The hall finally ushered in a real uproar!

Even Russell frowned!

This time, the nobles in the hall, except for Duke Cullen and Gilbert, all looked at the Duke of the North, who was speechless, in amazement. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

What's going on?

"Your Majesty, Lord Aarend?" said Count Zemutto, who was also one of the lords of the North, and his eyes wandered back and forth between the Duke and the King of the North.

Beside him, Count Forrest looked at Val in disbelief, motionless.

The commotion and uproar continued for dozens of seconds.

Until the resolute-faced Lord of Hankeep, the Duke of the Guardian of the North, Val Arend, raised his head and looked back at the king.

He was no longer silent, but let out a long breath.

In the astonished gaze of everyone, including Baron Russell, the resolute warrior-like head of the White Eagle family raised his head and smiled:

"You're just as sharp, Kai. ”

The Duke of the North immediately lowered his head and sighed:

"Just like your damn elder brother. ”

Tails' eyes widened!

What the?

Now, everyone reacted.

Judging by the reaction of the Duke of the North......

Oh, my God.

Just, how is that possible?

Kessel lowered his head and let out a genuine sigh.

"Won't you explain, Wa. The king said lightly.

"What's there to explain, it's already failed, isn't it. Val looked calm, not paying attention to the gazes of the other lords: "It's you, when did you see it?"

"It's obviously the other lords who intercepted and killed the mission, isn't it? I obviously seem so innocent, and the northern realm and the royal family are obviously the targets of calculation. ”

Jenn looked at Val in disbelief.

Yes, it's impossible, the matter of intercepting and killing the mission was obviously done by the nobles in our "new star"!

And the Duke of the North isn't in our group at all!

Kessel's eyebrows were lowered and he said in a low voice:

"Yesterday, when the High Council voted at the National Assembly, you voted too quickly. ”

The king's voice was filled with mixed emotions: "I had doubts at that time. You know, I'm not going to sit idly by with the North than the bargaining chips that Cordid will send troops to help! There's no reason why you should object to my son becoming heir for the sake of the One-Eyed Dragon's promise. ”

The Duke of the One-Eyed Dragon, Cousin looked at the Duke of the North in amazement, remembering the scene of the vote yesterday afternoon.

"Yes," Val smirked, "how do you know I have no reason? You know, I hate you, don't I?"

"Because of Lycia, the one you hate is me," King Kessel said with a blank face, but the fist under his sleeve, which no one could see, trembled slightly, "but you are a noble man, and you will not be angry with my son." ”

Many people immediately looked at Tails, especially Baron Russell, whose face was ugly.

"Unless you have a special reason to prevent my son from becoming the heir. The king said in a low voice.

"But it's just suspicion," Val sighed under the complicated eyes of the room, "maybe it's just an accident?"

"So today, I put the envoy of Exter to the test. The king looked up, his voice cold.

"Hmph," Val sneered, "Sure enough, after the Year of Blood, you've become more and more suspicious. ”

The king ignored him, and just said to himself:

In two sentences, Lyanna tried to find out that he was the person of the Grand Duke of the Black Sand Collar Rumba - only the people of the Rumba would be so anxious to change the subject, so as not to expose the ambition of the Grand Duke of the Black Sand Collar Rumba. “

The Duchess of the Blade Leader looked at the Duke of the North coldly and said nothing.

"At the beginning of his arrival, he played a scene with you: it seemed that an envoy of unknown northern depths was testing the ability to defend the northern realm of the stars, and you fought back without showing weakness - and now it seems that he is provoking a tense atmosphere according to plan. "Kessel V said heavily:

"However, when I deliberately refused to choose between war and compromise, he threatened me very clearly: the north did not even have the strength to hold the Broken Dragon Fortress. ”

"Don't you feel inconsistent?"

That's when the suspicions began to deepen. ”

Russell's face began to turn pale.

The king bowed his head and said, "Moreover, his interest in striking me, provoking me, and even changing the king of the stars is obviously greater than negotiating well and fighting for the interests of Exeter for King Nunn." ”

"Isn't it enough for Rumba to acquire the land of the North, why is he so interested in me, in replacing the Bright Star Royalty? Obviously, he is working with someone inside the stars, and my crown is the will of the collaborators. ”

"The question is, who is qualified to cooperate with the powerful princes of the Exeter Kingdom, the Grand Duke of Rumba in the Black Sand Territory, who can benefit from him and achieve a win-win situation?"

"I've thought about it for a long time, I've considered Nantop, Kevendier, Cullen, and even Falkenhause—the most unlikely person in the first place, and that would have been you, Val. Because when the war broke out, the North bore the brunt, and you were more like a poor man who was counted with me, a victim. ”

"Hey," Falkenhause's voice sounded sharply, "unless, it's a voluntary sacrifice on his part." ”

Kessel V's gaze was sharp as a blade, and he stabbed at Val Arend:

"But when I think backwards - what does the Grand Duke of Rumba gain? King Nunn's only son died in the North, and the Waltons were doomed to withdraw from the next election. ”

"So, what Rumba can gain is the territory of the north, and the death of the rival in the north. ”

"Who in the stars can maximize the amount of time that these two happen at the same time?"

Kessel silently raised his gaze with a sad face:

"It's you, Val Arend, who controls the North, the Guardian Duke of the North. ”

"But I still don't believe it, I'd rather believe it's just an accident. ”

"No," said the Duke of the North coldly, "you already believed it—you just need to do everything you can to confirm your suspicions, don't you?" ”

The king snorted softly, glancing at Exeter's urgent envoy with a deep gaze.

"I sent someone early to intercept Baron Russell, and under the eyes and ears of all the lords, I sent them directly into the East City with great fanfare. But until this morning, the secret sentinel of the secret department ensured that they would not come into contact with any of the Stellar people, and they did not know about the matter of yesterday's national meeting, nor did they know about the change of heirs—and they did not know that their collaborators in the Saliens were actually in a hurry. ”

"Guess what, in this case, how many groups of people did the secret sentinel of the kingdom secret department intercept yesterday and want to contact Baron Russell?"

Morat's hoarse and unpleasant voice sounded at the right time:

"Three, Your Majesty, the skill of the army scout, his mouth is very hard, and he refuses to reveal the identity of his master. He laughed and said, "But what's the use? There are only a few places in the kingdom where such a tough soldier can be found—it's easy to track down the person behind it." ”

Val looked down and sighed, "They're my most elite scouts. ”

The High King said coldly:

"But I haven't figured it out yet, what is your agreement with Rumba, and how can it be realized?"

"Until this Exeter man said that the Exeter people were more interested in the heroes on the battlefield - yes, once the war came, the hero would be the most dazzling person, wasn't that how Exeter himself was established. ”

"And who better to defend your homeland than the Duke of the North in this likely war, and if the enemy is simply your collaborator, it will be easier for you to gain prestige and fame on the battlefield. ”

"War breaks out - are you the most suitable next king to defend the North to the death, become the hero against Exeter, and the only one who can deal with them?"

Vaal sneered.

King Kessel looked at Val sadly: "Did I say something wrong, betraying the North, the Duke of the Guardian of the North?"

"Is it so important to you to be a king? so important that you, who are noble and pure, will betray your land, your people, your country. ”

The hall fell silent.

Even Russell was embarrassed and didn't say a word.

Val Arend stared blankly at the floor for a long time.

Until he closed his eyes tightly.

"Haha. ”

In the midst of desolate laughter, he finally opened his eyes and said miserably:

"It shouldn't have been. ”

Val, with a complicated expression, slowly spoke:

"All of this should have been done according to my script. ”

The king's eyes narrowed.

"The 'Nova', the group of Star Lords, was formed in the aftermath of the Desert War five years ago to fight against your increasingly ostentatious royal power. ”

"They, both Cullen and Nantop, came to me, but I refused. ”

"But I realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In their struggle with you, I can achieve my goals. ”

"A goal that is too far away for me to believe in. ”

Val walked forward to the center of the hall, looked into the distance that didn't exist, and sighed.

"I ventured to Exeter and found Rumba—you should see the look on his face when I lowered my hood in front of him—and that night we made an alliance. ”

"I am responsible for instigating Zemutto and Forrest to confront them to clash with Exter at the border from time to time - and for this I have not hesitated to give Songuo County to Zemuto. ”

The two counts of the Thirteen Clans in the north looked pale and blue as they looked at the Duke who had fought side by side with them for many years.

"Lombard went to operate in the country of Exeter, and through these conflicts, he rendered the envoy to the stars and the rebuilding of the borders of the Peace Treaty into a great mission, so that King Nunn decided to secretly send his only son to accumulate qualifications for his future king--he was old, and the old man always wanted to arrange everything after him. ”

"I told the news to the 'Nova Star' -- there were many careerists like Nantope and Cavendier, who soon realized that this would be a good opportunity to weaken the royal power - except for one thing, which I did not tell them, that there was in the mission the only son secretly sent by King Nunn, and that they were probably frightened when they knew of this, but unfortunately, as the Far Eastern proverb goes: 'If you get on the neck of a tiger, you will not get off.'" ’”

Duke Cullen shook his head, and Jenn snorted coldly, only Cousin, who stared at Val through gritted teeth.

"The lords thought they were taking advantage of Exeter's reproaches and anger to weaken the king's prestige and power—only rumba and I knew that they were provoking war between the two countries. ”

"Rumba is the source of information on the Exeter side, providing the itinerary and staffing of the mission, and I have the advantage of the northern border, bribing the receptionists, monitoring and guiding them to the best place of assassination, and the unwitting people of the 'Nova' will deliver the final blow—with the unknowingness of the three of us, even the master of the Extreme Realm beside the prince will not be spared. ”

"Rumba stabbed the news to the 'Dark Room' as quickly as possible, stabbed it to Dragon City, and at the same time recommended Russell Vader to the desperate King Nunn, and I kept bringing the news to Yongxing, using war mobilization to exaggerate the seriousness of the matter, and let Kessel gather the nobles of the stars to discuss the matter and gain support - the more the better. ”

Russell looked pale at Val and then at Kessel.

But no one paid attention to him.

Val looked up at the young Duke Iris.

"Jenn Cavendier, boy, you should have died in the assassination the day before yesterday - it's not just the nobles of Nova who know your whereabouts, but also me, who had a plan. ”

Jenn's face changed!

"Yes," said the Duke of Val Arend, nodding feebly, "it was not you who killed the Nova—it was me. ”

"But look at your collaborators, who began to be suspicious of each other when they only learned of your assassination yesterday, which shows the fragility of your alliance. ”

Several dukes and counts narrowed their eyes slightly.

Jenn slapped him hard and slapped it on the armrest.

The young Duke Cavendier said hatefully: "So yesterday, in that kid...... Then you will speak out to support him and sow discord among the lords, because this is your plan!"

Val laughed miserably, and under Jenn's iron-blue face, he continued:

"In this way, the 'new star', which is already internally unstable, will become a plate of scattered sand in suspicion, the pressure on the royal family will increase sharply, and I will lose a strong competitor in the future. ”

"The plan of the 'new stars' is to force their own heir when the king needs their war support the most. But in the chaotic and suspicious High Council, this was doomed. At the same time, Kessel's and I proposals to fight Exeter's invasion would lose the support of almost all the other lords - it looked as if we were all calculated. ”

In a few hours, Russell Vader will arrive in Eternal Star City with Exeter's wrath—he is destined to be frantically provocative, and he will make conditions that the stars cannot accept, with only one purpose: war. ”

Tails looked at Val in disbelief.

"If Kessel chooses war, my plan is to ensure that he will not have enough troops, and that the rapid invasion of the Rumba in the north will be overwhelming. With my tacit understanding with Rumba on the battlefield, it was enough for Kessel to die a glorious and dignified death—just like Prince Horace once did. At least it can make him suffer a few defeats, be disgraced, and lose his prestige. ”

"If Kessel chooses to compromise and cede the territory of the North, he himself will become a sinner of the kingdom, and I will urge the lords and the people to force him to abdicate, but I will still join the war in the North - when the army of Exeter, especially the Rumba, comes to take over the territory, the royal family and the lords will not hold back, only I will gather my forces and resist to the death, which will be more noble, like the only ray of light in the darkness. ”

"Hey, someone still says I'm a hypocrite!" Hearing this, the one-eyed dragon glared at Tails fiercely.

Duke Arend folded his arms and smiled bitterly:

"Yes, either way, we will suffer a catastrophic defeat in the North - yet I will reverse and 'repel' the rumba in the darkest of moments, on several key battlefields. After that, because of his sympathy for me, the Rumba will, after alliing with each other, take the territory he has already occupied, and withdraw his troops with satisfaction. I will become the undisputed hero of the kingdom, and I will be the most sought-after candidate for the next king, compared to Kessel, who has suffered great reproach and has no lord's support. ”

"Val Arend!" Count Zemutto was furious, "that is our northern border!

"Don't talk nonsense," Count Forrest looked at Val darkly, "Can't you see - he's not the 'Iron Eagle' Duke we know for a long time." ”

Val looked lonely, ignoring the two Northern Earls behind him, and he continued in a trance:

"The lords were suspicious of each other, but the neutral me was the least suspicious, and I was a close friend of the king, if he was still alive at the time, the brother of the High Priest of the Temple of Sunset, and the long-awaited hero of the kingdom of the stars against the invasion. I am destined to be the supreme king of the stars. ”

"As for Exeter, the Walton family has lost its last heir and is destined to withdraw from the next election, while Rumba will receive a large territory in the North, and a glorious record of conquering the North of the Stars - his strength has swelled dramatically, and with the support of me and the entire Star, he is also destined to become the next co-king. ”

"Everything was going well," said Val Arend, looking at Tails with a look of regret in his eyes, "until the boy's sudden appearance disrupted all plans." ”

"Jenn didn't die, but sided with you, and the effect of forcing the heir was not very good, the lords of the 'new star' did not fight to the death for the throne, but confronted the royal family over the canonization of the new prince - the envoys of Exeter were locked in a trap by you without knowing that the kingdom was a council and the new prince. ”

"But I can only keep going until ......"

Val let out a sigh, smiled mockingly, and shook his head indifferently:

"And just like that, I failed. ”

At this moment, the hall was so quiet that a pin could be heard.