Thelma frowned, and impatience reappeared on her face, "You must have a good reason to come back to this topic?"

Tails coughed unnaturally: "Thelma......"

But before he could finish his sentence, Ian chuckled.

"No offense, don't take you too seriously, ma'am," the heir of Qiyuan City raised a finger and shook his head slightly, "You know, not everyone is crying and rushing, desperately trying to marry you. ”

Thelma's face changed.

Ian turned his head abruptly and looked at Tails with a mysterious expression, "Huh?"

Tails became embarrassed, and he coughed twice unnaturally again: "Selma, he means ......"

"I know what he's talking about," Thelma looked at Ian coldly, then turned to Tails, her fair face twisted slightly, "He's right, isn't he? Obviously, I can't make people who don't like me inexplicably fascinated by me - I'm not the hero of the legend." ”

Oh, my God.

Tails stiffened his head.

As if he had discovered a new world, he suddenly realized that the food on the table was delicious.

Ian tugged at the corners of his mouth, looked at her, then at him, and smiled, "None of us are the protagonists of the legend. ”

"Unless we write our own legends. ”

Tails withdrew the half-stretched hand that had gone to get the food, and Thelma exhaled, suppressed the unhappiness in her heart, and looked at the rude visitor.

The Grand Duchess raised her eyebrows: "And that's?"

But Ian only smiled meaningfully, and his face froze.

"Ma'am, Your Highness, we are now facing the same problem," Ian looked particularly special as he became serious, and his facial features were slightly different from those of the traditional Northlanders, "A few months ago, our esteemed Majesty the King, Charman Rumba, issued a new edict on the division of nobles in the Black Sand Territory. ”

Thelma and Tails managed to let go of their embarrassment and listened intently.

It was as if the dining room had been transformed into a war room at this moment.

Ian tapped on the table as Tails did, "Do you know what that means?"

He tilted his head sideways and had a serious expression.

The female archduke frowned slightly, then nodded, and her tone could not hide the unhappiness just now: "Yes, I heard that everyone said that he was imitating the harsh laws of the imperial era and excluding dissidents, such as setting a standard for a commoner to become a nobleman......"

Decree of the King.

The standard of the nobility.

The prince suddenly remembered some knowledge that should not have appeared in this world, and remembered the discussions with Hipser these days, and the secret mention of Puttilai.

Tails sighed, shook his head, and interrupted Selma: "No, Selma, it doesn't matter how the decree is just a façade, whether it is strict or not, what really matters is the flow of power behind it. ”

Thelma looked questioning.

"King Chaman, he has written and engraved the traditional rules of nobility that have been handed down since before the "Oath of Co-governance", whether they are obscure or obscure, written or unwritten, customary and unaccustomed, compromised and uncompromised, secret and unsecret, and placed them in front of his city gates. ”

The prince remembered Rumba's words in the carriage, and remembered the courage and will of the terrible King Chaman to hold the chess piece called Exter in his hand and play against the sage of the stars more than a hundred years ago, and he could not help but sigh with emotion: "He tried to superimpose the authority of the king on the autonomy of the nobility, and to pinch the interpretation and execution of the Oath of Co-governance in his own hands. He offended the old nobles and vassals who had a long history, even at the beginning of the country, who supported the Rumba family to rule the Black Sand Territory - if the decree came into effect, it would mean that Chaman's will would overshadow the traditional conventions and rules, and the life and power of the vassals would no longer be their own, or even shared with the king, but only the king's. ”

Thelma didn't speak.

"In other words," Ian sneered and shook his head, the corners of his mouth upturning, "He poked the big basket." ”

"Let him face the most difficult situation since his coronation. ”

He looked at Tails: "Change always comes at a price, he wants to challenge the natural rights of his vassals, but he is also shaking his natural rights and eroding the foundation of his rule." ”

"The old noble vassals in the Black Sand Territory objected in unison: the Count of Mende issued a public proclamation to vehemently refute his lord, the Devinson family said that if the king did not withdraw the decree one day, the tax resistance of all the vassals in their county would be extended indefinitely, the Count of Peruno went to the Black Sand City to confront the king in a high-profile manner, and the Ica family even recalled the nine hundred soldiers who were stationed on the border to guard the Broken Dragon Fortress according to their duty - the entire Black Sand Territory became the enemy of King Chaman overnight," the heir of Qiyuan City smiled slightly: "This is his miscalculation. ”

Although the second prince had heard that Rumba had encountered a lot of trouble, this was the first time that Tails had heard of the specific predicament that Rumba was facing.

Sounds terrible.

He thought of the king in the carriage with complicated eyes, and his words with emotion:

[All the edicts I have tried to enforce have been difficult, even within the Black Sand Collar...... My vassals are boiling with resentment and ready to move......]

Tails's heart moved, and he was about to speak, but was preempted by the female archduke.

"It's strange," Thelma frowned, "Charles told me: vassals have their own interests and calculations, and they will not easily show their blades to the lord, and it is difficult to unite their positions together, not to mention facing Rumba, and he is also the king's dignity - without foreign aid and hole cards, those opponents in the Black Sand Territory may not be so confident, organized, and tacitly compatible." ”

Faced with the archduchess's question, Ian put on a rather meaningful expression.

There was silence in the dining room for a few seconds.

"Wait, it's you?" Soon, the Grand Duchess moved slightly, and suddenly said, "It's you—the Grand Dukes, who are behind their backs against the king's actions, and even make promises?"

Tails' eyes moved.

Perhaps, as the female archduke of Longxiao City, she has not made no progress in the past six years.

It's just that I haven't noticed it in the past.

Ian bowed slightly in his chair and put on a perfect deceitful manner—something that was rare among the Northlanders.

"How can we miss this opportunity?"

Ian straightened up, looked at the frowning Selma, and chuckled, "It's not just us, Vigilante City and Elk City are also helping. ”

His Excellency the Viscount nodded smugly: "In addition to the fact that the Grand Duke of Fengzhao City has not been on the throne for a long time, and the Sentry Leader Clan's Shoster family remains neutral as always, the Grand Duke of the Glacier Sea has also expressed his willingness to join, and it won't be long before their reply from the Weilan Collar and the Rebuilding Tower, who are also in the south, will arrive." ”

"This is a collective conspiracy, and the different king of the Black Sands is our goal. ”

Looking at Thelma's motionless expression, Tails knew that she remembered that day six years ago.

The black ring.

The bloody crown.

The girl who howled.

Inexplicable emotion filled Tails's heart.

In the dining room, Ian looks like a hunter with a bow and arrow in hand, and smiles with a determined victory: "The arrow is off the string, and the knife is out of the sheath." ”

"Rumba's chips are disappearing, his vassals are dissatisfied, his people are suspicious, his taxes are dwindling, his army is loosening...... In the famous Rumba family of the Northlands, the prestige legacy left by the 'Rebellious King' Quetho and one of the Nine Knights, 'Boiling Blood' Holt, for their descendants is being consumed. ”

Prince Xingchen carefully recalled Rumba's character and methods, suppressed his subconscious disapproval, and listened to Ian's words silently.

"Soon, perhaps half a year, or even a few months, the king's rule will be shaken, the natural authority of the Iron Fist family will dissipate, and his decrees will no longer be a step out of the castle—he will become a powerless and lonely king, obediently staying up in his castle until the next king. ”

Ian took a deep breath and suddenly changed his mind.

"But when everything was going according to plan, and there was only one step away from success," he said with some chagrin, "at this time, there were some small accidents. ”

Thelma lowered her head and thought, "You mean, the Freedom League has a crisis and is trying to get rid of Exeter's thing?"

Ian gave a smile of approval.

"And in this accident, Qiyuan City happened to bear the brunt," the female archduke said slowly: "Is this really an accident?"

"It's understandable - there will be ups and downs when the summit is about to reach," Ian exhaled and nodded: "Trapped beasts are still fighting, even dying mongrels have the power to fight back, let alone a usurper who has killed his brother and king?"

Hearing Ian's words, Tails couldn't help but frown.

For a few minutes, Tails didn't interject, he silently watched the conversation between Thelma and Ian, but suddenly felt an inexplicable strangeness.

The little slippery head who hid behind her and wiped her tears back then, Thelma has been sitting tremblingly on the Grand Duke's seat all these years......

When did it become possible to play against opponents at the negotiating table and conspire with allies?

Emotion, relief, loss, and amazement, and complex thoughts composed of countless emotions poured into my heart.

Why hasn't he found out in the last six years? Why now, when he's about to ......

But Tails then clenched his fists.

No.

This is not enough.

Her opponents......

Her allies......

This is not enough.

"It is precisely because of the Grand Dukes led by Qiyuan City, and with their external support and assurance, that the old nobles in the Black Sand Territory can rebel against the king without hesitation," Ian sighed, "But we can't turn a blind eye to the Freedom Alliance - to be honest, as far as I have received recently, the situation in the Alliance is irreparable, and a peaceful solution is impossible." ”

"But if the army of Qiyuan City is busy going out, the hands of the Ronnie family are tied to the stake called the 'Freedom Alliance'......"

He spread his hands and shrugged.

"For the king's opponents, the promise of Qiyuan City is not so reliable," Tails came back to his senses and silently took over, "At the same time, the king will be able to more easily suppress the isolated opponents, survive the crisis, and even further consolidate his authority and rebuild his black sand territory." ”

Syllable!

Ian clapped his palms gently.

"If Rumba gets through this turmoil...... Believe me, it's not just a hunt failure for us," Ian put on the most sincere expression, swept away the previous light picks and deliberateness, and said slowly, "That's what we don't want to see." ”

As for what exactly "we don't want to see", he didn't say.

Thelma paused for a moment and said suspiciously, "That's why Longxiao City's position in this storm is so important?"

"That's right," Ian looked at the female archduke with certainty in his eyes, "Longxiao City is the closest to us in the nine major territories, and it is also the only Grand Duke who has the surplus troops, financial resources, and irrefutable name to send troops to join us on an expedition against the Freedom Alliance. ”

"The closest?

"I can read the map," the Grand Duchess said disapprenanently, "Do you regard the Grand Duke of Leco guarding the city as a dead man?"

"Hmph, that old bald man who is wise enough to protect himself?" Ian sneered, "There is not much difference between him and the dead. ”

Thelma raised her eyebrows.

"Selma," Tails gathered his thoughts and spoke, "Pray Far City and the Black Sand Collar, Grand Duke Ronnie and King Chaman are at opposite ends of the scales in what is called the 'Crisis of the Free Alliance' or the 'Crisis of the King's Decree'. ”

"You are the supreme lord of Longxiao City, your decisions, your army, and your vassals will be the biggest bargaining chips in this chess game. ”

The prince looked at Ian cautiously and said, "Longxiao City promised to send troops to the west to help the Ronnie family conquer the Free Alliance, then Ian's chances of overthrowing the king will be greatly increased; ”

Thelma pondered quietly.

"But," Tails took a deep breath, "once you're going to send troops, your vassals ......"

Thelma looked up, and the coldness in her eyes made both of them startled.

"My marriage. The Grand Duchess said lightly: "I understand." ”

Ian looked at Tails and nodded.

"Rumba must have done something, so that your vassals will show their covetousness for power and their disrespect for the Grand Duchess at this moment. ”

"Once you decide to send troops, they will use this as a threat to force you to marry," Tails's face became more and more serious, "and you are forced to be in a dilemma because of the honor of your family—if you want to send troops, you must agree to their request to marry, but after you marry, Longxiao City will fall into the whirlpool of power imbalance, and who knows what useful trouble will be waiting for you." ”

"The drama of lords and vassals threatening each other," Ian snorted coldly, "To be honest, this is nothing new in Qiyuan City. ”

"At the same time, King Chaman will use every means to clear and settle his opponents in his domain," Tails sighed, "one by one, day after day, until no one dares to oppose him and the king's decrees." ”

"That's what Rumba thinks. ”

"That's why I'm here," the heir of Qiyuan City sat up straight and waited solemnly: "Madam, whether it's going out for Longxiao City to save the reputation of the Dragon Lance family, or reaching out to Qiyuan City to thwart the king's apostasy, it's reasonable that this is a war you have to fight." ”

Ian's eyes burned brightly, and it was hard to believe that he was the maverick and frowning Grand Duke just a few hours ago.

"We are on the same side in this game, facing the same opponent. ”

Thelma was silent, but the grimness in her eyes was unprecedented.

She cast a glance at Tails, and the second prince gave him an encouraging look in return.

"But we've also seen that Rumba used your vassals to stumble over Longxiao City - the envoys of the Black Sand Collar didn't come to visit Longxiao City because they were bored," Ian said seriously, "After Qiyuan City, the hands of the Dragon Lance Family were also tied. ”

"So, the city of prayer is not just here to ask for help—it is unrealistic to ask for help from a man with his hands tied. ”

"So," Thelma took a deep breath, "you mean ......"

Ian nodded heavily.

"We're here to help—if Qiyuan City and Long Xiao City are two people with their hands tied at the same time, then what we're going to do next," he said, gesturing with a knife, "I'll help you untie the rope first, and then you can help me cut the rope." ”

Viscount Windy City and the two of them looked at each other: "Then stand up together and go and beat up the man who tied us up." ”

(End of chapter)