RLQ - Chapter 32
Chapter 32: Wearing the Crown
Adele did not receive the two pirates in the audience chamber.
After all, their portraits were still hanging high on various wanted boards. The Queen might not care how infamous they were, but she didn't want to stir up trouble right before the National Assembly was about to convene.
For this reason, the meeting place was arranged on a small terrace in the northwest corner of the Summer Palace.
The open-air terrace had a half birdcage-like curved railing. Gardeners had carefully cultivated rose vines that spread along the curve, dotted with clusters of pearl-like pale pink miniature roses among the varying shades of green leaves. The fragrance was not too strong due to the air circulation, just faint. From the other half of the open-air terrace, one could see the White River shimmering in the sunlight in the distance.
Led by Madam Kelly, Saran and the Magician met the Queen sitting beneath the rose bushes.
As it was not a formal occasion, Adele did not choose heavy, elaborate gowns, but wore a relatively simple dark silver long dress. She sat on a high chair, her skirt trailing to the ground, like a mermaid's tail.
The Queen extended her hand to them.
Saran stepped forward first, and under Madam Kelly's slightly displeased gaze, took the Queen's hand and kissed it. The Magician was much more proper; after a light bow, he quickly released the Queen's hand, his lake-green eyes strangely calm.
Madam Kelly served them afternoon tea and desserts.
The Queen's fair fingertips rested on the edge of the silver cup, smiling as she looked at the two unconventional pirate gentlemen.
It was very impolite to wear a hat when meeting the Queen, so the Magician did not wear his black wide-brimmed hat today, and his face seemed a little uncomfortable exposed to the sun. However, the small clown puppet on his shoulder, after careful inspection to ensure no hidden weapons, was specially permitted to be brought along.
"Are all pirates like the two of you?"
Adele nodded slightly, gesturing for them to sit on chairs not far from her.
Unlike when he had burst into the Summer Palace that day, Saran was much more cautious when answering this question.
Being reckless with Dalton was one thing; facing the Queen in their first formal audience was another.
He was a lunatic who acted without scruple, but that certainly didn't mean he was a fool.
On the contrary, when needed, Saran was surprisingly sharp—in this era, anyone who could survive and achieve something would not be a fool.
The Queen's first sentence was gentle and casual in tone. A dull person would take it as idle chat, but a sharp person should grasp the scrutiny behind her words—did all pirate groups possess the same strength as the Raven Pirates? What could the Raven Pirates offer to prove they were capable of the task the royal family was about to entrust them with?
Saran had to correct his impression of the Queen. Not only did she have the courage to send nobles to the guillotine, but she was also as cunning as a snake or a fox.
This question was truly tricky.
If the Queen truly intended to incorporate pirates into the empire's navy under its shadow, as they speculated, then as pirates themselves, they couldn't overly disparage other pirates, or the empire's assessment of them would also decrease. But if they claimed all pirates had equal strength, then what basis did they have for being commissioned to open up new markets?
This meeting was initiated because the royal family needed the strength of the pirates, that was true, but between the two, the pirates needed the protection and support from the empire more.
Otherwise, the Raven Pirates wouldn't have needed to cooperate with Dalton.
The Queen had clearly already judged this point.
Today's private meeting, on one hand, showed her personal friendliness towards pirates, but on the other hand, it emphasized who was in charge between the empire and the pirates.
It was just as the ancient saying went, those who wear the crown, no matter what they look like on the outside, are ultimately the same in one regard.
—They were born for politics, and they themselves were equivalent to politics.
"People who make a living at sea always have similarities," Saran said. "However, I can assure you, not all pirates have the honor of meeting Your Majesty like us."
Adele smiled faintly: "I've heard about your bravery and legends from Dalton. Perhaps you'd like to share some stories about your experiences at sea?"
Saran sighed regretfully in his heart.
If this question had been posed by a beauty he found utterly captivating, he could have told some lighthearted, free-spirited stories of heroes. However, the person asking was first a shrewd monarch, and only then the beauty he admired.
So, although the roses bloomed profusely, filling the air with fragrance, and the beauty's face became even more radiant and charming in the sunlight, and the afternoon tea and desserts were exquisite, the content of their conversation had nothing to do with romance or elegance.
From the Sea of Heaven to the Red Sea, and from the Red Sea to the Mercury Sea, nimble pirate ships navigated through treacherous reefs known only to them, appearing like ghosts from places merchant ships could hardly defend. Following that were battles between armed merchant ships and pirate vessels, with cannon fire and bloodshed.
Pirates had their ways of identifying where ships came from.
Ships from the Yage Kingdom had tall and clumsy forecastles; Yage merchants primarily dealt in olive oil and spices. Ships from the Free Commercial Cities, due to their prosperous banking industry, were often laden with the heaviest metals and gems, yet these ships were usually well-supplied and would cautiously avoid areas conducive to pirate battles. The Rute Empire's dye industry was developed...
As the conversation progressed, Adele quickly used Saran's descriptions to mentally sketch out a sea chart covered with routes, and from another perspective, saw the adaptability and shortcomings of various types of ships.
"The Elmiya Continent has its own beliefs. They believe that after death, a person's soul returns to the sun, and that the sunbird dies and is reborn nine times, with the world plunging into darkness nine times and then recovering light from the darkness nine times." When the conversation shifted to the Elmiya Continent, the narrator changed from Saran to the Magician.
Although the Magician was an eccentric who liked to have his clown puppet speak for him, Dalton's introduction was not wrong.
He was also an outstanding adventure merchant.
He seemed to have traveled extensively, even knowing the land of heretics like the Elmiya Continent inside and out. He had a terrifyingly keen intuition for local products and subtle market changes. Adele listened for a while, then interrupted him.
"Are you from the Elmiya Continent?"
She asked softly.
The Magician's voice stopped abruptly, his body tensing. In that instant, Adele felt as if he were a sword that had almost been drawn.
At the same time, the smile on Saran's face also disappeared.
"No need to be nervous, sir," the Queen soothed. "You hide your accent very well, but the Elmiya language has shorter syllables, and a slight trace of habit remains. However, I believe after today, this small flaw will no longer appear."
The Magician's eerie green eyes met the Queen's for a long time. The Queen smiled, her attitude friendly.
He gradually returned to normal, but his subsequent narration was clearly much more restrained.
"Now, I no longer doubt that we can open up new markets."
After the meeting concluded, Adele said to Madam Kelly.
Madam Kelly had appeared to be reading a book during the conversation. However, the Queen knew that she had been fully focused on their movements, and if the two pirate gentlemen had made any unusual moves, she would have immediately called in the guards from outside.
"How did you know?"
Madam Kelly gently asked as she helped the Queen tuck away the hair that had been blown onto her shoulder by the wind.
"If someone who was once prominent on the Elmiya Continent cannot open the door to new markets for us, then who else among adventure merchants in this world could possibly do it?"
The Queen said meaningfully.
Meanwhile, the two pirate gentlemen who had just left the Summer Palace also had their own thoughts.
"What a dangerous beauty," Captain Saran sighed. He tore off two buttons that had been neatly fastened during the meeting with the Queen, tossing them up and down playfully.
"Buddy, she suspects you."
"Trou...ble..."
The Magician said nothing, striding ahead and leaving Captain Saran behind. The smiling clown puppet on his shoulder turned its head, its jaw opening and closing as it answered slowly.
Saran laughed gleefully, completely without sympathy.
The meeting with the two pirate gentlemen confirmed many things for the Queen and gave her a clearer view on other matters—primarily how to handle the ports.
Thus, soon after, Privy Council meetings became even more frequent.
Scribes, lawyers, tax officials, and judges had to spin like tops alongside their mistress. Saran and the Magician were summoned by the Queen several more times after that. More often, important officials such as Dalton, Rhodri, Heinrich, the Treasurer... were consulted by her, often talking late into the night. And after they left, the Queen would continue to handle other matters herself. Because of this, Madam Kelly's lips were always tightly pressed.
When the person staying for consultation was Heinrich, Madam Kelly's lips were the tightest.
With only two days left until the National Assembly convened, the Queen and Heinrich finalized the drafted proposals. This part involved many ports familiar to the Heinrich family.
Heinrich occasionally felt Madam Kelly's gaze, which carried vigilance and displeasure.
They both knew well where that displeasure came from, but neither mentioned it.
Madam Kelly was unwilling to touch the Queen's scars, Heinrich carefully avoided it, and the Queen... no one knew what the Queen was thinking.
Sometimes, Heinrich had a strange illusion...
He felt as if nothing had changed.
After Adele was crowned Queen, facing numerous complex state affairs, she would stay up late talking with her ministers, just as she was doing now. And he was the one most frequently consulted—just as she had said when appointing him Minister of State, she hoped he would give the best advice he could.
"I heard that Sir Anbaro has returned to Moon River Valley," Adele said casually after their discussion on the upcoming fishery bill for the National Assembly concluded.
Heinrich quickly averted his gaze, the knuckles of the hand holding his pen turning white.
"Yes."
He answered briefly, saying nothing else.
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