At two o'clock in the afternoon, the market in the merchant district seemed very quiet. The usually bustling streets and various shops were now empty, having been cleared since last night.
There was a high platform on the open space here, which was usually used for auctions or speeches. Today, a two-story high frame was erected, with a lasso hanging on it, dangling slightly. Directly opposite the frame, a pergola had been built with seats placed inside.
The awning was surrounded by teams of guards, who were fully armed and in neat uniforms. Outside were the city guards, who guarded the street corners in all directions, keeping the crowds of onlookers out of the market area.
Several carriages coming from the palace drove into the market from the main road one after another. When the first carriage stopped, the first person to get off was the commander of the city guard, Marquis Landines. He looked around and made sure there was no problem, then he came to the second carriage, opened the door and invited Queen Laura to get off.
The first person to get off the car was the Queen's teacher, Master Salmeron, who was wearing a swordsman's suit with armor plates and a long sword hanging from his waist.
Then he stood by the door and held out his hand, and the Queen took his hand and walked down the steps of the carriage.
The queen was wearing a black dress today. This high-necked dress had a waistband in the middle and a skirt that reached the ground. Silver magic patterns were faintly visible on the dress. Although this dress looked thin, its defense against magic and fighting spirit was no less than that of a full-body armor. Laura was tall and fit. At this moment, she looked like a graceful black swan, noble and dignified. Today, she was no longer wearing the usual small princess crown, but a crown inherited from the king.
The queen looked at the third car behind her. Four knights in royal armor and a wizard in robes came out of the car. They were escorting a man in aristocratic clothing, who was Liu Pengfei, who was secretly imprisoned by the queen.
Queen Laura and Liu Pengfei's eyes met from a distance, one with complicated emotions and the other full of hatred.
The two were not too far apart. Liu Pengfei glared at Laura with gritted teeth. He wanted to speak several times, but no words came out.
Queen Laura took a few steps towards him and said, "The strategy you set before did not disappoint me. At this moment, my enemies are falling one by one. They have long been corrupted from the inside by your various tricks and are completely vulnerable. But now you disappoint me very much. Don't you even dare to scold me?"
Liu Pengfei's hands were handcuffed, and he had to look up to look at Laura. When he heard what the other person said, his face was tense, and he almost bit his teeth to pieces, but all this anger finally turned into a sigh: "Is it meaningful? Do you still need to use my anger to resolve your guilt? Or do you just like to appreciate other people's desperate roars? No matter which one it is, I will not let you get what you want."
Laura chuckled and didn't say anything more to him. She walked straight into the shed, and Liu Pengfei was also taken to a shed near the gallows.
Many noble officials, mages from the Royal Magic Tower, and representatives from the Temple of Nature got off the carriages at the back.
After all the dignitaries had entered, the city guards opened the way and began to let the people around to watch the excitement in. No matter how tense the atmosphere was, no matter how turbulent the political situation was, there would always be people who loved to watch the excitement. And this was also the first time that Princess Laura appeared in public as the queen, which naturally aroused the curiosity of more people. Therefore, in a short while, the open space outside the market was already packed.
2:30 in the afternoon.
Marquis Francisco walked onto the stage, and a guard cast a magic amplification spell for him. He straightened his clothes and began to speak: "Today was originally the day for the trial of the queen's assassination, but a big event happened early this morning. Our respected king, because of his hard work for the country, finally burned out his life and returned to the embrace of the God of Nature."
Everyone present had heard the bell before, so there was no reaction except to say, "May he be eternal in the realm of the God of Nature."
"But the God of Nature took away a majestic king, but sent us a wise queen. From today on, Queen Laura has taken over the scepter of the Kingdom of Iberia and will become your monarch and protector..." Marquis Francisco's voice became louder and louder. As he spoke, the queen stood up from the awning, walked onto the high platform, and came to the side of the Marquis. Marquis Francisco's speech finally came down to one sentence: "Long live the queen!"
"Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!" Everyone followed the Marquis and shouted.
Laura was now in the middle of the crowd, listening to everyone shouting his name, and suddenly she was a little dazed. It turned out that this position originally belonged to her brother, and at this moment it finally fell into her hands.
"My subjects, you all know that my mother, Her Majesty the Queen, was a kind, generous and kind woman. But such a woman was assassinated by a despicable assassin when she was about to lose her husband. My father, His Majesty the King, was still thinking about his wife before he died. However, he could not see her when he died."
Queen Laura wiped her eyes gently. "We will judge this man today. I have discussed this issue with the ministers in the court. He will not be pardoned, but will be hanged here in public. I hope that after this, the souls of my mother and father can find eternal peace in the realm of the God of Nature."
"Hang him!"
"Hang this vile regicide!"
The people did not need to know the truth. After hearing a few simple words from the queen, they truly began to hate Liu Pengfei, even though no one knew his name.
Queen Laura announced loudly: "This man's name is Liu Pengfei, he is from the Tower of China. These wizards who came from afar received the mercy and recognition of my father and were granted fiefs. But how did they repay us? Not only did they send people to assassinate the queen, they also started a war with the loyal Duke of Green Forest City and killed many local nobles. This is something that my kingdom and I cannot tolerate. I declare that the Tower of China, the Tower of Shining Wings and the Tower of Refining Spirits, which also rebelled a few days ago, will become the common enemy of the Kingdom of Iberia, the Royal Magic Tower and the Kingdom Magic Association. I declare that their fiefs in the kingdom will be deprived and their titles of magic lords will be revoked."