Section 197 Portrait

By this time, they had returned to the streets of the town. There were already houses on both sides of the road, although the windows of each house were pitch black and quiet. But if someone were lurking inside the house at this time, he would have a good chance of hearing the conversation between the two people outside.

"Truth be told, Ashrufat, don't jump to conclusions. A lot of things have changed over time. Marianne Countess...... Your Aunt Mary is now working hard in Eagle Falcon, hoping to imprint the concept of 'Count Ashrufat's fiancée into everyone's mind. No, it should not be said to be a 'fiancée', but 'the wife of the Count of Ashrufat'. At the end of the day, though, there's only a marriage contract between you, not a marriage. What is the difference between the two...... It's not an exaggeration. ”

"You're hinting at me?"

Not a hint, but a reminder. If, one day, I call you 'His Majesty Ashrufat,' I will not be embarrassed or disgusted at that time. ”

Is this a medium? Ashrufat decided not to answer this question.

"Do you know what I did in Fornoros?" asked Ashrufat. He did it after the little girl left. If the little girl's mouth is tight enough, then it's possible that Skadera doesn't know what happened...... Although there should be news in Eagle Castle, Skadera is likely to miss the news in order to come out to find him.

Zhilu said. Skadera nodded unequivocally. "There's a massacre, right? ”

"After doing this kind of thing...... Do you think public opinion will accept it?" Ashrufat was a little curious.

"Public opinion has never been an issue. Skadera said. "Politics is as simple as that. There are several cornerstones that make up politics, one of which is public opinion. While public opinion is important, and in a certain time frame, it can even become a decisive force. But as long as there is time, its effect will be weakened, or even weakened to the point of negligibility. The true, central, and eternal power of a nation is only royal power. The combination of royal power and military power is the ultimate force that determines the rise and fall of a country and the blessings and misfortunes of thousands of people. ”

"Don't you think...... Am I overdoing it?"

"Her Majesty the Queen would have rushed to the secret in such a hurry...... I don't want to know how you persuaded her, because there are some things that the less people know, the better. But since you have convinced her, then I believe it is not because of a brutal nature or a momentary outburst of bestiality. ”

Suddenly, Ashrufat felt that he had neglected the Grand Governor of Skadra. Having said that, Skadera was able to firmly hold the position of the Grand Governor of the palace before, leaving Byron like a dog biting a hedgehog with nowhere to go, which in itself shows his strength and wisdom.

"If something is the result of forethought, it should not be judged lightly, no matter how it appears on the surface. Perhaps noticing Ashrufat's attitude, Skadra continued. "Look at the outcome of things simply and measure them by a fixed yardstick...... This is the practice of judges. And I'm not a judge. The dead are pitiful, but at least they can't claim to be innocent. From the beginning of the Byronic rebellion, they had many opportunities to leave the city, but they did not take that opportunity. ”

"Do you know everything in Eagle Falcon City?"

"Well, I think so. At least the rumors are already flying. Skadera said. "If public opinion is boiling, especially under the impetus of people with intentions, even Her Majesty the Queen must make concessions. When the time comes, you may have to go to court. ”

"Court?"

"Well, Supreme Court. This is a tradition in our country...... Her Majesty the Queen herself will serve as judge...... conducted in public trials. I guess the offense should be massacres and atrocities. I hope you are mentally prepared. ”

Ashrufat let out a noncommittal "um".

......

"Your Majesty!" said Rhodia, as she entered the Queen's room, she saw the little girl sitting at the table thinking about something. She held her cheek with one hand, and with the other hand unconsciously played with the leaves of the bonsai plant used to decorate in the middle of the table. And in the other part of the room, there are two maids who are cleaning, or, according to the court, maids.

"Ah, Rhodia...... Teacher. Although the little girl never said the title of "teacher" in private conversations, there were other people present at this time.

Rhodia came to the center of the room. Because of her special status, she is one of the few people who can enter and exit the little girl's boudoir. The two maids saluted Rhodia, who made a generic gesture. After seeing Rhodia's gesture, the two maids who were cleaning immediately met each other and hurriedly finished their cleaning work and left.

During this time, with the expansion of the court, there were more such maids. When Ashrufat was first built, there were only ten people in charge of cleaning in this temporary palace, but now it has increased several times. This is because there are many people who want to send their daughters, wives, relatives, and the like to the court, and they can do whatever they want. As for their purpose, it is naturally very simple, which nobleman does not want to have a reliable eyes and ears in the court? Everyone knows that sometimes, getting an inside message in advance determines a person's future. Since Prime Minister Irynne is a conservative person, it is indeed a bit difficult to get an official position at the moment, but it is much easier to add a lady-in-waiting.

"Your Majesty the Queen!" Rothea watched as the two maids left, and immediately sat down opposite the little girl. "What? Sitting here alone...... Thinking about him?"

"Nonsense! I didn't think about Ashrufat!" the little girl blushed, and almost jumped up.

"Oh......" Rothea let out a deliberately long exclamation in a meaningful tone.

"How do you know I'm back?" the little girl quickly changed the subject. But this question doesn't really need to be answered at all. Rhodia is one of the few people who knows the whereabouts of the little girl. This is not because the little girl specifically wants to tell her, but because the little girl's guard, that is, Laria, is Lotia's sister-in-law.

What secrets can there be between sisters?

"I know you've been back for five days. Rhodia said. "And you know that you are in the palace and have not done anything. Now that you're back, you have to do the work of the queen as well. The church went to the door twice, and you wouldn't see it. ”

"You said to let the church people eat a few more times. The little girl said. Since the Church had chosen to be neutral in the previous Civil War, she should have shown displeasure. But let's be honest, what the hell is going on with those people in the church? They look like ants on a hot pan. Is the situation on the Northern Front so bad?

Of course, no matter how bad it is, the little girl can't send reinforcements now. Because her troops are still on their way back from Fornoros. In Eagle City, there are only less than 10,000 troops responsible for the security of the city itself.

"Well, that's exactly how it should be on the church side. But...... They have shown sincerity, and you should be magnanimous to forgive them. Well, without mentioning this, I'm not here for this thing. ”

"Ah, what's the matter?"

Although Rhodia is nominally the little girl's teacher, she is actually more like a counselor. The most important thing is that she can bring all kinds of external information to the little girl - those news that were isolated by the palace and would not have reached the little girl's ears.

"There's been a lot of talk in the city about Fornoros. Rhodia said

"Hmm. The little girl replied casually. Anyway, this kind of thing can't be hidden, and sooner or later it will be known.

"Several rumors, one of which is about you. ”

"About me?" the little girl was a little nervous now. Was she discovered on this secret trip?

"They say you're under Fornoros...... Execution of Byron's eldest son, Bairheim. And he was put to death by stake. Rhodia's eyes were fixed on the little girl. "This rumor is fully tainted with your cruelty, cold-bloodedness, evil, and viciousness...... In short, the rumor is already suggesting that you don't deserve to be a monarch at all, and even that you have been possessed by a bloodthirsty demon. ”

"I'm just executing a traitor!" the little girl lost her breath. "Isn't that the power of kings?"

"It's the same fact, but it's not the same when you look at it from a different angle. You see I brought this. Rhodia pulled a piece of paper out of her bosom and spread it out on the table. It was a painting, very simple but very vivid, which fully demonstrated the artist's extraordinary skills. The picture shows the little queen with the crown looking at the victim struggling in pain on the stake with a cruel expression, and some explanations are added along the side.

"This is...... Who drew it?!" The little girl couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know what to do, but it suddenly popped up. Judging from the appearance, it should be the work of those street poets or wandering painters. Rhodia said. "The original author may have just struck up by chance, but he copied a lot of this painting and circulated it on the streets of Eagle City...... This is not explained by chance. ”

"Anyone against me?" the little girl immediately understood. This painting is not unique, but has been copied many times and circulated in the streets.

"It's obvious. Rhodia replied. "At present, it is only in the stage of preparing public opinion. In my estimation, this is just a temptation. They were so secretive that I couldn't even tell where they came from. It seems that overnight, you can see this kind of picture everywhere. This illustrates...... This opponent is by no means alone, but well-organized. ”

"But...... Is this picture a threat to me?"

"Threat?oh, of course, there's hardly any threat in this picture...... At best, it can be considered disgusting. But the thing is, it's just a preparation. Do you think that the person who spread this painting has no next hand?"

"Next?" The little girl didn't think there was a next hand at all. In any case, she only executed Bairheim alone, in fact, this was also at the suggestion of Eshurufat.

"You should know it...... The affairs of Fornoros City cannot be hidden. And it won't be long before Ashrufat returns...... When he arrived, the matter was suddenly revealed...... This painting can play a very good role in fueling the fire. ”

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