It was a special day for the Ansu people.

The Day of Requiem.

Every year on the 45th of the Frost Moon, festivals take place across the country as scheduled, and on this colder day, the Ansu people will give their last food and energy to squander in memory of their ancestors and relatives and friends who have returned to the world of the dead.

Although many people today have forgotten the original meaning of this holiday, centuries of tradition have made the 45th of the Frost Moon a special date mixed with mystery, prayer, hope and remembrance, and many Ansu people believe that the gates of the kingdom of the dead will open on this day, and that the souls of those who have passed away - whether they go to the temple of death, the sacrificial ground of the god of blood, or the kingdom of some other god - can get a chance to return to the world on this day. These spirits will come along the path paved with the Death Chrysanthemum to celebrate the festival with the living, and they will also appear around the campfires at night, accompanying those who miss them in the form of amorphous smoke, fire, or shadow.

So, even though it is a day to remember the dead, the Ansu people celebrate it with flowers, they hang grass rings on the fireplace or on the wall facing the gate, they light a big bonfire, they sing and dance around it—they celebrate it because they believe that the spirits will come home on this day.

In addition to commemorating the deceased, Anremian has another meaning for Ansu as a northern kingdom: it signifies the end of most social activities.

The 45th of the Frost Moon is the last day for the constellation Mars to cross the Tiangong line, and its arrival means that winter is approaching - there are still more than ten days before the beginning of winter, but the weather in the northern kingdom is already cold to the extent that it is not suitable to continue to waste energy outdoors, and perhaps the nobles will hold a few atmospheric winter feasts on snowy days, but for the commoners who are short of food, fuel, and clothing, this is their last chance to engage in large-scale outdoor activities of the year.

After some careful calculation, the people gathered together the fuel and food, and used the form of a final celebration to lift their spirits, and prayed to the spirits of their ancestors for the next year's good weather, and the simple people had simple thoughts: praying to the three gods of abundance was the prerogative of the priests of abundance, and asking the druids for a good harvest would cost a lot of money, and it would be better to light a bonfire at the last festival before the onset of winter, hoping that the dead who might have entered the realm of the gods would help themselves— Bless yourself with three or five catties of food in the coming year.

It is with this simple wish that the annual Requiem Day is celebrated, and then after the Renommon Day is over, it lies dormant, just like those who have returned to the land of the dead, and lies dormant for the long winter that follows.

In the city of Saint-Sunil, the subtle fragrance of the Death Chrysanthemum fills the streets, and although the entire kingdom is still mired in war, Requiem Day is still coming as scheduled - or rather, it is because the rain of war is pouring down that the festival is urgently needed to comfort the souls of those who are on their way.

White flowers have been planted in front of the doors, decorative straw ropes or vines are hung under the eaves of each house, adults carry the collected firewood to the nearest square or open space to prepare for the campfire in the evening, while carefree children shout around the adults, and the brawling consumes their physical strength and energy.

This scene is not only unique to the civilian neighborhood, but also inside the magnificent Silver Fort.

The servants were preparing a huge bonfire in the courtyard, the knights polished their spears and swords and decorated them on the promenade leading to the courtyard, Victoria, dressed in a long white dress and a silver-haired shawl?? Wilde stood in front of the entrance to the courtyard, holding a white death chrysanthemum in her hand, and seriously pinned the flower to Wales. Moen's chest.

"Your Highness, may you remember the glory of your ancestors." The duchess looked at the Moen bloodline heir in front of her and said in a calm and indifferent tone.

Wales?? Moen glanced down at the small white flower on his chest, smiled slightly self-deprecatingly, and then lowered his head, "I'll remember it." ”

The Duchess of Victoria looked at Wales?? Moen's expressionless face suddenly said, "Your Highness, do you know why the patriarch of the Wilde family wears the death chrysanthemum for the heir of the Moen bloodline every year on Requiem Day?" ”

Wales?? Moen's eyes seemed to flicker, but he still spoke in a calm tone, "This is because the Wilde family sheltered Moen's bloodline in the kingdom's most perilous moment—just as the ancestors are worth remembering, so is this friendship." ”

Victoria stared into Wales' eyes, there was no coercion in those eyes, but the duchess's seemingly innate winter temperament still produced indescribable pressure, under normal circumstances, the person who looked at her could not hold on for ten seconds - but the middle-aged man opposite her withstood it, and in the gaze of more than ten seconds, Wales?? Moen didn't look away from him, but stared at the Duchess with a frank look.

Victoria seemed to smile as she withdrew her gaze to the huge pyre that was beginning to take shape in the courtyard: "...... I asked Prince Edmund the same question, and guess how he answered? ”

“…… I do not know. ”

"'This is to let every Moen descendant know that it is because of the presence of the Wild family that they are entitled to commemorate their ancestors in this silver fort, and not in the stables of North Hill County,' these were his exact words," Victoria said in a nonchalant tone, "and that was three years ago, before our great founding hero came out of his grave." ”

Wales?? Moen didn't say a word, just stood there without saying a word.

"He must be wearing the Death Chrysanthemum now, and in a fortress in the eastern part of the Whitsunday Plain, a bonfire was lit to commemorate his father, who was most likely killed by his own hands, and he finally accepted the flowers I put on him in the Silver Castle without humiliation, and commemorated the deceased according to my request," Victoria tilted her head slightly, and said to the middle-aged crown prince, "Now this role has been replaced by you, and it has been replaced by you again." ”

"I don't think it's humiliating."

"Perhaps, but it doesn't matter," Victoria's tone was indifferent, as if it really didn't matter, "your father was a good king, and frankly, I respect him—though he may not be happy to accept my respect." ”

Wales looked at the duchess in front of him with some bewilderment, as if he did not understand why the ruler of the north, who had always been cold and detached and rarely spoke at length, suddenly said so much to himself, but Victoria did not care about his confusion, and just continued:

"This country has stood for hundreds of years, and dozens of people have sat on that throne, but not everyone really cares about this kingdom, and your father did...... Believe it or not, the Wild family has always been genuinely supportive of him. ”

Wales opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing.

"I know what you think, although you never say it, but you also think it's a kind of hijacking and control," the duchess didn't look back at all, but seemed to have seen the subtle change in Wales's expression, "but we have our own considerations - everything is for the Ansu Kingdom."

"A hundred years ago, the civil strife of the Foggy Moon taught us a great lesson, and that civil strife was caused by the struggle for royal power, but the absurd life and various chaos of the last king of the First Dynasty during his lifetime were the real reason for the situation to get out of control, and from that day on, we realized that there must be a lock on the throne.

"The king is supreme, but the king cannot be out of control, for long-term stability, someone must be able to control the situation in time when the royal power is out of control, so in the second dynasty, we established the system of regent dukes, the royal power will be monitored and controlled, but in turn, the king is also checking and balancing the power of the dukes, you know this.

"No one can have absolute power in their hands, any power must have a backup plan, these two points are the lessons that the Wild family summed up in the civil strife in the foggy moon."

Wales?? Moen finally broke the silence: "Then do you think of the variables of Edmund and the Duke of the East?" ”

“…… "But that doesn't mean that the lessons we've learned are meaningless, as Ansu survived the civil strife in the Foggy Moon by relying on the Duke Regent system." This system may need to be improved, but it is far from being abandoned. ”

Wales fell silent, and after a long silence, he raised his head and looked at the duchess in front of him: "...... Why are you saying these things to me all of a sudden? ”

"My father said these words to your father before he ascended the throne," said the duchess calmly, "and I intended to say them to Edmund on Revenim three years ago. ”

Welsh's breathing paused for a moment.

"The throne has been vacant for a long time, and the country has been running without a king for most of the year, but it can't go on like this forever - the nobles need a loyality, the kingdom army needs a flag, and the people need to know who is right," the Duchess Victoria turned around and stared into Wales' eyes again, "At first, we thought that this war would end soon, because the kingdom army had two or three times the strength and supplies equivalent to the rebels in the east, but we did miscalculate, we were already in a stalemate, Then we must be prepared to continue the stalemate. ”

Wales opened his mouth: "I ......"

"Can't wait until the war to be crowned, Your Highness the Crown Prince," said the Duchess, biting the word "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince" very hard, "Edmund will soon realize that he will not be able to enter Saint-Sunil in the next year, and he will crown himself at any time, and the Duke of the East will use his influence to make the nobles of the entire East and the small half of the Holy Spirit Plains loyal to the new king, and the blind commoners will soon admit to this - so you must become king before Edmund is crowned." ”

Wales?? Moen's eyes widened slightly, but he had already missed the throne once, and he forcibly regained his composure in a short time, he looked at the duchess, and said frankly and bluntly: "How many people will recognize me as a king?" How many nobles will be willing to pledge their allegiance to me? ”

"The Wilders will fully support you, and so will the Franklins, and we can make half of the nobles of this kingdom pledge allegiance to you—at least openly."

Wales pondered, and after a few seconds, he spoke again: "Have you considered the biggest variable?" ”

At the time of saying this, Wales?? Moen raised his hand and pointed to the death chrysanthemum on his chest.

"I'm ready for my trip to the south, and I'll talk to the founding duke in person," Victoria said with a solemn expression, and even the northern ruler, known as the Ice Queen, couldn't help but say this in a particularly solemn tone, "I'll do my best." ”

"What odds do you think he's going to support me?"

Victoria took a deep breath: "...... I only hope he doesn't object. ”

After these words, the two men fell silent together.

They gazed at the huge pyre in the courtyard, at the grass rings and dynamous chrysanthemums that adorned the place, at the mages and ceremonial officers who were preparing for the ritual.

The sky was already getting dark, and the dim light meant that the time to light the bonfire was approaching.

The really important part of Annochung's Day is about to begin.

It is a day to commemorate the ancestors and pray for blessings from the deceased.

But the ancestor who was originally commemorated by the festival ...... Now he has returned to the world from the other side of the blooming chrysanthemum.

Victoria?? Wilde walked silently to the courtyard, took a piece of oak from the stone table and threw it into the pyre, and then ordered a bonfire to be lit.

Looking at the flames that were gradually flaring, the ruler of the north sighed.

If it really only takes to throw a stick in the campfire, the ancestors will bless themselves...... How nice that would be.

。 m.