klisemfg Chapter 454 Where is my dear nephew?
Chapter 454 Where is my dear nephew?
"Dingling--dinging--"
In the High Court, the crystal chandelier of the Supreme Council Chamber shook violently the moment the door was pushed open, making a series of ethereal sounds. A dozen knights of light in gold and white armor who were originally standing by the wall outside the long table all pressed down on the hilts of their swords and looked at the new members who had come uninvited at the door.
"...Oh, our princess is back." Finance Minister Fitch was writing something and was frightened by the noise. Ink as big as beans splashed on the account book, leaving a stain. Before he could sigh, he heard Bishop Quincy, who was sitting on his right, speak first. He followed the gaze of the crowd and saw that it was indeed the princess.
Fitch felt a headache. The familiar atmosphere returned. If he hid under the table now, maybe he could slip away before the battle started?
"Good day, Mr. Bishop." Catherine stood still, calmed her breath, and greeted Bishop Quincy who spoke first.
Catherine was already familiar with this conference hall. Over the years, her father and herself had been in and out of here countless times, arguing and negotiating with these ministers who always had fake smiles on their faces. This empire was like a stagnant pool of water in the hands of these people. They were so conservative and rigid that even their positions had never changed. But today was indeed different.
Catherine looked to the far end of the long table. In the past, it was always empty, and Knight Russell would hold the king's crown to attend the parliament on behalf of the king. But now, Knight Russell was nowhere to be seen, and the hard wooden chair that was always empty was finally occupied by someone, who gave her a loving smile.
"How was your vacation, Catherine?" King George didn't seem to mind that Catherine greeted Bishop Quincy first, and he looked like a loving uncle as he comforted the Crown Prince who had just returned home.
"...a great harvest." Catherine clenched the paper roll in her hand. It was a letter from Ozler. This year's beast tide was more violent and frequent than ever before. After reading the letters from her father and mother, she rushed directly into the palace.
Fitch shrank lower and lower in his chair. He was not as comfortable as Bishop Quincy was when facing the princess. Now he looked at the princess with the corner of his eye. He felt that this girl with a straight back and a firm gaze was more and more like the girl Duke William had been negotiating with them. She was full of vigor. The princess had grown up, but she was just a girl...
Fitch sighed slightly, it's a pity that it's a girl - he thought to himself, and continued to look at this girl who had grown up unknowingly. She was wearing light clothes that she wore when traveling far away, and it seemed that she had just arrived in the city in a dusty state. Fatigue and wind and frost made her face dull, but in this conference room full of men, she was still dazzling and... out of place. It was like she had barged into a banquet that she was not invited to.
"You don't have to be so diligent, Your Highness. Today's meeting is not very important..." Opposite Fitch, the Home Secretary tried to speak to ease the awkward atmosphere after being intruded.
"Five times." A knight came forward and moved a chair for Catherine, but she refused to sit down and stared at the Minister of Internal Affairs. "Until I saw the letter, Ozler's first line of defense was breached five times this year. The soldiers on the front line wanted to use their bodies to repair the protective wall, but you are here discussing how many gold coins should be used to repair the stained glass windows of the temple?"
"This year is different, Your Highness. This year is His Majesty the King's birthday, and according to old rules it should be celebrated with great fanfare—" The Minister of the Interior now deeply regretted taking the initiative to step forward and take over the conversation, but he still tried to explain.
"Have you received the letter from father?" The princess ignored him and asked the king directly, "Father said that he has personally asked you for help. Your brothers and sisters need your help, uncle."
King George tapped his hand lightly on the armrest of the chair, his face showing a tired and exhausted look. "You know my physical condition, Catherine. There are too many backlogs of government affairs. I may have missed William's letter."
"Then you really should have listened to the raven message this morning." Catherine's eyes were full of mockery as she threw the blood-stained letter in the middle of the long table. A gust of wind suddenly blew up in the room with closed doors and windows, and the extremely conspicuous letter was directly delivered to King George.
——How dare she play those little tricks here! George's drooping eyelids twitched fiercely a few times, but he did not reach out to read the letter that Catherine brought to him.
"Please be careful with your tone, Her Highness Catherine." Bishop Quincy was indeed the most considerate and gave advice to the Crown Prince.
"I think the temple's stained glass windows don't need so many Knights of Light guarding them. They should go somewhere more useful." Since King George looked half dead and refused to talk, Catherine turned to Bishop Quincy and said, "Ozler needs help. Knights of Light, God's Blessed Ones, I need them all."
Finance Minister Fitch, who tried hard to hide himself, secretly breathed a sigh of relief - Father God, this is great, the princess doesn't want any money this year!
Bishop Quincy saw that King George remained silent. After a moment of silence, he brought up the old excuse again, "The situation in the south is unclear, and most of our troops are in--"
"What a coincidence! I went to the border a few days ago." Her Highness Catherine interrupted the bishop very weakly, and what she said was even more shocking. "I didn't see the Knights of Light that you said were supposed to be stationed here."
The princess' eyes were bright and frightening. "Did those guys betray His Majesty, or... betray God?"
"...Be careful with your words, Your Highness." Bishop Quincy's eyes began to twitch like George's.
"——My classmates have encountered them quite a lot." Catherine ignored Bishop Quincy's obstruction and continued to talk. "When they go into the dense forest to look for materials for making magic potions, they always run into the Knights of Light whose origins are unknown and whereabouts are suspicious. Are we supporting them with our taxes so that they can go camping and picnic?"
"Cough, cough, cough, that's it." King George suddenly covered his mouth and nose with his fist and started coughing. When he raised his head again, he looked sick again. "Don't embarrass us, Catherine."
This is what Lilith called green tea. ——Katherine looked at the king at the far end and couldn't help complaining in her heart. Ozler's intelligence made her upset. When she heard that these guys were in a meeting again, she rushed in directly, vowing to tear off some of their flesh. Although military support was impossible, at least she could——
"Think of a solution, Quincy." King George turned to look at Bishop Quincy at this time, "William is my brother. No matter what the truth is, I cannot ignore his request for help. How many troops are stationed in Fanaya, the closest to Ozler?"
Catherine was stunned, and everyone else's eyes widened. What, what was going on? Were they really going to send troops?
"...About three thousand." Bishop Quincy was stunned for a moment, and only after King George placed his hand on his forearm did he finally give an answer.
King George nodded in satisfaction and turned to his niece across the long table again, "Three thousand words——"
“God’s Blessed Ones!” Catherine also came back to her senses and shouted. Without waiting for George’s decision, she decided to make further efforts. “I want more God’s Blessed Ones! They can’t go to the front line, but at least they can take on the work of treatment and purification.”
King George showed a helpless look and looked at Quincy again.
"--Two hundred." Quincy gritted his teeth and gave a number.
"Five hundred!" The sudden good news made Catherine feel her blood boiling, and she would never miss any opportunity to bargain.
“——Three hundred!” Quincy’s face was not good. “Those favored by God are all servants of God. They must purify themselves and should not set foot in such a God-forsaken place!”
"Deal." Catherine nodded immediately, and Quincy immediately realized that he had been fooled by this little girl! Who did she learn how to bargain from?
"Okay." King George seemed very satisfied with this. He smiled gently at Catherine, "I have completed William's request. What about you, Catherine?"
"What?" Catherine didn't react for a moment.
"You promised me that you would bring Canion back to Highgarden during the Festival of Lights, my dear nephew. Where is he?" King George said softly.
Bishop Quincy lowered his eyes, as if thinking about the future dispatch of troops. He no longer looked at Catherine and did not speak again.
After a brief distraction, Catherine finally remembered that she had indeed received King George's instructions, but that guy could not come to Highgarden now. "Ozler is poor, maybe he is sick, or maybe he got into trouble and was confined by his mother. I don't know the details. You can read the letter your father wrote to you. Maybe he has told you the reason." Catherine decided to put the blame on her father far away.
"Well, well..." King George stared into Catherine's eyes and sighed regretfully.