in the county is an important target for him. ”

"Well, that's right. Even if I myself did not agree to participate in the rebellion, he could use the power of the Catholic faith to lure my subjects down the path of rebellion. ”

"After all, the power of the nobles is limited. In my opinion, in the eyes of the few northern nobles who wielded military power, the rebellion was not worth mobilizing all the troops used to resist the Sugs and marching south. Presumably, the nobles hoped that they would still have enough troops to protect their lands and wealth after the rebellion. ”

As Henry walked back to his desk and sat down, he kept playing with a rare and expensive quill made of swan feathers. While Isabel was still standing in front of the window and observing the situation outside the church, Henry pondered and said: "Isabel, is Mr. Althop so rampant in preaching the authority of the Pope and the Holy See that he is not afraid that the king will seize him and cut off his head?" ”

Isabel walked back to Henry, sat down in a chair and said with a smile, "Henry, another purpose of the King's Reformation was to strengthen the power of the monarch and the royal family. ”

She continued: "Before that, the nobles would always have all sorts of reasons to oppose the king and the royal family. Just as it was a political tradition for the Scottish aristocracy to intrigue with the king, the nobility of England had long been accustomed to using rebellions to express their displeasure with the king. ”

At this moment, Eugene, a valet standing outside the door, came in and saluted Henry, and said aloud: "Mr. Robert Allsope, a lawyer, has come before His Highness." ”

Henry glanced at Eugene and said calmly, "I know, let him wait." ”

"Isabel, I think we can wait until I'm done talking to the Southern lawyer before we have our conversation?" Henry looked at his female privy counsellor with a grin.

"Henry, we still have a lot of time to talk about business, but the London lawyer is anxious to continue north. So, I still hope that you can report the situation here to His Majesty the King as soon as your conversation with Mr. Lawyer is over, okay? Isabel said mildly.

"Okay, but you have to remember the promise you made to me."

"Of course, as you wish."

At this moment, Isabel stood up and walked to the left side of Henry's desk, staring at the study door in front of her right with her hands behind her back. Henry shouted to the valet outside the door, "Eugene, let the litigator in." ”

Eugene, who was outside the door, agreed to Henry's words, and then said to the London lawyer on the side: "Sir, Your Highness said that you can go in." ”

Robert Althop once again straightened out his near-perfect costume and hat, and calmly walked into the study. When he saw Henry, who was sitting behind his desk, he smiled and bowed and said, "Good day, Your Highness." ”

Then, as if he had met Isabel for the first time, he smiled and saluted again, "Good day, miss." When Father Thomas told me that you are the Privy Counsellor of His Highness, I had a very strong feeling. ”

He gazed at Henry again and said in a cheerful voice, "Your Highness, I feel that this young lady is the mediator saint who God has sent to the world especially for His Highness. So this young lady is innocent, unlike other mortals. ”

The eloquent Robert was a litigator from the City of London, and he was so eloquent that he pressed the Catholic theology of the Virgin Mary directly onto Isabelle Walton. Probably, this was the first time Henry had heard such praise from Isabel since he had taken her in.

The Duke of Richmond, who was in a good mood, shouted to the manservant outside the door, "Eugene, go and bring a glass of Bordeaux wine to Mr. Althope." ”

Isabel on the side frowned, thinking: "Idiot, this guy actually praises me as the Virgin Mary." Why would he do that? Did Father Thomas tell him anything else? ”

When Henry, who was smiling with a smile on his face, stared sideways at her and was about to say a few words, she shook her head and whispered, "Your Highness, is it okay?" ”

Henry nodded, and Isabel said calmly: "Mr. Althorp, according to the social rules of the nobility, it is impossible for His Highness to introduce my identity to you. So, I can only introduce myself to you personally, my name is Isabel Walton, daughter of Sir Augustine Walton, Privy Counsellor of the Duke's Court of Richmond. In all public places, you can only call me 'Your Excellency', do you understand? ”

After saluting again, Robert smiled and said, "Your Excellency, I have understood. ”

When Isabel looked at the Duke again, Henry nodded. Isabel then said aloud, "Sir, legally I am just a commoner woman. Because of his education and the appreciation of His Highness, he was hired as a privy counsellor in the Duke's Palace. So, I doubt that you, who are more familiar with the laws of the Kingdom, are referring to me as the Virgin Mary, what do you think? ”

Henry's face changed a little, but he still intended to let Isabel speak for him. Robert's original intention was to first praise the Duke of Richmond's special female advisor beside him, and then slowly reveal his true purpose to the Duke after gaining the Duke's trust.

Unexpectedly, this female adviser saw through his subtle dialogue style at a glance, and frankly and directly said his ulterior motives. At this time, the Duke of Richmond still had no intention of letting him sit down and talk.

Robert struggled to keep his composure, smiled and said, "Your Excellency, allow me to express my apologies to you for yesterday's incident. I do not think that if you had not prayed for forgiveness on behalf of the Virgin, I would not have been able to refuse the request made to me by Lord Darlington's eldest daughter. ”

When the valet Eugene walked gently into the study with a wine tray, Henry simply asked him to put the glass of wine on the small table. Then, with a calmer expression, he said, "Sir, please be seated." ”

After Robert thanked him, Henry said, "Sir, if Lord Darlington minds the mistake you have made, you will still accept the request of Lord Darlington's eldest daughter to duel with you. ”