Duchess Alexandula quietly watched Rogess, who blinked his eyes and immediately activated the [Enlightenment Bonus], his mind racing rapidly, analyzing the current situation extremely quickly.

First of all, the Grand Duke in front of him is undoubtedly powerful and capable, and it can be easily judged from the attitude of his father and prince towards her before.

Secondly, the other party can directly propose marriage negotiations in front of Alina's father, which means that the other party's style of acting is an extremely strong type, and if he is too obvious, there is a high probability that he will cause trouble for himself.

Finally, both the duchess and the prince are already clearly inclined to their own family, and the binding of interests between nobles is far stronger than friendship, so there is no need to be too deliberate.

But he also knew in his heart that he couldn't put all the responsibility on Rufia, and easily pushed Rufia directly to prevent the disaster, so as to avoid this big trouble in front of him, because that would inevitably provoke the displeasure of the duchess.

Rogers quickly cleared his thoughts, and was clearing his throat to exchange his usual sincerity for sincerity when he immediately noticed that someone was already walking behind him.

"Mother...... I'm the one who insisted on sneaking here, please don't blame Rogers. Rufia lowered her head and spoke, looking pitiful as she lowered her eyebrows and prepared to be trained.

The Duchess raised her slender hand and pushed it gently towards the door, squeaking to make it open wider, and her expression did not change as she looked at Rufia behind Rogers.

"It's not all Her Royal Highness's responsibility, I ......" Rogers was about to make up his words when a chuckle appeared on the Duchess's face and motioned for him not to say more.

"I don't blame you, because I know Rufia's naughty nature." The Duchess's tone was tolerant and kind, and she tried to lighten her tone, and then continued:

"But since you have developed to this extent, I believe that Earl Breed should have no excuse to delay the marriage, as long as our two families prepare well, and wait until the winter vacation of St. Helte this year, you can hold the engagement ceremony......"

As the Duchess confided her plans, her gaze continued to move back, and when she saw the two young girls who had come to her to salute her skirts, her face gradually became delicate and stiff, and her voice gradually died out halfway through her speech.

Rogers was not surprised by this, and when the Duchess could say the word marriage, he expected that Alina and Alice would definitely come out of it.

Even if the duchess's eyes have fallen on him directly, this situation doesn't matter to him, just swing it up, anyway, there will be no worse results, not to mention that the active appearance of the two can muddy things to a certain extent, so as to disrupt the situation of the duchess's force.

"Where are we?" The Duchess was silent for a moment, and her tone inquired inquiringly.

"I don't quite understand what the Duke is asking, and if I venture to guess what you mean by that, I can only say that I'm still a child."

Rogers, with clear, innocent eyes, spoke to the duchess with great frankness.

The Duchess slowly shifted her gaze ...... "Holy Maiden," she wanted to say something to Alice, who seemed to be trying to defend Rutgers, but swallowed it back because of the complexity of the matter.

"I'll still take Rufia to visit Breed this winter break, and I'll have a good talk with you and your father then."

As the words fell, the Duchess gave Rogus a deep look, and then went straight away, without asking too much about what the situation was, or even giving instructions or admonishing Rufia.

Rogers breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this, although the other party was strong, he was not the kind of person who was unreasonable.

In addition, the other party had already learned that Rufia had come to the imperial capital, and some of the original worries were also dissipated.

When he closed the door again, and casually comforted Rufia, who looked guilty, she sat back on the bed as if nothing had happened, and looked through the various letters and documents that had been produced by her actions in the last few days.

"As you say, you're going to be fifteen soon, so what do you think about marriage?" Alina sat beside Rogers, staring at him and asking the long-buried question.

Alice also looked at Rogers on the other side, obviously eager to find the answer.

"The marriage between the nobility is nothing more than the combination of wealth and power, the preservation of status and blood, the extension of political power, and most importantly, the guarantee of alliances."

Rogers replied very simply, but when he saw that Alina did not respond and continued to wait, he shrugged his shoulders slightly, combined with his previous life experience of playing a certain game and watching some history books, and after connecting with what he had seen and heard in the current world, he continued:

"Let's put aside the facts, from a practical point of view, in fact, the solution to this kind of problem is very simple, nothing more than heirs.

"As long as I have a few children with you, and then discuss the order of marriage with the major families, and divide the territory and the inheritance of power to a certain extent, it will be fine.

"One of the most troublesome parts is who to marry first, and how to deal with the situation of remarriage after divorce.

"But I think there are other ways to avoid having to face this kind of choice, and at the end of the day, it's a matter of strength and power, and as long as we have enough power, we don't have to worry about these troublesome rules, and we can even make rules that work our way.

"For example, many of the things I am currently doing, if they succeed, with their power and prestige, can show the world a political group with a completely different underlying structure, and then the aristocracy will find that there are many ways to ensure the reliability of the division of power, in addition to marriage......"

Rogers flicked the document in his hand a few times, indicating that there was no need to dwell on such a problem that was not a problem.

"And us?" Alia's eyes narrowed, her brow furrowed, her hands clenched into fists, her mouth chewing on Rogers' speech.

"How many are you?" Alice's eyes widened and her mouth slightly open, she tried to straighten out her thoughts, but her thoughts were so chaotic that she couldn't calm down.

"Huh? No, isn't your focus a little crooked, the focus is on what I'm talking about later, there's no need to ...... this matter at all."

As Rogers spoke, he sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere as he had been on the battlefield for a long time, and as he explained, he reached out and grabbed Rufia, who was listening to it with relish.

As Alina leaned closer and closer, he decisively stepped up behind Rufia, grabbing her arms and holding her firmly in front of her, despite Rufia's confused expression.

And Alice also saw that the situation was different, and instinctively leaned forward to prepare.

For a while, the bed shook, making a loud creaking sound, and the bedding could be faintly seen in the bed curtain, and several figures swayed.

Until the night fades, a glimmer of morning light spills on the earth, and the coolness of autumn rises with a little wetness, giving people a feeling of freshness.

Rogers leaned on his cane, stretched his sore waist with one hand, and yawned slightly.

At this time, he had already arrived outside the gate of the Magician's Mansion, and beside him was the first prince Pertus.

Guided by the attendants, Pertus and Rogus boarded the carriage without insignia.

Pertus did not come to take Rogus to the court for an audience, but to invite Rogus to have a conversation in his personal name.

Rogers didn't want to deal with the other party at first, but remembering Pertus's attachment to himself in the past and his current position on the other party's territory, he knew that it didn't make much sense to keep delaying, so he simply agreed.

Although no matter how you look at it, whether it is the emperor or the prince, it is impossible to do anything to him at this time, let alone have the intention of harming him in the imperial capital.

However, Rogers still took Alice's silver ring, and silently operated the spiral sword at all times to prevent accidents.

After all, there are many factions in the imperial capital, and there are inevitably stupid wolves who want to use this to create trouble and profit from the chaos.

"It's not a big problem, it's just a little worry for people who are about to enter their youth."

Rogers casually explained after hearing Pertus's words of concern on the other side.

The carriage he was currently riding in had a special magical setting, and the bright windows made it clear what was happening outside, but no one outside could see what was inside.

"I have carefully read your proposed Outline of the New Conservation Act, and I can clearly perceive that you share similar ideals as I do, and that you are willing to work with you in promoting such matters.

"But have you gone too far in recent days? Breaking the balance will not only bring innovation, but also unforeseen strife.

"Originally, with the Dawn Movement you set off, the low-level squire and nobles were already fighting for various interests, and at this time, you want to form a faction with magicians as the main body, what do you want to do?

"My father has summoned me frequently in recent days, and for every ten events I talk about, your name is mentioned in seven or eight of them."

Pertus stared at Rogers with a solemn expression, and said in a low and steady serious voice.

"If I said that I just wanted to be safe and didn't want to start a fight, would you believe it?" Rogers looked sideways at the bustling pedestrians outside the window and replied helplessly.

He probably already knew that the prince was looking for him to stop his current efforts.

But the idea from the tentative germination, to the real feeling of the benefits of power, and even the Duchess's visit last night, all deepened his desire to move the matter forward.

Even without these sweeteners, it is an irresistible temptation to gather a large number of magicians and constantly spread their skills with high frequency of communication.

After all, the feats of shaping an age of magic, even if they can't push the [Enlightenment Bonus] to a miracle, can be a great symbol of a grand sacrifice.

The benefits that can be obtained in it cannot be explained in a sentence or two, not to mention that he does not feel that after he is at peace, the royal family can really be friendly to him.

"I believe your word, Rutgers, I believe you." Showing his empathy, Pertus slowly bowed his head, and then he commented very firmly:

"But after looking at the places you've visited in recent years, and the turmoil that followed, I had an idea.

"Even if I recognize that you don't have the intention of stirring up a strife, I can confirm one thing more and more, Rogeth Breed, you, are the strife itself."

The sound of footsteps and laughter filled the air, and the faint click of wheels and the rhythmic hoof of horses on the ground was heard in the carriage from time to time.

Rogers didn't reply, he watched silently out the window, and Pertus watched him silently.

After a while, Pertus sighed and took the initiative to ask an inexplicable question:

"Did you kill anyone before you became a magician? How do you feel when you kill someone? ”

He didn't seem to expect an immediate answer from Rutgers, and after a brief pause, he continued on to himself.

"I have been killed, and when I was a child, my father reprimanded me for being too kind and forced me to execute a death row prisoner with my own hands.

"My father kept telling me that the emperor was meant to kill, and that an emperor who didn't kill couldn't wear a crown at all.

"I always remember the feeling at that time, the feeling that made me sick and disgusted, although when I dealt with government affairs later, I deeply understood that even if I didn't have to do it myself, just casual unintentional words, I could kill others unconsciously.

"But I still don't like to kill, even if it's a despicable person, I think it's better to be tried in court, rather than having to open my mouth.

"Rutgers, what about you? What do you think about this? ”

Rogers slowly turned his head when he heard this, and looked squarely at the man who had revealed his heart to him.

He recalled unhurriedly that the first time he wanted to kill someone in his two lives was the brother of the saint, but he didn't feel too much at that time.

Because of the experience of being alone in his previous life, he learned a skill very early on, which is to withdraw from the high emotions.

At first, he was able to calm down from the huge negative emotions such as loneliness, sadness, and fear, but gradually, he found that in the long run, not only negative emotions, but also many times even when he was in a positive mood, he began to learn to calm in the turmoil.

"It's an instinctive reaction to feel disgusted by killing." Rogers didn't answer Pertus's question directly, but said flatly.

"Remember what I said to you, that I want you to stay in St. Herte? Also, can you promise me not to do anything that stirs up strife again? Pertus gazed at Rogers with a sincere gaze, and his words even took on a slightly pleading tone:

"I want to be a very good friend with you, I hate to kill people."

Before Rogers could respond to the question, which made him feel too "naïve", Pertus frowned slightly and took out a small compass-shaped magic item from the pocket of his jacket.

"The editorial and printing office of the Imperial Capital Newspaper was infiltrated, and those people wantonly set fire to the newspaper office and killed several writers."

After reading the information, the prince looked at Rogers again and spoke slowly.

"You don't think this mess has anything to do with me, do you?" The corners of Rutgers' mouth moved slightly, and he asked back with a slight smile.

"I'm sorry, I'm thinking too much, maybe it's because I've been thinking too much about you in recent days to be so sensitive, after all, the guy who broke into the newspaper office is a cultist." Pertus straightened his expression and apologized.

Rogers heard the prince's explanation, and silently turned his head to look out the window.

(End of chapter)