At the sound of his footsteps, the Queen looked up.
"I was just wondering if you'd come," Adele said, "after all I just sent some of your Brothers from the Order to Whitehall Prison."
"What do you want me for?"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the archbishop regretted them, which sounded like a young knight who had come to an appointment. After noticing this, his tone became cold and hard.
"They'll make you pay."
Adele closed the book and stood up.
She didn't wear the usual fancy dress, the pure white taffeta dress was close to her waist, outlining the lines like willow branches in early spring. The sun gilded her dress and hair with a light gold, and they looked like Saint Catherine in the church dome.
Archbishop Rodrik realized why he sometimes felt that the queen gave him a sense of familiarity.
On the dome of the cathedral in Galth, the capital of Roland, the famous painter Billest spent three years completing a picture of the divine revelation. On the murals, many dead saints gather together to witness how God saves the world. Among them, Saint Catherine is wearing a white linen dress, and her face is as beautiful as the world.
The archbishop didn't notice it before, but the contact with the queen during this period made him realize that the face of Saint Catherine on the mural was clearly the queen of the princess period.
This is not an uncommon occurrence.
From the past to the present, in the creation of many religious themes, painters always use the armor of princes and dukes, or the people of the pope's family as the blueprint. When the cathedral was being repaired, Adele had just finished her exile and was summoned back to the palace by her brother James. In terms of time, Billester may indeed have met Adele, and his impression of her was left in the murals of the church.
"So, I want to know," Adele said, "how much power do you have with the Knights of the Temple?"
"You don't want me to betray my brother."
The archbishop replied emphatically.
"I need your help, Rodri." Adele said bluntly, "otherwise the turmoil cannot subside."
"You still dare to say such things to me?" The archbishop couldn't believe it. "You think I will still believe you? After you took advantage of my good intentions and slaughtered the Old God sect?"
Yes, he was used.
The vague premonition along the way was confirmed at this moment, she was indeed using him, and he was ridiculously worried about her safety like a fool.
"Gods!" the archbishop blurted out, unable to contain his anger, "I should have let them do it! Let you be burned at the stake."
"You know what's going on better than me! Why am I targeting them? I don't care if they hate me. Whoever is against Roland is against me. Assuming you haven't forgotten, you are Roland People, then please answer me, is it me, or are they betraying Roland's interests?"
The Queen's tone also hardened.
"Answer me! Rodri!"
"But you're also setting up new turmoil and chaos, do you want a new 'spiritual war'? Like 1552."
asked the Archbishop.
1552.
The first large-scale conflict between Protestantism and Oldism broke out in the Roland Empire, which was later called the "Spiritual War". In the "spiritual war", many people were sacrificed on both sides, and each had to take a step back in the end, but the hatred did not disappear, but intensified.
Until now, the two factions are in conflict.
"I said before, I don't care whether you believe in the new god or the old god, as long as you are Roland's people and follow Roland's law." The queen said sharply, "I want everyone to let go of their hatred, and let everyone who believes in different gods People can also see each other as brothers and sisters, don’t you understand—”
"It doesn't matter what's new or what's old!"
"As long as it's friendly, it belongs to Roland."
"You must be crazy, you are not even a heretic!" Archbishop Rodri looked at the queen, as if she was the poisonous snake that tempted humans, "Only the devil dares to say such things as you."
No one, no one can say anything like that.
Faith should be pious and inviolable.
God is the only one, if not so, how can mortals wash away their original sins? How can one's soul be redeemed? Even pagans have unquestionable gods they worship.
"No, you are wrong."
The queen's voice seemed to come from a distant land.
"I am the chosen one."
"You're crazy." The archbishop took a step back.
"What if I can prove it?"
The queen watched him, her face overlapping the saints in the church frescoes.
The wind blows open the curtains, and the sunlight pours into this dusty room, sweeping away all the gloom. The queen's whole body was shrouded in a radiance like molten gold.
Sharp, sharp, and lofty.
"Then..." the archbishop could barely hear his own voice, "prove it to me."
……………
Countless pointed iron guns pointed directly at the sky.
The tournament was not canceled due to the queen's poisoning, but the time was changed. This is what the Queen and the Marshal of the Empire mean-the royal family and the government need a brilliant show to sweep away the anxious atmosphere that has hung over the capital since the July Rebellion.
On the banks of the White River, gorgeous tents with the crests of various families were set up, and the colorful flags and badges were dizzying. The young knights entered the arena in the dust from the trampling of horses' hooves, their armor shining in the sun. The ladies and ladies who sat on the high platform and attended in their best clothes were given a rare opportunity to look at them squarely.
The petals are sprinkled into the White River, corresponding to the reflection of the flag.
Everything looks great.
If it weren't for those armed guns, those heavily armed guards in the bunting.
"You're taking a risk."
Sitting beside the Queen, Prince Arthur spoke softly amidst the applause of the crowd.
I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but Prince Arthur is wearing a scarlet coat today. The iris flower of the Royal House of Root is embroidered with gold thread on the clothes. The neckline and cuffs are decorated with diamond-studded lace. The silver buttons are shining in the sun. . Such attire is of course beyond reproach, but the problem is...
The problem is that the queen's dress is also scarlet.
The Earl of the Root Empire, who was sitting on the other side, looked at them with anxiety in his heart.
—I don’t know, I thought Prince Arthur and Queen Roland were the couple who were about to get married.
It was not a safe signal, but the rapier that passed by the neck took away the count's courage. He seems to have finally realized the other side of Prince Arthur who was ridiculed for being "like a woman", the dangerous and vicious side, so that he can only watch all this with his eyes.
The count could only look away.
At this moment, the count suddenly noticed a person not far away who seemed out of place with his surroundings. He was wearing a black monk's smock, his eyebrows were like eagle wings, and his steel blue eyes were also staring at the queen and prince on the high platform with some displeasure.
The count thought for a while, and recognized him as the youngest archbishop ever, Rodri.
"I heard that you have also prepared armor." Adele evaded Prince Arthur's question briskly, half-hid her face with the exquisite golden embroidered fan in her hand, "Your brother once defeated twelve warriors in a row in a martial arts tournament. Knight, no one can be his opponent, you must have been there at the time?"
"It's a bit unfair for you to do this. These days, I haven't dared to pray for you for a minute or a second. Apart from you, no one else occupies my thoughts. What about you?"
Prince Arthur laughed, staring intently at Adele.
"When you are with me, you still think about Brother Wang? I assure you, he is not as handsome as me."
There was a bit of grievance and complaint in his tone, coupled with his handsome face like an angel, if an ordinary lady were here, she would definitely regret her slip of the tongue.
It's a pity that he met Adele Roland.
The glamorous, hard-hearted Queen Roland.
She chuckled, and used a fan to push Prince Arthur's face away from too close: "Have you heard the recent rumors? They all say that I am fascinated by you and want to change my marriage partner. What about me?" ? The lovers in the legend line up along the Baihe River to the gate of the city. And you? You have no marriage contract so far, which is different from a notorious person like me."
"Are they blind?" Prince Arthur showed a look of disbelief, "Isn't it me who is fascinated by you?"
Adele covered her face with a fan when she heard this and laughed,
Prince Arthur, the "Prince of Sin" of intrigue, poison and trickery, can indeed make himself extra likable when he wants to.
After a while.
"Actually, in an alliance, there is no difference between a prince and a king, isn't it?"
He spoke slowly, the blue of his eyes looking particularly dangerous.
"This is the most touching words I have ever heard." The Queen put down her fan, with a smile on her lips.
Her tone was sincere, but she moved past this dangerous topic quietly.
At this time, thunderous applause in the venue.
The queen cast her gaze over.
I saw a knight with cold armor passing by on his horse. His cloak was as black as the night without any family crest on it. The enemy rolled to the ground behind him, kicking up a cloud of dust. The contest ended like lightning, for the knight in the black cloak was like a sword, cutting down his foe the moment it was drawn.
The ceremonial officer announced loudly that this was his eleventh victory.
The onlookers cheered, and the noble ladies threw the flowers in their hands into the venue one after another.
No matter when, the winner is always worthy of admiration.
Prince Arthur narrowed his eyes and recognized him as the damned commoner, Robert Dalton. When the Master of Ceremonies was about to read out his next opponent, Prince Arthur suddenly stood up and interrupted him loudly.
"I will be the gentleman's opponent."
The aristocrats with a keen sense of smell exchanged glances with each other, while the civilians who didn't know the inside story only shouted louder for this more intense episode. Force, challenge, this is the charm of the tournament.
The ceremonial officer cast his eyes on Dalton in the arena, he raised the visor of his helmet, and nodded expressionlessly.
The prince left the table to put on his armor, and when he appeared at the other end of the hall, the faces of the noble ladies could not help but flush. General Dalton was handsome, but his handsomeness was razor-sharp, cold and sharp. Prince Arthur, on the other hand, perfectly fits all the girls' fantasies about Prince Charming.
Dalton bypassed most of the venue.
Finally, he stopped in front of the queen's high platform and bowed to the queen: "Do I have the honor to step onto the battlefield with your blessing? Your Majesty."
The queen smiled slightly, stood up gracefully, and took a step down.
At this moment, another war horse also arrived, Prince Arthur reined in, and also stopped in front of the high platform. Like Dalton who didn't see the side, he stretched out his hand to the queen:
"Can you protect me?"