The Duke Tulip Mansion has been crowded with people for a long time. There are many luxurious carriages parked outside the mansion. It seems that all the famous people in the imperial capital have sneaked into the Duke's Mansion - this kind of grand occasion has not happened for many years since the death of the old Duke. Appeared here.
When Roddy came from the street with his entourage, he immediately attracted a large crowd. The entourage finally separated everyone, and Rody entered the Duke's mansion with difficulty.
Nicole was already standing at the door looking at Roddy from a distance with an excited look on her face.
Rody jumped off the horse and walked up to Nicole in a few steps. Looking at Nicole's thin face and the silent emotion in her eyes, he really wanted to hold Nicole in his arms right away. Rody took a deep breath, and seeing many people around him, he barely suppressed the excitement in his heart. After all, Nicole was still his "biological sister" now. But don't do anything too outrageous.
He smiled and called "Sister", and then gently hugged the other party with noble interests. But while hugging, he secretly said something in Nicole's ear: "I miss you." Nicole took a step back with a blushing face. , calmed down, and then said: "Go in quickly, many people are waiting for you!"
Walking into the hall, many dignitaries and dignitaries immediately gathered around them. Of course, there were many congratulations and many people trying to establish relationships. There were even a few people who came directly to act as matchmakers - no one in the entire imperial capital knew that this young man The eldest young master has inherited the title of duke, won a battle in the northwest, and with such a golden brand name as the Tulip family, his future is infinitely bright! !
Rody barely managed to summon up the energy to cope with it. An impatient look flashed in his eyes, and he looked at Nicole for help - these people are really troublesome. According to Roddy's idea, he really wanted to kick out all these people - of course, just leave Nicole alone.
After all, Nicole is an experienced aristocratic lady. She calmly responded to the influx of flattery from everyone, and finally said with a faint smile: "Everyone, originally, we were very touched by everyone's enthusiasm, but Seth has been too busy traveling all the way. Thank you for your hard work. Your Majesty will hold a feast tonight. Seth has just returned and needs some rest to prepare."
These people were all understanding people and immediately left one after another. Before leaving, several people held Roddy's hand, said a few touching words, squeezed out a few tears, and then reluctantly left.
Seeing that only Rody and Nicole were left in the hall, Rody cleared his throat and whispered: "I have something to tell you, sister."
Nicole nodded: "Let's go to the study."
The two of them pushed away the servants beside them and walked into the study. Nicole walked in first, turned around and said slowly: "Rody, I already know about your affairs in Xilin. You handled those matters a little too hastily... Ah !”
Rody had already strode behind him, turned around and closed the study door first, then ignored what Nicole was talking about, stepped forward and put his arms around Nicole's waist, and then pressed his lips to Nicole's beautiful red lips. Go down.
Nicole was unprepared and was forcibly held in Rody's arms. She closed her eyes in panic and felt the other person's lips were like fire. She felt Rody's rapid breath on her cheeks, and a feeling arose in her heart. A strange taste.
I don’t know how long it took, but Nicole felt as if all her strength had been sucked away by this kiss, and her whole body was floating. When Rody slowly raised his head and stared at her, Nicole just He slowly came back to his senses, his face flushed, and he whispered: "You, you are really getting bolder and bolder!"
Rody also blushed, and then said softly: "Be bold, be bold." Just as he was about to lower his head again to taste the beautiful blush, Nicole's face turned red and she moved away slightly. Just listen to her small voice: "Okay, don't... be careful about others seeing it."
Roddy sighed and slowly let go of Nicole. After thinking about it, he immediately asked: "Is there any news about Seth? It's been so long. Have your people found him?"
Nicole's face darkened, she slowly shook her head, and sighed: "The people I sent have been chasing at sea for several months, but they have found nothing. I don't know where the bastard went..."
Rody frowned: "What should I do? Do I still want to be your brother?! I... I really don't want to be your brother anymore!"
Nicole forced a smile: "Isn't it good to be a duke? What a sight it is to be the center of attention..."
Roddy sighed: "Is it beautiful? This time in the northwest, I have seen too many things. The scenery... humph, I don't know how many people's blood was used to create it! I really don't have much interest in these things. " He looked into Nicole's eyes and whispered: "I just want to put aside this identity and be with you. But what should we do now that I'm your brother
Seeing Rody's excited tone, Nicole gently pulled Roddy's hand and said softly: "Rody, be patient a little longer! Can you be patient a little longer?"
Rody said calmly: "The scenery is infinitely beautiful, but I don't know how much murder and dirt are hidden in it! I'm really fed up. Nicole, I even want to take you away from here..."
Nicole stared at Rody for a long time, then slowly and feebly shook her head: "It can't do it. Roddy, it really can't do it. I bear the responsibility of the family, and now I have no one to rely on except you." When she said this, there were tears in her eyes. He burst into tears, put his hands on his face and cried. Rody felt a pain in his heart and went up to hug her gently. Nicole whispered and trembled in her arms: "I also want to be more relaxed, and I also want to be with you without any worries! But, it's really not possible."
Rody smiled softly, stretched out his fingers to flick away the tears on Nicole's face, and whispered: "Okay, it's not right. I come back and make you sad again. Don't worry, as long as I, Rody, are here, the Tulip family will not fall!"
He held the beautiful woman in his arms, and although he felt helpless, how could he say it out loud
Inadvertently, the slender figure in black robe flashed in my mind, and the words sounded: You will never forget me, and I will never forget you. I can't help but be fascinated when I think of that day when I had an impulse and almost left everything behind to go with her.
The two gathered their minds and discussed the affairs of Xilin Province. Rody went on a killing spree in Xilin this time. Although he returned to the imperial capital at this moment, he left more than 2,000 wolf fangs behind and swept across the entire Xilin, carefully cleaning up the imperial official system in Xilin. These days, there are quite a lot of people going to the guillotine in the towns and cities in Xilin. Although the people are rejoicing, many people are offended!
Nicole was worried. Although Xilin was a fiefdom of the Tulip family, and the military, government, taxation, and army were all nominally owned by the Tulip family, it was like a small independent kingdom within the empire. But after all, those officials were still officials of the empire. It's probably not a good thing to cause such a big incident all at once and to kill so many people without waiting for His Majesty the Emperor to say anything.
Rody felt very at ease in his heart. Abbas XI did not reward himself heavily this time, which has made the military very dissatisfied. Even in the imperial capital, there will be some criticism. I will never hold myself accountable for that matter again. Besides, after all, Xilin is the fiefdom of the Tulip family, and no matter how much trouble there is, it's just about cleaning up the house. After killing several people, it was not enough for the emperor to pursue him. Now the emperor is pretending to be enthusiastic about him, so as to appease the hearts of those military generals! This can be seen from the fact that the emperor did not mention anything about Xilin in the main hall today.
In the evening, during the celebration dinner in the palace hall, Abbas XI indeed acted as if he was extremely affectionate towards Rody. The noble ministers of the empire all toasted to Rody. I have said something like "you are young and promising" hundreds of times. In the end, Abbas held hands affectionately and walked outside the hall to receive cheers from all the soldiers.
Roddy thought at first: "It's just an undefeated victory in the northwest. The battle we created seems to have wiped out the mainland. It's too artificial..." But later, several military officials After drinking countless glasses of wine, the general finally became dizzy and drunk.
Early the next morning, Rody was still sleeping at home, and the Royal Guards had already come to ask Rody to enter the palace immediately. It is only said that His Majesty is anxious for the cabinet ministers to discuss important matters.
Rody's head was dizzy, and he cursed in his heart that the emperor was nothing. He is just an empty-headed duke now. He has no rights and no army. What a waste of time to negotiate with him! Anyway, the emperor has discussed everything with that old guy Caroline. Who are you going to show off like you're having a discussion
Although he was secretly complaining, he immediately dressed up on the surface. He was still served by the beautiful little maid An Qi, but now Roddy was no longer the stupid boy who didn't move. He was not so flustered when he saw An Qi. He waited with a stern expression as An Qi helped him put on the duke. The noble servant just smiled and nodded at her.
An Qi's face turned red, but she whispered: "Master... no, master... you are very different now from before..."
"What?" Rodic asked.
An Qi lowered her head: "You seem to have become more serious and indifferent."
Rody nodded and said nothing, but thought in his heart: "Qiaoqiao said so, you said so too. Is that Seth really a glib person? I have to be careful, don't let others see through."
A carriage was prepared and a few guards were brought along. Seeing that the guards at home looked at me very differently from before. They no longer show respect as before, but in fact they look indifferent. Now these guards, from his personal guard Lant to others, all look at him with respect.
Well, didn't those old guys in the military say last night that they were becoming more and more like the old Duke? Although this was a compliment to myself, why did it sound so awkward to me
After getting on the carriage and clearing the way in front of the Royal Guards, Rody came to a side hall behind the main hall of the palace. Abbas XI and several cabinet ministers were already sitting there. Seeing Rody striding in, Abbas XI looked gentle and said loudly: "Duke Rudolf, you don't need to salute. I came to you to ask you about Roland Continent."
Then the emperor glanced at the old Caroline. The imperial minister cleared his throat and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, before you came back earlier, your majesty received your battle report and said It was the Roland Continent’s army that was discovered in the Big Moon Kingdom. There are people from the Roland Continent who are secretly helping Luo Yantar to fight against us. After all, you know this best, so Your Majesty invites you to come and explain it yourself.”
Rody thought for a while, and then told in detail about the encounter with Roland Knight on the grassland. Of course, he did not mention a word about the black veil saint he had captured in the past. He just said that he caught it in the fierce battle. Got the news from one of the other knights.
As for Miaosi, although he took her back to Watt Fortress, he sent her away in just one day, and no one knew her identity. Although there was such a big commotion that day, fortunately, Seth did a lot of ridiculous things in the past, and there was no need to explain it with words. Although it is against military law to provoke women while fighting on the front line. But now that I am in the limelight, no one would be so blind as to dare to get into trouble with me in this matter, right
Rody slowly finished telling the story, and Abbas XI showed an angry expression on his face, saying coldly: "The people in Roland Continent are quite courageous! I ignored them, but they actually dared to mess with me! This matter , what should you do?”
It was Marquis Caroline who was still the first to stand up and said loudly: "Your Majesty, since the people of Roland Continent dare to offend the empire, they must be taught a lesson! I think General Milo of the Northern Army can be given a lesson. Just mobilize the troops and give the other side a little warning. Our northwest is unstable and we really don’t want to cause trouble!"
Abbas XI frowned slightly and said coldly: "Is that all? We are across the sea from the Roland continent. If we mobilize the army here, can they really be warned? Hum, they treat us as such. The Empire of Light is a pagan, but why don’t we regard them as pagans?”
Caroline smiled slightly: "In that case, I think we might as well ask His Majesty the Pope to come and discuss it together. If there is a war with the Kingdom of Roland, it will not only be a matter for the empire. I believe His Majesty the Pope will definitely support the crusade against the heretics!" Since it is a holy war against heretics, His Majesty the Pope’s Flame Warriors cannot just stand by and watch..."
When they heard "Holy War", everyone frowned and looked responsible in their eyes. Even Abbas XI showed a pensive look on his face.
"Jihad"!
The several wars between the Empire of Light and the Roland Continent in the north over the past hundreds of years have been given the aura of a great "holy war" to "cruel the heretics". But under this halo, no one knows how many heads have piled up. Which jihad was not huge and bloody? Tens of millions of people died on the battlefield, and countless civilians were displaced. The two continents fought until they were exhausted, and then no one could do anything to the other.
The Flame Warriors of the Bright Continent are indeed amazingly powerful, but how are the Holy Knights who protect the temple in the Roland Continent weak
To fight another "holy war", it would require mobilizing the strength of the entire empire to invest. It is still unclear whether the current situation of the empire can withstand such an earth-shattering war... What's more, there is Reuenthar in the northwest at the moment. A prairie wolf is watching...
Sure enough, Abbas XI thought for a moment, sighed, and said: "After all, a war consumes too much national power, and it is not the time for a holy war yet."
Marquis Caroline smiled slightly and said: "Since Your Majesty also feels that this is not the right time to declare war, I think it is better to find an important minister of the empire and ask the Pope to send a special envoy to go to the Kingdom of Sauron to ask them for help. It’s fair! Let General Milo’s Northern Army mobilize a little to intimidate them on the northern border. I’m sure the Sauron Kingdom won’t dare to rebel! As long as they bow their heads, they can preserve the dignity of the empire!”
Abbas XI lowered his head and thought for a moment, frowning.
Seeing the emperor's appearance, Rody felt a little sympathetic to the supreme emperor of the empire.
I think back when Emperor Abbasid founded the Kingdom of Light, the empire owned the entire continent, and how majestic it was with strong troops and horses! Now in the hands of this emperor, the northwest battle has been defeated, the army has been lost, the internal worries are constant, and the powerful enemies of the northern continent are ready to make moves... This emperor can be regarded as extremely cowardly.
After all, he could not lose face. Abbas XI did not immediately decide what his attitude towards Roland Continent was. He just said that the matter would be discussed later by the cabinet. Then the topic turned to the peace talks with the Big Moon Kingdom.
The main person in charge of the peace talks with the other party this time is Count Mero, the finance minister of the empire. He is a slender and handsome middle-aged man. He always has a smile on his face, but his eyes flash from time to time with shrewdness and cunning. The gaze makes people feel a little uncomfortable.
Abbas XI tried his best to say a few words, and gave some instructions to Rody, and then announced that everyone should disperse.
After walking out of the palace hall, Rody followed Earl Mero in a few steps and said seriously: "Lord Mero, your Majesty asked me to assist you in the peace talks in the Dayue Kingdom... You know, I am young and this negotiation matter is I don’t know much, I don’t know if you have any thoughts.”
Count Mero smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, Duke Rudolf, you are too humble. Although His Majesty asked me to be the leader of the negotiations, who doesn't know your achievements in the northwest? You said you were assisting me. In fact, in this negotiation It's up to you to take the lead, and I'll be here to help. Without you, I can't control those grassland barbarians."
Rody laughed dryly and cursed in his heart: "Old slick man!"
A sly smile flashed across Count Mero's face: "Your Majesty Duke, it seems that you and my son Didi are good friends. I rely on my old age to show off, so I might as well be lazy. You have to do more in this matter! There is no such thing now anyway How about we find a place to talk about it, and then go meet the prince from the Dayue Kingdom together in the evening? "
Rody thought for a while, then agreed, and then left the palace and got into Count Mero's carriage, letting the Tulip family's carriage go back by itself, while his guards followed on horseback.