"Swear," the Norman princess of the Highlands stared at Birdwin, "swear, no, not to the Styx, not to the graves of your parents, not to Tyre, or to any of the gods, those noble and great beings, I ask only that you swear by your heart, your soul, and your ...... Love swears, everything you say is true, there is no falsehood and no pretension. ”

“...... I swear...... Your Highness, I swear. ”

&&&

The ritual is so brief and rudimentary that in the eyes of many people it can hardly be said to be formal, because no god is mentioned in the whole ceremony, and only mortals and spellcasters are involved in the ritual, and there are no paladins or priests, so how can the oath of the protector and the protected be guarded by the immeasurable power of the underworld? Can the promise of a mortal be purer than snow, harder than steel, and more permanent than rock? Everyone knows that this is impossible.

But no one in the room cared about this—the new lord of Dorling, the young Maren Lorenos, had reached an unprecedented level of reverence and affection for the daughter of the Norman king of the Highlands since Leona had regained his usurped domain and title from his uncle (in a brutal way unimaginable to ordinary people), and now he would have unwavering support even if Leona wanted to canonize a tainted thief, not to mention that person was Birdwin Donkray. Although Mullen's father didn't like Birdwin very much, he was an honest man, and he would never deliberately cover up the merits of the Lord of Thundercastle or deliberately slander his character in front of his son, so Mullen was like many young people. He had a vague affection for a man who, though of humble origin, had become a knight and even a lord by virtue of his prowess and loyalty—he did not believe that Berdwin was the one to kill the king—and although his father had left early, Mullen was ten years old by then. He is not the kind of innocent child who knows nothing about the dark filth behind the light, he doesn't even bother to listen carefully to the stupid words coming from the royal capital, everyone knows that Berdwin is not a noble queen (at least not a legitimate child), and the polluted bloodline will not be accepted by the nobles of the royal capital. His only reliance was on the dead king, so why did he destroy the only pillar he had, just look at the persecution he suffered after the death of the king. Lao Wang's death did him no good.

If Her Royal Highness Princess Leona had been established as Crown Prince before that, it might have been possible that Berdwin had actually committed this horrific crime—something hidden in the pendant that the princess always cherished on her chest. It is no longer a secret in the royal capital - but there is no reason for this, or even more so today. The daughter of the Norman king of the Highlands simply stopped at a stone's throw from the throne. Then without hesitation, she turned and strode away, the tiara of pure gold and the scepter inlaid with sapphires and stones no more worthy of her affection than the clay toys she had made when she was a child.

She was such a noble person, and although Baldwin was not a man who was not worth saving, Mullen still felt a deep pity that it was not the weak and pale hypocrite who sat on the Black Iron Throne of the Norman of the Highlands. It's this one that is full of vitality and strength, and has a merciful heart. What a young woman with a strong will.

The thought had been lingering in his mind, and as he saw Leona, dressed in a sumptuous crown and armed with a ceremonial sword, slowly walking into another room, and solemnly ascending the steps and sitting on a high-backed chair wrapped in velvet, it silently transformed into a seed in the depths of Mullen's heart.

For well-known reasons, the oath took a short time, and when Birdwin had taken the oath and needed help to put on the armor, weapons, and shorts given by his protector, Her Royal Highness Princess Leona, it was not the knight who served him, but only the knight's servant - a true knight would not have put on armor and a sword for a wicked man who had been banished by Tyre and had committed the crime of murder, but Baldwin did not regret it, and the others had to marvel at Leona's generosity - Generally speaking, in this type of ceremony, the protector is to give the protector a valuable, but symbolic value is more than the use value, in many cases, it will only be one or two pieces of the full set of armor, such as a helmet, a pair of spurs, or a neck brace. But Leona's gifts, even if they were directly dedicated to Rosada, the god of morning light, or Tampas, the god of war, were quite appropriate - there were three of them.

A magical Mithril chain mail, with a round neck, long sleeves, and a knee-length hem, looked so slender that it looked more appropriate for Leona than for her protector - but when the servants lifted it over his head and placed it on Berdwin's shoulder, it slid from his shoulder to his knee like silver water, showing no sign of embarrassment.

A broadsword of adamantite gold, thick and heavy, with a hematite inlaid on the head and sapphires on the cruciform gauntlets, which are often used in magical weapons.

As for the short piece, most people did not recognize its texture at first, because it was not soft or delicate, the surface was rough and convex, the corners were uneven, the crimson was almost black, there was no embroidery or coat of arms, it was not cut, it was not sewn, but it was fastened together with four Mithril clasps set at both ends - it looked more like an open cone, which you would not be unfamiliar with if you were a ranger or mercenary - The only thing hidden in the forests and swamps of the goblins is probably this pattern.

When Baldwin knelt down again, the black-haired spellcaster frowned slightly, the smell of the short piece made him uncomfortable.

"I didn't expect that. Suddenly someone beside him whispered, and Cremar turned his head in astonishment, and found that it was Dylan Donclay, and the candlelight and the last day light shone on his beautiful young woman's face, casting shadows so messy that he distorted his expression so that he could not tell whether he was happy or annoyed. "That's supposed to be Zhang Longpi. ”

He didn't seem to care about the response, but continued to say to himself, "There is a rumor that has been going on for hundreds of years - that the Norman royal family once received a dead baby dragon from a powerful mage for half the treasury - or that people thought it was a rumor. Until today. ”

"She really loves Baldwin, doesn't she?" said Dylan, staring at Baldwin and Leona. One of them stood on top of the stairs, the other at the bottom of the stairs, the stairs made up for the difference in height between them, they looked at each other, Leona's eyes were full of warmth like spring water, and Baldwin, who seemed as firm and calm as ever. But Dylan could guess that he was already terrified, he knew he was cheating and stealing, but what he got was too good. No, not armor, weapons, or dragon skins, but the trust and affection of the princess, something he never dared to covet—he was a commoner. Although he never considered himself lowly. But he knew very well that even being just the daughter of an earl was unattainable for him.

He had despised it, for he had already had a steadfast and lovely wife, and Penny had dealt him a blow that had almost died of humiliation, but who would have thought that in the blink of an eye he would receive the affection of one of the noblest Normans in the Highlands, and that love was not only pure. Bright, but also blazing like the first rays of morning light cast by Rosada.

He couldn't refuse. Who could say no - he even wanted to hold it firmly in his hands, and he would not hesitate to give everything for it.

The green-eyed Don Clay narrowed his eyes and hid a sarcastic smile in the corners of his straightened lips, knowing that returning empty-handed again might make his uncle, the new king, unhappy, and his mother, Princess Diane, yelling hysterically, but as long as he could bring back Leona, an oath that was akin to renouncing the throne, their complaints would not last long, and if Princess Diane continued to nag about it, he could still escape to Castle Thunder, where his mentor was making deals with orcsThe orcs may be having a hard time this winter, they need slaves, they need food, they need robes and blankets, the more the better, and his merchants have complained more than once about the shortage of men.

Leona raised her flaming sword and placed the weapon over her shoulder over Birdwin's shoulder, deftly flipped her wrist and slapped his left cheek and then the right cheek with a cold blade.

After bearing the symbolic humiliation of his absolute obedience, Baldwin raised a dagger and slitted his forearm with it, allowing blood to flow onto Leona's robes, indicating that he would shed his own blood for her.

Finally, there are three identical oaths held by Mullen's aunt, Leona first signed her name on them, then dripped her own blood, and then the protector Bedwin, there are two certifiers, one is Dylan Donkray, who replaced the old lord of Dorling, and the other is Mullen, the new lord of Dorling, according to the convention, there should have been a priest or paladin as the third witness to sign it, but Birdwin is now a special status, so this document can only leave a helpless blank.

With her knees folded, she sat on the damp stone floor, quietly waiting for the ceremony to end—though she was only a priest of Flo, she was not allowed to participate in this important ceremony for the sake of safety—not as good as the thief Gülen, who was not only able to attend, but was also formally invited as an important guest.

Flo's followers rubbed their belts in anger, she suspected that it was the sudden princess Leona who was doing it, she did it on purpose, even if she had shown tolerance like a saint before, but what woman could bear to have a priest Flo by her love, and she was so ugly! It's not the kind of ugliness with distorted facial features and dark skin, it should be said that it's worse than that, Mei Mi couldn't help but laugh out loud when she thought of this, I don't know what it would be like for her and Berdwin to stand together, anyway, it won't look like a lover, but it may look like a pair of brothers!

The closed door was opened at this moment, and at the foresight was the princess who looked like a handsome boy, with a crown of flowers, and pearls in the shape of drops, and a dark purple velvet robe like twilight, and a gold belt dotted with amethysts, and her expression was gentle, and her steps were so calm, and her every move was so noble and elegant, and Berdwin followed, and his hand was tightly gripping a broadsword, a sumptuous broadsword, and the sapphires set on it were purer and greater than any Maemie had ever seen。

Memmy wanted to stand up, but she had been in an uncomfortable position for too long, her hands and feet were numb, and the soles of her feet throbbed uncontrollably as she struggled to get up, and today she wore a rose-colored silk robe that was long above her feet ("taken" from some dusty room), and she was sure that her master would not wear it again, or that she would never need it again- The edges of the robe are adorned with delicate pearl tassels, which sparkle as she walks around and constantly lap her slender snow-white ankles to catch the eye of every man.

Unfortunately, Mei Mi, who had lost her balance, stepped on the edge of her robe again, and the smooth little tassels tugged at her feet and neck like a mischievous child, and she let out a short exclamation and fell to the ground.

Leona immediately stretched out her hand, but it was Mullen's aunt who was faster than him and Baldwin, and she stepped forward quickly, grabbed Pastor Flo's arm, and helped her to her feet as quickly as she could—the pure gold bell hanging from Mulmy's belt jingled because of this big movement, and Mullen's uncle looked down in confusion, and when she saw what it was, she immediately let go of Mulberry and took a step back.

"How can there be a priest of Flo here?" she asked, glaring sternly at her husband's nephew.

"Don't do that, she's a companion to Bedwin," Leona said softly, "and she's been taking care of Birdwin. ”

The gaze of condemnation immediately shifted to Birdwin.

As a man, it is inevitable that he will be associated with one or more priests of Flo, and Marlen's uncle is not surprised, after all, her husband is the best of them, but in her opinion, it is very likely that the man who is betrothed to His Highness should be a little restrained in this regard, at least not to let such a filthy woman appear in front of the princess.

"Uh...... That ......," her little daughter said suddenly.

"What?"

"That robe," said one of Mullen's cousins, hesitantly, "seems to be ...... Sister's?"

"I gave it to this lady," said her sister, who was four years older than Mullen and a demure and amiable beauty, "and her clothes were too torn to wear, so I took one from my suitcase and gave it to her." ”

Leona glanced at her gratefully, Mami was Baldwin's companion, and she was the one who looked after Baldwin before she arrived, and she was genuinely grateful to Mee, and she didn't want Baldwin's companion to be looked down on casually, she gently shook the young girl's hand, "Thank you." She said, "I'll give you back a robe." ”

Reverend Flo's face was not bloody, even when it was illuminated by a torch, and she stared at Leona viciously, like a man who was starving to death and had been robbed of the last piece of bread by a man with a full stomach.

Then, in full view of everyone, she took a step forward and spat at the sumptuous dark purple velvet robe. (To be continued......)