Because she was a little shorter than Swain, Princess Celestia had to stand on tiptoe to reach Swain's ear.

"Does His Highness Alexandria know?" Naturally, Swain couldn't speak in the ear of the eldest princess, that would be too ungentlemanly. He bent down slightly, keeping himself at about the same height as Princess Celestia.

"I haven't told him anything. The eldest princess shook her head, she was still satisfied with Swain's thoughtful behavior.

"yes, I see. But aren't you worried about arousing Your Highness's suspicion?"

"Why be suspicious?" Princess Celestia smiled slyly, "I'm his daughter, aren't I?"

"But you'd better be cautious. Swain wasn't as optimistic as she was, "Don't underestimate anyone." ”

"I will take your advice to heart. Celestia nodded, a little smug in her look. Compared to her father and uncle, there were still too few reliable people around her, and even Swain, she didn't fully trust.

"That's fine. I'll keep an eye on what you say. ”

Swain straightened up and distanced himself from Celestia a little. Such a conversation is not appropriate for talking too much, especially on such occasions.

"Can you please walk around the garden with you?" Princess Celestia smiled elegantly and invited Swain, "It's hard to meet someone like you in the palace, so let's take a break." ”

"Then I'd be respectful and obey. ”

The two of them walked slowly in the garden, not saying much, occasionally speaking, and only talking about some ordinary topics.

"I've always heard that Midnight Castle is the most beautiful manor in the South, and that the first Earls have made it a picturesque wonderland, and I'd love to see it. ”

"After our enemies have fallen to their knees and begged for mercy, I will gladly receive you there. ”

Swain walked slowly behind Princess Celestia, keeping pace with Katerina. He wasn't much interested in such an elegant thing, but since the eldest princess said so, Swain followed her.

Princess Celestia turned her face slightly and glanced at Sven. Sven still had that mask-like expression on his face, but in such a scene, he seemed a little careless.

Caterina suddenly laughed, covering her mouth with her hands, and the corners of her eyes hooked up with small crescents. "Judging by your expression, it looks like you don't want me to go. ”

"But if you really want to make it to Midnight Castle, I can't afford to lose hospitality. Swain didn't care, pausing to look at her, "It's just that Fort Midnight might disappoint you." ”

"Why, isn't the scenery beautiful there?"

"Did you go there just to see the view?"

The eldest princess laughed out loud, and she no longer deliberately tried to hide her laughter. "You're still so unflattering. She looked at the expressionless man with great interest, and from the first time they met her, she felt the sharpness of this man's words, and although he was dressed in the cloak of nobility, he always liked to expose that cover-up.

"It doesn't matter if the words aren't flattering. Sven looked at Princess Celestia lightly, "As long as people are liked, it's fine." ”

This rather ambiguous remark made Celestia's face blush slightly, and she deliberately put on a slightly angry color to scare Swain, "What if I say that you actually hate it? ”

"That's my pleasure. Swain suddenly took a step closer, bent down, took Princess Celestia's hand, and kissed it on the back of her hand.

Princess Caterina couldn't help but frown, such a gesture was no longer etiquette, and it was obviously a bit rude. Although she hadn't seen the Count a few times, she had a deep understanding of Swain's perversity, so she couldn't bear to withdraw her hand.

"Sister Karin?"

The sudden figure behind her frightened Princess Celestia's body trembled, and she hurriedly withdrew her hand from Sven's hand. After glaring at Swain quickly, she immediately put on a kind smile again, turned away, and looked at the little prince Yolo.

"What's the matter, Yolo, is there something wrong with my sister?"

The little prince looked at the man behind his sister suspiciously, his big eyes full of questions. But when Swain moved his gaze to the little prince, Yolo's small body couldn't help but tremble, and his eyes became a little afraid of this man.

He hurriedly ran to Celestia's side, hugged his sister's legs, and hid behind Caterina with some cowering, only half of his head was bare to look at Swain. "Sister, who is this person?"

"This is His Excellency Swain Noe Jericho, Earl of Midnight. Princess Celestia smiled and introduced, "This is my cousin, Yolo. ”

"Hello, Your Royal Highness the Prince. Swain bowed, although he was only a child, but after all, he was a prince of honorable status, and he still saluted Yolo.

The little prince was still hiding behind his sister, biting his lip and looking at Swain in fear, and it was a long time before he spat out the words between his teeth. "Sister, this person's expression is so terrifying......"

Princess Celestia couldn't help but laugh out loud again, looking at Swain playfully. But to her little regret, there was no embarrassment on Sven's face, otherwise it would have been more interesting.

"No, Yolo, that's rude. She gently stroked the little prince's head, "I have to apologize to His Excellency the Earl." ”

Yolo looked at Swain reluctantly and said sullenly, "I'm sorry, Your Excellency. ”

Sven took a step back, he couldn't make a gentle expression in the first place, it was better to make both sides more comfortable. "Honesty is a rare quality, and you don't have to apologize to me, Your Highness Yolo. ”

"Yolo, why did you come here, is there something to do with your sister?" the eldest princess squatted down, looked at the little prince's pure gaze, and asked softly.

"There are green peppers for lunch today......" the little prince pouted, and looked at his sister pitifully with watery eyes.

"Green peppers are a very nutritious food, and you can't eat them. But......" Princess Celestia pinched the little prince's smooth face, "I'll tell you a little secret, in fact, my sister didn't like to eat green peppers when she was young." ”

"Really!" the child is like this, his attention is easily diverted, and when he hears his sister, who has always been perfect, say that she doesn't like to eat green peppers either, he immediately forgets the fear that Swain has caused him.

"Don't say it. ”

"Well, I'll keep it a secret for my sister. The little prince nodded vigorously and swore an assurance.

"Alright, now you go to your sister's room, I'll bring you snacks later." Princess Celestia stood up and patted the little prince on the back. When he heard that his sister was going to bring him snacks, he immediately laughed happily and ran away from the nanny.

After Yolo's figure completely disappeared at the end of the flower wall, Princess Celestia's gentle smile immediately disappeared, and her face quickly sank.

"Your Excellency, did you mean to do that?" she turned to question Swain with an angry face.

"I'm not going to be likable anyway, so what do you have to worry about?"

"Hmph. Although this explanation can't make the eldest princess angry at all, she also knows that it is useless for someone like Swain to be angry with him.

"Your relationship with His Highness Yolo seems to be good...... Is that Highness the son of His Highness Belial?" asked Swain suddenly.

Princess Celestia's gaze turned to the direction Yolo had left, and her expression became a little complicated. "I used to like him. ”

"But now for the sake of a position, I have to guard against this younger brother, right? ”

"It has nothing to do with you, does it?" Princess Celestia squinted, glaring at Swain.

"I just hope you don't forget what you just said. Sven's voice was low, like the whisper of the devil, "What's the use of making a determination but not doing anything?"

Celestia bit her lip, she really hated Swain's mouth now. "I want you to be as good as your tongue. ”

"I'm confident about that. ”

After being secretly ridiculed by Swain, the eldest princess was no longer interested in walking. She glanced lazily at the sun, ready to part ways with Swain.

But there was another sound of footsteps behind her, this time it was not the sound of a child walking like the little prince, and the eldest princess heard the sound of leather shoes on the ground from a distance.

A court attendant appeared in the garden, and he was a little surprised to see the eldest princess, but he hid his expression well and walked briskly towards the two of them.

"Hello, Your Highness the Princess. He first bowed to the Celestial Princess, then looked at Swain, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty wants to see you, Your Excellency. ”

Swin and the eldest princess looked at each other, and both of them had some doubts in their hearts, what would happen to the emperor when he suddenly summoned Swain.

"It seems that I don't need to take you to thank Your Majesty. Although the eldest princess was curious, since her grandfather wanted to see Swain, she just took the opportunity to ask for a part, "You can go to Your Majesty first, goodbye, Your Excellency, I am looking forward to visiting Midnight Castle." ”

"Ah, please wait a moment, Your Highness. Seeing that the Grand Duke was leaving, the palace attendant hurriedly stopped her, "Your Majesty also asks you to go with you." ”

This time, the eldest princess was really surprised. Why do you want me to go with me? For a while, many questions and speculations came to Caterina's mind.

When Princess Swain and the Eldest came to the Emperor's study, the Foreign Secretary, Otto Leopold Noe Mencken, was also there, and when they saw the Foreign Secretary, both of them knew in their hearts that the Emperor had called them for diplomatic purposes.

"Salute to you, Your Majesty. Swain bowed to the Emperor, and Princess Celestia lifted her skirt and bowed down.

The Emperor was a little surprised to see the two of them arrive together. "It's a coincidence that you've arrived together, and I thought I'd have to wait a little longer. ”

"I met His Excellency the Earl in the garden just now, and we happened to walk together. Princess Celestia replied.

"Yes. The Emperor nodded and looked at Foreign Secretary Mencken.

Menken immediately understood what the Emperor meant, and explained to Swyn and the Eldest Princess why they had been called: "Your Excellency, because of your father's valiant battle, we are in a good situation at the front, but the army of Michel and the other southern princes is about to arrive in Landstown, and the crisis has not eased. Although the Empire is confident that it will punish the betrayals, the situation on the Badajoz Peninsula is so critical that if the Empire does not put down the rebellion as soon as possible, the gains of centuries of fighting against the infidels will be ruined. So I hope that you can represent the empire and negotiate an armistice with Michel VII to buy time and opportunity for the empire to rescue the Kingdom of Leon. ”

Hearing Mencken's explanation, Princess Celestia was taken aback, and peace talks with Michel VII meant that the empire needed to lose face and bow to traitors. Although she had told the Emperor before that Michel VII might eventually have to negotiate with the Empire, rather than trying to help the Desert Man and the Hadrian Empire, she proposed a truce to the rebels just after the victory in Landstown, so the hard-won advantage was tantamount to giving up.

"Is the situation so serious? Just wait a few days, Mittsey's army will reach Dweid, and the rebels will not be our opponents. ”

"Even if the armies of the central provinces arrive, it is impossible to rush the decisive battle, and if we rush to fight, then we will be passive. The Emperor shook his head, he also knew that reinforcements were just around the corner, but it was not something that could be done overnight to completely defeat the southern army, and the Kingdom of Leon would not be able to hold out at that time.

"So, what is the bottom line of the negotiations? is it a temporary armistice, or a complete peace treaty?" Swain was still calm, he could understand the emperor's idea that he didn't want to waste unnecessary time, so he directly asked for the details of the negotiations.

"Michelle isn't a fool either, he won't wait for us to finish the desert people and then come back and clean him up. Since Swain didn't prevaricate, Menken told him all the Empire's plans, "We can accept his terms, the position of Governor of Orknis can be granted to him, and the people in the south will not be held responsible, only need him to withdraw his troops and let the Imperial army rescue the Kingdom of Leon through the Southern Territory and the Leviathan Ocean." ”

"Of course, we'll do everything we can to get your Midnight Fort. I can transfer land to Michel elsewhere, but Fort Midnight will never be handed over to him, so you can rest assured. The emperor added.

Menken glanced sideways slightly, looking at the Emperor suspiciously. He felt very incomprehensible that Nicholas I valued Midnight Fort so much, and not only let Count Midnight serve as an envoy, but also insisted on keeping Midnight Fort at Nomble, and it was clear that Governor Orknis had allowed him to go out. If Mencken "do your best" is understandable, the phrase "never" is not very suitable as a bargain. The minister immediately retracted his gaze, no matter what, since the emperor said so, he could only carry out it as the emperor's minister.

"Thank you for your kindness, and I will repay you for your kindness. Swain bowed again, then looked up at the Emperor, "It's just that it's really appropriate for me to be an envoy? ”

"Why, at this time, you are starting to excuse yourself?" the Emperor looked at Swain lightly, he actually valued not Swain as a person, but the title of Earl of Midnight, "You can rest assured, I will let the Marquis of Metternich and Karin accompany you." ”

"Shall I go too?" Princess Celestia looked at her grandfather in surprise.

"Since you're willing to take on more responsibilities for the family, it's a good opportunity, isn't it?" the emperor's eyes softened when he looked at his granddaughter, and there was encouragement in his tone.

"I see. Swain didn't look out of the ordinary, "Then I'll follow the Marquis's orders." ”

"Ah, it doesn't have to be. The Emperor waved his hand, "The Marquis of Metternich will not be going as an envoy this time, so it is up to you and Karin to negotiate." Oliver's mission is to convince Michelle to join him in the war against the desert people, and whether he succeeds or not, he will continue eastward to convince the Church State and Hadrian. I asked him to go to help you, but you don't have to listen to him completely. ”

Princess Swain immediately understood the emperor's thoughts, obviously, at this time, the prestige and connections of the Marquis of Metternich in the diplomatic world can best help the empire to gain the support of other countries, but the emperor is still unwilling to let him exert too much influence in foreign affairs, after all, it is not easy to fall, if the Marquis of Metternich takes this opportunity to return to the position of foreign minister, then the emperor will have a headache for this old marquis.

"Yes. ”

"When you pass through Landestown, you might as well go see your father. The Emperor carefully studied Swain's eyes, trying to capture the slightest of his mood swings, "You tell him on my behalf that I will never forget his battles with Cecil, O'Brien, and the Imperial soldiers, and that this peace negotiation was made in order to defend the Kingdom of Leon and the Church, and that I will never forget their merits and bravery." ”

Sven didn't speak, just nodded in lieu of answer.

The Emperor waved his hand and motioned for Sven to go down.

"Karin. As the Celestia was about to follow Swain out of the study, the Emperor stopped her, "You stay." ”

Sven playfully closed the door.

"Grandpa, is there anything else?" Now that Swain is gone, Princess Celestia no longer has to stand at the door to talk to the emperor like him, she has come closer, but also kept a certain distance.

The emperor's expression became serious, he looked at the door of the study, and said in a calm voice: "You must pay attention to your own safety when you go, and also, keep an eye on Count Jericho." ”

"Huh?" Princess Celestia didn't react for a while, she could understand staring at Count Jericho, but why was she paying attention to safety, was she afraid that Michel VII would take her hostage?

The Emperor stretched out his hand and gently stroked the eldest princess's long hair, with a hint of apology in his eyes. "I asked you to reprimand that Count Jericho, and if anything goes wrong with him, I'm afraid you'll be hurt. But now we have to have someone with enough status to negotiate to convince Michelle of our sincerity, and your father and uncle can't get out of it, so I have to grieve you, Karin. ”

"Please rest assured, Grandpa. The eldest princess stared at the emperor earnestly, "I will complete the task you gave me." ”