The queen looked at the rose.
Dalton looked down at her against the light, and the edge of his face was outlined by the sun with a bright and cold line, just like himself. His impression has always been linked to sabers and guns, which are cold and ruthless things. It is hard to imagine that one day he will fold a rose with his hands that are used to holding guns and kill people, and give it to someone.
When he handed the rose to the queen, he lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes cast a faint shadow, the corners of his lips were pursed, he didn't speak, and he didn't take it back.
Just so stubbornly maintaining the action of handing it to the queen.
The slender and white hand finally stretched out and took the rose.
The black-haired officer paused in mid-air with his empty hand, as if he hadn't thought that the queen would really take the rose.
After a moment, he laughed.
Dalton has a high nose bridge and sharp brow bone lines, and his facial features are full of lingering hostility, as if he is always ready to mock someone. But occasionally, at a certain moment, a smile like the sun shining among the leaves flashed across this gloomy and cold face. Although there are still shadows between the eyebrows and eyes, that faint smile is real .
The queen held the rose in her hand, pinched the branch and turned it around gently, the edges of the petals refracted fine spots of light in the light.
She put the rose by her hand, bowed her head and continued with her business.
…………………………
The destination of Roland's army was the city of Tours in the Pope's country, a military fortress that was very important if he wanted to attack the Holy City forward.
After all, although the queen is personally on the expedition, this time is different from a naval battle. In a naval battle, at least before the two fleets meet, they are safe on the warship. In wars on land, one must be prepared for ambushes and sneak attacks that may occur during the march. Now that the queen has arrived in the Pope's country and achieved the nominal "personal conquest", Archbishop Rodri will not really let the queen go to the front line like in the previous naval battle—that would be too dangerous.
The city of Tours serves as the base camp for the rear, and the Queen stays here. Unless there are special circumstances, basically there will be no major problems.
Archbishop Rodri has already waited here, and he has also done some necessary preventive work in advance. When the queen arrived, all roads near the fort were closed to martial law. However, judging from the road blockade, Archbishop Rodrik's manpower is not enough, and the external trenches have not yet been completed.
"Where are the Cardinals?"
The Queen got out of the carriage supported by Mrs. Kelly, looked around, and then asked.
She could tell that most of the people in this fortress were civilians and monks, and there were no cardinals wearing bright red sacrificial robes among the people who came to wait to welcome them.
"As they wished, I left them in Arcana."
While Archbishop Rodriguez replied, he led the Queen through the military fortifications and walked towards the interior of the fortress—even though it was only a rear base camp, the necessary military fortifications were still there.
Along the way, both monks and civilians saluted the beautiful queen who brought more than 10,000 soldiers from the bottom of their hearts. Before seeing the queen, some of the monks couldn't help but hold the old-fashioned religious thinking, thinking that it would be a bit... unreasonable for a woman to be the monarch, but when they saw the queen and her army with their own eyes, all these thoughts disappeared. .
You must know that there is a big difference between a monarch who is respected by soldiers and a monarch who is despised by soldiers. There is no doubt that the Queen is definitely the former. Just look at those young officers! How energetic they are, how straight their backs are, and how respectful and loving they are when they look at the queen. She can make these people go to the hail of bullets for her with a word.
— of course.
For now, the difference between the navy and the army is actually not that big. To a large extent, naval battles are an extension of land battles at sea. You can see that Dalton, who is an army, also led his troops to participate in the naval battle in March. Among the people brought by the queen, a large part of them were soldiers who fought side by side with the queen in the naval battle, and also witnessed the miracle of the three-day suspension.
Soldiers will only ever trust leaders who are willing to live and die with them.
They adore her.
That kind of respect and love even infected people in the fortress who had only heard of the Queen.
In addition, the Roland army that came to the Papal State this time also included the Knights of the Temple commanded by Archbishop Rodri.
As soon as the Templar Knights arrived here, they immediately handed over the work skillfully to the monks who served as temporary sentries. The army is divided into two parts, one part is stationed in the fortress to protect the Queen's safety, and the other part is stationed near the fortress under the command of Dalton. After the battle plan is determined, Dalton will also lead to attack the holy city.
The queen's temporary residence is a monastery built in the fifteenth century, the architectural style is relatively slender and gorgeous, and the room used as a conference room has two very large rose windows, and the stained glass with lead strips will Casts two magnificent reflections in the very center of the room.
In addition to the arrangement of the army, the second more important thing is the military salary.
"In addition to Yager's contribution, the priests have also contributed a lot." The Queen said, "One-third of the military pay must be thanks to our good priests."
Originally, the queen planned to let the royal family pay the military salary in advance. After all, the time was short, and it was too late to collect enough taxes from the priests. But, surprisingly, the Queen's chancellor - who seemed increasingly concerned of late to be replaced by Archbishop Rodriguez - scraped the churches and abbeys around Gelt down to the turf.
In the end, the queen had to admit that the church, especially the church with many real properties that have been passed down for hundreds of years, is simply richer than the queen herself.
This is no nonsense.
Even if the Queen took advantage of the victory in the naval battle to make a big deal from Jager and the Union of Commercial Cities, the money was used to maintain the royal family and government expenses, and did not belong to the Queen herself. As for the queen's private income, it is mainly based on the queen's private territory, ports, royal businessmen and so on. In many cases, the queen has to pay for the government out of her own pocket. Therefore, in her daily life, except for the necessary grades and specifications of the royal family, the queen basically does not make extra expenses.
This is almost the situation of the monarchs at the same time. In fact, many kings often rely on debt to maintain the royal family's expenses. Earlier, there was a king who used everything to make money, even to the point of making people laugh and cry—such as imprisoning the lovers of the monks and extorting ransom.
The Queen is not yet at that level, but her Chancellor of the Exchequer is probably on par with that one in the eyes of the monks.
"They get used to it after that."
Archbishop Rodriguez said.
The Queen smiled faintly upon hearing this.
The group of cardinals detained by Archbishop Rodri signed the "Arkana-Roland Treaty" out of desperation. In the absence of the Pope, the treaty signed by the College of Cardinals has the same validity as the Pope. According to this treaty, the Roland Diocese is basically independent from the control of the church.
First of all, from now on, the Archbishop of Gelt is no longer appointed by the Pope, but by the monarch of Roland. Secondly, the Roland monarch has since then had the power to tax the clergy in the diocese.
"I'm glad I read In Defense of Michelle."
The smile quickly disappeared from the Queen's face. She leaned back on the high-backed chair, crossed her hands and fingers, and looked at Archbishop Rodriguez.
Because in the afternoon, the position of the sun is deflected, the light beam cast from the rose window is tilted, covering her in it. The queen's physique is not good, and she is particularly afraid of the cold in winter. Just after autumn, Mrs. Kelly wrapped her in a warm robe without any doubt. There is a white circle around the collar, which makes her facial features more delicate cold.
Archbishop Rodri's gaze paused for a moment on her much thinner cheeks.
He also knows about the great trial of the empire in June.
Even though he was in the Pope's country, Archbishop Rodrik was still in charge of part of the queen's intelligence network, and he probably knew some details better than some people who had personally experienced the trial. From the Queen's handling of the Elmia incident, he clearly saw the changes in the Queen.
Whether this change is good or bad, he can only remain silent.
"It is my honor to receive your appreciation." Archbishop Rodri replied after being silent for a moment.
"So this is the path you're finally looking for?" the Queen asked, her gaze a little scrutinized, "You want to let the disputes of ideas be resolved in the field of ideas, and you shouldn't be persecuted physically because of differences in ideas."
"yes."
The queen stared at him for a while: "Kelly used to worry about whether you would be too extreme. Now it seems that there is no need to worry about it."
"You asked me to come to the Papal State just to let me witness the end of the radicals?" Archbishop Rodri asked back.
"There must be a part of the reason." The queen did not deny, "Although I really don't believe in gods, I know that at least for now, and for a long time in the future, people will still need it. It has existed for thousands of years, so it must take hard work and patience to destroy it, and it will not happen overnight.”
"Saint Trefus II hoped to finish it in the morning and evening, so he died, and his efforts disappeared." Archbishop Rodrik whispered, obviously it was not only the Queen who had changed during this time. He paused, "It will take time for people to accept a concept that is completely opposite to the previous one. But... as long as the mind is free, then just like people will not be threatened with their lives because of arguing about the doctrine, as more and more More and more different ideas have been put forward, and people will one day argue about the existence of God."
"So, what do you want to do?" asked the Queen.
"What needs to be defended is not a certain point of view, but the right to put forward a point of view without being persecuted," Archbishop Rodri said calmly of what he wanted to do, as if stating something that was bound to happen, "Religion The Inquisition and Inquisition must be abolished, and the stake must disappear from this world."
The Queen leaned slightly and approached Archbishop Rodriguez.
After a while, she leaned back on the chair again: "I wish you success in advance."
The light coming through the stained-glass windows is dreamy, and the silver-haired queen sits in the light, like a statue of a god looking down at the world.
Archbishop Rodri held her wrist lightly.
"Because we live in such times, Your Majesty."
he whispered,
Just like the part of her that belonged to "Adele" gradually disappeared and transformed into a pure monarch like a demigod, after he completely denied his own beliefs, he built a new backbone bit by bit with his own hands. Archbishop Rodri lowered his eyes and stared at her hands—it was she who supported him in destroying the old self and shaping the new one.
It was the hesitant question of that rainy night.
At first, it was just a beam of light held by the drowning person in the dark, and then seeing that beam of light being indelible in the long night was like seeing another friend who would never fall down. In the end, although they clearly knew that the things they were looking for were divided into two different paths, one was here and the other was there, but it had become a habit to stare at that beam of light.
He walked on the road of godlessness, but in the depths of his soul, he set up a sky-blue and golden altar for her.
She became his eternal and silent faith.