RLQ - Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Prince Arthur
After reading Heinrich's letter, Adele frowned.
Upon receiving Archbishop Rhodri's warning, Adele hadn't been idle. While she continued to heavily rely on Dalton as before, the Heinrich family's spies had disguised themselves as blacksmiths, stablehands... spreading like shadows in all the places the Old God Sect frequented most.
Aside from the brown bear in the hunting grounds today, there had been no other signals.
But the dangerous elements had already begun to silently permeate the air.
"Dalton seems to want to reform the gendarmerie."
Madam Kelly folded the towel and placed it aside. Her husband was in charge of the royal family's daily life and meals. Some intelligence was delivered to her through her husband, mixed in with vegetables and fruits, and then passed on to the Queen.
If possible, Adele naturally wished she could possess a spy network like the Heinrich family's. But she knew clearly that it wasn't the right time yet. And while her dear mentor was now serving her again, this service was based on the Port Regulations and the armed merchant ship licenses...
Perhaps some guilt was mixed in, but that guilt was merely that and nothing more.
Everything in the court was like this; feelings were one thing, actions were another.
"The Privy Council won't agree."
Adele held the secret letter to the candle, watching the flames consume it.
During this time, court affairs were not peaceful. Nobles from ancient families resisted all of Dalton's actions with all their might, while Dalton courted some other minor nobles and new aristocrats.
The Queen acted cautiously in the struggle between these two sides. She had to show her reliance on Dalton while also making the great nobles feel that she didn't hold a grudge against them.
"They are rumored..." Madam Kelly paused, carefully observing the Queen's expression, "that your relationship with Dalton isn't so simple, and that you intend for him to become your husband."
In fact, the rumors weren't as mild as Kelly relayed.
As Queen, any excessive contact Adele had with any man would lead to countless pieces of gossip. Think about it, a beautiful Queen and a young general, and the general bravely rescued the Queen on the night of the mutiny. Wasn't it perfectly normal for her to fall for him?
Some people in taverns had even asserted confidently that when the Queen was in the Day Palace, she must have already rewarded her general in bed... well... in a way everyone understood.
These words were too vulgar, and Madam Kelly strictly forbade anyone from letting them reach the Queen's ears.
"Oh, you mean that," Adele said casually. "I had Heinrich send people to spread it. Judging by your expression, he seems to have done a good job."
"You?!" Madam Kelly's eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly looked angry. "How could you... how could you joke with your own reputation?"
"Kelly, why do you think Dalton hasn't mentioned the Rute ambassador for three whole days?" Adele unfolded a map and looked down at it.
"Because of you," Madam Kelly said without hesitation.
"I'm very grateful that you think so highly of my charm." The Queen looked up, showing a somewhat subtle expression. "Perhaps there's a little bit of that, but it's not easy to impress an ambitious general, especially one like Dalton—he's a commoner."
Like other countries, there was a chasm between nobles and commoners that was difficult to cross.
A good-for-nothing noble son could easily become a bishop or judge after graduating from the seminary, but an outstanding commoner youth could only serve as a clerk for the former.
Dalton's adventurous and gambling nature didn't come out of nowhere either.
He knew he was a commoner, and only by risking life and death could he tear something out from the fangs of the nobles. This determined his character—
He would cling tightly to everything he had seized.
Madam Kelly understood the Queen's meaning: "So you intended to form a marriage alliance with the Rute Empire from the beginning?"
"Roland needs an ally."
Speaking of this, the Queen simply got up.
She reached out and pulled back the curtains, bathing herself in the twilight glow. The crown on her hair sparkled with dazzling light. The Queen's profile in the light was like a statue cast in bronze, showing a firmness and coldness rarely seen in women, as the world saw it.
"While I possess beauty, what's more important than that is..."
She turned around, her voice echoing as if beneath the dome of a temple.
"I am the Queen, I am Roland."
Carriage wheels rolled over the road surface, and midsummer dust mixed with the lingering smell of blood rose into the air.
Although the rebellion at the end of July concluded with the Queen's return to the Summer Palace, during the rebellion, many people took the opportunity to cause trouble, engaging in robbery, theft, assassination... In short, bloodstains could still be seen on the side of the streets now.
"It ended quite quickly."
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a handsome face with a classical beauty.
He was the true ambassador sent by the Rute Empire to negotiate the marriage alliance, the Rute Emperor's brother, Prince Arthur. Prince Arthur had golden curly hair brighter than the sun, a high nose bridge, and sea-blue eyes. Anyone who saw him would praise his handsomeness.
Unfortunately, compared to his young and promising King brother, Prince Arthur was just a frivolous young man with only outward appearance.
Everyone knew that Prince Arthur of the Rute Empire was completely ignorant of military affairs, politics, and economics. He liked extravagant clothing and was fanatically obsessed with art. In his castle, artists were always treated as honored guests. And people knew... artists, their behavior and nerves were always a bit abnormal.
Perhaps because he had spent too much time with artists, Prince Arthur also seemed a bit mad and eccentric.
"What a pity," the accompanying official sighed. "It would have been better if it had been a bit later."
When the news of the rebellion in the Roland Empire reached the Rute Empire, their Emperor jumped up with joy and immediately sent spies to observe the situation of the Roland rebellion. Upon hearing that the two sides were in a stalemate, the Emperor immediately sent envoys to negotiate marriage proposal matters with the Queen of Roland.
The most favorable situation for them would have been for the Queen of Roland to accept His Majesty's proposal, for the Rute Empire to send troops to help the Queen quell the rebellion, and thus smoothly gain control of the Roland Empire.
But...
Damn it, who could have imagined that the Queen of Roland would quell the rebellion so quickly?
"It seems the King brother's plan won't be so easy to achieve," Prince Arthur said with a smile, though his eyes seemed a bit gloomy.
The accompanying official sitting opposite him dared not speak.
As the Prince's confidant, he couldn't be clearer about what kind of master he served—beneath this young Prince's dissolute exterior, hid... a devilish soul.
The pale fingers of Prince Arthur tapped on the carriage window glass, making a strangely melodic sound.
His coldness came quickly and went quickly.
Soon he was smiling again, golden-haired and blue-eyed, handsome as an angel: "Speaking of which, my dear King brother entrusted me with another matter."
Rumors said Adele Roland possessed a beauty that could charm the world.
However, the Rute Emperor clearly didn't quite believe this... After all, nowadays, as long as a princess wasn't blind or crippled, even if she was incredibly ugly, she could be called "lovely and appealing." There was once a poor king who, after seeing his fiancée, immediately deeply cursed the court painters and envoys.
For this, he specifically asked his brother to personally paint the Queen for him to see.
"Perhaps the rumors are true," the accompanying official said.
"Then I truly must envy the King brother," Prince Arthur said dismissively.
As they spoke, the carriage arrived at the meeting location.
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