The high platform instantly became the focus.
The Queen's rumored lover and her fiancé's brother have had a public feud.
Things are extraordinarily delicate.
To reject Prince Arthur would be to severely offend their new ally. But on the other hand, Dalton, as the queen's newly promoted imperial marshal and a loyal supporter on the surface, if he is rejected, people will have to think more about their allegiance to the queen in the future-if the lord can't give his followers dignity and glory, he will Will lose the eligibility to be supported.
His eyes focused on the queen with scrutiny.
Adele knew it well.
The previous rebellion, of course, was because most people could not accept a woman ruling the empire, but it was more out of contempt and distrust. She was too young for the sophisticated nobles to believe that she possessed sophisticated political skills.
Her every move will be magnified and measured repeatedly.
There is no room for error.
Under everyone's gaze, Adele always had a faint smile on her face.
She untied the ribbon embroidered with roses in gold thread from her wrist, then walked down the last step and placed the ribbon in Prince Arthur's hand: "I sincerely hope that you will be blessed by Lady Luck. As I so earnestly hope, the friendship between Root and Roland lives on."
Dalton straightened up slowly, watching without saying a word, the other hand holding the lance was suddenly clenched under the iron glove.
Prince Arthur tied the ribbon around his wrist, smiling brightly: "You are my goddess of luck, nothing can teach people to go through fire and water more than your encouragement and smile."
When the Queen put the ribbon into the hands of Prince Arthur, the envoys of the Root Empire showed smiles on their faces, while Roland's nobles and officials looked a little complicated. Some of them breathed a sigh of relief, while others remained silent. , and some people were angry.
But before the whispers in Roland's seat became louder, Adele turned around and walked towards Dalton.
There was a dazzling bright line on the edge of Dalton's armor.
He usually uses a musket, and the nobles often ridicule him for "knowing nothing about knights. Once he drops that iron pipe, even a nine-year-old child can knock him off his horse with a stick." He answered those taunts with admiration—even if thrown two hundred years earlier, he could still fight his way through the thousands of troops on the battlefield.
Some people are born for war.
The queen raised her hand, took a gold and ruby rose-shaped brooch from her shoulder, and handed it to Dalton: "Will you accept this coat of arms?"
Her voice is soft and gentle.
Among all the knights present, almost all of them had distinctive emblems on their cloaks and armors. Except for Dalton, his cloak is as black as night, and his armor is dazzling but unadorned-all of which clearly remind everyone that even if he is made a knight by the queen and becomes the marshal of the empire, his foundation Still humble.
A commoner biting into the nobles.
But the queen gave him the rose pin and said "will you accept this coat of arms", and things became very different.
The coat of arms of the Roland family is the cross of swords and roses.
After the queen is crowned, the red rose is used as her personal symbol alone. Today, the Queen gave Dalton the rose, which means she accepts the Dalton family - provided Dalton can take root in the empire - as a dependent family of the royal family.
Under this meaning, no one can say that the queen gave Prince Arthur her blessing first, which is a contempt for Dalton.
Dalton took the rose pin and put it on his shoulder.
As he kissed his hand in gratitude, Adele moved her lips slightly and said something in a low, unobtrusive voice.
It took Dalton a moment to straighten up.
The rose on his shoulder was burning like a fire, burning his muscles through the iron armor, burning his bones, burning his rational nerve. It should have been the blaze of utter bliss, but the queen's words, which only the two of them could hear, made the fire of joy just as dangerous.
Both happy and angry.
……………
"What do you think?"
As the Minister of State, Heinrich is the closest to the Queen except Prince Arthur.
Adele crossed her fingers and rested her arms on the armrest, paying attention to the situation in the competition venue.
Dalton and Prince Arthur entered the arena from two different entrances after circling the arena. This is so far the most important contest between the two sides. Any truly fatal injury to any one of them will cause a series of turmoil.
For this reason, before the match, the attendants of both sides had to check with great care that their armor was perfectly fitted.
When the ceremonial official announced the beginning of the contest, the horse galloped up, smoke and dust rolled under the horse's hooves, and the cloak flew like waves.
"Emperor Root should consider making his brother a general rather than an artist," said Adele. "He has a good brush and a sword as well."
"Who do you think is stronger?" Heinrich asked.
This question is actually a bit strange, he seems to be sure that the queen can keenly distinguish the subtle strength gap between the two sides in the contest.
Generally speaking, ladies and ladies, although they love to watch duels, few of them are really proficient in it.
Adele Roland was different.
She is a real "Roland".
The Roland family with crossed swords and roses as their coat of arms, Adele has perfectly inherited all the distinctive symbols of this family. Although she is a woman, she is proficient in military affairs and has a good understanding of various weapons, and she has always been very accurate in judging the strength of opponents.
When she was fourteen years old, she was accused of witchcraft and murdered her father, for which she was exiled for three years.
Although the exile of the royal family is not as tragic as that of the civilians, the reef castle Adele got is in an extremely dangerous location and is often harassed by pirates. In order to ensure that the princess can survive an unexpected accident, he began to teach Adele the lessons that originally belonged to the prince.
Riding, sword and archery.
Restricted by her physique, it was difficult for Adele to use a heavy long sword, but at that time her crossbow hit every shot. It's just that she followed his advice, and after returning to the court from exile, she never used a bow and arrow in front of others.
In the past, Heinrich also felt that she had completely neglected her bow and arrow, but now he no longer thinks that way.
——The world only sees roses, but they don't find the sharp blade hidden under the rose petals.
"Dalton." Adele replied bluntly, "He is a sword tempered from blood and corpses. There is a difference between Prince Arthur and him after all."
Heinrich wanted to ask her a little bit, how do you think I compare with Dalton
—You must be the best knight, sir.
—If I can go back, would you mind adding a rose and a double-headed snake to the coat of arms of the Heinrich family
At the age of sixteen, Princess Adele was sitting on a black rock by the sea. Her life in exile had made her thinner, and her loose white dress was blown behind her by the sea breeze. Sitting there, she looked like an elegant ghost orchid blooming on the reef. Firm, sincere, hopeful...the young princess.
When he heard "The Rose and the Two-Headed Serpent," he heard his own heartbeat clearly in the thundering tide.
Later, he realized that the princess' words were just gratitude, not his first reaction.
It was a long time ago, and the princess's words were only said once, and he never mentioned them. For a long time, he felt that he had already forgotten.
But when the rose that was originally promised to him was worn on another man's shoulder, the sound of the tide in the Rose Strait came back, and the breath of the sea was full of sea breeze.
"It seems that you think Mr. Dalton is going to win."
Heinrich said softly, feeling that the snake in his heart began to bite again, its teeth were extremely sharp, and the jealous and bitter venom gushed out from the heart, rushing through every blood vessel in the body. He tried to keep his voice calm.
"I'm afraid it won't look good on the face of the Root Empire."
"No."
Adele's tone was chillingly cold.
"He will lose."
……………
The horses roared, and the audience's shouts were deafening.
Dalton and Prince Arthur quickly charged at each other after initially probing each other.
The distance between the two sides was getting closer, and Dalton's face behind his helmet was getting colder and colder.
In the royal tent, Prince Arthur sat beside the Queen; in the studio, the Queen leaned over to watch Prince Arthur paint, and they chatted intimately, with the same dignity and elegance. In front of the high platform, the queen is the first to place the ribbon in Prince Arthur's hand... All the images come together, each mocking the lingering brand of his birth.
All the pictures and sounds gathered together, condensing into the killing intent on the tip of the gun.
He can win.
If he wins, he can proudly declare to everyone that nobles are nothing more than commoners.
Prince Arthur is a formidable opponent, but his real fangs lie in the shadows.
Frontal charge is the world of soldiers. When the opponent stabs his shield, he will cause the opponent to fall off the horse in embarrassment, and he has to be picked up by others.
He can do it.
but…
- "I gave you roses, will you give me back thorns?"
The queen standing on the high platform seemed to see through all the violent emotions in his heart. Tell him that as he kisses the back of her hand.
Prince Arthur is the younger brother of Emperor Root, and he represents Emperor Root in Roland. He lost face in the duel, which is equivalent to Emperor Root's loss of face. At the moment when it is necessary to jointly fight against the kingdom of Yager, the queen must ensure that the allies will not be dissatisfied.
more importantly…
Emperor Root would be her husband.
Degrading the dignity of a future husband is not what any sane lady would do. For the wife, that would be a bitter thorn in the throat.
Damn Root! Damn Jager!
Rose pins on shoulders burned like flames, burning muscle and bone through the armor.