Baron O'Brien was surprised to hear that his lieutenant had come to report, he didn't expect Swain to come to visit at this time. Although the Munster army had been entrusted by Alexander with the important task of capturing the remnants of the Ministry of the Interior and the coronation ceremony of Awe, at the same time, Alexander also strictly ordered the troops of Munster, Connaught and Yanwan provinces not to enter the city, which also made Baron O'Brien feel that Alexander did not trust them, and was even wary of them.

After a moment of silence, Baron O'Brien decided to meet the count, anyway, they both had a friendship to fight together in the western suburbs, and he also needed to know about the situation in the imperial capital.

When Swain appeared in front of Baron O'Brien, he had not changed much from a few days ago, or rather, Swain had always been much the same in front of people, with a blank face, a slight arrogance, and a very unpleasant look.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Count Jericho. Baron O'Brien rose from his seat, and although Alexander did not allow them to enter the city, at least the treatment and conditions were much better than before, and instead of making makeshift tents for camps, several suburban farms abandoned during the civil war were assigned to them as camps. It's not a pleasure to be used to the smell of chicken manure, but at least these soldiers can take a breath of relief after more than two months of travel. From Michel VII's army, Nicholas I ordered the entire imperial standing army to rush to Germany's aid, and the Munster army only had a slight rest in Lanztown, and the rest of the time, either fighting or marching, was now able to settle down for a short time, and did not have to worry about tomorrow's battle, which was already a comfort for these tired soldiers.

"You may be seated. Baron O'Brien pointed to the sofa on the side and said, "I'm sorry, the conditions and facilities here are not very good, after all, it is just the office of the original farm, please bear with me." ”

Sven nodded, indicating that he didn't care.

"Mr. Baron, it doesn't look like he's doing very well. Swain sat down on the couch, this inferior couch was no better than the high-end goods in Karin Castle, and Swain was not very comfortable to sit on," you still have breadcrumbs hanging from the corners of your mouth. ”

Baron O'Brien was stunned, subconsciously reached out to touch it, and when he saw the white crumbs on his fingertips, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. "To make you laugh, as you can see, in extraordinary times, we can only be more frugal, so I won't invite you to drink, let's have a glass of water." ”

"Thank you. Swain didn't care whether the other party's hospitality was good or bad, and the commanders of the first army could only eat cheap bread for lunch, which shows how poor the food supply of the Munster army is now.

"It may be a bit presumptuous, but may I ask if Munster's side has already decided on the Duke of O'Brien?"

Baron O'Brien's face changed suddenly, Swain's question was no longer just presumptuous, it was simply rude for him to ask this, the succession of titles within the aristocratic family, unless it was a dispute that had to be resorted to the imperial court, otherwise even the emperor was not qualified to ask.

"Thank you for your concern. Baron O'Brien said coldly, although his attitude was not eagerness at first, but now it is indeed outright cold, "I'm afraid this matter will take some time, and I don't know the specific situation, so I'm disappointed." ”

"For me, there is nothing to be disappointed about. Swain said calmly, indifferent to Baron O'Brien's covert provocations, "That's not my title, and, my relationship with you—do you think, worth my disappointment?"

Baron O'Brien's face became ugly, although he had long heard of Swain's foul mouth, but the other party so bluntly picked out that he had changed sides after the civil war, which still made the baron very unhappy.

"Really?" said Baron O'Brien, turning his gaze away from Swain, "then, what are you here for? ”

"At this point, it seems that I have to thank you for accepting me, otherwise, I probably wouldn't have seen you. ”

Baron O'Brien pulled the corners of his mouth, he really didn't like the way Swain spoke.

"But since you've asked, I'll tell you. Swain looked at Baron O'Brien, the calmness in his eyes made the Baron feel very uncomfortable, and he couldn't feel any sincerity in Swain's words.

"Let me ask you a question, do you think the storm that has swept through the whole of Dev is over?"

"What do you mean?" Baron O'Brien frowned, feeling more and more uneasy in his heart, "the war is over, and the culprits have been punished—it's still your hand—so what's there to worry about?"

"Death doesn't always solve the problem, in fact, sometimes it makes things worse. Sven straightened his legs and shifted his waist to lean on the couch, which really made him uncomfortable, "The gust of wind that blows from Beria will not stop just because the person who instigated the storm is dead. ”

"Oh-I see what you mean. Baron O'Brien pretended to be in a state of sudden realization, and deliberately dragged out his tone, "You are worried that there will still be a chaotic party, right? Please rest assured, there will be none, because all those who may pose a threat and harm to the empire have been eliminated by my troops." ”

Baron O'Brien stared at Swain intently and added. "Or it's about to be cleared. ”

Swain raised his eyebrows slightly, the meaning of Baron O'Brien's words was already obvious.

"'All those who may be a threat and a threat to the Empire'? Are you sure, if this is what you say, then why would your ministry endure scarcity of supplies and poor conditions in such a place?"

Baron O'Brien's face became even darker, not because he was dissatisfied with Swain, but because he felt that the other party was irrational, and in the current situation that was almost settled, Sven still had a plan, which was extremely unwise in Baron O'Brien's opinion.

"We are not the only ones who are in short supply. Baron O'Brien held his head high and raised his posture very high, "The entire imperial capital is suffering from the war, and we should not enjoy it alone in such a situation, the army exists to protect the people, and we are secondary." ”

"What a noble statement. Swain clapped his hands lightly, as if applauding Baron O'Brien's words, "Self-sacrifice and selflessness, like a hero." It's just that the so-called heroes must have a tragic end in order to be worthy of their name, do you say?"

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Baron O'Brien slammed the table, shaking the pen and paper on it, "Even if you want to beat around the bush and use clever words, so much nonsense is enough." Let's be more direct, we can't afford more speculation about our relationship today. ”

"That's pretty straightforward. Swain's face was as calm as ever, but the baron seemed to see a hint of mockery in his black eyes, "Since you want to hear it directly, I will tell you that Her Royal Highness Caterina may be going to die—to be executed by order of His Majesty our Emperor, of course, in secret." ”

Baron O'Brien struggled to control his face so that his expression did not change much, but he still couldn't control his breathing, and when Swain said the words "Her Royal Highness Caterina may be dying", the Baron took a sudden breath.

"If it is the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, I, as a soldier, only have the obligation to obey. Although there were still flaws, Baron O'Brien quickly adjusted his state, and his words were still leaky, "But you, suddenly told me this news with no reason or basis, what do you want to do? Could it be that becoming the commander of the thirteenth section has given you so much confidence to cultivate your ambitions, and you also want to follow the old path of Michel VII and Beria who were killed by you?"

"Do you think I'm joking, or am I lying to you with false news?" Swain tilted his neck and looked at Baron O'Brien with interest, "You should also know that everything used to deceive people should have a reason to convince the other party, and if what I just told was a lie, then there must be something in it that will make you believe, and if it is true, then do I still have to defend myself?"

Baron O'Brien's face couldn't help but tremble, although Swain's words made him dislike it very much, but one thing was right, in this news, there was indeed one thing that made him care very much - Alexander had a reason to deal with Katarina, and this reason was also applied to him and Swain.

The victory on the battlefield in the western suburbs, the first to enter the German for victory, and the glory of defeating Beria, none of these fell on Alexander's head, although this supreme wore the crown as a king and reigned over the empire, but for the people of the imperial capital, and even the real power of the entire empire gathered in the imperial capital, his performance was far inferior to that of Katarina, and the prestige accumulated by the eldest princess in this turmoil was enough to challenge her father.

In particular, her name is Karin, the same name as the first empress in the history of the Empire.

However, this is not enough to convince the baron, the reason why Baron O'Brien quickly lost his sincerity to Alexander after the war is because he can see that Alexander's legitimacy is much higher than that of the eldest princess, no matter what, if an imperial princess wants to inherit the throne, the premise must be that all the men of the Guion branch cannot inherit the throne, and this alone almost cuts off the opportunity for the eldest princess to ascend to the highest throne- Unless she can be ruthless enough to force her father to abdicate at the same time, she will unscrupulously solve the inheritance of her two brothers.

After a long silence, Baron O'Brien took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to Swain. "Your Majesty is extremely kind and generous, and even if you have the excellent diplomatic skills and verbal skills of the Marquis de Metternich, it is impossible to shake my loyalty to Your Majesty - besides, your ability to lie is so bad that you are naïve, I hope you can think of a better excuse next time, at least not to lose the face of the Jericho family. ”

Although Baron O'Brien's mouth uttered extremely unkind words, refusing to leave Swain without even the slightest leeway, Swain did not appear angry at all.

Because he knew that his purpose had been achieved.

"In that case, I don't have much more to say. Swain stood up, he had had enough of that clattering couch anyway, "One last word of caution, don't forget the fate of the Southern nobles, Duke Edward and his family were exiled to Pannonia a few days ago, and the heads of the three division commanders of the Southern Army fell to the ground. This is the kindness of our Majesty...... and generosity. ”

Baron O'Brien's face grimaced as he watched Swain leave his office.

He knew that Swain would never come to see him out of any kindness or friendship, and what the other party wanted must be to involve himself in this quagmire. However, Baron O'Brien had no choice but to watch Swain drag himself into the bottomless muddy water and let himself be covered in mud, because, as the commander-in-chief of the troops under the name of Princess Celestia during the civil war, he had no way to get rid of his involvement, even if Swain did not come to see him at this time.

Thinking of Swain's last words before leaving, Baron O'Brien felt completely annoyed in his heart.

"Damn Jericho!"