"The Radiant Cross is on it, and it's the first time I've discovered that there are so many nobles in the North. All these guys came out of that hole?"

Duke Aaron Brennus, dressed in bearskin, muttered as he paced through the garden of the castle's vestibule, holding the mead he had gotten from nowhere, and his eyes glancing over the crowd of people passing by.

This was not the first time he had attended a banquet as Duke of Mithmech, who had always hated banquets, especially noisy ones. Almost as soon as Aaron came of age, the old duke often asked him to attend many important and unimportant banquets in his place. Aaron can also be regarded as "battle-hardened" in this regard. The young and vigorous Brenus was very fond of feasting, and he liked to drink and eat meat with the highlanders of the icefield, sing and dance around the campfire, or sit at the long table, and talk about war and poetry with the knights and dignified ladies from all directions, and most of them were happy to deepen their friendship with the future Duke.

But tonight, Aaron became a little tired of the banquet, and almost impatiently "escaped" from the steaming hall, and went back and forth in the quiet garden. From time to time, he would meet one or two young ladies or a certain lord who passed by—almost none of whom Aaron knew, but the coat of arms and bearskin on his body made everyone recognize the young Duke of Mithmael at a glance, and he was so busy trying to strike up a conversation that for the first time Aaron felt that nobles were more than flies.

I lay down on the soft couch next to the flower bed very casually, and looked at the stars in the sky with my arms on my pillow. Father's ever-trembling face seemed to reappear. The father who is always full of majesty. Aaron touched the beard that grew from the corner of his mouth—more like fluff than he had said, thinking about what his father had said.

"I thought you would be in the halls, Lord Brenus. Walking over with a bit of a joking voice, Aaron, who was slightly drunk, jumped up on his dazed head. The thin figure of the little Duke Bran stood in front of the soft couch. The wide dark blue velvet robe was embroidered with intricate gold thread lace, and the shredded black hair pierced out of the brim of the top hat, and the elaborate grooming and short sword at his waist made him look heroic.

"It looks like you're resting. Bran's smile was clean and full of juvenile innocence, almost making Aaron forget that this guy was also a duke, and his slightly apologetic sapphire eyes blinked: "Forgive me for being rude, didn't bother you?"

"Nothing. Aaron grinned. Although the little duke said so. But he was already sitting in a position next to him very straightforwardly. Bran, who was more than a head shorter than Aaron, boyishly pushed the thick bearskin aside, and sat down on the soft couch with his hands.

"Tomorrow is the day of the coronation of His Majesty, and those guys are busy with it. Bran said in a very calm tone, "You are his most trusted friend, why don't you enjoy it." It's not uncommon to find such a banquet. ”

"Say whatever you want. I hate those clichés. Aristocratic etiquette or something. Aaron waved his hand in disgust: "If it's nothing, please allow me to leave." ”

"Hehehe...... Bran squinted his eyes and chuckled softly, "If you look at it this way, we are indeed quite similar." Don't get me wrong. I don't have much affection for you Brennus, especially your father, Master Magister, who is scheming and unscrupulous, and only Wellis can match him!"

"Do you want to provoke?" Aaron glanced at him with a slight disdain, "I'm not going to bother with a child about such a lowly method." ”

"Your words are provocative, Duke Brenus. Bran's smile seemed to turn cold: "As for what I just said, you can go to someone to verify it." Master McGst is gone, and I'm not going to defile a dead man—don't forget, my name is Elfwan!"

"I came with sincerity, and people who were too cunning and insincere to me were not worthy of my friendship. Bran said proudly: "My friend must do what he says and keep his promises, this kind of person can be trusted." So I'm not going to give him a good face when I'm the kind of person I'm going to do. But you're different, you're a trustworthy person, aren't you?"

"If you want to make friends, you might as well go to Salald, he's better than me. Aaron snorted coldly: "And when it comes to sincerity, it seems that you should show sincerity first, right?" ”

"Ultok and Alfwan have been arguing for over a hundred years, and I don't have the confidence to resolve these old antiques. Bran whispered, "But since you mentioned it, I'll reveal it to you a little bit - as my sincerity." ”

"Theodore Julian, Ah, His Majesty the future Emperor of our Honor, intends to form a small council of nobles, to be elected from among all the nobles of the North—and of course includes the dignitaries of the upper echelons of Rome, who will decide in the next four days the name of the new empire, the heraldic banner, and so on. Bran comfortably snapped a glass of mead, took a sip and continued: "It is clear that he does not intend to give up the Senate, which is a compromise, although it seems that the current function of this council is a matter of etiquette, but in the future it is destined to be extremely important." ”

"So, what are you going to say?" Aaron glanced at him impatiently, "Even if you don't tell me these things, I can still know these things!"

"Do you know how the Holy Pander Empire was formed?" Bran said suddenly, "The Pendragon family took advantage of the prestige of the Human Emperor Aragorn to form a Great Council, and all the members of the human city-states sat around the round table to discuss major matters, one vote for each and one vote for the Radiant Cross - in other words, the city-state of Issos had two votes. After the departure of Aragon, the Great Council became a new department. Yes, the Royal House! Several important ministers and advisors formed a leadership class that pledged allegiance to the Emperor, and the elected noble councillors pledged allegiance to these ministers and advisors, so the city-state alliance naturally became an empire. And it was the Great Council that finalized all this!"

"After we swear allegiance to Julian, the North will not be an alliance under the leadership of the Emperor, she is destined to be an empire, just as it was hundreds of years ago. Bran said, "So, my honorable Lord of Mithmech, can you tell me how in your opinion we should owe allegiance to this empire?"

A childlike question rose up on Bran's face, as if he were asking a big brother what a knight was, and it seemed to be full of anticipation.

"This ......" Aaron seemed to sense some trap, but the little duke's deceptive appearance made him not angry: "Naturally, pay taxes, maintain road security, manage their respective territories, send enough troops to respond when they are called, etc.?"

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Bran's original innocent expression turned into pity, a look of pity for him. This annoyed Aaron: "What, do you think I'm not right?"

"I have often heard that Lord Aaron Brennus was a good knight, and now it seems that they are not right at all. Bran smiled and said, "I should say I picked the right person." ”

"But your expression tells me that you've found a complete idiot. Aaron replied coldly, "I admit that I don't have much talent for politics or management or anything like that, but that's not a reason for you to mock me at will. ”

"But you are Theodore's most trusted friend, and even if you don't want to, your status dooms you to great authority in this council - of course, many times people call it 'responsibility'. Bran said in a deep voice, "Theodore Julian needs more than just a knight, he needs your full support. ”

"For any emperor, the sheer power of the vassals was not only a help, but in many cases a threat, and the role of the council was to make these threats invisible. Bran sighed and sat down: "His Majesty the Human Emperor may compromise with reality - after all, it is almost impossible to deprive all the nobles of their territories at once, but he can do it little by little, such as taking back the right to tax and the military power first. ”

"In that case, what's in it for you?" Aaron pouted, "Are you going to pull me in to resist his practice?"

"No, on the contrary, I really wanted to help him. Bran said with a serious face: "No matter how strong Laria is, it is impossible for the Orcs to be an opponent, and a centralized North can compete with the Orcs! But this kind of behavior is destined to be opposed by many people - this is true of any reform, the vast majority of nobles can only see the small profits in front of them, and they have no long-term vision." It's useless if I'm the only one in favor, but if two dukes are in favor at the same time, it's enough to oppress the old guards!"

"It's clear to me that the two of us don't have much affection for each other and never have a deep friendship. But this time, we should join forces. Bran stretched out his right hand with a heavy expression: "You are for your friends, and I am for the future of the new empire, cooperation can allow us both to achieve our goals!"

"Well, then, Lord Aaron Brennus. Bran suddenly used an honorific salute, took twice as much wine from the tray in the hands of the waiter who walked by, and gently pinched the rim of the glass and handed it to Aaron: "Have we reached an agreement?"

Aaron didn't speak, just looked into Bran's eyes, and there wasn't a single ripple in Sapphire's eyes. After a while, he took the cup, touched it lightly with Bran, and drank it all!(To be continued......