Forty-three sessions

"If we try to annex Paro, we will most likely repeat the mistake of the Paros annexing Cassilos. Now Cassilos is in tatters, and his strength is limited. If other countries intervene together...... Our situation will not be as good as it is now. ”

One by one, her ministers voiced their opinions. Irina was a little strange, because the ministers who had been subservient to her in the past, but who were arguing with each other, suddenly became highly unified.

"Your Royal Highness, you have little experience in this area. Let us teach you how to deal with this situation. "I don't know who said it. "General Thomas has been invincible all the way, and the Paros will soon send a messenger for peace. We should draw up a draft contract. When the time comes, it will not be accepted by the Paro people!"

"Yes, that's a good idea. ”

"Yes, let's get ready before we ......"

So everyone discussed the issue of the contract in a warm atmosphere. After a long and back-and-forth discussion, a draft was placed in front of Irina.

This contract is harsh. Paro must pay for the damages and cede several wealthy provinces without money, Paro must spend money to ransom the captives but unconditionally release the prisoners of war of St. Jean and Casillos, the king of Paro must abdicate to show responsibility, the new king must swear allegiance to Irina, and Paro must revoke the order of faith in the Church of the True God and allow the people to resume worship of the god of nature.

In short, the goal of this contract was to make Palau hemorrhage on the one hand, and to make Paro lose his independent status and become a vassal state on the other hand, and at the same time satisfy the demands of the prophetesses.

Irina looked at it silently, without commenting. Then the meeting ended after discussing a few minor issues of inconsequential matter, some legal and tax issues.

Watch your subordinates get up and take their leave. Irina suddenly realized what was happening for the sake of the Hell. This is because the old man in the black robe, who hides behind the screen every time there is a meeting and coughs from time to time, is no longer there.

After everyone was gone, Irina got up and left. Little Rowling was waiting for her outside, and she chattered about a wonderful rumor that had been circulating lately: how two knights had a duel over a beautiful girl. If it were a normal time, Irina would definitely choose a pavilion or a small room to listen carefully to this fascinating story, but now, she is really not in the mood. After finally getting rid of little Rowling, she finally came to a particularly quiet room in the depths of the palace. The black-robed old man was now lying on the bed in his room.

When he saw Irina enter, the old man's eyes flashed with a look full of strength and threat. But no matter how much strength his soul still had, his body was decaying. The old man couldn't even get up and walk around, and Irina no longer had to worry about the wooden cane being pumped on her.

"Grandpa......"

"Shut up! Don't call me that! You have to call me Your Majesty, as long as my eyes are not closed, as long as I have a breath left, you have to call me that. The old man said viciously. As he continued, Irina's intestines twitched a few times. If the old man could still move, she had no doubt that she had already had a few blood streaks drawn out.

"You don't have to talk nonsense, I know that it will be okay for you to come to me. After enjoying the taste of power, it doesn't feel good to be ignored and ignored, right?" the old man took a breath and continued. "Tell me the process. ”

Irina talked about today's meeting.

"Hmph...... They faithfully carried out their duties as courtiers, correcting and making amends in time when the monarch made major mistakes. The black-robed old man's distorted smile showed razor-like meanness. "With regard to the war, this is indeed the best outcome. We can't annex Paro...... At least not to annex it immediately. Paro is a country with a long history, and its people will not immediately accept the rule of foreign conquerors, and it is backed by the Church of the True God and the Central Seven Kingdoms. Weakening him is the right choice. ”

"But how can they ......"

"They should put your opinion first and try to convince you, rather than putting you aside and making a decision directly?" His tongue was more prickly and sharper than any bush. "It's a pity, little girl, that you don't have anything to be awe-inspiring except your blood. The king needs to prove himself to his courtiers in order to be respected and valued, so that when you do something stupid, everyone does not dare to refute it directly, but privately considers whether it has another meaning. ”

"If you ask me how to solve this problem, then I tell you that there are two options. The first is to wait patiently for Thomas to come back. As long as Thomas's ass is sitting on the edge of the conference table, no one will dare to fart more! Your problems will be solved, and you won't have to worry until he dies. What is Thomas doing now?"

"He'd just broken through Paro's army, and now he's heading straight for Wolf's Mouth Castle. ”

"Wolf's Mouth Castle...... Although it may be called a fortified castle on the surface, it is an old castle built 100 years ago, with only one wall. The Paros must have dismantled all the fortifications outside the city walls in order to capture it...... Thomas just picked up a bargain. Thomas is now in the ascending fame, and he will not ignore you, for you are my granddaughter! As a king, it is a worthwhile investment to have an absolutely faithful and capable servant, no matter how much it takes. ”

"The second option is to immediately find someone who will absolutely support you and promote him. That way, at least you can have an ally when other courtiers form an alliance. Of course, there is also a worst solution, which is to simply leave all this behind and just enjoy yourself. If someone upsets you, just drive him away! As long as you are willing to lose your throne, you can do that, hahahaha......"

The old man's laughter was fleeting. What he had just said consumed so much energy that he had to start gasping for breath.

In a small city far from Loren, the uncle and nephew sat side by side. On the table beside them, there was the latest battle report. Thomas has conquered Wolf's Mouth Castle, and he is continuing his offensive to invade Paro proper.

"Could it be that Thomas has really returned to the light?" Luke pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and there was a hint of surprise on his pale face. "No...... I'd rather believe that this is what Ashrufat is capable of. He captured the castle garrisoned by 20,000 men with 20,000 troops? ”

Rook's face returned to its original expression, "Dear nephew, it seems that our Count Ashrufat has learned a lot from Thomas more than you do. If we fight head-on, I'm afraid we are not an opponent. ”

Ryan sullenly picked up a drink and drank it down. His opponent is more than one Essrubat. Ashrufat was at least far from him, and the main force of St. Jean could break through the entire Frontier Castle defenses at any moment—the Paros were almost overwhelmed.

"What shall we do, uncle?" he asked. "Am I going to fight Irina's army?"

"Of course there must be no war!" replied Luke categorically. "There is no need to fight a war that is bound to be lost. ”

"But...... What should I do?"

"Two choices, the first is to give up. Cancel the title of Duke yourself, and then confess your mistake to our Highness the Princess, and hand over the army and the territory under your control. You should at least get ...... A baronial title as a consolation. The advantage of this is that there is no risk at all. ”

"Uncle, you used to say ......"

"The problem, dear nephew, is that you don't have the qualifications to claim the throne for yourself right now. Claiming the title of king is not an easy task, it requires strength, prestige, and bloodline. If it were you, not Ashrufat, who defeated the main force of Paro, then you would have enough capital to be crowned King of Cassilos. But the problem is that you don't have enough money right now...... Now, Thomas's brilliance obscures everything enough to dim your grades. Of course, don't underestimate yourself, you see, you are much higher than the starting point of Ashrufat. He could not have won so many battles to be king. And if you win so many battles, Casilos is yours. The knights will support it in droves, and it will be difficult to push off this crown. ”

Ryan sighed. "Uncle, what's the second option?"

"Naturally, let's keep your title of Duke through some clever maneuvers. The matter of marrying a princess can only be postponed for a while. However, as long as you are a duke and your age is matched, you are eligible to propose to the princess. ”

"You mean ......" The smile on Rook's face instantly summoned Ryan's courage. "Do I still have a chance to retain the title of duke?"

"Of course there is, my nephew. In fact, I have long thought about this. And it seems that fate is also on our side. Rook pulled out a crumpled note from his pocket, apparently soaked in water. "My spy has brought news that our Majesty Rangier is dying. Now it's the princess who is in power...... You know? It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a girl to really touch power for the first time. If you don't have that, I'm afraid you'll have to get a baron title as a consolation prize. ”

"I still don't understand, uncle, don't sell it. Tell me the details. ”

"It will take about a month to a month and a half for the Paro castle defenses to be breached. Some castles can even last up to two months. My goal is to make a detour to Loren during this time, so that Princess Irina's army will not attack you. At the same time, convince her to accept your status as a duke. ”

"This ...... Is it possible?"

"Of course it is impossible for His Majesty Rangier, but Princess Irina may be possible. But I can't go there empty-handed, I need a lot of things. I need a lot of gold, as many servants as I can, and some ...... Articles for the royal family of Casilos. Like the ones you treasure. ”

Due to the fall of the capital, many of the collections in Casilos's original royal palace became the spoils of the Paro people, and a large part of these trophies fell into the hands of Lane.

"Of course, uncle!" Ryan trusted Rook completely, so he agreed without hesitation. Compared to the status of the duke, these things are insignificant.

"Very well, nephew, then I'll go and work hard for your duke title. The two of us agreed on a code. If I write to you a letter that says 'Dear nephew', it means that I have succeeded. You're going to have to get to Loren as fast as you can, and you don't have to worry about anything else. If it says 'Lane', then I have failed. You'd better announce the removal of the duke's title as soon as possible. Got it?"

Ryan was still a little hesitant. "What if the princess's army has broken through the Paro defenses during this time?"

"This ...... Of course, it's up to you! The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Rook smiled.