Flagship of the Royal Navy of the Valstad Empire –

The super battleship Minerva slowly sailed out of the harbor, and the crowd cheered and splashed flower petals on the sea in prayer for victory.

The 2,800-ton ship does not look like a product of its time, and the civilian merchant ships moored in the harbor are as small and weak as ants.

Along with the flagship Minerva, 86 large warships, a powerful fleet swooped down on the island to the east with the help of the wind, as if humans were about to challenge the authority of the sea god.

The commander of the fleet - Imperial Admiral Valero stood on the bridge,

He held a telescope to observe the formation of the fleet, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind, and when he turned around, it turned out to be Dali Einfurt, the prime minister of the empire;

"Brother Valero, it's hard work, but you still have to do it yourself as always, and you have to personally take care of the work of the captain and first officer."

"Each other, thanks to you, Dali, otherwise, everyone doesn't know the goal of the next move, and they are going around like a swarm of headless flies."

"It's just a serendipitous discovery, and thanks to the work of the agents, all the sacrificial ceremonial locations are marked on the map, otherwise I wouldn't have room for imagination."

"What do you think of the upcoming showdown?"

"This is a battle that cannot be lost, the emperor and prime minister, the ministers and marshals of the empire, are all on this big ship, but there is no need to worry too much, whether it is personnel or equipment, we have the advantage."

"And our enemy has lost almost all of his army and navy, and in the face of a weak enemy, he has sent almost all the main forces of the fleet, which shows that Your Majesty must guard against the last stand of the enemy's rabbit and eagle."

"That's right, think about it, how many famous historical generals are not guaranteed because of the light enemy."

"Look at this ship, it's all old and middle-aged,

The years are merciless, if you were young, sailing around the world is not a problem, now, a little short-range sailing is tired, my rheumatism is getting worse and worse, the sea breeze blows the joints hurt, after this battle is probably also time to retire. ”

"It is His Majesty's order to keep the young men, firstly because experienced sailors are more trustworthy, and secondly, in order to leave fresh blood for the empire, my son and daughter-in-law, William and Edgar have asked several times to join the war, but they have been refused."

"It's too cautious, it's hard to imagine what Voodoo can do now."

"Your Majesty has this consideration, it has its own reasons, her hunch can always be fulfilled, we should be ready to fight a vicious battle."

Valero spreads his palms flat; "It doesn't matter, whether it's a crazy cultist or a summoned demon or a monster, it's not worth mentioning in front of the latest cannon."

"I hope you're right, Admiral."

A royal attendant in a red uniform came to the bridge and saluted the two:

"Excuse me, adults, there's a problem."

"Please."

"Your Majesty has a headache again, and he does not listen to the doctor's instructions, and locks himself in the cabin and does not come out, and the Earl of Neulay is very worried, and wants to consult the Prime Minister for advice."

"Your Majesty treats herself too harshly, even if she is beaten with iron, she will be tired, she should rest for a few months and take a long vacation." Valero said.

Dali took off his cloak: "Let's go, take me over to see." ”

It took a long time to walk from the bridge to the stern, which made people deeply feel the size of this battleship.

Outside the door of the cabin were several generals and ministers, and the Count of Neule, pacing back and forth, looking rather agitated, immediately greeted the man when he saw it:

"Brother Dali! You've come just in time, and you're worried about me......"

"What's wrong?"

"We were discussing the landing strategy in the conference room just now, and the officers of the Marine Corps were talking, Your Majesty, she suddenly covered her head, and the flesh on her cheeks twitched, looking very uncomfortable.

I asked her if she was a bad friend, and she said it was fine, but it didn't get better after a while.

We called the Royal Physician, who advised Her Majesty to return to land in other ships, for a bumpy ship would not be good for her health.

But she didn't listen, and locked herself in the cabin, knocking on the door several times without moving, but she was really anxious! ”

"Got it, I'll take care of this matter, you guys go."

The generals and ministers left one after another, and Neule reluctantly took a few steps and turned back:

"Dali, tell her not to be reckless, take the painkillers, get a good night's sleep, don't worry about the war, just leave it to us."

"I'll persuade her." Dali said, "Squire, tell Your Majesty that I am coming. The royal attendant knocked lightly on the door: "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister asks to see you." ”

Still still, there was no movement, and Dali said, "You can go too, and I'll come by myself." ”

At this time, Dalí was the only one left outside the door, and he began to knock on the door in a special way;

First two taps, then another second apart, then three heavy taps, and after five cycles, the sound of the key being twisted was heard in the cabin, and the door was opened.

Salantos Midnet's face was pale, and his voice was weak: "Dali, it's really rare, more than twenty years have passed, and you still remember this agreement to knock on the door." ”

"Of course I do, Your Majesty."

It turned out that this particular knock on the door was a secret belonging to the two of them.

More than 20 years ago, at that time, Salantos and Dali were not emperors and prime ministers, but young and ignorant teenagers.

Sarantos is the daughter of the duke, and due to her status as an illegitimate daughter, she has been riddled with scandals.

She is the first princess in military costume, with shocking beauty, the most mysterious, the best, and at the same time the most fascinating student of the National Military Academy, and countless foreign crown princes have suffered from lovesickness for her.

This year, I don't know if it's fate or a chance encounter,

Dali Einfurt, a transfer student from other places, entered the princess's field of vision, and most of the classmates were not optimistic about this short country nobleman, but Sarantos was deeply attracted by his unique temperament.

She could feel the extraordinary experience of this big boy, and the blood flowing in his veins, the same color as herself, secretly following him after every class.

Once, Dali was overwhelmed by the endless stalking and harassment, and boldly said:

"Your Royal Highness Princess, please stop following me, this makes me feel quite frightened, why do you bother, there are boys in the academy who are taller than me, handsome than me, and better than me."

"Don't be sentimental, Dali Einfurt, it's not your charm that attracts me, it's the smell of you, this princess is with you, how are you going?"

"Hey...... It's really a big lady's temper, no way, you can just be happy! ”

After that, half a semester, Salantos was pleasantly surprised to find that she was attracted to more than just blood, she might really be in love with this unremarkable-looking big boy.

After a dinner at the Academy, she swore her sovereignty in her usual domineering tone:

"You're my prey, Dali Einfurt, you're not allowed to talk to the other girls in the academy, listen; Remember the rhythm. Salantos tapped his nails on the table with a crisp sound.

At that time, Dali was shocked and frightened: "What does this mean? The beat of the snare drum? ”

"Stupid! This is the signal to knock on the door, if I want to ask you out, just knock this melody outside the door, this is a secret that belongs between us,

If you dare to leak the secret, I will kill you. ”

At that moment, Dalí was so frightened that he almost peed his pants, and he couldn't understand why the duke's beautiful daughter had to pester himself, with such a sweet face, and why she always poured out cruel and violent words.

However, this knock on the door was not fulfilled once, because the cadets graduated soon after.

The clouds of war loomed over the heads of every Valstad, like a hanging sword that would cut off the head when it fell.

The future of the country and the nation is bleak, and if we do not fight to the death, we are bound to end up in the destruction of the country.

Since then, Valsta has ushered in difficult times, where much sweetness has been replaced by bitterness, love has been lost to political marriages, cannonballs have blown over roses, bayonets have pierced cakes, and interests have defeated romance.

Time passes, more than twenty years have passed, and the god of fate has played a big joke on everyone.

The beautiful daughter of the duke and the son of the nobleman of the country have all started their own families, and now they are sovereigns and servants, emperors and prime ministers.

At this moment, the two of them were standing at the door of the cabin in the stern, Dalí's cyan eyes looking at the emperor's silver-gray one-eyed.

The knock on the door is the golden key to open this memory, once the floodgates are opened, the clouds of the past are like rushing rapids, out of control.

They just stared at each other for a few seconds, and their hearts were full of thoughts, as if a hundred years had passed, and the vortex of emotions had penetrated deep into the brain and intoxicated their hearts.

A crystal tear slipped down the bridge of Salantos's nose, and she wiped it clean with her sleeve, and said softly:

"Dali, knock on the door again like you did, please."