The visiting British **** Edward and his entourage were arranged to stay at the Royal Palace of Limerick. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Compared to Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom, this Irish royal palace is neither grand nor historical, like the gap between the nouveau riche and the orthodox villas. Once you have experienced it firsthand, you will find that the Irish palace dedicated to the king is very chic, with a large number of original wood, glass and indoor vegetation, plenty of light during the day, fresh air, cool and quiet nights, suitable for resting, cleverly laid out, attention to detail, beautifully carved tables, chairs and railings, and thoughtful decorations.

In order to welcome the arrival of members of the British royal family and military and political dignitaries, an unprecedented grand ball was held in the Royal Palace of Limerick that night, with more than 600 people invited to attend, including envoys from various countries, foreign friends, government officials, military generals, and national celebrities.

On his home turf, Natsuki was able to let down his guard and have fun with the crowd. Stepping on the beautiful waltz, he and the eldest princess of England invited each other to dance, and they were together twice, which naturally attracted countless reveries, but at this ball scene, the envious eyes were obviously not as good as the cold or vigilant gaze. Despite the fact that Ireland is a small country, it occupies an important position in the Allied system, and now that Britain is in decline, it still has energy that cannot be underestimated, and if the two get closer, it will be a huge threat to the strategic pattern of the Allied camp to dominate Europe.

What others speculated in their hearts, Natsuki couldn't control and didn't need to go through the trouble to explain, the soft smile he gave to Princess Mary was courtesy, making up for the deliberate distance he had deliberately kept from him during his previous visit to the United Kingdom. Not to mention the opposite position of Britain and Ireland, even if he does not have this concern, he will not have the slightest heart for the pearl of the British royal family.

If you can assert yourself in life, it is often more precious than having endless wealth or covering power.

In the process of dancing, Natsuki and Princess Mary had little verbal communication, just through each other's eyes and expressions, he couldn't tell whether her gentleness was a lingering favor or an unchanging infatuation. Thinking of the gift that Edward had said, the apprehension and curiosity in my heart were divided half.

At the dance party of the upper class, socializing is always more important than the dance itself. Natsuki finally got rid of the entanglement of a group of diplomats, and was about to calm his ears for a while, when he saw Edward **** walking to his side with a smile.

"Actually...... Your Majesty, you are a perfect match for my only sister. You see, you are very independent, more stable than most of your peers, very flexible, intelligent and jealous, and if you had more contact with each other, you would definitely see each other as confidants. ”

It sounded like a joke, Natsuki didn't put on a straight face, but looked at this cunning guy seriously, he grinned and showed a row of neat teeth, his smile was kind and charming, no wonder everywhere he went, he was surrounded by noblewomen.

Seeing Natsuki staring straight at him, Edward smiled heartily: "I'm joking with Your Majesty, your deep affection for Miss Hill is something that no one can change, but my sister, who rarely sheds tears, has cried several times because of this." In two months, she will be 20 years old, and she knows what she can work and what she can't force, so although she admires you very much, she can only give up. ”

Natsuki sighed lightly, turned his head to look at Princess Mary, who was talking to the Danish envoy, and then said to Edward: "Some people are destined to be trapped by love, and God is destined to do it. ”

Edward thought that Natsuki was talking about his sister, and shook his head very decisively: "I know Mary, she is a very strong person, and she would rather accept someone who is dead set on her and she has no feelings, than bitterly pester someone who has no feelings for her." ”

Natsuki nodded: "This is naturally the best." ”

"Otherwise, she wouldn't have prepared such a special gift for you." Edward laughed.

Edward's repeated emphasis on Princess Mary had no intention of the handsome and talented King of Ireland, making Natsuki vaguely feel that the so-called special gift was related to Charlotte Hill, but if he was too eager, he would inevitably be led by the other party, so he muttered dissatisfiedly: "Are you two brothers and sisters going to hold my curiosity until the end of your trip?" ”

"Hah!" Edward laughed, "I did, but Mary thought it would be too cruel, so ...... The mystery will be revealed tomorrow. ”

Natsuki was slightly disappointed, it seemed that he was going to sleep with this curiosity tonight.

"But before I do that, I take the liberty of asking...... Has His Majesty seriously considered the outcome of marrying an English commoner woman? "Edward is four years younger than Joachim, and the difference in mental age is obviously more than that, but when it comes to emotional marriage, the tone seems very old-fashioned, as if he has a lot of experience in this regard.

"Yes, I thought about it very seriously many years ago."

The questioner is presumptuous, but the answerer is thoughtful.

"Are they receptive?"

Following Edward's gaze, Natsuki saw the figure of former German Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow and several other German officials. Dissatisfied with the Kaiser on foreign affairs and opposed to the drastic expansion of the German navy, Bilow resigned as German Chancellor in 1909 and returned to his old profession as a diplomat. After the death of Austrian Emperor Franz, the Austro-Hungarian Empire held contact talks with Ireland and Spain on in-depth economic cooperation, during which Bilow was appointed German ambassador to Ireland, and Berlin's intentions were not difficult to see.

"The Irish are a people known for their fortitude and tenacity, and these two words are a reflection of my character, so my union with Ireland is not entirely accidental." Natsuki made his stance suggestive, but he cautioned that he could ignore outside pressure, but he could not ignore the thoughts of the Irish people.

Edward grimaced and said: "No matter what people in other countries think, the British royal family absolutely respects free marriage, and if necessary, we will give His Majesty diplomatic support." ”

Whether the future king of England in front of him will still have the amazing act of loving the country and not loving the beauty, Natsuki does not know, but judging from the stories that happened in history, the British royal family and the government really respected the right to free marriage, but the parties paid an extremely heavy price, and even seemed to regret it later.

Natsuki didn't thank or express his position, and finally echoed what he said before with a shrug - that was a consideration many years ago, after the earth-shaking changes in identity and situation, everything is no longer as simple and rash as before.

That night, smelling the scent of earth wafting from the window, Natsuki had several dreams, dreaming of the scene when he first met Charlotte Hill, dreaming that he was holding her hand and walking in a distant and strange city, living a simple life no different from ordinary people.

When I was half-asleep and half-awake, I felt tears slipping from the corners of my eyes.

Early in the morning, Natsuki was strolling on the grass in the back garden of the palace as usual, when suddenly he heard the sound of horses' hooves, and looked up to see Princess Mary dressed in a heroic rider's outfit, riding a maroon horse under her crotch, this scene was strikingly similar to his previous encounter with the Lord of Fifmod at Windsor Castle. When Princess Mary came to her, Natsuki was shocked to find that this was not Charlotte's "tulip"?

Eldest Princess Mary turned over and dismounted, and handed the reins to Natsuki without saying a word.

Natsuki couldn't stop stroking the old friend's cheek, and the "tulip" seemed a little rusty to him, and he walked in place with a little uneasiness.

Natsuki didn't care about this, but turned his head to look at Princess Mary: "This is ......"

"It's a gift for you." The eldest princess replied with a few words.

This horse is a testimony of his relationship with Charlotte, and it is also Charlotte's favorite, the Hill family is not so down-and-out that they need to sell their property, could it be that Princess Mary used her status as a member of the royal family to force the Hill family, so as to get the ownership of the horse, and then give it to herself. Is this the truth of the matter? What is the purpose of Princess Mary and the British royal family behind her? Is it a curry favor or a threat?

A series of questions popped up in Natsuki's mind.

Seeing Natsuki's uncertain expression, Princess Mary found it interesting, she clasped her hands in front of her chest, and the corners of her mouth went up, which seemed to be quite playful.

After such a moment of contact, "Tulip" remembered the person in front of him who had taken care of him for a while, and took the initiative to rub the other party's face to show affection, this action made Natsuki temporarily throw away all kinds of speculation, and caress its face with infinite warmth.

"Your Majesty must not have expected that, right?" Eldest Princess Mary asked triumphantly.

After thinking about it, Natsuki chose a more direct way to ask: "You bought it?" ”

"Even if I wanted to buy it, the owner of the horse wouldn't sell it! Does Your Majesty still have any doubts about this? Princess Mary asked rhetorically.

Hearing this, Xia Shu suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and his gaze at the eldest British princess eased a lot.

What Natsuki didn't expect was that the eldest princess Mary then put on a tone of lesson: "Your Majesty seems to have forgotten what I said at Windsor Castle - since the people of Ireland are willing to accept a German prince as their king, they will also accept an English lady as their queen, and His Royal Highness's family will become a magical link between Germany, England, and Ireland, and with this relationship, the possibility of war between the three countries will be greatly reduced." His Majesty stressed at the time that this marriage across countries must be based on the premise of the unity of Ireland, and now that the unity of Ireland has passed for a long time, His Majesty is still making that man wait. If I were this horse, I'd definitely kick you hard with my hooves! ”

There were no outsiders around, and the words of the eldest princess Mary were so spicy that she even ignored the most basic etiquette, but she choked Natsuki, and the powerful King of Ireland couldn't even refute a word, but fell into a deep reverie.

(End of chapter)