The moment Nazaire uttered the last word, the entire Hall of Heroes fell into a strange atmosphere:

It was neither the silence of the dead silence, nor the surging excitement of the crowd, but the nobles on the side of the hall whispered to each other, and in the midst of the humming sound that seemed to be nothing, they raised their heads from time to time, and glanced at the Grand Duchess on the seat with strange and detached eyes.

Like thousands of insects and ants, lurking in the tall and solid beams of the wood, the sound of gnawing and eating the beams makes people irritable, waiting to break the wood to search, but there is no trace.

In the Grand Duke's throne, Thelma's expression froze on her face.

Although the girl had expected the treacherous atmosphere of the last political day, and the reminders of Lisbane and Tails either speaking out or knocking on the side, the female archduchess could not help but tense when this moment really came.

It's like a veil of concealment, finally ruthlessly removed.

Tails listened to the whispers in his ear and looked at the girl's expression, and his heart was indescribable.

Sitting at the head of the Grand Duchess, Lisban's face was gloomy, her eyelids drooped slightly, and a hint of coldness came out of it, as if she was about to smash down the eaves of ice ballast.

"Count Nazaire," after a long time, the expressionless girl slowly sent out a crisp but cold voice: "This is your suggestion?

The moment she spoke, the whispers in the Hall of Heroes disappeared.

It's like an insect ant that stops biting and hides.

Nazaire looked at the girl who was looking at him with a cold face, and his eyes did not fluctuate at all.

"This is the right thing to do," the old earl said lightly, "You know, Walton's bloodline must continue, just like the marriage of the hero Sara and Princess Renee, which continued the reign of Longxiao City. ”

"The Waltons also need a legitimate, orthodox heir and male heir to soothe their restless vassals and intimidate our adversaries – to tell the outside world that Longxiao City is as strong as ever, under sufficient protection. ”

Nazaire was still light, but every time he said a word, the whispers in the hall were subtracted by one point, and the girl's face turned pale.

"For this reason, I suggest that you choose a young and promising man to be your husband among your vassals and their equally noble and loyal families. ”

Count Nazaire solemnly said, "As the father of your future child, as the father of the future dragon lance family." ”

The Grand Duchess did not answer immediately.

But Tails felt that the girl's eyes subconsciously shifted in his direction, but they stopped halfway through, focusing on the floor tiles in the center of the hall.

It is the floor tile that belongs to Valhalla, and it is still strong after thousands of years.

"So, you think that I, as a woman," Thelma said softly, "in fact, I am not qualified to sit in this position and inherit everything from the Grand Duke of Longxiao City?"

Her voice gradually faded away from panic and discomfort, but with a hint of bitterness and sadness consistent with her master:

"So you ask me to marry early and give birth to a real, qualified and entitled heir to Longxiao City?"

The hall fell completely silent, and the vassals who had been loyal to the Walton family for generations no longer exchanged heads, but raised their heads one after another, waiting for the development of events in the hall.

The five counts had different expressions, but they all looked at their female feudal lord silently.

Lisban's eyes were locked on the Count of Nazaire, who was unaware.

Seeing this, Tails sighed, but Ian, who was beside him, shrugged his shoulders.

"Quite the opposite. ”

"It is precisely because you have the qualifications to rule Longxiao City as a descendant of Walton," Nazaire's voice came again, and his words were steady and powerful compared to the lightness and even coldness of the Grand Duchess, "That's why it is all the more necessary - as the closest direct blood in the family, it is your duty to continue the Walton family." ”

Thelma lowered her eyelids and rested on her knee-length dress.

At that moment, Tails, who was silently watching this scene, suddenly realized that the six years he had been away from the vicissitudes of the palace were both unfortunate and lucky.

Finally, a low and angry cold drink resounded in the hall:

"As far as I can tell, we're talking about answering the lady's call. ”

"It's a matter of sending troops to the Liberty League," said the voice of the Regent of Lisbane, like a bitterly cold wind and snow, instantly scratching away the last smile on the faces of the nobles in the hall, "instead of rudely changing the agenda and interfering in the private affairs of the lady without respect." ”

"It's no different from forcing the palace to rebel. ”

Lisbane coldly ended his words.

Opposite him, Nazaire turned his head and turned to Risban, as if this was his worst enemy today, as if the earnest teaching he had just given to the Grand Duchess was just a casual reminder.

The old earl stared at the Lord Regent for a long time.

"We're talking about the future of Longxiao City, Lisban," the next second, Nazaire seemed to be trying to oppose Lisbane, and said the words that made Lisban's face change sharply in the most calm and peaceful language: "It's about the fate of Longxiao City, do you think we will be so stupid that we will let it be controlled by some ill-intentioned minister?"

In addition to the two of them, the other four counts also reacted slightly: among them, Linner and Curtson each snorted coldly.

Only the female archduke, who didn't say a word, still stared at the long skirt between her legs.

It seems that the pattern on it is beautiful.

Risban looked back at Nazaire and no longer hid his displeasure.

I only heard the regent sneer: "So, you will force the female grand duke to marry the person you like?"

"Holding Longxiao City firmly in your own hands is not called 'faint', right?"

The argument between the two adults echoed through the hall, but no one dared to interrupt it.

Tails listened coldly to their conversation.

Lisban and Nazaire, two families with the same long history, who are not even lost to the "Nine Knights of Necajou" in terms of merit, have been the right-hand men of the Walton family since the time of the King of Dragoons, and jointly supported the dragon spear banner in the clouds to fly in Longxiao City.

And now......

A second later, Nazaire and Risban staggered each other's complicated glances.

"No one can ever force an archduke to do anything, not even a king," Nazaire said in a slightly lower voice, "but the reason why the Grand Duke is qualified to stand in this position and accept the allegiance of his ministers is precisely because he is well aware of his duty." ”

Nazaire no longer looked at Risban, but instead stared at Selma, whose face was blue and red, and his eyes were stagnant.

"Remember, ma'am, that you are not just yourself, nor are you Lady Selma, nor are you just a girl from the Waltons," snorted Count Nazaire:

"You're even more - Longxiao City. ”

His articulation is particularly clear and his accents are unmistakable.

"Yes, don't always think about yourself, ma'am," Nazaire said awe-inspiringly, "More importantly, think of Longxiao City. ”

Thelma clenched her teeth and couldn't help but move.

"I am," she repeated with difficulty, "I am...... Longxiao City?"

Nazaire was silent, and Lisbane's face turned pale.

In the hall, the whispers of the remaining dozen vassals sounded again.

Bigger, more arrogant, and more presumptuous than the previous ones.

Nicolai frowned, his hand trying to lift several times, reaching for the blade behind his back, but each time it was forced to drop.

Tails bit his lower lip, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

In his afterglow, the once slippery head hung his head and trembled slightly.

Ian gave him a strange look and whispered, "Hey, don't get distracted, when are we going to go?"

But Tails just pursed his lips and didn't say a word.

Ian soon stopped paying attention to Tails.

Because the next moment, almost everyone expected it......

The girl jerked her head up!

"What if I say no?"

The female archduke's always clear but weak voice, with a short and breathy voice that is rarely seen, sounded abruptly.

The faces in the hall were slightly stunned one after another.

In a tone full of rejection, Thelma's eyes flashed with anger that she hadn't seen for a long time, and she looked around the hall.

Especially the six counts.

To Tails' surprise.

[Selma, remember: Choose who you want to be.] 】

[If you don't want to be a vase that is at the mercy of others and trades casually......]

[Then reject them!]

On the throne of the Grand Duke, the girl showed a beautiful but indifferent face, and said in a sonorous voice: "If I say...... I don't want to?"

As soon as these words came out, the six counts, including Lisbane, frowned in unison!

The hall seemed to have been thrown into the surface of a stone lake again, and the sound of disturbing whispers rippled again.

Many people subconsciously looked at the Count of Lisbane, but the latter only frowned.

"What?"

"Again, the last time I listened to the political day, did this little girl also ......?"

"I really don't understand...... A little girl who doesn't know anything about fart dares to lose her temper on the throne of the Grand Duke......"

"Damn, Longxiao City can't go on like this......"

"Hey, guess what, she's going to be a year older, and she's going to roar and order us to go find her a nice dress?"

"Like I said, she owes her husband a leather whip like any other woman......"

"Look at her thin arms, she probably can't even lift a sword, so she dares to ......"

The noise in the hall was mixed, one after another, and the noise forced Nicollet to speak solemnly again to maintain order.

Listening to the rumors in his ears, Tails gradually frowned.

But Thelma still held her head high, looking at her vassals without showing any weakness, only to see her glance in a certain direction in the hall, and took a deep breath as if she had made up her mind.

"What if I insist?"

Thelma glanced at Hearst with complications, then at the aggressive Earl Linna with difficulty, and then cleared her throat, "If I insist in the name of the Grand Duchess of Longxiao City...... No, I command: my marriage will not be here, and it will not be decided by it. ”

In the inconspicuous corner, Tails curled the corners of his mouth slightly.

Yes.

It was the little lioness with her cheeks puffed out, her face red, lifting her skirt and kicking him the leg bones.

I don't know since when......

"Gentlemen, if that is the case......

The archduchess's voice echoed through the hall: "What will happen to you?"

As soon as these words came out, nothing seemed to change in the hall for a while.

But Tails inexplicably felt that around the six seats on the Grand Duke's side, the temperature seemed to drop suddenly!

All the counts turned their heads in unison, their eyes fixed on one man.

Lisbane Regency.

It's as if he's the source of everything.

But once again, the Grand Duchess surprised them.

"Please don't look at the Charles anymore, folks," Thelma's voice trembled slightly, like branches carrying snow in the cold wind, "He didn't teach me that. ”

Lisbane was stunned.

Count Nazaire's gaze slowly froze in midair, on the Grand Duke's hand holding the arm.

"Very well," he said softly after a few seconds, "you surprised me a little." ”

Thelma took a deep breath, only to feel that Nazaire's strange gaze had a kind of magic that penetrated people's hearts.

But the discoloration in Nazaire's eyes only lasted for a short while, and then it returned to its original seriousness and indifference, as if the accident brought by the female archduke just now was really just an accidental accident.

Count Linna beside him snorted softly

"You are the Grand Duke, and in Longxiao City, your power is inherently supreme. ”

"But the question is, are you really ready," Count Linna's tone was unsentimental, but the words were crucial: "To be here, to turn your back on your vassals because of this matter, and to dominate the city of Longxiao as a lonely widow?"

Turning his back on his vassals......

Lonely and widowed......

This sentence made the atmosphere in the hall more and more tense.

But Count Linna still looked at the Grand Duchess on the steps with a blank expression.

Thelma's face turned pale, and she gritted her teeth: "Count Linna, what are you ...... here"

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Earl Hearst, who had always been friendly, spoke.

He raised his hands towards both sides, and preemptively spoke: "Madam, Count Linna, I think we should all be cold......"

This time, Earl Hearst was interrupted by Linner's merciless words:

"We all know your little bit of foolishness, Earl Hearst!"

"But don't 'teach me' how to do it—that power belongs only to the former king Nunn. ”

Tails sighed: Lynna, though he was saying this to Earl Hearst, kept his gaze on the Grand Duchess.

The pressure on Selma grows.

Hearst's golden beard shook.

A few seconds later, the Earl of Ironshire, who had eaten the nail, turned cold and did not answer again.

Calm returned to the hall.

Only Tails and Ian were in a completely different mood and were watching the development of the situation.

The face of the female princess sank like water.

The vassals' eyes were like swords.

Soon, Count Nazaire sighed and rejoined the conversation:

"That's a real pity, ma'am. ”

"Of course, as an earl, I have no power to oppose or even block your decision. ”

Like a slightly disappointed old man, Nazaire shook his head and said softly, "But I, of course, only me, will still advise you, and even advise you with actions, that in the face of the crisis of the Free Alliance, in this duel between Qiyuan City and the Black Sand Leader, we had better protect ourselves." ”

Thelma unconsciously held her breath and frowned.

"Suggestion?action?wise self-preservation?" The female archduke's arm stiffened: "What do you mean?"

Nazaire looked at her faintly, but did not answer.

Tails unconsciously exhaled a breath from his nose.

Well done, Selma.

We are close.

Approached.

In this game, the most important connections are made:

War, and marriage.

We won.

Opposite Lisbane chuckled disdainfully: "So, you, Nazaire, and even many of the vassals who are dissatisfied with not being able to meddle in the marriage of the king, before the crisis of the Freedom League, you will refuse the call of the lady, refuse to call your army, and even ......"

"Like many of the vassals of the Black Sands, and the Grand Dukes of the other realms, as they rebelled against King Chaman, who refused to pay taxes to the Lady?"

Nazaire paid no attention to him.

The Earl of Curtson, who had always been straightforward, narrowed his eyes, looked at the Grand Duchess, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Of course I hope it won't be like that, ma'am." ”

"But a lot of times, we can't help ourselves. ”

Thelma's face changed.

"Sending troops to the Freedom League—that is to preserve the honor of the Waltons, the object of your ancestors' allegiance. ”

"If we stand by and watch the war of the Freedom Alliance and refuse to pray for help from Yuancheng, then we, whether I am the female grand duke of Longxiao City, or you, the princes of Longxiao City......" The female archduke gritted her teeth and said coldly:

"We will all become a laughing stock: whether it is a weak girl who can't even defend the name of her father and ancestors, or a cowardly Northland who is too cowardly to face the defeated generals of the year!"

The other four Earls, whether they were the ruthless Curteson, the scolding Linner, the taciturn Kierkegaard, and the gentle Hearst, all looked away from Thelma's gaze.

Only Count Nazaire looked at the Grand Duchess with intent, and sighed helplessly: "After six years of internal strife and disaster, Longxiao City is already crumbling - refusing to send troops may damage the reputation of the Walton family and us, but it is a good way to ensure that we do not sink in this whirlpool." ”

Lisbane on the side snorted coldly, quite disdainful.

The Grand Duchess gritted her teeth a little: "You know, Count Nazaire, and you, you all know that we must send troops! not even for the Dragon Lance Family, not to assist Qiyuan City, but just to suppress the king's ambitions, and not let us rise and fall in the whirlpool within the kingdom!"

"This is also for Longxiao City!"

But the next moment, Old Nazaire's voice suddenly increased, interrupting Selma's words!

"So, for the sake of Longxiao City, why can't you understand?"

Thelma was stunned.

Off the stage, Tails' fists were loose and tight.

It's close.

Near, Selma.

Just one step away!

Count Nazaire's eyes suddenly changed when he looked at the Grand Duchess, and there was a sharp edge in it:

"If you can choose your husband wisely and soberly, and re-establish the future of the Dragonlance family, then all problems can be solved. ”

"At that time, you, as the Grand Duchess of Longxiao, will rightfully erect Walton's banner of honor and order to come to the aid of Qiyuan City. ”

"Your husband, who is in the Walton family, has led his troops out to join us vassals in the West and wash away the chaos of the Freedom League. ”

I only heard the earl speak coldly: "Wouldn't it be a better solution to revive the prestige of the family, maintain the honor of Longxiao City, and win the alliance of Qiyuan City, and even defeat the arrogance of the king and show our existence and strength?"

The female archduke bit her lower lip, and in front of more than two dozen vassals, she seemed to be a little flustered.

At this moment, the regent of Selma, the Count of Lisbane, spoke at the right time.

"Dealing with the king, really?" the regent of Lisban snorted softly, "At this juncture when the city of Qiyuan is playing against the king, you are deliberately using the lord's marriage to interfere...... Why, the sweetness given by the Black Sand Collar, the bones dropped by King Chaman, are they so easy to lick?"

At that moment, like a beast that had been stepped on by the tail, Nazaire turned his head sharply and stared at Lisbane.

"Be careful, old friend. ”

"Rumba did come to me," said Count Nazaire, as if he had an indissoluble grudge against Lisbane, "but the Nazaire family in Longxiao City is not something he can point to by killing his relatives and taking the throne—no matter how clever he is and his sinister intentions." ”

"But believe me, ma'am, this is purely my own decision, because I think this is the best future for Longxiao City. ”

Nazaire's words continued: "Your right will not be interfered with in any way: as long as it is the noble and handsome man in Longxiao City, how to choose, and which one to choose as your husband, is still your will, this is the ...... of Longxiao City"

Unable to bear it, Lisban shouted angrily again.

"Enough, Nazaire!"

Lord Regent said coldly: "You can talk about 'for Longxiao City'. ”

"But let the Grand Duchess marry one of you? is your solution?"

Lisban shook his head slowly, as if he was about to shoot a sharp blade in his eyes: "Do you really know what this will bring to Longxiao City?"

The center of the gladiatorial fight seemed to be between the two counts again.

"Of course. ”

"Ma'am," Nazaire's voice was low, but his eyes remained untouched from Lisbane, "I know Charles...... What the Count of Lisbane has told you is nothing more than "the female archduke wants to check and balance the upper and lower levels and maintain the balance of power in Longxiao City", "the lord rashly marries a vassal, which is not conducive to the internal rule of Longxiao City", "You cannot entrust your identity and power to Longxiao City", and other excuses as reasons for your refusal to marry. ”

"Yes, it's not unreasonable – I've worked with Charles for many years, and I know better than anyone else that he's not stupid, and that fear is there. ”

Nazaire looked at Risbane with complicated eyes, but when he turned to the Grand Duchess, his gaze became more and more strange.

"I didn't want to say the following things, ma'am," said Nazaire softly, "but you and I have just suddenly realized that perhaps you ought not to be treated as a young child who knows nothing—you are the Grand Duchess after all. ”

Thelma's heart moved.

Lisbane frowned.

"So, do you think that your marriage is really just to tie the power of the Walton family to a certain family in Longxiao City and seize it into our hands, as some people say?"

"Nope. ”

With a slight tiredness, the Count of Nazaire spoke softly, "This is for a higher and more important purpose. ”

Ladies and gentlemen, the next chapter has been coded and revised, and it is scheduled to be posted at half past twelve, and I will go to dinner.

(End of chapter)