In the early morning of the first month of the month, the sun first appeared and the breeze blew. Several palace guards, dressed in neat uniforms, rode majestically and lined up in the Heroes' Square, waiting for the departure of the king and his family.
Today is the king's birthday. As usual, there will be a grand palace dance in the evening. In order to save costs and avoid disturbing the people, the king rejected the ministers' proposal to hold a national song and dance parade in and outside Ito Castle during the day, and instead held a national song and dance parade in the name of the royal family at the royal ranch in the suburbs. A safari party was held in the city to entertain the envoys and noble lords from various countries who came to congratulate them. Almost all important officials and prestigious nobles participated, leaving only a few people to stay in the capital.
All members of the royal family were present, including Crown Prince Hyatt, who had not been seen for a long time. However, he was sitting in a wooden wheelchair and was very "inconvenient" to move, which seemed to prove the rumors that he was "disabled".
The relatives of Queen Miranda's family were very uneasy and quietly asked him if his injury was serious enough to prevent him from walking. Hyatt smiled and said: "Because my leg was injured before, the doctor told me not to move at will to avoid aggravating the injury, so I had to sit down." It’s just a wheelchair and it’s actually not a big deal.”
Although he said so, others may not believe that a crown prince could not get off his horse and shoot a few arrows on an occasion like a royal safari. This is simply unprecedented. Most people believe that the king was probably killed by his late wife. After much questioning from the family, the eldest son was asked to show his face, and it was proved by the way that the eldest son was not disfigured (the scars on his face had been removed), and he was in good spirits, but his leg injury could not be cured, implying that the replacement of the crown prince was a foregone conclusion.
Now the second prince Selig is gaining momentum and often attends formal occasions with his father. The father and son get along well with each other. He has repeatedly defended his brother in front of everyone, even falling out with his supporters. When he meets the eldest prince, he is also talking and laughing. , seems to indicate that even if he really becomes the crown prince, he will not harm his predecessor. This has reassured many people who were worried that the replacement of the crown prince would cause bloody conflicts, and they are more optimistic about the future new crown prince. Those who originally supported the eldest prince , and because the words and deeds of the second prince prevented the queen's group from continuing to plot and harm the eldest prince, they no longer held a hostile attitude towards him.
On the other hand, the people who were originally quarreling over the choice of the second prince and concubine have temporarily stopped fighting due to the emergence of Princess Noga. Even the most confident noble daughter has to face her beauty, status, temperament and conduct. Even Jia’s powerful opponent is ashamed of himself.
For a time, the nobles and ministers in Ito City were at peace with each other and seemed to be in harmony.
King Valfrere III looked at the "friendly" situation of the people below, with a hint of imperceptible sarcasm flashing in his eyes. He looked with satisfaction at his eldest son, who cooperated with him tacitly, and was very pleased that the children were getting along so well. But when he noticed the gloom on his wife's face, his face suddenly darkened. Then he immediately put on a smiling face, rode a few steps forward, gave a brief speech, and ordered the group to set off.
The royal family members and foreign envoys left first, and the nobles following behind were a little confused. Some horses were disobedient and ran around, some people asked to go ahead and refused to give way, and one family's carriage collided with another's. Yes, the roads are getting more crowded
Alben, together with his colleagues from the Security Agency, directed the soldiers to maintain order at the scene to prevent innocent people on the roadside from being affected. The noble children passing by recognized him, greeted him, and asked him to go to the safari party with him.
Alben smiled slightly and was about to refuse when he heard someone interrupt next to him: "Forget it, he is different from us status people now. If I play with him, I'm afraid of being called a traitor!"
Alben lowered his face and looked at the man with sharp eyes. He recognized that he was the son of a certain earl. The family was not powerful because his aunt married into a family related to the royal family. He had been pretentious since he was a child, especially he couldn't stand himself. He originally He didn't take this guy seriously, but he wouldn't forgive him easily if he said something so outrageous.
He sneered: "Your Excellency is afraid of being called a traitor because you have a guilty conscience? This is no small matter. If you want to prove your innocence, why don't you come with me?"
The man's face turned pale and then he remembered that the young man in front of him was no longer the childhood enemy who could be insulted at will. The other party had power in his hands that he did not have. He wanted to defend but couldn't keep his face, so he said in despair. gone
The young man who greeted Alben at first was a little embarrassed and said: "Although he talks a little too much, he is actually not a bad person. He..."
Alben looked back and looked at him with a very calm expression: "I know he doesn't have the courage. I just wanted to scare him."
The young man breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Actually, you haven't played with us for a long time. Are you very busy at work? I also joined the Cavaliers and I have a day off today. If you have nothing to do, come together. Let's get together and have some drinks. Let’s have a drink and chat, how about I introduce you to some beauties?”
Alben smiled: "Thank you for your kindness, but I still have to work. Sorry, I'll excuse you now." He nodded slightly and turned away. The young man felt bored and had to set off with the others.
Alben walked far away, and then looked back at his former friend's departure. That carefree time seemed to have happened hundreds of years ago. He had long forgotten who he was now, and he had no right to be frivolous.
"It's good for young people to relax once in a while. Why don't you go with your friends?" Suddenly an old voice came from behind Alben. He was startled and turned around quickly to find that it was his boss Mallory. He lowered his head. He said: "Are you kidding? I have responsibilities, how can I leave my job behind?"
Mallory waved his hand with a smile: "It doesn't matter, the ranch also needs people. Keep an eye on the manpower we originally sent, which is somewhat insufficient. It just so happened that His Highness made a request to His Majesty the King and asked you to go with him. Then you can go. Your luggage has been prepared by His Highness, please be careful on the way."
Alben was a little surprised, but the second prince was his cousin after all, so he didn't become suspicious and just lowered his head and said "yes"
Mallory saw that there was no one around, so he came closer to him and said, "Remember to stay with His Highness as much as possible, and pay more attention to the foreign guests who come into contact with His Highness to see if they have any plans, and pay attention to their expressions, and If their followers find out that they have private dealings with other nobles or ministers, they will write down the situation and report it back to me as soon as possible."
Alben's eyes flashed, he suppressed the excitement in his heart, and solemnly accepted the order and left.
Does this mean that he has finally become a real member of the intelligence department
Behind him, Mallory's expression was a bit complicated. He was originally not optimistic about the young man Alben. However, due to the king's order and the pressure of the noble council, he had to accept his joining.
But after two years of getting along, compared with other aristocratic agents, Ai
He is hard-working, serious and responsible in his work, and he is smart, careful and patient. He is a talent for intelligence analysis. If it were not for the background of the Hedda family, Elben would have a better future. He thought about it again and again, and decided to give the other party a chance.
However, the person responsible for monitoring the Noga Embassy sent word at this time that they had found clues to Duke Jedda's destination one morning. The undercover coachman found a very special thing on the wheel of the carriage that Duke Jedda was riding. Brownish-purple soil, and petal fragments of an unusual flower called "Red-tailed Orchid"
This flower is native to the Meate Plain area in the central and southern part of Ito. It has a beautiful appearance and a fresh and pleasant fragrance. It was once very popular among ladies in Ito. However, because it is not adapted to the local climate, it is extremely difficult to grow successfully. There are only a few flowers. Some were planted in the gardens of several families, including the house of Heda, Lord of Meat.
In the yard of Heda's house, there is also brownish-purple soil.
Immediately afterwards, another new agent from the Operations Division was joking with his colleagues and mentioned that Alban, who was in the Intelligence Division, kept a straight face every day and seemed to be a serious person. In fact, a beautiful girl once ran into his house. When I went to see him, he immediately pulled her into the house. After half an hour, he opened the door happily and sent the girl away in a tightly covered carriage. He must have had an affair with her. Affection
As soon as Mallory heard the appearance of the beautiful girl described by the clerk, he immediately noticed the unusual meaning. If the lady was Princess Noga, then why did she go to find Alben, and why did Alben Why are you acting so abnormally
Alben has always been aware of his situation in the Security Agency. In order to show that he is innocent and reliable, he will take the initiative to report any major events that happen at home, including the recent remarriage of his mother and the whereabouts of his mother's brother after the marriage was regretted. He is so cautious, If there was no problem with Princess Noga, why didn't this matter be reported to the superior? What else were they talking about between him and Duke Noga
Mallory sighed, hoping that Alben could pass this test, otherwise, he would have no choice but to give up on this talent.
Alben knew nothing about Mallory's thoughts and did not expect that his secret would be discovered so quickly. He was currently riding a horse to follow the royal family to the royal ranch. He looked at the prince's cousin helplessly and complained. : "If you want to send something to Princess Nojia, just go in person. Why do you ask me to go for you every time?" He was really afraid of the princess's inexplicable entanglement.
Selig also felt very helpless. He had worked very hard to comply with Princess Stella's request and create opportunities for her and Alben to be alone. Why did Alben not respond at all? He said angrily: "I kindly asked you to meet a few more times, but you asked me instead?"
Alben was stunned: "What did you say? Us?" He slowly figured out what was going on, and his face darkened: "I have nothing to do with that princess. If you don't want to accept the marriage, You can propose the arrangement directly to the king, why should you drag me in?!"
Selig was stunned: "Such a beautiful and charming woman is attracted to you, but you are indifferent? Are you still a man?! Her Highness the Princess has cried to me many times that you are indifferent to her. I couldn't believe it at first, because you He’s not that kind of person at all, I didn’t expect it to be true!”
"Aren't you also indifferent to her? Aren't you a man?"
"Fart!" Selig couldn't help but cursed, "You clearly know why I'm not moved, but you're different! You don't have a sweetheart!"
"Although I don't have a sweetheart, it's impossible for me to be tempted by her." Alben rubbed his forehead, "Selig, she is an exotic princess who is getting married. It is impossible for me to talk to her anymore. I I don’t have time to fall in love with others. In a few years, I will ask my mother to find a virtuous wife for me, but now, I must focus all my energy on work!” He added a whip to the horse’s back and urged. The horses speed up and run forward
Selig stayed there silently, understanding his cousin's difficulties in his heart, and couldn't help but feel a little sad. Now that Alben had clearly expressed his wishes, he could only say sorry to Princess Stella.
When she arrived at the ranch, Stella sat in the tent that had been set up in advance. After reading the letter sent by Selig, she nodded to the sender with a smile and said: "Please reply to your highness, I already know." Looking at the As the person exited the tent, her face immediately darkened.
An inconspicuous maid opened the curtain and walked in, approached Stella and asked, "What's wrong? Things are not going well?"
"That little Hedda is so stubborn, she didn't even take the bait! He told the second prince of East that he was not interested in me, and the second prince wrote me a letter to apologize, saying that he couldn't help me any more." Stella said with a look on her face Angrily, "Damn it! The last time I went to his house, I had already gained the trust of his housekeeper. As long as I was given a few more chances, I would be able to succeed. But now..."
"What should we do now? Tell them that we failed?"
"How is this possible?!" Stella glared at the maid, "I will succeed, just watch. When I get the thing, I must humiliate the guy named Heda!"
The maid showed no fear at all and said calmly: "That thing is not our purpose. It doesn't matter whether it succeeds or not. I hope the princess will not forget that her mission is urgent. But you have been in Ito for so many days. Don’t you have the heart to do it yet?”
"You're talking nonsense!" Stella yelled angrily, but her voice was covered up by a burst of cheers from a distance. She gasped a few times, knowing that this was not the place to lose her temper, so she lowered her voice and gritted her teeth: "I I have already written a letter. You should do as I say immediately.
When there is a conflict between them, I will take action again! "
Her mind flashed back to the scene when she was a child, playing with her brothers, sisters and cousins. It was a sunny day just like today, but in the blink of an eye, blood was everywhere, relatives turned into murderers, and kindness turned into It was so hideous that she was forced to live a dark life with her family, a dilapidated castle, mean servants, food that was never fresh and insufficient, and shabby and thin clothes. Every day she told herself in the cold and hunger, never forget This hatred
Today, she put on her beautiful clothes again and regained her noble status. She behaved lively and cheerful, or generous and dignified in front of others, but she never gave up her resentment towards her father who had suffered for half her life for her, her depressed brother, and those others. She must harden her heart for her cousins who unfortunately died.
Ignoring the stinging pain in her heart, she clenched her fist tightly
(A long "day" has begun, and there is no Minna in this chapter...)