"Do you insist?" asked Dylan Donclay again.

"I insist. Leona said.

Dylan turned to look at Kerry and Cremar, his gaze lingering on them, "What about Baldwin?"

"He's sick. The priest of Ilmut replied. He hesitated, "but I think," he said to Leona, "if you just want to do the ritual as it should be, he'll be able to hold on." “

"Of course. Leona smiled and said, "He's a very strong person. ”

"Then I can't persuade you to change your mind," said Dylan, with a look of confusion, "but don't forget that this sinner has a very heavy charge. “

"I will prove his and my innocence, Dylan," Leona said calmly, "and one day we will return to the Normans of the Highlands, with a reputation of pure innocence." ”

Dylan smiled, and the smile contained in it was ambiguous: "Okay," he said dryly, Leona is the daughter of the old king, although she was excluded before the change of inheritance law, but as the only remaining bloodline of the old king, even the new king John has to show kindness, and Dylan, as her cousin, has no right to interfere with her thoughts or practices: "Listen to her." He said, bowing again.

Just as he was about to leave with his mage, Leona stopped Dylan, "Wait a minute, my dear cousin," she said politely, "Is the man standing beside you, who is neither in black nor red, the lord of Doling?"

Dylan glanced down, the man who was short and fat, with two shiny upper front teeth on his lower lip like a mole, clenched his gloves in horror - his eyes rolled to see his nephew, a pale boy standing in a corner of the room.

"Why, Your Highness," he said, "is there any problem?"

"Leave him behind. Leona said, "I need a room where I can perform the necessary rituals, and some of the necessary things to prepare, all of which I will have to ask the lord of the place to help me—perhaps he may also be one of the witnesses, as a lord should have with this duty and honor." ”

Ahh Just for a bastard full of sin. But this matter is not what he wants, Dylan lifted his staff, and pointed lightly in the direction of Leona with the sharp end, "It is your honor," he said, "Go, fulfill all the wishes of Your Highness, and don't let me hear of your disrespect." ”

The lord of Doling had to walk towards Leona with displeasure, and bowed deeply to her, "Your will is my wish," he snorted from his nose, "please do as you please." As long as I can do it," he said slyly, "I will always do it." ”

He didn't look at anyone else when he spoke, as if there was no one else in the room after Dylan was gone - he was especially unhappy with the priests, who had saved their nephew, the gods are above, how painful it is for mankind to live in this world, why don't you let this child leave here quietly and go for a walk on the plain of mourning. He swore that he would have a lavish funeral for his nephew, or his wife and his two daughters. He did not dislike his wife, the problem was that he was betrothed to him when he was still the second son of a lord, that is to say, a mediocre knight, she was one of the daughters of the Archon of Dorin with a meager dowry. He could have endured it with an ordinary appearance, but since his brother usurped his domain and title, and the stupid woman protected his nephew, his attitude towards her has plummeted. If she dies and his nephew dies, then he will be able to safely marry another woman of noble blood and a rich dowry.

She'd better be stupid, not too smart, his wife is too smart, but not too stupid, just like the red-haired woman standing in front of him, he exhaled in his heart, it's hard to imagine that there would be someone who disdains the position of the first heir of the Norman in the Highlands, if it is him, don't say that he is a rough and dirty man, even if it is his lover, daughter, his son, or the incarnation of Flo, he is willing to give it up, with the crown of this huge kingdom, is there anything that cannot be obtained, there will be thousands of princes, lords and even kings willingly knelt at her feet, kissing the edge of her skirt in the hope of getting a look, a finger, and now she was going to give it all up for the sake of a sinner, stupid, so stupid, he shook his head.

"Did you give the order to block Dorling?"

"Yes. The stocky man nodded absentmindedly, he had no respect or fear for the young red-haired woman, who was soon to become a worthless sinner, without status or power, without a pretty face, and he thought critically, that he needed not be afraid of such a person.

"Do you know that your nephew has complained to me that you have seized the title and the territory that should have been inherited by him by shady means?"

The lord of Dole's mouth cracked, "No, the old dog is dead, and the puppy that is still nursing only barks," he said without hesitation, as if standing before him was not a noble princess but a lowly peasant woman prostrate on the ground, "there must be a wise man who will come to Lorenos and his surname will not be reduced to dust—you see, my means may not be so right, but my choice could not be more correct." ”

"You also tried to kill your nephews, and to do so you hired thieves and assassins - and after he was protected by your wife, you wanted to take their lives at the hands of the plague. ”

The spirited lord pursed his lips and glanced left and right, and there were only the two of them around - they seemed to have unconsciously walked to the consul's prayer room, but this prayer room was more like a small armory, except for a black iron base, the scales of the Mithril tray, the decorations were almost all kinds of weapons and armor, everyone else was left in the next room, the red-haired princess stood with her back to him, as if admiring a unique two-handed flaming sword- This curved sword is often used by law enforcers, as it is more than enough to fit the shoulders of an average male. So there was no scabbard, just a smooth sheepskin wrapped flat on a long table.

"Yes," whispered the lord of Dorling, "though I have become the sole master of Dorling and the lands nearby, he is a boy, and he has the same inheritance to my realm and title, and I have only two daughters. I've always feared that he'll marry one of them, and then use it to gain the support of the Archon of Dorin, and directly threaten my son. ”

"But you don't have a son yet. ”

"There will always be," he said with a pleasant smile, and the face was more like a mole after the fat had been piled up, "I will always have a son." ”

"No," Leona said calmly, "you won't have it." She turned, and carried the five-foot-long two-handed sword in her hand, she was only a maiden, but there was no sign of fatigue and heaviness in carrying it. Just as the sword was not made of steel, but carved out of pine wood full of holes—the stocky man watched in disbelief as the flaming red-haired woman walked away in disbelief, his eyes shining with determination, and he wailed before he realized what she was going to do, "No, you can't do that!"

"I can. Leona replied briefly.

The lord of Doling grabbed a broadsword at his side and tried to resist, or get a chance to escape, but Leona flicked it slightly. With all his strength, the blade he swung out slid to the side along the smooth back of the flame-shaped sword, and was gracled by its metal gauntlet. Leona turned his wrist, and a powerful force forced him to let go, and the broadsword fell to the ground with a crisp thud, and the flaming sword was already pressed against his shoulder, like his brother's coffin, and he couldn't move—before he could let out a near-death cry. The curved blade slashed his neck like a hot knife through grease, and his eyes protruded like frogs, scrambling to hold down the blood-gushing wound, but it was too big for him to fit into a hand. His head hung powerlessly to the left back, his mouth spitting pink foam, his knees falling softly on the polished stone floor.

Leona stepped back so as not to be splashed with blood, she wouldn't have done that if it were only for Leona - neither Tyre nor Hillworth would have allowed it, the former needed a fair trial, while the latter was the protector of the nobility, a reckless king was not a master that the nobles were willing to obey, but as a princess, this method was best, her father had instructed her, and at critical moments, cruelty and arbitrariness were not a bad thing for a king.

Today, and tomorrow at the latest, she will lose her title of princess, as well as her surname, her army, and her territory. She would have nothing but to live in this world as an ordinary commoner, walking side by side with her lover, she would face countless setbacks and hardships, and she wouldn't even have the power to fight for something for herself, so she couldn't make a commitment to that child - but her mind changed when she saw the mortal who followed Dylan and was alien to the mages - at least now she was the princess of the Norman Highlands.

She gazed calmly at the despicable man, his pain and despair not stirring up a wave in her heart.

&&&

"It's been a long day. Kerry said, a strand of hair playfully escaping from behind his pointed ears and swaying around his cheek, but the elf didn't even look able to send it back to its original position.

The souls of the other world agreed, and one thing after another followed, and they didn't even have time to breathe.

"When is the ceremony?"

"Before dinner. Kerry replied that the ritual would have lasted from three days to three weeks, because the protected person had to fast for a day, cleanse his body several times, and pray to Tyre to prove his oath, just like the ritual performed by the old king of Baldwin and Norman, but now that Baldwin was disgusted by Tyre, and the other gods would not accept an abandoned paladin, he only had to bathe three times and then put on white** The red and black robes were sufficient, and the priest of Ilmut brought him a healing potion to ensure that the ritual would not be interrupted by the sudden coma of the protégé.

"It's a bit rushed. The otherworldly soul said—he always felt that it was more like a wedding for a noble purpose, a quick and formalized wedding.

"Dylan Donclay and his mage are waiting outside the door. ”

"Wouldn't it be better for Leona to give up the inheritance?" asked the otherworldly soul curiously, "The new king has not yet entered into a marriage contract with any woman, he has no legitimate children, and Dylan is his nephew - nephews have no inheritance rights?"

"Not before the change in the inheritance law," said Kerryben, "well, we can discuss this later, we don't have much time left, do you want to take a charcoal ash and blood stain to participate in the next ceremony?"

Even though the black-haired spellcaster had succeeded in dividing the dryads and the lowly demons, destroying the nets they had woven together, and causing them to fight each other, it would not be easy to send them back to their hometowns separately - the thieves and priests had not been slightly injured, and Kerryben and Cremar were not so bad, but they looked like catfish that had just emerged from some stinking mire because of the relationship between the flames, the mud, and the sap of the dryads like spoiled blood.

They were each given a room, the one that Cremar got was probably originally inhabited by the consul's daughter, because the whole room was very elegantly furnished, the furniture was even inlaid with shells and precious stones, the curtain was also made of light gauze and velvet, the dressing table was full of bottles and jars, the separate bathroom connected to the room, the walls and floors were made of smooth and bright alabaster, the maids placed several candlesticks in the bathroom, lit dozens of whale candles, the water in the tub was steaming, and the caster rolled up his sleeves and fished in the water, and found a magic instrument similar to the water purification ball he carried, which ensured that the water was always clean and warm。

He took off his robe, the white robe he had worn all the way from the Sea of Chaos to get rid of the dirty blood and dust, and the soul of the other world worried about the torn part of his shoulder, the monster's teeth were even sharper than steel—he lifted it up and looked closely, and saw that the damage was not as bad as he thought, and the black-haired spellcaster held out his little finger suspiciously, and found that the hole could no longer reach for his fingertips- He moved it underneath the candlestick and waited with bated breath for a moment, pleasantly surprised to find that it was sewing itself up.

The souls of the other world think that Tyre is a good man.

The water in the tub had been filled with sesame oil, and the surface was covered with a layer of fine foam, and the caster lay down comfortably, and when the boiling hot water wrapped his whole body, he involuntarily trembled and sighed slightly, the enjoyment of humans and the needs of elves are two completely different things. (To be continued......)