Like a wave disappearing in a deep black sea, the former Minister of State Heinrich was quickly forgotten by forgetful people. On the one hand, so many people's heads fell to the ground this month, even the Roland people, who are used to being rude to their princes and nobles, have become numb. On the other hand, the queen has never shown her attitude in front of anyone, so those who hate Heinrich dare not show joy, and those who are loyal to him dare not show sadness—although the latter is actually very few.
One can only pretend nothing happened.
Like Heinrich's funeral.
It could hardly be called a funeral, no guests, no weeping, no prayers, no priest.
Only half-brother Ambalo escorted the carriage carrying the coffin to the cemetery outside the city of Gelt on a gray morning. Originally, as a great nobleman, he should have been buried in the cemetery of the cathedral . But he was executed as a "traitor", and all titles and territories were taken back. As a Heinrich, he was not qualified to rest in the family cemetery in the end.
Ambalo thinks that's not a bad thing either.
At least, now he can really stay away from all the things he tried to break free from and couldn't break free, and really has nothing to do with the double-headed snake family.
The cemetery is on a hillside to the south of Gelt City. There are no trees and no shade. When the weather is fine, the sun will shine brightly on the entire grassland. The most important thing is... From here, you can overlook the Gelt City embraced by mountains and mountains. When the morning light stretches and rises from the horizon, you can see the sparkling White River meandering away from here, beside the White River It is the high and low towers of the castle, and the day palace inlaid with stained glass windows stands under the clouds that are far away.
Behind which phantom window is she
Ambalo tried to identify it for a while, but failed as expected. People who can really recognize it at a glance will not answer this question.
Mrs. Havy, covered from head to toe in black mourning, held her husband's arm and remained silent. She didn't know that her husband and Heinrich were half-brothers until yesterday, and she was a little embarrassed standing in front of Otto Heinrich's tombstone—Heinrich had always been far away from their lives, had always been It is a synonym for strange indifference and majesty. But the blood relationship brought the distant image of that person closer to him in a short moment.
The mason asked what should be engraved on the tombstone.
Ambalo was silent for a long time, and finally said nothing.
Otto himself did not leave any words, and Ambalo felt that he was not qualified to say anything or comment for him. Although the family is inherited by him and the sword is handed over to him, in this world, there is only one person who is truly qualified-Otto would prefer that person... Even if the hope is slim, let her and him leave the blank .
When they left, Mrs. Haiwei found that a carriage stopped under the shadow of a tree not far away.
She glanced at her husband.
Ambalo signaled her not to ask, not to speak, and the two left as quickly as they had come.
When leaving, Mrs. Haiwei couldn't help turning her head, the curtain of the carriage was drawn, the door was closed, and the people in the carriage didn't know who it was.
…………………
Ambalo and his wife left in a hurry.
In a sense, Otto is also a traitor to the family. As the new head of the family, Ambalo is inconvenient for the clan to see him preside over Otto's funeral. The other side is...they don't really have much time.
After the "Great Judgment", the families who committed "treason" and "Kingslayer" at the same time should have been deprived of all privileges and aristocratic status, and exiled collectively. Fortunately, Ambalo accused Otto in court, which successfully separated the moderates from the rebels in the family, and based on the contribution of Ambalo and others in curbing the rebellion conspiracy of the East Berkeley nobles, they finally Being forgiven, he does not need to bear the charges of "treason and regicide" with Otto and other rebels, but is implicated and completely expelled from Roland's political power center.
The serpents that coiled around the harbor were buried in the depths, and all that remained was a new Heinrich family.
Like all families whose privileges have been revoked and expelled from court, the Moderates must sensibly leave Gelt City as soon as possible after the trial is over and the Moderates have cleared themselves of felony charges.
Compared to the reputation of the Double-headed Snake family in the past, this is already the best result.
Ambalo knew in his heart that there were countless people who hated the double-headed snake. If it wasn't for the Queen's forgiveness itself being a kind of tacit protection, it was still unknown whether they could leave Gelt safely. Even so, the ensuing aggravation is still hard to breathe.
When boarding the carriages that had been prepared in advance to cover up the double-headed snake marks, Ambalo still had to admit that his father was not wrong.
Otto is the real pride of the family.
During this period of time, Ambalo deftly resolved many crises, whether overt or hidden, so his prestige increased. The people of the clan willingly regarded him as their leader, and followed him without complaint to abandon the family's centuries-old mansion in Gelt City. However, only Ambalo knows the bitter truth.
Otto got everything ready early.
They will go to the west to avoid the war between the Papal State and the Ull Empire in the east, as well as the ideological dispute that is likely to sweep the entire world. After his wife and daughter were almost imprisoned in secret, Ambalo finally realized that he had rashly How reckless and dangerous it is to cooperate with Archbishop Rodri and participate in the struggle between the religious emperor and the secular kingship.
… It's not a bad thing to leave the port now. Otto said so.
Sailboats and ship-mounted artillery have shown signs of a new era of sailing, and galleys that rely mainly on manpower and have poor applicability will soon be completely eliminated from the sea of the kingdom of heaven. The era of private armed forces will also be gone forever - in the era of galleys, they can arm their own merchant ships, but once they enter the era of sailing ships, no matter how powerful a family is, they will not be able to manufacture such a large-tonnage and large-scale fleet armed with artillery.
Only the country, and only the country, can accomplish this important task.
Only a strong and unified royal regime can deter enemies and bandits with a huge naval fleet. All merchant ships will rely on the protection of the imperial navy, and rise and fall with the strength of the navy.
A new market has been opened up, Roland's maritime empire has taken shape, and no one in the royal family who holds a new route can stop its rise and expansion. No matter how obsessively guarding the harbor and unwilling to leave, he can only be smashed to pieces in the end. Might as well leave now... to go west, to places that have been neglected by all.
Influenced by their "treacherous" and "regicide" brethren, the Heinrich family would not be eligible to participate in politics for a long time—perhaps a hundred years, perhaps longer. But there is nothing wrong with that. The court situation in the future will change, and the ups and downs of the old and new times will crush many old and old things. Staying away from power means staying away from those thrilling risks.
After being dominated by ambition for so long, so long that the powerful skin was full of carrion and maggots, they finally had time to cleanse themselves. The Heinrich family has superb medical skills. After leaving the city of Gelt, they went to the desolate and harsh west to help those monasteries and help them rescue refugees.
The infamy of the two-headed snake has been around for a long time, and it is difficult to wash away people's hatred, but those who save lives will always be forgiven to the greatest extent.
A hundred years, maybe less, and the sins of those deep ailments can always be atoned for.
At that time, all those who are dubbed "Heinrich" no longer need to hold the poison tightly to protect themselves, no longer need to be united in extreme ways because they are rejected by the world, no longer need No need... All young people with "Heinrich" can duel with others normally, can walk on the bright sunshine, and can be loved by others calmly.
All have a bright future.
Except for Otto, no one else could give the Heinrich family this.
……………
The morning fog cleared, and the carriage left Gelt City smoothly. Ambalo raised the curtain and looked in the direction of the Day Palace, remembering the last conversation.
"One last thing..."
Otto paused and looked out the window.
Ambalo looked at him silently.
You gave so many orders in an orderly manner, including your own death and the new birth of your family, with a steady and monotonous tone as if you were talking about things that had nothing to do with you, and indifferent as if you were a cold-blooded animal. You have so many armors, you are so strong that you are indestructible, but in the end, before the name was actually mentioned, your tone has subconsciously become hesitant.
Armor and indestructibility suddenly became a sad joke.
"...if I could," the sunlight fell on Otto through the narrow window. He didn't wear a thick black family cloak, and his shirt was as white as snow in the light and shadow, as if he was once a young man standing in the dark, his wrists that were rarely exposed to the sun were pale as if they had no warmth, "Help me sponsor a man named Iva G. Lowe's men."
"And ask him to write a history book."
His voice became very soft, so light that it was no longer an order but a request. The person who has always stood at a high place suddenly and willingly walked into the dust because of another person at this moment.
"A "History of the Roland Empire"," he paused, as if thinking of something, "Forget it, it's called..."
"'Adele I'."
He smiled lightly.
That smile was happy and sad, fleeting, as if it was just an illusion.
"Lovi" is a common surname common in the north. Why would Otto know a northern commoner whom no one had ever heard of, and why would he ask a commoner to write a history book? Ambalo wondered why Otto's last request to him was so odd, like he wondered if the tombstone would remain blank forever.
"What kind of person is he?"
Mrs. Haiwei hesitated since the funeral, and finally couldn't help asking.
"Is… "
Ambalo was silent for a moment.
"A very tired person."
He shouldered the responsibility, he had to do everything, and he couldn't give up on anything.
Loyal to family, but also loyal to love.
Gelt City gradually disappeared from sight.
As the carriage passed through the woods, he caught a glimpse of a spider with its slender legs curled up and falling into the dead leaves on the ground. The morning dew stuck to the beaded net dissipated like light smoke in the midday sun, leaving pale traces.
Ambalo cast his gaze forward.
Farewell, two-headed snake.
Farewell, Otto.