The news of the deaths of King Aiden and Prime Minister Sirian did not cause much of a stir among the top nobles in the kingdom. Many people foresaw the possible outcome of this event after Aiden's assassination. The problem is simply that many people don't expect that things will end so quickly and so suddenly.

Donis, Duke of Frostwood Castle, was able to rise to the pinnacle of power in the kingdom of Orem, but in a very different way. The day after the king's death, he assumed the post of regent to the congratulations of his courtiers. Although he was not a king, he had time to slowly plot this over the next few years. Of course, the addition of a chair between the King's throne and the Prime Minister in the current Council Chamber is the best indication of his status.

The vacant Prime Minister was replaced by the former Minister of Justice Gasula, and yes, he was indeed the predecessor. Gassula was promoted, and for this provincial nobleman who grew up in Oak Province, the position of Prime Minister was a high position he had never had the luxury of, so in a series of thanksgiving Dade, all the royal orders of the regent were unimpeded by him, including a series of successive personnel changes.

Donis's old butler Anto became the new Minister of the Interior of the Royal Palace, and the former Minister of the Interior, Fasti, officially took over as Chief of the Imperial Guard. Cadog, the acting imperial clerk, finally squeezed out Victor and removed the acting prefix. As for Victor, he was kicked back to his hometown after receiving a large sum of gold from Donis. Of course, if he doesn't accept it, only death awaits him in another ending.

Daruk finally became the commander of the kingdom's garrison, and this appointment made his father, the chief historian Korno, a great relief, and it was the glory of the entire family that the Yoye family, known for its scholars, had finally emerged as a new aristocrat who no longer worked hard in the pile of old papers.

Another appointment was made to the new Minister of Justice and was replaced by Aleramo Galcella, one of the dukes of the Seven Provinces, known as the Eagle of Belém. Under him and his younger brother, Angelo Galcella, the province of Belém had long since become the richest land in the kingdom of Orem.

When the regent's envoy handed over the appointment to Aleramo, the rich Duke of Belém smiled slightly, and immediately handed over all the affairs of the province to his younger brother Angelo, and set off directly for Silver Oak City.

It cannot be seen from the appointment of the former Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice that Donis has sent a clear signal to the top nobles of the kingdom - the regent will not get along with the nobles, absolutely not. Of course, this was also the case with the decree he issued later, and all the development plans for Sardinia, including the ongoing urban expansion plan and the mining area planning plan, especially the tax increase plan for the monopoly trading houses, were naturally among them.

As a result, all the efforts of Aiden and Sirian for the rise of the province of Sardinia for ten years slowly faded to the cheers of the regent's inauguration, until they disappeared without a trace.

After the dust settled, the kingdom was back in operation in a very short time. As for the real culprit of Aiden's assassination, the reason for Cyrian's sudden death, and even where His Royal Highness the Crown Prince went, a series of questions were ignored by the nobles with or without it.

One thing Colin is not wrong about. "Unless it's the great Mahos, whoever becomes king is the same, and it doesn't make much difference if you change the pig. "Yes, no one cares who the king is, as long as there is such a person. Alem's power was far from being corrupted to the point where a new dynasty had to be re-established, and the succession of royal power was only a small and untraceable ripple in the long history of the kingdom.

"Man is an adaptable animal, and they always find their place in everything. I don't know who said this sentence, but there is indeed some truth in it. But not everyone is like this, and some people, at this time, need an answer.

......

In the early morning, the breeze from the plains blew through the slightly raised hills, and she walked among the wild flowers and grass seeds, like an innocent maiden, curiously looking around every inch of land she passed. Mixed with the smell of the wilderness and the fragrance of the earth, it dispels the faint night that has not yet left, as well as the sweet dreams of people's pillows.

On the main road outside the capital, several women wearing white headscarves walked towards the river with a wooden basin full of clothes, talking and laughing. Running around them was a flock of young children, like energetic little larks, bouncing and jumping around their mother, with occasional bursts of laughter.

For the inhabitants living around the capital, early summer in Oak Province is always the most enchanting season of the year. Industrious and simple women would get up early, take their young children with them, and go to the river to wash the clothes that their families had changed. For children, it's even simpler, ponds, streams, pastures, woods, these wonderful places will become the sweetest memories of their childhood.

The women's pleasant chatter did not last long when it was interrupted by the sound of horses' hooves coming from behind them. These commoners at the bottom of the kingdom immediately looked nervous, protected their children, and stood humbly on the side of the road, bowing to those noble lords who could never be provoked.

The noisy sound of horses' hooves grew louder and louder, and at first there were a few black dots scattered in the distance, and it was not long before the sturdy horses and richly armored knights rushed over the civilians like a torrent of steel.

Heavy horseshoes pounded on the deserted main road, the flying dirt, the cloak floating behind them, and the long sword hanging from their waists, this team of dozens of knights unbridled their majesty and coldness. Behind the man in the lead, two flag bearers holding aloft the insignia banner and the uniformly armed knights followed.

A few bold children secretly raised their heads and looked at the leading man in the group, who seemed to notice the gaze from the side of the road, and quickly turned his head to look. In an instant, the children fell into their mother's arms with pale faces, as if frightened, trembling slightly, and did not dare to look at them again.

The man turned his head and smiled casually as if he had nothing to do with the blindfold that covered his left eye, his smile should have been beautiful, but the slightly raised corners of his mouth pulled a scar that ran through the left side of his face, bringing out an indescribable weirdness and horror. In particular, the scar, as if it had just been carved, was cracked with a little blood.

The horse team galloped forward, and he didn't have time to pay attention to these lowly civilians, because today, there was more important things for him to do.

The sun was rising, and the horse caravan, which had been galloping for a long time, finally stopped beside a long stretch of hills. The man took control of his horse, and spun around in place with some impatience, the knights who accompanied him to guard him. They were waiting, waiting for their former owners from afar.

It wasn't long before a faint black dot appeared on the empty main road, where it seemed to connect to the end of the sky. The black dot was galloping, bringing up a cloud of smoke and dust behind it, getting closer and closer. Finally, the man smiled heartily and jumped off his horse and walked up head-on.

It was a procession that had clearly gone through a long journey, and dozens of riders were dusty guarding the carriage in the middle of the procession, which had long been stained with mud and dust, and even the horses that were usually well cared for were covered with thick white foam from exhaustion.

As if seeing an oncoming man, the team slowly slowed down and stopped. Soon, a woman with a tired face on her face, but still unable to hide her beauty, stepped out of the carriage with the support of her attendants.

Catherine's heart was broken, and when she received the news of her husband's and son's deaths, her whole being seemed to be consumed by pain and sorrow. No matter how I wiped it, bitter tears kept flowing from my eyes, and no matter how I wheezed, my body seemed to be cut inch by inch by a tiny blade. It was an indescribable pain, as if in an instant the whole world had lost all its color, and only gray life and lingering nightmares remained.

For several days, she had only one thought, to bring back the bodies of her husband and son, to that distant, dreaming hometown. No matter how dangerous the road is, no matter how strong the enemy is, this is what she must do, even at the cost of giving up her life.

Catherine saw the man standing still in the distance, and then pushed away the attendant who was supporting her, and took a staggering step forward, and in the shaky figure, she stretched out her hand to stop the servant who wanted to support her again. Then he raised his head high and walked towards the familiar figure.

The long skirt dragged on the ground, and with the slow pace of her feet, her waist straightened up more and more, and the tears of sadness faded from her red and swollen eyes, although they were still red, but a diametrically opposite color rose in the depths of her pupils. It was a look of tenacity, a tenacity that was deep in the soul of this great woman.

On the silent main road, the sun shone pale brightness. As Catherine's face grew clearer, the man bowed first. "Mother......" said and raised her head again.

"Slap ......" a crisp slap, and the man's head slammed to the side.

"How dare you! Loka! how dare you......" Catherine clenched her teeth, her voice hoarse and low, as if a flame mixed with anger squeezed out of her teeth.

Loka Toure wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth. "I ...... Why don't you dare?!" he replied.

"You killed your own father, and your brother! you mad demon!" Catherine hissed, her eyes bloodshot and her voice dripping blood.

"It wasn't me who killed them! it was the foolish loyalty, and the old-fashioned justice!" roared Loca, as if to say something sarcastic.

Catherine sneered and shook her head. "Is that what you call their noble souls?"

"Noble, Mother, noble, haha......" Loka laughed unscrupulously, "If Sardinia is the most chaotic place in the kingdom, then the province of Junhe is the poorest place in the kingdom!" he said, staring at Catherine, "Is it because our land is barren? No! It is the so-called justice! When the nobles of the other provinces have grabbed a lot of gold coins in the kingdom's carriages! We say no to the gold coins! Give all our resources to the damned untouchables of Sardinian for free! To fill the hole that will never be filled! Mother! Fill the hole that will never be filled!"

"That's what your father dreamed of for ten years......," said Catherine, trembling, her heart filled with disappointment, she never thought that this was the words of her son, whom she had brought up and regarded as her own.

"Dreams, Mother, what does his dream bring us? Look, open your eyes and see! Who among the vassals of the entire province of Junhe is truly loyal to my noble father, except for a few fiefs where the Savalandi family rose! Who else is willing to follow him to abandon the mountain of gold and eat on the earth! No! Not a single one!" Loka roared, black blood spilling from the hideous scar on his face.

"Are you the mastermind behind the timber smuggling in Junhe Province?" asked Catherine in a low voice.

"That's right, that's me?......! But what can I do?" said Loca, "do you want me to give everything for my vain loyalty, like my own father, and leave my wife to die of grief and my young children to be homeless orphans?"

"Shut up, I will not allow you to tarnish the great character of your father!" said Catherine, "it was he who gave you life! It was Sirian who gave you everything you have now, and gave you a happy life!"

"Yes, my father did teach me what life is, but this world has taught me what survival is!" Loka took a deep breath, "And the latter made me the new - Jun River, Duke and Lord!"

Another ......slap sounded, and Catherine looked coldly at Loka Toure as if her eyes were not a living person, but a corpse that had rotted to the bone marrow.

Loka turned his head slowly, blood overflowing from his mouth, and this last slap took away the last bit of affection between them. "Am I not right, Mother, do you want to provoke a war?......" he said with a sneer, his blood-stained teeth opening and closing, letting the blood flow down the corners of his mouth, like a demon walking in the world, "War is a good way, but don't forget my lovely brother, little Ronnie......"

Katherine's anger burned with Lorca's threat, but she didn't move, still standing there as she thought of more. Loka waited, waiting for the answer he cared about most after all the disguise was removed. If this woman chooses war, then he doesn't mind at all sweeping the name of the Savarandi family from the history of the kingdom with an iron hoof after the conspiracy.

After a long time, Catherine spoke. "I'm not your mother. She took Loca's palm and touched her lips to the emblem of the canon, "Salute you, Lord Duke!" and let go of her hand in disgust, turning to the carriage.

Loka Toure looked at Catherine's back and smiled, a smug smile, or a victor's smile. For him, that was enough, and as for the trivial matters afterward, he had time to deal with them......